8 Phrases Genuinely Classy & High Value People Never Say In Public, No Matter How Much Money They Have
Money doesn't always talk
Dragon Images / Shutterstock We’ve all heard that money talks, but it isn’t always the case. Sometimes the richest people in the room are the ones who have genuine class, which means they won’t say things that put other people down, even if they have more money in their bank account than everyone around them.
Power and status can go to our heads when we have a lot of money, but high-value people are more likely to keep a low profile and make it a priority to treat others well. This not only makes them appear down-to-earth, but it also allows them to connect with people from all kinds of backgrounds without trying to make themselves seem superior to those around them.
Truly classy and high-value people never say certain phrases in public, even if they are extremely wealthy
1. 'I'm better than that'
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No one wants to be made to feel less than anyone else. Sometimes, when people who don’t have much are around those with a lot of wealth, they feel like they’re not good enough. After all, some rich people do only care about showing off what they have. If there is a chance to brag, they’ll take it, and they’ll also remind you why they feel they are better than you.
A person with genuine class takes the opposite approach. Imagine you have an exciting opportunity coming up and you share it with your classy, wealthy friend. They won’t reply in a way that makes you feel bad about yourself. Instead, they share your excitement and boost you up along the way. Even if it isn’t a big deal to them, they listen with an open mind, which makes them more relatable and also makes them a good friend.
2. ‘Don’t you know who I am?’
If someone has to ask if the people around them know who they are, it’s likely a sign that they’re not as popular as they may think. Good people do not show up with an overinflated ego. They want to appear approachable so they can form genuine bonds with people and create meaningful relationships. Avoiding unnecessary attention keeps someone grounded.
When someone is financially grounded, they are more likely to act out of generosity rather than making a scene about themselves. They don’t view their money as their defining characteristic, so they won’t try to put themselves at the center of attention to make others around them feel accepted, no matter who they are.
3. ‘Money is never an issue for me’
Money is a stressful topic for many people. Life is constantly throwing curveballs at us, and in a time of economic uncertainty, some people are barely hanging on by a thread. A person with class refuses to brag about how much money they have because they don’t want to make the people around them feel like they are too poor or not as good as they are.
Classy people view others with compassion and recognize that not everyone has it easy. Sometimes, those who have wealth are newly rich. They may have experienced their own financial struggles in the past. They choose not to brag about how well off they are now because they never know where someone else is in their lives.
4. ‘Where is my special treatment?’
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Entitled people are some of the most difficult for me to interact with. I can’t stand when others think they deserve more than the average person. Lots of people assume wealthy people think they deserve the world, and sometimes that’s true. But thankfully, there are good people out there who refuse to have this mindset. They want to earn what they have, not be handed anything because of their status.
Special treatment is nice, but it isn’t the most important part of a genuinely classy person’s life. While some entitlement can be helpful in terms of getting them what they want or deserve, they know there is a balance. They are well aware that hard work is how they got where they are, and they are careful to stay humble.
5. ‘I could buy this place if I really wanted to’
Bragging is a major turnoff for a lot of people. Most of us don’t want to spend time with someone who only wants to talk about everything they have and what else they could get their hands on if they really wanted to.
People of value want to have a positive impact on the people they meet. They work to be relatable, and comments like this are far from something the average person could even imagine spending money on.
Money isn’t always the flex most people think it is. It can definitely ease a lot of burdens, but if you’re not a good person, why does it matter? If someone has genuine class, no matter how much money they have, they aren’t afraid to get vulnerable. They know that talking about everything they could buy won’t bring them closer to others, and they don’t want to alienate people by constantly talking about everything they could buy because of their wealth.
6. ‘I make more in a day than you make in a year’
It doesn’t matter how much money they have. A person of value would never throw their wealth in your face. In fact, some may view their money as a taboo topic that keeps them set apart from the average person.
Someone like this knows there is more to life than the amount of money in their bank account. They choose not to alienate people regardless of their differences because they believe relationships are more important than financial status. Spreading kindness is a choice, and having class means choosing to do so by not comparing yourself to others.
7. ‘That’s beneath me’
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Have you ever asked someone to do something, only for them to say that they’re far better than that? It’s a demeaning experience. High-value people don’t want to put anyone in that kind of position. If you have a genuine connection with someone and you're able to, you'll do something helpful for them even if you wouldn’t necessarily want to do it otherwise.
If someone with money has a superiority complex, it can isolate them from other people. A truly kind person refuses to put themselves in this situation by being accepting of everyone in their lives. They can form genuine connections and participate in activities that those with a superiority complex might think are far beneath them.
8. ‘Poor people …’
Anyone willing to call someone else in public poor lacks class and compassion. If they’re using the term in a demeaning way to describe other people, it shows who they are as a person.
Even if someone in their life has a low income, they won’t make assumptions about them based on that one fact. They would never paint anyone as less than because of their financial standing, and they don't feel a need to call someone out for how much money they do or don't make.
Haley Van Horn is a freelance writer with a master’s degree in Humanities, living in Los Angeles. Her focus includes entertainment and lifestyle stories.
