When describing the world's richest man some words that come to mind include visionary, genius and even eccentric — but what about lonely?

What To Know: In a March interview with Insider, Musk pondered whether or not his popularity has become a liability. 

"It's hard for me to go to a restaurant," Musk said. "And if I do, I just try to find a corner table that's kind of dimly lit or something where I can sort of stay out of the way."

In a way, Musk's popularity has contributed to his loneliness, but there are more common situations that spark loneliness in the Tesla CEO.

"If, I'm say working on the Starship rocket down at South Texas and I'm just staying in my little house by myself," Musk said. "Especially if I forget my dog. If my dog is not with me, then I feel quite lonely because I'm just in a little house by myself with not even a dog."

Maybe more important than avoiding loneliness is finding happiness. Musk told Insider that the love of one's work can, at best, make one halfway happy. Still, he remains focused on attaining the lofty goals set forth by Tesla and ultimately, SpaceX.

"I would be happy if humanity has a self-sustaining city on Mars because then the probable lifespan of humanity is much greater," Musk said.

"I think we've really just got this little candle of consciousness like a small light in the void and we don't want that small candle in a vast darkness to be put out."

See Also: White House Declines Comment On Elon Musk's Twitter Buyout But Says Wider Social Media Concerns Remain

Photo: Courtesy SpaceX