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36 Priceless Thomas J. Stanley Quotes

Thomas J. Stanley was an American writer and business theorist best known for his award winning book and New York Times’ Best seller, ‘The Millionaire Next Door.’ Looking at some of the most sound financial principles and mentalities to embrace will surely assist you along the way of creating your own success. Here is a look at some of the most memorable Thomas J. Stanley quotes to know.

“America is still the land of opportunity. Over the past thirty years I have consistently found that 80 to 85 percent of millionaires are self-made.”

“Be tough … life is. In other words, there is no promise of a rose garden.”

“Being well educated has certain economic drawbacks.”

“Financially independent people are happier than those in their same income/age cohort who are not financially secure.”

“For every millionaire who owns a $1,000 suit, there are at least six owners who have annual incomes in the $50,000 to $200,000 range but who are not millionaires.”

“Good health, longevity, happiness, a loving family, self-reliance, fine friends … if you [have] five, you’re a rich man….”

“Great offense and poor defense translate into under accumulation of wealth.”

“Have you ever noticed those people whom you see jogging day after day? They are the ones who seem not to need to jog. But that’s why they are fit. Those who are wealthy work at staying financially fit. But those who are not financially fit do little to change their status.”

“His view of millionaires is shared by most people who are not wealthy. They think millionaires own expensive clothes, watches, and other status artifacts. We have found this is not the case.”

“How can well-educated, high-income people be so naive about money? Because being a well-educated, high-income earner does not automatically translate into financial independence. It takes planning and sacrificing.”

“I am not impressed with what people own. But I’m impressed with what they achieve. I’m proud to be a physician. Always strive to be the best in your field”

“If you’re not financially independent, you will spend an increasing amount of your time and energy worrying about your socioeconomic future.”

“If you’re not yet wealthy but want to be someday, never purchase a home that requires a mortgage that is more than twice your household’s total annual realized income.”

“If your goal is to become financially secure, you’ll likely attain it…. But if your motive is to make money to spend money on the good life,… you’re never gonna make it.”

“It is very difficult for a married couple to accumulate wealth if one is a spendthrift. A household divided in its financial orientation is unlikely to accumulate significant wealth.”

“It matters less how much more you make than what you do with what you already have.”

“It’s amazing what you can do when you set your mind to it. You’ll be surprised how many sales calls you can make when you have no alternative except to succeed.”

“It’s easier to accumulate wealth if you don’t live in a high-status neighborhood.”

“Many people who live in expensive homes and drive luxury cars do not actually have much wealth. Then, we discovered something even odder: Many people who have a great deal of wealth do not even live in upscale neighborhoods.”

“Money should never change one’s values…. Making money is only a report card. It’s a way to tell how you’re doing.”

“Most millionaires generally don’t limit themselves to stocks, bonds, and related investments—they invest heavily in private businesses and real estate.”

“Most people will never become wealthy in one generation if they are married to people who are wasteful. A couple cannot accumulate wealth if one of its members is a hyperconsumer.”

“Mrs. Rule wants to be free of financial worry before her sixty-fifth birthday. Each time she tabulates, she tells herself she is reducing her fear of never being able to retire in comfort.”

“Multiply your age times your realized pretax annual household income from all sources except inheritances. Divide by ten. This, less any inherited wealth, is what your net worth should be.”

“One of the reasons that millionaires are economically successful is that they think differently.”

“The advertising industry and Hollywood have done a wonderful job conditioning us to believe that wealth and hyperconsumption go hand in hand.”

“The foundation stone of wealth accumulation is defense, and this defense should be anchored by budgeting and planning.”

“There is an inverse relationship between the time spent purchasing luxury items such as cars and clothes and the time spent planning one’s financial future.”

“To build wealth, minimize your realized (taxable) income and maximize your unrealized income (wealth/capital appreciation without a cash flow).”

“Unfortunately, most Americans think that they are emulating the rich by immediately consuming any upward swing in their cash flow.”

“Wealth is more often the result of a lifestyle of hard work, perseverance, planning, and, most of all, self-discipline.”

“Wealth is not the same as income. If you make a good income each year and spend it all, you are not getting wealthier. You are just living high. Wealth is what you accumulate, not what you spend.”

“What if he had taken full advantage of the tax-advantaged benefit from the time he was first employed? Today he would be a millionaire. Instead, he is on the perpetual earn-and-consume treadmill.”

“What is to be learned from this case scenario? Choose a financial advisor who is endorsed by an enlightened accountant and/or his clients with investment portfolios that in the long run outpace the market. ”

“What you probably don’t know is that your neighbor in the $300,000 house next to yours bought his house only after he became wealthy. You bought yours in anticipation of becoming wealthy. That day may never come.”

“Whatever your income, always live below your means.”

Here is an interview with Thomas Stanley as he shares the history and future of his renewed commitment to the travel agent community.

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