You can't take it with you

Cultural  

1. We all must leave worldly wealth behind when we die.

---

you can't take it with you Idioms  

1. Enjoy 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]

---

Discover More

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

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

The reality of great wealth is that you can't spend it and you can't take it with you.

From The Guardian • Dec. 26, 2010