Money vs. Passion is one of those questions where the honest answer is: it depends on your current reality more than on philosophy.
Here’s a clearer way to think about it:
Most realistic hierarchy of needs (in rough order of actual priority for most people)
Survival & basic safety
(rent/mortgage, food, utilities, healthcare, transport, debt payments)
→ If you can’t cover these → money is dramatically more important than passion
Low-grade financial breathing room
(small emergency fund, no constant dread about next bill, some buffer against losing job)
→ Once you reach this level → passion starts becoming a realistic option instead of a fantasy
Medium security + optionality
(can survive 6–12 months without income, some savings, no crushing debt)
→ Here passion and money become genuine trade-offs you can actually choose between
High financial security / abundance
(investments produce enough passive income, net worth allows you to never work again if you want)
→ At this point passion usually becomes far more important than earning even more money
The “luxury belief” part
Saying “follow your passion, money isn’t everything” is very frequently a luxury belief when it comes from:
People who already have money/security
People whose “passion” happens to be highly marketable right now
People who are young and haven’t yet experienced long-term financial stress
People whose parents quietly subsidize them
When those same people later lose the money/security, or when their industry collapses, or when they have children to feed — many of them very quickly start sounding a lot more “money-first” than they did at 23.
Quick diagnostic questions to know where you personally stand
If answer is “yes / mostly yes” → priority
Question
Can you survive 3–6 months with no income?
Passion can be a real priority
Would missing next month’s rent/food bill destroy your life?
Money is currently much more important
Are you choosing between two jobs right now — one pays 40–80% more, the other feels more meaningful?
Money is probably still more important (unless the gap is small)
Do you already have enough saved/invested that you could live modestly forever without working?
Passion is almost certainly more important
Short version most adults eventually land on
Below ~financial safety → money is more important (not because it’s noble, but because physics & biology don’t negotiate)
Once you reach reasonable safety → passion usually becomes more important for long-term happiness & life satisfaction
Treating it as an either/or forever is usually the real mistake
Most people who end up both happy and financially okay-ish did not pick one side permanently.
They did some version of:
Money first (enough to remove panic) → passion second (once panic is gone)
What stage of that journey are you in right now? That usually tells you which one should have priority for you personally in the next 2–5 years.