“There is no nobility in poverty.”
Why it's great
One line rejects the romance of poverty and puts raw ambition on the table.
Register
Formal
Use it yourself
There is no honor in staying silent.
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Jordan's No Nobility in Poverty Speech, Explained
The Wolf of Wall Street · 2013
Chapter 15 of 30 · 2'36"
Jordan takes the floor for the biggest sales push of the firm's life and turns motivation into a sermon about money. He tells the room that there is "no nobility in poverty," paints a future of Porsches and beat-up cars, and ends with a single instruction: pick up the phone and sell.
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 0:02–0:19
❝ Monologue · 6 lines The rich-or-poor opening
Personal history becomes the argument, and the choice sounds obvious.
17s - 1:23–2:00
❝ Monologue · 10 lines Jordan Rallies the Brokers to Sell
38s
Jordan's No Nobility in Poverty Speech, explained
What happens
Jordan rallies the whole firm before the Steve Madden push, turning the sales floor into a church of money. He argues that poverty has no virtue, contrasts a future of new Porsches against beat-up cars, and tells anyone who dislikes it to leave. Then he gives them one job: call and sell.
What's really going on
The speech is not really about money; it is about converting shame into fuel. Jordan knows his brokers are the ones with debts and dead-end options, so he flips their insecurity into an argument for greed. "There is no nobility in poverty" is the thesis, and the rest is a picture of the two futures waiting for them. He offers status as the reward — the car, the wife, the envy — and makes the phone the only path there. The genius of it is that he never hides what he is; he calls himself superficial and materialistic and dares anyone to object, which turns honesty itself into a sales technique.
Key lines & what they mean
- “There is no nobility in poverty.”
- Jordan's central claim: being poor has no moral value, so there is no shame in chasing money and no virtue in staying broke.
- “I have been a rich man and I have been a poor man.”
- He frames the choice as lived experience, not theory, to make his preference for wealth sound like wisdom.
- “I want you to deal with your problems by becoming rich!”
- His solution to every problem, from debt to humiliation, is simple and shameless: make more money.
- “And I choose rich every fucking time.”
- The blunt close of his comparison: given both lives, he would always pick wealth, and he wants the room to feel the same.
Theme
- Money — Jordan preaches that wealth is the only cure for shame, turning the sales floor into a congregation of greed.
- Ambition — The speech weaponizes ambition: debt and humiliation become reasons to work harder, not to give up.
What this chapter teaches
Teaching points
Review right after watchingMy level0/8
A1–C2 is the CEFR scale. Cards above the level you pick fade, and playback will not auto-pause on them.
Language points
Click a card to jump to its moment in the videoGolden lines
A great line in its own right — why and how to use it“I have been a rich man and I have been a poor man.”
Why it's great
Two balanced clauses turn personal history into an argument he can stand on.
Register
Neutral
Use it yourself
I have been a student and I have been a teacher.
“I want you to deal with your problems by becoming rich!”
Why it's great
He makes getting rich the fix for every problem, brutal and impossible to argue with.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
Deal with your debt by earning more.
“And I choose rich every fucking time.”
Why it's great
A blunt creed that turns a life choice into a rallying cry.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
Give me the harder job and the bigger check every time.
Monologue
One character carrying the scene — shadow the whole passage❝ The rich-or-poor opening
Let me tell you something. There is no nobility in poverty. I have been a rich man and I have been a poor man. And I choose rich every fucking time. Because at least as a rich man, when I have to face my problems, I show up in the back of a limo,
Personal history becomes the argument, and the choice sounds obvious.
❝ Turning poverty into a sales pitch
So you listen to me and you listen well. Are you behind on your credit card bills? Good! Pick up the phone and start dialing! Is your landlord ready to evict you? Good! Pick up the phone and start dialing! Does your girlfriend think you're a fucking worthless loser? Good! Pick up the phone and start dialing! I want you to deal with your problems by becoming rich! All you have to do today is pick up that phone and speak the words that I have taught you. And I will make you richer than the most powerful CEO in the United States of fucking America!
Rapid rhetorical questions weld shame and desire into one driving force.
Up next · 16for the life of meThe scene: FBI Subpoenas Jordan's Wedding VideoTakeaways
What you walk away with- A thesis line can carry a whole speech.
- Rhetorical questions turn shame into motivation.
- Repetition is the engine of this monologue.
- Baseball phrases make business sound like a game.
People also search
Questions, then the linesWhat is the point of Jordan's speech to his employees?
To fire them up to sell Steve Madden stock by turning their debts and frustrations into motivation. The message is that money solves everything he names.
Does Jordan admit to being superficial and materialistic?
Yes, and proudly. He says anyone who thinks so can go work at McDonald's, turning the insult into a badge of belonging.
What does "out of the park" mean at the end of the speech?
It comes from baseball: to knock a ball out of the park is to hit a home run. Jordan uses it to mean an overwhelming, record-setting success.
Why does Jordan use cars to make his point?
The future he paints is a red light where the winners pull up in new Porsches and the losers sit in old cars. It is envy made concrete, easy for a room of brokers to picture.