Skip to main content

Creativity Quote by Wyclef Jean

"I'm cheap, and I'm proud of it!"

About this Quote

A pop star bragging about being cheap is a small act of cultural sabotage. Wyclef Jean’s “I’m cheap, and I’m proud of it!” flips the expected script of hip-hop-adjacent celebrity, where status is often performed through spending, not saving. The line works because it’s defiant: “cheap” is typically an accusation, a way to shame someone for not playing the social game. By owning the word, he turns a supposed lack into a stance.

The intent feels both practical and performative. Practical, because thrift can be a survival logic for anyone who’s watched money vanish as fast as it arrives; performative, because pride is the point. He isn’t merely describing a habit, he’s signaling independence from the pressure to prove worth via consumption. In a culture that treats luxury as a receipt for success, refusing to overspend becomes its own flex.

There’s also a sly class and diaspora subtext. Wyclef’s public identity has long carried a story of movement, instability, and improvisation; thrift isn’t just penny-pinching, it’s resourcefulness. “Cheap” reads less like stinginess and more like street-level budgeting wisdom: keep your options open, don’t let optics bankrupt you.

And then there’s the wink. It’s funny because it’s slightly impolite. The quote punctures celebrity fantasy with a mundane truth: being rich doesn’t automatically make spending smart. Pride here is a counter-brand, one that treats restraint as a kind of swagger.

Quote Details

TopicWitty One-Liners
SourceHelp us find the source
Cite

Citation Formats

APA Style (7th ed.)
Jean, Wyclef. (2026, January 15). I'm cheap, and I'm proud of it! FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/im-cheap-and-im-proud-of-it-124480/

Chicago Style
Jean, Wyclef. "I'm cheap, and I'm proud of it!" FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/im-cheap-and-im-proud-of-it-124480/.

MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I'm cheap, and I'm proud of it!" FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/im-cheap-and-im-proud-of-it-124480/. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.

More Quotes by Wyclef Add to List
I am cheap and proud - Wyclef Jean
Click to enlarge Portrait | Landscape

About the Author

USA Flag

Wyclef Jean (born October 17, 1972) is a Musician from USA.

22 more quotes available

View Profile

Similar Quotes

Zora Neale Hurston, Dramatist
Zora Neale Hurston
Anne Sullivan, Educator