25 Quotes About Making Money and Keeping Perspective Success, happiness and money are intertwined but seldom interchangeable.
By John Boitnott Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Money. It's one of the hardest things to balance (or accumulate) when you're an entrepreneur or small business owner. While you need money to keep an entrepreneurial dream alive, you also can't become consumed by it. Too many people lose sight of what they are passionate about amid the ongoing effort to build monetary wealth. To help you get a better grasp on money, I've put together 25 quotes that cover pretty much every big idea surrounding it. Whether it concerns investing or not getting into a business strictly for a payday, the following quotes are definitely ones that you should live by.
Earning it.
1. "Innovation has nothing to do with how many R&D dollars you have. When Apple came up with the Mac, IBM was spending at least 100 times more on R&D. It's not about money. It's about the people you have, how you're led, and how much you get it." - Steve Jobs, Co-founder and CEO Apple.
2. "I mean nobody likes to fail, but the worst thing was I lost my investors' money and these were people that believed in this young guy that was passionate about this idea… [When you fail,] you start to question, are my ideas really good?" - Nick Woodman, Founder GoPro
3. "Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune." - Jim Rohn, entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker.
4. "You only have so many hours in a day, let others make the money for you!" - Nick Haase, founder of Loot
5. "The longer you're not taking action the more money you're losing." – Carrie Wilkerson, author, speaker and encourager.
6. "Expect the best. Prepare for the worst. Capitalize on what comes." - Zig Ziglar, author, salesman, and motivational speaker.
7. "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." - Thomas Edison, inventor and businessman.
8. "My formula for success is rise early, work late and strike oil." - JP Getty, founder Getty Oil Company.
Related: From Pennies to Millions: What It Felt Like to Make Money for the First Time
Keeping it.
9. "Too many people spend money they haven't earned, to buy things they don't want, to impress people that they don't like." - Will Rogers, actor and social commentator.
10. "Never spend your money before you have it." - Thomas Jefferson, American Founding Father.
11. "Rule No. 1: Never lose money. Rule No. 2: Never forget rule No.1." - Warren Buffett, business magnate, investor and philanthropist.
12. "Money is multiplied in practical value depending on the number of W's you control in your life: what you do, when you do it, where you do it, and with whom you do it." - Timothy Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Workweek.
13. "Don't let money run your life, let money help you run your life better." - John Rampton, CEO of Due.
14. "Beware of small expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship." - Benjamin Franklin, inventor and diplomat.
Related: Why You Should Keep Your Personal and Professional Finances Separate
What's more important than it.
15. "If money is your hope for independence you will never have it. The only real security that a man can have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience, and ability." - Henry Ford, Founder Ford Motor Company
16. "Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort." - President Franklin D. Roosevelt
17. "Everyone wants to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down." - Oprah Winfrey, Media Proprietor
18. "A wise person should have money in their head, but not in their heart." - Jonathan Swift, Author of Gulliver's Travels
19. "It's good to have money and the things that money can buy, but it's good, too, to check up once in a while and make sure that you haven't lost the things that money can't buy." - George Horace Lorimer, journalist and author.
20. "People are chasing cash, not happiness. When you chase money, you're going to lose. You're just going to. Even if you get the money, you're not going to be happy." - Gary Vaynerchuk, founder VaynerMedia.
21. "Money, like emotions, is something you must control to keep your life on the right track." - Natasha Munson, author, inspirational speaker and CEO of Be Magic, Inc.
22. "For a successful entrepreneur it can mean extreme wealth. But with extreme wealth comes extreme responsibility. And the responsibility for me is to invest in creating new businesses, create jobs, employ people, and to put money aside to tackle issues where we can make a difference." - Richard Branson, founder Virgin Group
23. "Don't think money does everything or you are going to end up doing everything for money." - Voltaire, Age of Enlightenment leader
24. "Before you speak, listen. Before you write, think. Before you spend, earn. Before you invest, investigate. Before you criticize, wait. Before you pray, forgive. Before you quit, try. Before you retire, save. Before you die, give." - William Arthur Ward, author of Fountains of Faith.
25. "There are people who have money, and there are people who are rich." - Coco Chanel, fashion designer.
Related: Richard Branson on What They Don't Teach in Business School
