The greatest wealth is health

Meaning: Good health is more valuable than any material possession or social status.

Origin: An old saying with many relatives, such as "health is better than wealth." Ralph Waldo Emerson put it most memorably in The Conduct of Life (1860): "The first wealth is health."

Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, and German

  • French: La plus grande richesse est la santé (literally: The greatest wealth is health)
  • Spanish: La mayor riqueza es la salud (literally: The greatest wealth is health)
  • Japanese: 最大の財産は健康である (Saidai no zaisan wa kenkō de aru) (literally: The greatest treasure is health)
  • German: Gesundheit ist der größte Reichtum (literally: Health is the greatest wealth)

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