Josh Billings

You should always live within your income, even if you have to borrow to do so.

When you get in debt you become a slave.

Debt is the slavery of the free.

The ideas of debtor and creditor as to what constitutes a good time never coincide.

It is the debtor that is ruined by hard times.

He that dies pays all debts.

Speak not of my debts unless you mean to pay them.

Forgetfulness. A gift of God bestowed upon debtors in compensation for their destitution of conscience.

Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pound ought and six, result misery.

Blessed are the young, for they shall inherit the national debt.

Debts are nowadays like children begot with pleasure, but brought forth in pain.

A man must cut down his outgoings and save his incomings if he wants to clear himself; you can’t spend your penny and pay debts with it too. Stint the kitchen if the purse is bare. Don’t believe in any way of wiping out debts except by paying hard cash. Promises make debts, and debts make promises, but promises never pay debts…

Credit buying is much like being drunk. The buzz happens immediately and gives you a lift…. The hangover comes the day after.

To preserve their independence, we must not let our rules load us with perpetual debt. We must make our election between economy and liberty, or profusion and servitude.

Rather go to bed supperless, than rise in debt.

Small debts are like small shot; they are rattling on every side, and can scarcely be escaped without a wound.