I grew up with all the following concepts of money in my childhood: money you can buy a house but not a home; it can buy you a bed but not sleep; it can buy you a book but not knowledge; it can buy a watch but not time; it can buy you luxury but not love or happiness.
I felt the statement are correct but the way it was interpreted by the society was incorrect. I guess that's how a thinking pattern develops in society. Right? Interpret things to comfort their own belief systems and over a period of time, it becomes an understanding unless we want to think differently.
I am sure then another extreme thought pattern i.e. 'Money is Everything' would have afterward when many of the people were not satisfied with the above understanding.
When I was a child I used to follow this concept that money is not that important. When I was starting my career and I was living on my own, I have regretted on my belief system and started believing that money is everything. Now after few years of work life when I sit back and I think either of them does not look completely true.
"No social system will bring us happiness, health and prosperity unless it is inspired by something greater than materialism." -Clement Attlee
Now I somewhere feel money can never be everything in life, but it is the medium to bring many things into your life.
Money alone cant gives me success, it can contribute to my success if it is used in an efficient way along with my determination and hard work.
Somewhere we need to combine and balance these philosophies. Money, of course, cannot buy happiness but it can always remove our anxieties about our material needs. If we follow 'Money is everything' concept, I feel we can always stay hungry and greedy without satisfaction.
Money for sure is important to live happily. So how you can derive happiness from this money is defined by the usage of money.
"Money without brain is always dangerous."- Napoleon Hill
Money should not be your boss, you should be the boss. Utilizing it in the best possible way can bring lots of happiness from money.
So I will conclude it's the utilization of money in certain action which can bring the happiness and not the money itself.