Orison Swett Marden Quotes

Self-respect and prosperity are the most effective guardian of morals.

Most people who are successful don't keep their money. One of the rarest things in the world is to maintain success and integrity - the kinds of things that seem so easy just starting out. But that's the human predicament.

The older I get the more I realize there's no real good guys or real bad guys, and I'm curious about how the good guys got good and how the bad guys got bad.

If you had to pick between being moral and successful, obviously I'd choose to be moral. However if you can choose both, will you choose both? I'd say definitely.

We must give Oklahoma families the opportunity to thrive and prosper. We must give all Oklahomans the tools necessary to pursue the American dream. And then, we must get out of the way.

No man has ever paid a single bill in my life - I didn't want it.

I make money, money doesn't make me.

I've always done what I thought was good if I could live on what they were offering-and sometimes if I couldn't. So even when I was broke, my career didn't lack for interest.

Don’t put yourself in a situation where you will not be able to achieve your ideals without violating them.

A man's neighbors or his landlord may be much cleverer than himself, and not without an indirect interest in his prosperity, but for all that his interests will be better attended to in his own keeping than in theirs.

doing what is right is easy. The problem is knowing what is right

I will never let money from anyone affect what I do.

I love Cillian Murphy's character in 'Peaky Blinders' and Tom Hardy's in 'Taboo' - theses are characters that, as audience members, we follow along with and root for. But our own morality is tested throughout that journey, because these characters ride a thin line between morality and amorality.

For most of America's history, people typically aspired to acquire 'a competency' rather than great riches. A competency meant the ability to comfortably sustain a household without depending on others. 'Competence' also meant being capable and reliable. The American Dream was that people who worked hard and capably could support their families.

On some positions, Cowardice asks the question, 'Is it safe?' Expediency asks the question, 'Is it politic?' And Vanity comes along and asks the question, 'Is it popular?' But Conscience asks the question, 'Is it right?'

We can't make a decision based on PR value. We have to do what we think is right.

I won't do things for money. I can't.

They say, 'We will give you money, but we want you to play this or that.' And I always thought, 'If I'm going to do that, I might as well go back and be a dishwasher.'

It's our instinct to want to acquire a better lifestyle for ourselves and our families.

I have passed on a lot of things that would have been extremely lucrative, because they were nothing else.

We need to show the fact that when you start thinking about freedom and liberty, personal responsibility, and opportunity to achieve the American Dream, the Republican party is the best party to do that.

If I have a roof over my head and if I'm cashing checks and choking some necks I'm always happy.

If you call yourself Money, you better show up money.

You've got to gamble on yourself. If you don't, no one else is going to. It's very hard when you're poor to turn down money. When you've got money, it's easy. When you're poor, you need money today. People take advantage of poor people.

I've been able to provide for my family, move out of Harlem and travel the world.