Samuel Smiles：Thrift, Excerpt 204

To save money for avaricious purposes is altogether different from saving it for economical purposes. The saving may be accomplished in the same manner--by wasting nothing, and saving everything. But here the comparison ends. The miser's only pleasure is in saving. The prudent economist spends what he can afford for comfort and enjoyment, and saves a surplus for some future time. The avaricious person makes gold his idol: it is his molten calf, before which he constantly bows down; whereas the thrifty person regards it as a useful instrument, and as a means of promoting his own happiness and the happiness of those who are dependent upon him. The miser is never satisfied. He amasses wealth that he can never consume, but leaves it to be squandered by others, probably by spendthrifts; whereas the economist aims at securing a fair share of the world's wealth and comfort, without any thought of amassing a fortune.

Source： https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/14418
Locator：Excerpt 204 · Verified：2026-10-19 · Verification：Short excerpt

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