Who really said it
Murray’s remark is documented in a Geoffrey Macnab interview.
Last verified 9 Nov 2026 · how we verify · spot an error?
For presentations
Verified quote & credit
“I always like to say to people who want to be rich and famous, try being rich first. See if that doesn't cover most of it” — Bill Murray, interview with Geoffrey Macnab, The Guardian (2003–04)
Can you use it?
Still under copyright (rights held by Bill Murray and/or the publisher or estate). A short, credited quote is generally fine for talks, teaching, and internal decks; for commercial, published, or large-scale reuse, get permission.
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In context
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Provenance
Try being rich first.
Read the attribution evidenceHow we verified this
The identified modern work remains in copyright; only a short excerpt is used for identification and criticism.
Rights status is our research, not legal advice — and copyright varies by country and edition. For commercial or published use, confirm with the rightsholder. See terms.
Context
The joke separates the rewards of wealth from the experience of celebrity. It is documented in a published interview, rather than established through an anonymous quotation card.
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The interview documents Murray’s remark; URL date and localized timestamp differ.
Wikiquote transcribes the two sentences and points to the Macnab interview.
A later report records Murray reusing the fame-versus-money joke.
The profile identifies Murray and repeats a variant of the saying.
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The author
For writers & researchers
Geoffrey Macnab, Bill Murray: I know how to be sour, The Guardian.
Quotle.info. “Who really said ‘I always like to say to people who want to be rich and famous, try being rich first. See if that doesn't cover most of it’?” Last verified 9 Nov 2026. https://quotle.info/who-said/i-always-like-to-say-to-people-who-want-to-be-rich-and/