Quotes from Thomas J. Stanley

There is no significant correlation between the make [brand] of motor vehicle you drive and your level of happiness with life.

It is unfortunate that some people judge others by their choice in foods, beverages, suits, watches, motor vehicles, and such. To them, superior people have excellent tastes in consumer goods. But it is easier to purchase products that denote superiority than to be actually superior in economic achievement.

There are two types of people who drive prestige makes of motor vehicles: those who are rich and those who act rich.

I think success really involves the situations you get yourself into and the people you meet

Unfortunately, most Americans think that they are emulating the rich by immediately consuming any upward swing in their cash flow. But the millionaire-next-door

Interestingly, within the high-income population, I find that there is a negative correlation between one's grade point average and the amount one spends on motor vehicles. Those with the very highest grades tend to spend less on motor vehicles. This by no means suggests that people you see driving $100,000 cars all flunked out of college!

Allocating time and money in the pursuit of looking superior often has a predictable outcome: inferior economic achievement. What are three words that profile the affluent? FRUGAL FRUGAL FRUGAL Webster's

No one can be successful by themselves. It's the relationships that you develop with the people around you.

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. This is especially true when one or both are trying to build a successful business.

Si quieres comportarte como una persona deslumbrantemente rica, alístate para gastar como mínimo el doble o el triple de lo que el típico millonario paga.

We are fastidious investors. On average, we invest nearly 20 percent of our household realized income each year. Most of us invest at least 15 percent. Seventy-nine percent of us have at least one account with a brokerage company. But we make our own investment decisions.

The North method took only a few hours. Contrast this with Dr. South's automobile-purchasing crusade—a process that took him at least sixty hours. And, of course, Dr. North likes to keep his cars for a long time. So his allocation of purchasing time is spread over several years. On average, he devotes less than an hour a year to purchasing motor vehicles. But Dr. South likes to buy a new car every year. Thus, his sixty-hour project is typically allocated to only one year. FEARS

Webster's defines frugal as "behavior characterized by or reflecting economy in the use of resources." The opposite of frugal is wasteful. We define wasteful as a lifestyle marked by lavish spending and hyperconsumption. Being frugal is the cornerstone of wealth-building.

Happy people tend to live well below their means. I have found this to be the case in all of the studies I have conducted.

This millionaire's brand of watch is a Timex; her husband's is a Seiko (number one among millionaires). The couple buys their clothes at Dillard's, J.C. Penney, and TJ Maxx. They have purchased only two motor vehicles in the past 10 years: both Fords.

How many highly paid ball players have a level of wealth in this range? We believe only a tiny fraction. Why? Because most have a lavish lifestyle—and they can support such a lifestyle as long as they are earning a very high income.

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 annual realized income.

Simply stated, your net worth [augmented] should equal 10 percent of your age times your annual realized household income (0.10 × age × income = expected net worth). If your actual net worth is above this expected figure, I consider you affluent, given your age and income characteristics.

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. How

Most millionaires never earn one-tenth of $5 million in a year. Most never become millionaires until they are fifty years of age or older. Most are frugal. And few could have ever supported a high-consumption lifestyle

Most millionaires never earn one-tenth of $5 million in a year. Most never become millionaires until they are fifty years of age or older. Most are frugal. And few could have ever supported a high-consumption lifestyle and become millionaires in the same lifetime. But

Quieres sobresalir en medio de la multitud? Hazlo con tus logros y no usando un traje de payaso, así eso sea lo que usen los amantes de la moda.

But the lavish lifestyle sells TV time and newspapers. All too often young people are indoctrinated with the belief that "those who have money spend lavishly" and "if you don't show it, you don't have it.

Appearances are much less important than the courage, discipline, and resolve of people who are economically productive.