“In short, the Way to Wealth, if you desire it, is as plain as the Way to Market. It depends chiefly on two Words, Industry and Frugality; i.e. Waste neither Time nor Money, but make the best Use of both. He that gets all he can honestly, and saves all he gets (necessary Expences excepted) will certainly become Rich.”
Benjamin Franklin
Advice to a Young Tradesman (Primary source)
In this compact masterpiece of American pragmatism, Franklin distilled the emerging commercial ethos of colonial society into memorable maxims that would echo through generations of entrepreneurial ambition. Written as a letter to a young merchant, the essay crystallized the Protestant work ethic into practical wisdom: “Time is money,” Franklin declared, coining a phrase that would become synonymous with American capitalism.
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“Experience keeps a dear school, yet fools will learn in no other.”
— Benjamin Franklin Primary source“For age and want save while you may; no morning sun lasts a whole day.”
— Benjamin Franklin Primary source“Diligence is the mother of good luck.”
— Benjamin Franklin Primary source“Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time; for that’s the stuff life is made of.”
— Benjamin Franklin Primary sourceMore quotes by Benjamin Franklin →
“Remember that Time is Money.”
— Benjamin Franklin Primary source“The best way to keep one’s word is not to give it.”
— Napoleon Bonaparte Disputed“But the rich man—not to make any invidious comparison—is always sold to the institution which makes him rich.”
— Henry David Thoreau Primary source“You can either buy clothes or buy pictures,” she said. “It’s that simple. No one who is not very rich can do both. Pay no attention to your clothes and no attention at all to the mode, and buy your clothes for comfort and durability, and you will have the clothes money to buy pictures.”
— Ernest Hemingway Primary sourceWealth Money Industry Frugality