“You can't take it with you, Mr. Kirby. So what good is it?”
Why it's great
The film's whole argument is compressed into a question nobody can answer.
Register
Neutral
Use it yourself
Spend it on your family; you can't take it with you.
00:00 / 03:50
00:00 / 03:50
Grandpa Lectures Kirby in Jail, Explained
You Can't Take It with You · 1938
Chapter 19 of 27 · 3'50"
Kirby sits in a cell after the arrest and Grandpa comes to visit, offering his philosophy: that money is useless because "you can't take it with you," and that the only thing worth having is the love of your friends. Then Blakely arrives, and Kirby learns who really set the trap.
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 1:05–2:11
Grandpa's Philosophy of Life
66s - 2:46–3:33
Kirby Learns Who Set the Trap
48s
Grandpa Lectures Kirby in Jail, explained
What happens
In jail after the arrest, Kirby fumes about his son and his business, while Grandpa calmly tells him about the morning he walked out of his own company because he was not having fun. Grandpa argues that money is worthless and friendship is all you keep. Then Blakely appears, and Kirby realizes the arrest was his doing.
What's really going on
The chapter is the film's thesis delivered at last, and it is delivered in a jail cell, which is the joke. Kirby has lost control of everything and Grandpa, who has nothing, is the calmest man in the room. His argument is not sentimental: he points out that "you can't take it with you" and that the only thing a person keeps is the love of his friends. Kirby cannot hear it, because he is busy discovering that his own fixer set the trap that caught him. The chapter is where the film's two philosophies finally face each other, and the rich man is the one in the cell.
Key lines & what they mean
- “You can't take it with you, Mr. Kirby. So what good is it?”
- The line that gives the film its title, Grandpa's whole argument about money in one question.
- “As near as I can see, the only thing you can take with you is the love of your friends.”
- His positive version of the same idea, naming the one thing he thinks survives.
- “Then one morning, when I was going up in the elevator, it struck me I wasn't having any fun.”
- The origin story of Grandpa's freedom, a life changed in a single elevator ride.
- “This would be a fine country if we all spent our time in the zoo and played the harmonica.”
- His gentle summary of what he thinks people should do with their lives.
Theme
- Money — Grandpa argues that wealth is worthless in the end, while Kirby can only measure his crisis in lost deals.
- Philosophy — The film's idea of a good life is stated plainly in a cell, and the rich man refuses to hear it.
What this chapter teaches
Teaching points
Review right after watchingMy level4/8
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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“As near as I can see, the only thing you can take with you is the love of your friends.”
Why it's great
It answers the title question by naming the only thing that does travel with you.
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literary
Use it yourself
In the end, the only thing you can take with you is how you treated people.
“Then one morning, when I was going up in the elevator, it struck me I wasn't having any fun.”
Why it's great
A life-changing decision arrives in a plain elevator, which is exactly why it feels true.
Register
Neutral
Use it yourself
It struck me I had been working for the wrong reason.
“This would be a fine country if we all spent our time in the zoo and played the harmonica.”
Why it's great
An absurd picture that quietly mocks a life spent chasing money.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
This would be a fine office if we all left on time once in a while.
Up next · 20good riddanceThe scene: Grandpa Calls Kirby a FailureTakeaways
What you walk away with- The title line turns money into a question.
- Grandpa's elevator moment decides a whole life.
- Blakely's favour was a trap from the start.
- Kirby is undone by the scheme he ordered.
People also search
Questions, then the linesWhy is Kirby in jail?
The Sycamores were arrested after fireworks went off, and Kirby was caught up in it too. He is furious because he thinks it will ruin his business deal.
What does Grandpa tell Kirby in the cell?
He explains that he quit his own company years ago because he was not having fun, and argues that money cannot be taken with you, only the love of your friends.
Who arranged the arrest?
Blakely did. Kirby realizes this when Blakely appears in the cell, and he is furious that his own man went ahead without knowing who the Sycamores were.
How does Kirby misunderstand Grandpa?
He decides Grandpa used Tony to get information and tricked him. Grandpa says he has it all wrong, but Kirby has already made up his mind.