Source identified
Read & copy the quotation
“Many have been ruined by buying good pennyworths.”
- Source
- The Way to Wealth
- Date
- 1758
- Local voice
- Authorial persona / framed maxim · Poor Richard maxim, repeated through Father Abraham
Meaning of “Many have been ruined by buying good pennyworths.”
A low price does not make a purchase beneficial when the item is unnecessary or when buying it leaves too little for more important needs.
Where does it come from?
The Way to Wealth, frugality section; Project Gutenberg #43855. “Pennyworth” refers to an apparent bargain and the warning is about false economy.
Why the local voice matters
The Way to Wealth is framed as Father Abraham’s address compiling maxims Franklin had published through the Poor Richard / Richard Saunders persona. This record therefore preserves the framed authorial-persona layer instead of treating the maxim as unmediated Franklin narration.
