You can't take it with you
We all must leave worldly wealth behind when we die.
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You can't take it with you
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you can't take it with you
you can't take it with youEnjoy material things while you're alive, as in Go ahead and buy the fancier car; you can't take it with you. This phrase gained currency as the title of a very popular play (1936) by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart and of the 1938 film based on it. [First half of 1800s]
You can't take it with you
Cultural
you can't take it with you
Idioms
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This proverb was used as the title of a comedy by the twentieth-century American playwrights Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman. You Can't Take It with You concerns an unconventional family fiercely opposed to materialistic values.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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You can’t take it with you, except into retirement.
From MarketWatch ● May 20, 2026
The biggest downside: You can’t take it with you when you go!
From Seattle Times ● May 9, 2024
And remember this about wealth: You can’t take it with you.
From Time ● Sep. 25, 2015
His newscaster says: "According to reliable sources, the government has this last negotiating card to play with its lenders: 'What are you going to do with it? You can't take it with you'."
From Reuters ● Jul. 7, 2015
You can't take it with you when you leave the Five Towns, you know.
From Helen with the High Hand (2nd ed.) by Arnold Bennett
But you can’t take it with you and, given that you are in your 70s, a room with a view and a house with a pool sounds grand, if you can make it happen.
From MarketWatch ● May 11, 2026
If you can’t take it with you, get rid of it; you’ll be doing your children a huge favor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026
You have to be able to say, "No, that's not right," and do the right thing, even if it means a little less money because you can't take it with you.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2023
When you have had a tooth removed, don’t ever allow yourself to even consider just leaving the gap rather than spending $3,000 for an implant, because you can’t take it with you.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 16, 2019
She and David didn’t have children and she realized you can’t take it with you.
From New York Times ● Aug. 15, 2012
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
