Source identified
Read & copy the quotation
“The real comforts of life cost but a small portion of what most of us can earn.”
- Source
- The Art of Money Getting
- Date
- 1880
Meaning of “The real comforts of life cost but a…”
The sentence distinguishes basic comfort from status consumption, arguing that many discretionary expenses arise from luxury and comparison rather than necessity.
Where does it come from?
The Art of Money Getting, expense-account discussion; Project Gutenberg #8581. This is Barnum’s historical generalization about comfort and spending, not a modern cost-of-living statistic.
