Meaning

The joke works by setting up a familiar aspiration, checking the list of the wealthiest people, and then deflating it instantly with a mundane conclusion. Because he is not on the list, he has to go to work like everyone else. The humor comes from the gap between the grand ambition of imagining yourself among the super-rich and the ordinary reality of heading off to a regular job. It is a self-deprecating observation that most working people recognize immediately.

Context

Robert Orben was a professional comedy writer who spent decades crafting one-liners and speeches, and this kind of compact, relatable joke is characteristic of his style. The line has been widely circulated and re-attributed over the years, which is common for short comic observations that capture a universal experience. It fits the tradition of American humor that finds comedy in the distance between everyday life and the American dream of wealth and success, a gap that has never stopped being funny.

About the author

Robert Orben was an American comedy writer and author known for producing vast quantities of jokes, gag lines, and humorous material for performers and public speakers. He worked as a speechwriter in Washington for a period and was prolific in publishing collections of one-liners aimed at speakers, entertainers, and anyone needing a reliable laugh. His work was practical and populist, designed to land cleanly with a general audience, and his style influenced a long tradition of American stand-up and after-dinner comedy writing.