"But I have learned a thing or two; I know as sure as fate, when we lock up our lives for wealth, the gold key comes too late"

This quote by Will Carleton talks to the concept that when we focus excessive on product wealth, we can lose out on the crucial things in life. Carleton is suggesting that when we focus on money and ownerships over relationships and experiences, we can't go back and recover the time we've lost. He is alerting us that when we focus too much on material wealth, we may not be able to return the time we've lost. He is stating that the "gold secret" of life, which is the key to unlocking the happiness of life, comes too late when we have currently locked up our lives for wealth. Carleton is reminding us to be mindful of how we spend our time and to focus on experiences and relationships over material wealth. He is motivating us to take advantage of our lives and to not let material wealth take away from the happiness of life.