America’s got two great rivers: one called Politics and the other called Money. The first will float your boat, the second will sink it just as quick if you don’t mind your oars. P.T. Barnum understood this better than most. He knew folks wanted not just bread, but circus with it — and he was willing to sell them both, so long as they had a nickel to spare. If you call him a fraud, you miss the point. If you call him a saint, you miss it twice. He was something rarer: a man who could look square at human nature, see the itch, and invent the scratch.
P.T. Barnum, the famous 19th-century American showman and entrepreneur wrote The Art of Money Getting (also known as Golden Rules for Making Money) . It was first published in 1880 and is often considered one of the earliest self-help or personal finance books. Despite being over a century old, much of its advice still feels surprisingly modern. Barnum lays out 20 practical principles for achieving financial success, such as:
Barnum mixes practical financial wisdom with his signature flair for storytelling and showmanship, so it reads both as a guide and a window into his philosophy of life and business.
Barnum’s 20 Golden Rules
- Choose the Right Trade
If you’ve got a head for numbers, don’t go raising pigs; and if you’ve got a knack for pigs, don’t waste your time counting beans. Pick a life’s work that fits your hide, or you’ll always be wearing somebody else’s shoes. - Don’t Get Bitten by Debt
Debt is like a hungry alligator. Once it gets ahold of your leg, it’ll chew on you while you sleep. Pay as you go, and you’ll sleep sound. - Persevere
When the gold seems buried a foot deeper than your shovel, dig another foot. Most quit right before the vein. - Use Advertising
Don’t be the world’s best secret. A good business untold is like a steamboat with no whistle—it might move, but nobody knows it’s coming. - Treat People Decent
A man will forget what you sold him, but he won’t forget how you made him feel. Politeness pays more dividends than Wall Street ever has. - Keep Your Eyes Open
Whatever you do, do it with your eyes wide open. But don’t stare so hard you trip over your own feet. - Don’t Chase Fool’s Gold
Speculation’s a cousin to gambling—most folks leave the table with lighter pockets and heavier regrets. Stick to steady returns, not rainbows. - Save, but Don’t Hoard
Money’s like manure: pile it up and it stinks, spread it out wisely and things grow. - Stay Healthy
The richest man in the graveyard can’t buy another sunrise. - Seize Opportunity
Opportunity knocks once, maybe twice; but it never hangs around jingling the doorbell. - Educate Yourself
Ignorance is a poor business partner. Learn your trade, then learn it again. - Avoid Bad Company
You can’t stay clean if you’re wrestling hogs every night. Birds of a feather go bankrupt together. - Be Honest
Trickery builds a fast fortune, but it collapses faster. Honesty is slow work, but it holds steady as a mule cart. - Keep Your Word
A man’s promise is the coin of his character—spend it carelessly, and soon nobody will take it. - Don’t Scatter Your Efforts
A shotgun might scare crows, but if you want to hit something, use a rifle. Focus wins. - Be Charitable
Money that serves only you dies with you. Money that serves others lives on. - Avoid Envy
Comparing fortunes is like comparing shoes—someone else’s might look fine, but they’ll blister your feet. - Don’t Show Off
The peacock struts until the fox arrives. Wealth is quieter when it’s real. - Keep Going
Fortune favors the fellow who rises early, works hard, and keeps at it even when the applause has stopped. - Believe in Yourself
If you don’t believe in your own wares, neither will anyone else. Confidence sells more than salesmen.
So, what’s left of Barnum? Not just a circus that packed up its tents a hundred years later, but a set of rules that still hold when the show lights go out. Don’t gamble on rainbows, don’t drown in debt, treat people decent, and keep your word — that’s Barnum’s advice, and it’ll outlive any parade of elephants. In the end, he was right about money: it’s an art, not a science, and the canvas is your own life. Paint it wisely, or else you’ll discover the cost of admission was steeper than you thought
EXTRA CREDIT: P.T. Barnum in a Nutshell
Phineas Taylor Barnum (1810–1891) was America’s original master of the spectacle — a showman, businessman, and politician who turned entertainment into an empire.
- The Early Hustler: Born in Bethel, Connecticut, Barnum started young with small ventures, including a lottery and even running a general store. He had a taste for publicity and wasn’t afraid of a little exaggeration to draw a crowd.
- The Museum King: He made his fortune with the American Museum in New York City, where he showcased everything from wax figures to exotic animals to “curiosities” like General Tom Thumb and the so-called “Feejee Mermaid.” Half education, half hoax — but the crowds loved it.
- The Circus Legend: In 1871, Barnum founded P.T. Barnum’s Grand Traveling Circus, Menagerie, Caravan & Hippodrome — which eventually merged with others to become Barnum & Bailey’s Greatest Show on Earth. That circus, with elephants, acrobats, and clowns, set the model for modern big-top entertainment.
- The Politician & Writer: He also served in the Connecticut legislature and even as mayor of Bridgeport, where he pushed for things like temperance, abolition, and public improvements. Barnum wrote several books, including The Art of Money Getting, which was as much about common sense as it was about cash.
- The Legacy: Barnum was part trickster, part visionary. He famously said, “There’s a sucker born every minute” (though historians argue he may not have coined it), but he also proved that ordinary people craved wonder, and he sold it to them wholesale. His circus carried on long after his death, shaping American entertainment for more than a century.
In Short
Barnum wasn’t just a man — he was a brand before branding existed. He blended business with showmanship, truth with exaggeration, and profit with popular delight. Love him or scorn him, he taught America how to sell a story
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