“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“Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”
— Benjamin Franklin Primary source“Human felicity is produced not so much by great pieces of good fortune that seldom happen, as by little advantages that occur every day.”
— Benjamin Franklin Primary source“Remember that Time is Money.”
— Benjamin Franklin Primary sourceMore quotes by Benjamin Franklin →
“If the use of leisure time is confined to looking at TV for a few extra hours every day, we will deteriorate as a people.”
— Eleanor Roosevelt 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 source“Understanding is a two-way street.”
— Eleanor Roosevelt Disputed“Tart words make no friends; a spoonful of honey will catch more flies than a gallon of vinegar.”
— Benjamin Franklin Primary sourceWealth Money Industry Frugality