Finding 'Enough': The Timeless Lesson from Heller & Vonnegut's Party Conversation

Another good story with a good and quick lesson for this weekend.

At a party given by a billionaire on Shelter Island, Kurt Vonnegut informs his pal, Joseph Heller, that their host, a hedge fund manager, had made more money in a single day than Heller had earned from his wildly popular novel Catch-22 over its whole history.

Heller responds, “Yes, but I have something he will never have — ENOUGH.”

Based on this anecdote, Kurt Vonnegut wrote this obituary/poem for The New Yorker in May of 2005.

True story, Word of Honor: 
Joseph Heller, an important and funny writer 
now dead, 
and I were at a party given by a billionaire 
on Shelter Island.
 I said, “Joe, how does it make you feel 
to know that our host only yesterday 
may have made more money 
than your novel ‘Catch-22’ 
has earned in its entire history?” 
And Joe said, “I’ve got something he can never have.” 
And I said, “What on earth could that be, Joe?” 
And Joe said, “The knowledge that I’ve got enough.” 
Not bad! Rest in peace!” — Kurt Vonnegut