The Secret Of Wealth
132 total pages.
"The first years of man must make provision for the last."--Johnson. "Money is a terrible master but an excellent servant."--P. T. Barnum.
CHAPTER XXVIII "If I can bring to your attention a few things to think about that you have never thought about before, my mission will have been performed." OPPOSE you define the word: Extravagance. No two people can look at this subject in exactly the same way, for what is extravagance for one is necessity for another. For instance: A $100 watch is not an extravagance for a railroad engineer, for his own life and the lives of his passengers depend to a degree upon his having a time-piece which is accurate to the very second. But men in different kinds of work, although earning the same salary as the railroad engineer, would be foolishly extravagant to put $100 into a watch when a less expensive one will answer their every need. There is the matter of man's dress. A salesman, or a man in a line of business where he meets many people, would be extravagant if he wore anything but well-fitting, up-to-date, and neat clothes all the time, even though it costs him considerable to keep up his appearance. His looks are part of his capital. Neglecting or skimping on his appearance is extravagance in his case, and he cannot afford it. But a bookkeeper, or an "inside" man who does not come in close contact with the public should not spend money on being better dressed for his work than his work requires. A draughtsman, a mechanic, or a builder is observing strict economy when he spends $50 for a book of instruction in his line of work, but he does not need a $50 suit of working clothes. You see what we are getting at when we say that discussing "What is extravagance?" means more as a topic of argument to the average man than a controversy over "What would George Washington do nowadays?" or "Who started the war?" Extravagance is everything which is not necessary to comfort, health, or the advancement of your business--and by "your business" is meant many things.
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The Secret Of Wealth