“I was born into it and there was nothing I could do about it. It was there, like air or food, or any other element. The only question with wealth is what you do with it.”

The impression was gaining ground with me that it was a good thing to let the money be my slave and not make myself a slave to money.

I do not think that there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature.

I’m glad I wrote the book to show what I found out about the [ Standard Oil Company]. I’m glad many people read my book and found out the truth.

Save when you can and not when you have to.

God gave me my money.

The success of each is dependent upon the success of the other.

Competition is a sin.

Success comes from keeping the ears open and the mouth closed.

It is wrong to assume that men of immense wealth are always happy.

I think it is a man’s duty to make all the money he can, keep all that he can and give away all that he can.

Capital and labor are both wild forces which require intelligent legislation to hold them in restriction.

There is no feeling in this world to be compared with self-reliance–do not sacrifice that to anything else.

The secret of success is to get up early, work late and strike oil.

The task is simple. We will organize children and teach them in a perfect way the things their fathers and mothers are doing in an imperfect way.

I cheat my boys every chance I get. I trade with the boys and skin ’em and I just beat ’em every time I can. I want to make ’em sharp.

Charity is injurious unless it helps the recipient to become independent of it.