Bernard Mannes Baruch (1870–1965) was an American financier who was an economic consultant to U.S. presidents.
Born in Camden, South Carolina, and educated in New York City, Baruch worked as an office boy in a linen company and later in Wall Street brokerage houses. Over the years, he accumulated a fortune as a stock market speculator. He helped finance some of the principal industrial firms of his time, including Texas Gulf Sulphur, Utah Copper, and the Intercontinental Rubber Company.
During World War I, Baruch served as Chairman of the War Industries Board, where he assisted the military readiness of America’s businesses. As an adviser to Presidents Woodrow Wilson and Franklin D. Roosevelt, he served as chairman of the War Industries Board 1918–19 and U.S. representative on the United Nations Atomic Energy Commission 1946.
Baruch wrote two autobiographical works—My Own Story (1958) and The Public Years (1961)—as well as A Philosophy for Our Times (1953.)
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Bernard M. Baruch
Vote for the man who promises least; he’ll be the least disappointing.
—Bernard M. Baruch
Topics: Politics, Voting, Promises
The art of living lies not in eliminating but in growing with troubles.
—Bernard M. Baruch
Topics: Realistic Expectations, Life and Living
In America, if you put your mind to it you can have anything you want. You just can’t have everything you want.
—Bernard M. Baruch
Topics: America
One of the secrets of a long and fruitful life is to forgive everybody, everything, every night before you go to bed.
—Bernard M. Baruch
The terror created by weaponry has never stopped men from employing them.
—Bernard M. Baruch
Topics: Weapon
Higher prices are themselves inflation and not merely the result of it. They are accelerated and not stopped by taxation…. It isn’t high prices that persuade the high cost and marginal producer to make the investment necessary to bring him into production. It is the promise of profit. High prices without profit merely requires more investment to support turnover and inventory.
—Bernard M. Baruch
Topics: Profit
No man should think himself a zero, and think he can do nothing about the state of the world.
—Bernard M. Baruch
Topics: Thoughts, Thought, Thinking
There are no such things as incurable, there are only things for which man has not found a cure.
—Bernard M. Baruch
Topics: Potential, Possibilities
Most of the successful people I’ve known are the ones who do more listening than talking.
—Bernard M. Baruch
Topics: Success & Failure, Success
Our problem in money-making or government affairs is how to remain properly venturesome and experimental without making fools of ourselves.
—Bernard M. Baruch
Topics: Business
Don’t try to buy at the bottom and sell at the top. This can’t be done, except by liars.
—Bernard M. Baruch
Topics: Business
We can’t cross a bridge until we come to it; but I always like to lay down a pontoon ahead of time.
—Bernard M. Baruch
Topics: Planning
When beggars and shoeshine boys, barbers and beauticians can tell you how to get rich it is time to remind yourself that there is no more dangerous illusion than the belief that one can get something for nothing.
—Bernard M. Baruch
Whatever task you undertake, do it with all your heart and soul. Always be courteous, never be discouraged. Beware of him who promises something for nothing. Do not blame anybody for your mistakes and failures. Do not look for approval except the consciousness of doing your best.
—Bernard M. Baruch
Topics: Responsibility, Confidence, Acceptance, Failures, Blame, Mistakes, Realization, Awareness, Excellence, Self-reliance, Self-Discovery
The art of living lies less in eliminating our troubles than in growing with them.
—Bernard M. Baruch
Topics: Acceptance, Realistic Expectations, Adversity
Unless each man produces more than he receives, increases his output, there will be less for him and all the others.
—Bernard M. Baruch
Every man has a right to be wrong in his opinions. But no man has a right to be wrong in his facts.
—Bernard M. Baruch
Topics: Facts, Opinions, Opinion
You talk about capitalism and communism and all that sort of thing, but the important thing is the struggle everybody is engaged in to get better living conditions, and they are not interested too much in the form of government.
—Bernard M. Baruch
The greatest blessing of our democracy is freedom. But in the last analysis, our only freedom is the freedom to discipline ourselves. Discipline is deciding not to be led around by our gotta haves. It is the task of a lifetime, an indispensable prerequisite to success, and the only way to be truly free.
—Bernard M. Baruch
Topics: Freedom
Gold has worked down from Alexander’s time… When something holds good for two thousand years I do not believe it can be so because of prejudice or mistaken theory.
—Bernard M. Baruch
Topics: Gold
Only as you do know yourself can your brain serve you as a sharp and efficient tool. Know your failings, passions, and prejudices so you can separate them from what you see. Know also when you actually have thought through to the nature of the thing with which you are dealing and when you are not thinking at all.
—Bernard M. Baruch
Topics: Identity, Self-Knowledge
You can overcome anything if you don’t bellyache.
—Bernard M. Baruch
Topics: Complaining, Hedonism, Problems, Self-Pity
Get to know yourself. Know your own failings, passions, and prejudices so you can separate them from what you see. Know also when you actually have thought through to the nature of the thing with which you are dealing and when you are not thinking at all… Knowing yourself and knowing the facts, you can judge whether you can change the situation so it is more to your liking. If you cannot—or if you do not know how to improve on things—then discipline yourself to the adjustments that will be necessary.
—Bernard M. Baruch
Topics: Discipline
If you get all the facts, your judgment can be right; if you don’t get all the facts, it can’t be right.
—Bernard M. Baruch
Topics: Facts
Whatever failures I have known, whatever errors I have committed, whatever follies I have witnessed in private and public life have been the consequence of action without thought.
—Bernard M. Baruch
Topics: Thought, Planning
A speculator is a man who observes the future, and acts before it occurs.
—Bernard M. Baruch
Topics: Assumptions, Future
Recipe for success: Be polite, prepare yourself for whatever you are asked to do, keep yourself tidy, be cheerful, don’t be envious, be honest with yourself so you will be honest with others, be helpful, interest yourself in your job, don’t pity yourself, be quick to praise, be loyal to your friends, avoid prejudices, be independent, interest yourself in politics, and read the newspapers.
—Bernard M. Baruch
Topics: Success
Two things are bad for the heart—running up stairs and running down people.
—Bernard M. Baruch
Topics: Heart
There is too much emphasis on the alleged need for more purchasing power. What the country needs stable purchasing power. Increased wages, higher pensions, more unemployment insurance, all are of no avail if the purchasing power of money falls faster.
—Bernard M. Baruch
Topics: Money, Business
I made my money by selling too soon.
—Bernard M. Baruch
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