The Best Things in Life Are Free Meaning
Definition: The most valuable things don’t cost any money.
This is a proverb that means those things that cost money should not be prioritized over free things like family and friends. Those free things are, in the end, worth more than anything money could buy.
If someone says that the best things in life are free, he means that when people have the choice between spending money and focusing on their families and friends, he should choose the latter.
This proverb is a reminder that money and objects are not the most important things in life.
Origin of The Best Things in Life Are Free
Most evidence for the origin of this proverb in popular culture points to a song titled, “The Best Things in Life Are Free” from the 1927 musical Good News.
The song includes the following lyrics:
“The best things in life are free
Now that I’ve discovered
What you mean to me
The best things in life are free
Now that we’ve got each other
The best things in life are free”
The song describes learning that a bond with another person is one of the “best things in life.”
Since the original musical, the song has been performed by many artists and regained popularity over and over throughout time.
Examples of The Best Things in Life Are Free
This phrase is often used as either a warning or as a statement of value.
Someone might say, “The best things in life are free” to celebrate something that he enjoys that has no monetary value. For example, after spending a day on a hike through nature, someone may declare, “I had so much fun. The best things in life are free!”
Someone can also use this phrase as a warning,
- Remember, the best things in life are free.
This warning indicates that a person is forgetting about the things that truly matter in life.
More Examples
- The best things in life are free, including hugs. –USA Today
- The best things in life are free. Unfortunately, money isn’t one of those things. But don’t worry, it never was, so nothing lost. –Daily News
Summary
The phrase the best things in life are free expresses that happiness comes from places other than money and objects.
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