Dr. Daniel Masaba's YouTube video transcript asserts that sacrificing short-term gratification is essential for escaping poverty and building lasting wealth. He argues this principle, rooted in the concept of "seed time and harvest time," requires hard work and delayed enjoyment for significant future gains. Masaba shares his personal experience of forgoing immediate pleasures as a young doctor to invest and start a business, contrasting this with the prevailing mindset of entitlement and instant gratification he believes hinders financial success. He contends that genuine satisfaction comes from purposeful effort and building a secure future, rather than succumbing to the notion that life is too short to defer pleasure.