You can have all the riches and success in the world, but if you

In the words of Steven Adler, the once-celebrated drummer of Guns N’ Roses, there resounds a truth carved from both triumph and tragedy: “You can have all the riches and success in the world, but if you don’t have your health, you have nothing.” These are not the idle words of a man untouched by fortune, but the confession of one who has walked through fire — who has tasted fame, wealth, and adoration, yet found them hollow in the absence of health. His wisdom, like the lessons of the ancients, was earned not through ease, but through suffering.

For what is riches without vitality? What is success without the strength to enjoy it? The ancients taught that the body is the vessel of the spirit — a temple through which all joys, loves, and labors must pass. To neglect it is to build a palace on sand, to chase shadows while losing the sun. Adler, whose youth was consumed by the chaos of rock and fame, learned this truth in the most painful way. His body, once strong enough to drive the thunder of drums, was weakened by addiction and neglect. In time, he came to see that no glory can comfort the sick, no gold can restore the breath of life once it falters.

The wisdom of health being the foundation of all fortune echoes across the centuries. The philosopher Epicurus once said that health is the root of happiness, for without it, the pleasures of wealth and success turn to dust. Even kings have trembled at the truth of this law. Consider Emperor Charles V, ruler of half the known world, who in his later years was consumed by gout and pain. Surrounded by riches beyond measure, he found no rest, no joy. His empire stretched across oceans, yet he longed only for relief — a single night of peace within his suffering body. Thus, the greatest of rulers and the humblest of men are equal before the throne of health.

Adler’s words speak not merely to the body, but to the soul. For when health fails, the mind too falters. Dreams that once soared begin to crumble, and even love loses its warmth beneath the weight of illness. True success, he reminds us, is not measured in applause or gold, but in the quiet harmony between body and spirit — when one wakes with energy, moves with purpose, and lives in balance. It is then that wealth has meaning, for it serves life, rather than replacing it.

There is a story told of a great merchant in the East who fell ill after years of tireless trade. Physicians could not cure him, and his wealth could not soothe him. One day, he met a wandering monk who asked him, “If I could give you one wish, what would you desire?” The merchant, weeping, replied, “Give me my health, for in losing it, I have lost everything.” The monk smiled and said, “Then you have learned the greatest wisdom — that gold buys comfort, but only health gives life.”

Thus, the saying becomes a mirror for all who live in pursuit of worldly gain. To labor for wealth at the cost of one’s well-being is to sow seeds of sorrow beneath a gilded sky. Adler’s journey, from stardom to struggle and recovery, is the tale of a man who found redemption not in music or fame, but in reclaiming the strength of his own body and mind. He teaches that health is not a passive gift, but a sacred responsibility — one that demands care, discipline, and gratitude.

Let this truth, then, be passed from generation to generation: guard your health as your greatest treasure. Eat with moderation, rest with intention, move with vigor, and keep your heart free from the poisons of excess and despair. For wealth fades, applause dies, and power passes, but the living flame of health sustains all joy.

And so, as Steven Adler declares with the authority of one who has fallen and risen again: you can have all the riches and success in the world, but if you don’t have your health, you have nothing. Remember this, and live wisely. Build your fortune upon strength, your dreams upon wellness, and your joy upon balance — for in the harmony of body and soul lies the only wealth that endures.