There’s something so romantic about being broke in New York. You gotta do it. You have to live there once without any money, and then you have to live there when you have money. Let me tell you, of the two, the latter is far better.

The quote plays on the cultural myth that poverty in New York is “romantic” because it signals youth, striving, and artistic authenticity. Poehler both indulges and punctures that myth: she acknowledges the rite-of-passage appeal of surviving the city with nothing, but then undercuts it with a blunt punchline—life in New York is better with money. The humor comes from the reversal of expectation: the sentimental story says struggle builds character, yet she insists comfort and security are preferable. It’s also a comment on how narratives of hardship can be glamorized after the fact, especially by those who have escaped them.