P.T. Barnum Quotes

The noblest art is that of making others happy

Fortune always favors the brave, and never helps a man who does not help himself.

How were the receipts today in Madison Square Garden ?

No man ever went broke overestimating the ignorance of the American public.

The common man, no matter how sharp and tough, actually enjoys having the wool pulled over his eyes, and makes it easier for the puller.

You can fool most of the people most of the time.

To me there is no picture so beautiful as smiling, bright-eyed, happy children; no music so sweet as their clear and ringing laughter.

Money is good for nothing unless you know the value of it by experience.

Money is in some respects like fire; it is a very excellent servant but a terrible master.

When a man is in the right path, he must persevere.

You know I had rather be laughed at than not to be noticed at all.

There's no such thing as bad publicity.

Many people are gullible, and we can expect this to continue.

If you hesitate, some bolder hand will stretch out before you and get the prize.

There is a fool born every minute

We cannot all see alike, but we can all do good.

The best kind of charity is to help those who are willing to help themselves.

Advertising is like learning - a little is a dangerous thing.

Nothing draws a crowd quite like a crowd.

The bigger the humbug, the better people will like it.

With the young man starting in business, let him understand the value of money by earning it.

Politeness and civility are the best capital ever invested in business.

I am a showman by profession... and all the gilding shall make nothing else of me.

Literature is one of the most interesting and significant expressions of humanity.

The foundation of success in life is good health: that is the substratum fortune; it is also the basis of happiness. A person cannot accumulate a fortune very well when he is sick.

There is no class of people in the world, who have such good memories as creditors.

Your success depends on what you do yourself, with your own means

The possession of a perfect knowledge of your business is an absolute necessity in order to insure success.

Never attempt to catch a whale with a minnow.

If I was not a remarkably modest man, I should probably brag a little, and say that I had done what no American ever before accomplished by visiting the queen at her palace twice within eight days.

Whatever you do, do it ardently.

The truth is, the more kind and liberal a man is, the more generous will be the patronage bestowed upon him.

Every man's occupation should be beneficial to his fellow-man as well as profitable to himself. All else is vanity and folly.

To forgive heals the wound, to forget heals the scar.

You must exercise your caution in laying your plans, but be bold in carrying them out.

I am prouder of my title 'The Children's Friend' than if I were to be called 'The King of the World'.

Without publicity a terrible thing happens: nothing.

The plan of "counting the chickens before they are hatched" is an error of ancient date, but it does not seem to improve by age.

Advertising is like learning - a little is a dangerous thing. If a man has not the pluck to keep on advertising, all the money he has already spent is lost.

Energy and patience in business are two indispensable elements of success.

I risked much, but I made much.

I would rather hear the pleased laugh of a child over some feature of my exhibition than receive as I did the flattering compliments of the Prince of Wales.

If I shoot at the sun, I may hit a star.

The wonders of the ages assembled for your edification, education and enjoyment - for a price.

In fact, as a general thing, money-getters are the benefactors of our race.

Clowns are the pegs on which the circus is hung.

Without promotion, something terrible happens... nothing!

No man has a right to expect to succeed in life unless he understands his business, and nobody can understand his business thoroughly unless he learns it by personal application and experience.

Every crowd has a silver lining.

A penny here, and a dollar there, placed at interest, goes on accumulating, and in this way the desired result is attained.