POV: You're Richer Than Rockefeller

Today At A Glance

• Why Warren Buffett says most Americans live better than John D. Rockefeller ever did—and what that means for you.
• The hidden luxuries you use daily that the richest person in history couldn't buy at any price.
• How recognizing abundance creates better decisions than operating from scarcity.
• A practical framework for seeing the extraordinary baseline you're building from.

The holiday season has a way of shifting your perspective.

As we head into this season—the travel plans, the family gatherings, the year-end reflections—I've been thinking a lot about what wealth actually means. Not the number in your bank account, but the real riches. The things that determine quality of life.

Last week, I watched my kids facetime their grandmother across the country, laughing and showing her their drawings in real-time. Later that evening, while the house maintained 72 degrees and we streamed a movie we'd picked from thousands of options, I remembered something I heard Warren Buffett say in an interview. I’m paraphrasing, but the punchline was:

"Most people in America live better than John D. Rockefeller ever did."

At first, it sounds absurd. Rockefeller was the richest person in modern history. His wealth, adjusted for inflation, exceeded $400 billion. He could buy anything money could buy.

And that's exactly the point—the limitation in that phrase. Anything money could buy.

Because in 1937, when Rockefeller died, there were luxuries that we take for granted today, that simply didn't exist. No amount of wealth could purchase them.

The wealthiest man in history died without experiencing what we now consider basic, even unremarkable, aspects of daily life.

In an age of Instagram and TikTok, it’s easy to focus on what we don’t have. But this holiday season, I challenge you to remember the quiet luxuries that not even Rockefeller could ever experience.

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The Luxuries We've Stopped Seeing

We're surrounded by luxuries that have become so commonplace, we've forgotten they're luxuries at all.

Medical care we take for granted:

Rockefeller's grandson died from something that $5 of antibiotics would cure today. When you get strep throat, you don't wonder if you'll survive. You wonder if you can get the prescription filled before 6pm.

We complain about waiting 20 minutes at urgent care, not marveling that we can walk into a building and have doctors diagnose us with technology that would seem like magic a century ago. We grumble about our dental appointment, not celebrating that we'll keep our teeth into our 80s—something unimaginable for most of human history.

Unlimited access to the world’s information:

Rockefeller had the best private libraries money could buy. You have instant access to nearly all human knowledge, cross-referenced and searchable, in your pocket.

When you wonder about something—anything—you don't dispatch researchers or wait for books to arrive. You just know, within seconds. You can learn a new skill, understand a complex topic, or verify a fact faster than Rockefeller could ask his staff to begin researching it.

Connection that collapses distance:

Last week, I watched my kids say goodnight to their grandmother, 3,000 miles away, seeing her face and hearing her voice in real-time. For all of human history until about 15 years ago, that was impossible.

Rockefeller could send telegrams. We video call casually while walking through a grocery store. We maintain relationships across continents without thinking about it. We work with colleagues we've never met in person. We access communities of people who share our interests—no matter where they are.

Comfort that kings couldn't command:

Climate control. On-demand hot water. Refrigeration. Lighting that doesn't require fire. Transportation that doesn't require animals.

These aren't conveniences—they're luxuries that fundamentally changed what it means to be human. Rockefeller could heat some rooms in his mansion. You can set every room to exactly 68 degrees and forget about it. He had ice cellars. You have a device that makes ice on demand while keeping your food fresh for weeks.

Entertainment and experience:

Every form of music ever recorded. Every film ever made. Every book ever published—available instantly. Rockefeller could hire musicians to perform in his home. You can access any performance, any time, in audio quality that surpasses what he heard live.

You can see the world through virtual tours, documentaries, and video calls with people living in places you've never been. You can experience stories, ideas, and perspectives from across all of human culture, curated to your interests, for less than the cost of a single meal.

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Why This Recognition Matters

I know what you're thinking. "Sure, but I'm still stressed about money. Still working hard. Still have real problems."

You're right. I’m not dismissing today’s challenges.

But here's what I've noticed: The lens through which we see our circumstances shapes almost everything. Our decisions. Our happiness. Our capacity to create.

When I operate from a place of recognizing what I have, I make better long term decisions. I become less reactive, and the journey becomes more enjoyable.

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The Recognition Playbook

So here's what I'm working on this month. Not as someone who has this figured out, but as someone trying to rewire a brain that naturally focuses on what's missing.

Each morning this week, I'm naming three specific invisible luxuries I'll use that day.

• "I'll drink clean water that requires no effort to get."
• "I'll learn something new in minutes that would have taken weeks to discover 50 years ago."
• "I'll work with people across the world."

The Rockefeller Comparison

Try this: Take something you use casually and imagine explaining it to someone from 1937.

• "I have a box in my kitchen that keeps food cold indefinitely and another that heats it to any temperature in seconds."
• "I can sit on a machine that flies me across the country in five hours."
• “I have access to every book ever written, every movie ever made, and every song ever recorded—all in my pocket.”

These sound like magic. They should still feel remarkable.

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The Practice of Recognition

Tomorrow, you’ll still have problems. Still face challenges. Still want more for your family and your business.

But don’t sleepwalk through a life that would astonish anyone from previous generations.

The richest person in history died without experiencing a fraction of what you and I consider normal. That's not a random fact. It's a lens—one that can change how we see everything.

See you next week.