The best part is what I thought would be the best part: not having to worry about money. Before Viaweb I'd been living pretty hand to mouth, doing occasional consulting. It felt like treading water, in the sense that while it wasn't hard, I knew in the back of my mind that I'd drown if I stopped. Getting rich felt like reaching the shore.
--Paul Graham via news.ycombinator.com
What a great turn of phrase there -- reaching the shore. It is such a concisely visceral explanation.