Some great men owe most of their greatness to the ability of detecting in those they destine for their tools read more

Some great men owe most of their greatness to the ability of detecting in those they destine for their tools the exact quality of strength that matters for their work.

A man's indebtedness is not virtue; his repayment is. Virtue begins when he dedicates himself actively to the job of read more

A man's indebtedness is not virtue; his repayment is. Virtue begins when he dedicates himself actively to the job of gratitude.

If you're not serving the customer, you'd better be serving someone who is.

If you're not serving the customer, you'd better be serving someone who is.

Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded- here and there, read more

Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded- here and there, now and then- are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty.This is known as "bad luck.".

The politicians don't just want your money. They want your soul. They want you to be worn down by taxes read more

The politicians don't just want your money. They want your soul. They want you to be worn down by taxes until you are dependent and helpless. When you subsidize poverty and failure, you get more of both.

You cannot have the success without the failures.

You cannot have the success without the failures.

I get so tired listening to one million dollars here, one million dollars there, it's so petty.

I get so tired listening to one million dollars here, one million dollars there, it's so petty.

All people, however fanatical they may be in their zeal to disparage and to fight capitalism, implicitly pay homage to read more

All people, however fanatical they may be in their zeal to disparage and to fight capitalism, implicitly pay homage to it by passionately clamoring for the products it turns out.

Many of the products which create a modern standard of living are only the physical incorporations of ideas- not only read more

Many of the products which create a modern standard of living are only the physical incorporations of ideas- not only the ideas of an Edison or a Ford but the ideas of innumerable anonymous people who figure out the design of supermarkets, the location of gasoline stations, and the million mundane things on which our material well-being depends. Societies which have more people carrying out physical acts and fewer people supplying ideas do not have higher standards of living. Quite the contrary.