Personal Worth

“My advice is: Marry a man who is a fortune in himself. Houses, lands, and large inheritance are well enough, but the wheel of fortune turns so rapidly that through some investment all these in a few years may be gone. There are some things, however, which are a perpetual fortune—good manners, geniality of soul, kindness, intelligence, sympathy, courage, perseverance, industry, and whole-heartedness. Marry such a one, and you have married a fortune, whether he has an income now of $50,000 a year or an income of $1,000.

A bank is secure according to its capital stock, and not to be judged by the deposits for a day or a week. A man is rich according to his sterling qualities, and not according to the mutability of circumstances, which may leave with him a large amount of resources today and withdraw them tomorrow. If a man is worth nothing but money, he is poor indeed. If a man has upright character, he is rich. Property may come and go; he is independent of the markets. Nothing can buy him out; nothing can sell him out. He may have more money one year than another, but his better fortunes never vacillate.”