Property creates new possibilities, but it also paralyzes a person’s creative forces

"Following in the footsteps of many prisoners, known and unknown, I must say thank you to prison. It gave me months of intensive contemplation, time to rethink many aspects of life. I have already realized that wealth, and especially vast wealth, does not in itself make a person free. As a co-owner of Yukos, I had to make enormous efforts to protect this wealth. I had to limit myself in everything that might harm this possession. I avoided saying many things, because speaking candidly could harm my possessions. I had to close my eyes to many things, to put up with many things, all for the sake of my assets, to preserve and to increase them. I controlled my possessions; they controlled me. So I would like to warn young people today, those who will soon come to power: Do not envy those who have created wealth. Do not think that their life is easy and comfortable. Property creates new possibilities, but it also paralyzes a person’s creative forces, it dilutes the personality. It is a cruel tyranny, the tyranny of property." - Extract of a letter from prison by Mikhail Khordorkovsky Source