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“The least outlay is not always the greatest gain.”
Trying to minimize immediate cost can create a worse result when skill, care, or professional competence is what the task actually requires.
Source note: Moral printed after “The Widow and the Sheep”; the widow injures the sheep while trying to avoid the shearer’s expense.
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“Well done is better than well said.”
Franklin gives execution priority over impressive promises or intentions.
Source note: Poor Richard’s Almanack.
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“Bitter for a free man is the bondage of debt.”
Debt can restrict future choices and independence, so borrowing is framed not only financially but also as a constraint on freedom.
Source note: The Moral Sayings of Publius Syrus, maxim 14, in Darius Lyman’s 1856 English rendering; maxim order can vary across editions.
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“Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship.”
Voice: Authorial persona / framed maxim · Poor Richard maxim, repeated through Father Abraham
Small recurring costs can matter more than they appear individually, so careful attention to minor spending is part of long-term financial discipline.
Source note: The Way to Wealth; Father Abraham repeats the Poor Richard maxim while warning about small but cumulative expenses.
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“There are but three modes in which surplus wealth can be disposed of.”
Carnegie organizes his argument around choices for surplus wealth: family inheritance, posthumous public bequest, or administration during the owner’s lifetime.
Source note: The Gospel of Wealth, first essay; 1889 North American Review text represented by Wikisource. The sentence introduces Carnegie’s three-part normative framework.
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“Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”
The proverb links routine and self-discipline with health, productivity, and practical judgment.
Source note: Poor Richard’s Almanack; proverb on routine, work and practical discipline.