P.T. Barnum’s timeless advice on making (and keeping) money

“Whatever you do, do it with all your might. Work at it, if necessary, early and late, in season and out of season, not leaving a stone unturned, and never deferring for a single hour that which can be done just as well now.”

“Many a man acquires a fortune by doing his business thoroughly, while his neighbor remains poor for life, because he only half does it.” 

“The foundation of success in life is good health: that is the substratum fortune; it is also the basis of happiness. A person cannot accumulate a fortune very well when he is sick.”

“Money is in some respects like fire; it is a very excellent servant but a terrible master.”

“It is the eyes of others and not our own eyes which ruin us. If all the world were blind except myself I should not care for fine clothes or furniture.”

"You must exercise your caution in laying your plans, but be bold in carrying them out."

"As a nation, Americans are too superficial - they are striving to get rich quickly, and do not generally do their business as substantially and thoroughly… But whoever excels all others in his own line cannot fail to secure abundant patronage, and the wealth that naturally follows.

"The man who gives the greatest amount of goods of a corresponding quality for the least sum (still reserving for himself a profit) will generally succeed best in the long run."

"Engage in one kind of business only, and stick to it faithfully until you succeed, or until your experience shows that you should abandon it. A constant hammering on one nail will generally drive it home at last, so that it can be clinched.”

“The safest plan and the one most sure of success for the young man starting in life, is to select the vocation which is most congenial to his tastes.”