I definitely agree with Bill Gates' quote. I think after 1mil everything after that would be diminishing returns.
I would be more than happy winning 1mil in the lotto. Don't get me wrong, more is better, but 1mil is pretty much the spot where you can live comfortably worry free about money if you are smart about it. I'd probably keep working for a while or until I formulate a good plan on what to do with the money such as invest it further or what not.
I had the unfortunate event of getting everything I wanted at one time. Not due to wealth, but due to a health issue that knocked me out for a good 4 months a number of years ago. Couldn't work, couldn't do school. First 2 weeks were awesome - tons of fast food, junk food, video games, movies, etc. Then you realize you can't escape doing nothing. You go from escape to escape but it's futile. It was at this point that I realized 3 things:
1. Boredom & loneliness are two of the most awful feelings available. I do not recommend either in excessive quantities.
2. You can be really busy doing nothing. Like the whole day can simply magically slip away without getting a single thing done, and yet you were somehow...busy. Doing whatever.
3. Too much of a good thing is a bad thing. I never really thought this would be a thing tho. But there's a reason vacations are so effective - they're a
time-limited escape. It's a temporary dosage. My out-of-commission period was a "vacation" that went on too long, far too long. It taught me the principle of "Limited Appreciation", i.e. you can overdose on anything, and things are more fun in balance. It's like eating too much Halloween candy as an
adult kid & getting sick of it.
That was one of those experiences that changed my attitude about work & worldview about life...I realized I was kind of living in this grey area of not really wanting to go to work but not really doing stuff in my free time. I was just kind of being mildly effectively in a cyclical way...I wasn't living life on purpose, I was just floating down a lazy river, wherever it took me. It took me a few more years to really figure things out, but I'm pretty comfortable with my approach now & reasonably happy with where I'm at. Funny how your perspective changes as you get older...