Rich people have small TVs and big libraries, and poor people have small libraries and big TVs.

The line contrasts two symbolic household “investments”: passive entertainment (a large television) versus self-directed learning (a large library). Its implied argument is that long-term prosperity correlates with habits of reading, study, and delayed gratification, while chronic financial struggle correlates with prioritizing consumption and distraction. As a motivational aphorism, it compresses a broader self-help theme—personal development precedes material improvement—into a vivid, easily remembered image. The quote is also a generalization: wealth and poverty have many structural causes, and many people read widely without becoming rich. Its force lies less in sociology than in urging readers to reallocate time and money toward education and growth.