Roger Babson Quotations

Let him who would enjoy a good future waste none of his present.

The finest command of language is often shown by saying nothing.

The successful man is the one who had the chance and took it.

Property may be destroyed and money may lose its purchasing power; but, character, health, knowledge and good judgement will always be in demand under all conditions.

It is wise to keep in mind that neither success nor failure is ever final.

It takes a person who is wide awake to make his dream come true.

Keep in mind that neither success nor failure is ever final.

When we are flat on our backs there is no way to look but up.

When we are flat on our back, there is no way to look but up.

The good that is in you is the good that you do for others

The election of Hoover...should result in continued prosperity for 1929.

Every great panic we have ever had has been foreshadowed by a general decline in observance of religious principles.

The God we worship writes his name upon our faces.

There isn't a plant or a business on earth that couldn't stand a few improvements-and be better for them. Someone is going to think of them. Why not beat the other fellow to it?

In the last analysis, our national future depends upon our national character that is, whether it is spiritually or materially minded.

Experiment is folly when experience shows the way.

Does anyone believe for one moment that the progress we have made would have been possible under bureaucratic control of any government. This country was founded upon the principle of the regulation of private effort, of making rules for the game, and under that system alone can we look for the same success in the future which has been ours in the past. Our position today is the direct result of the free play among our people of private competitive effort.

There is a world of practical religion in simply being considerate of others.

More people should learn to tell their dollars where to go instead of asking them where they went.

Do not let yourselves be discouraged or embittered by the smallness of the success you are likely to achieve in trying to make life better. You certainly would not be able, in a single generation, to create an earthly paradise. Who could expect that? But, if you make life ever so little better, you will have done splendidly, and your lives will have been worthwhile. Property may be destroyed and money may lose its purchasing power; but, character, health, knowledge and good judgement will always be in demand under all conditions.

A character standard is far more important than even a gold standard. The success of all economic systems is still dependent upon both righteous leaders and righteous people. In the last analysis, our national future depends upon our national character that is, whether it is spiritually or materially minded.

Only religion can prevent democratic rule from developing into mob rule. A nation can prosper only as its citizens are religious, intelligent, capable of service and eager to render it.

People would rather be shown how valuable you are, not told.

If things go wrong, don't go with them.

Experience has taught me that there is one chief reason why some people succeed and others fail. The difference is not one of knowing, but of doing. The successful man is not so superior in ability as in action. So far as success can be reduced to a formula, it consists of this: doing what you know you should do.

If things are not going well with you, begin your effort at correcting the situation by carefully examining the service you are rendering, and especially the spirit in which you are rendering it.

Don’t look for society to give you permission to be yourself.

I have not been able to find a single useful institution which has not been founded either by an intensely religious man or by the son of a praying father or a praying mother. I have made the statement before the chambers of commerce of all the largest cities of the country and have asked them to bring forward a case that is an exception to this rule. Thus far, I have not heard of a single one.