Chanakya

Don't judge the future of a person based on his present conditions, because time has the power to change black coal to shiny diamond.

Our bodies are perishable, wealth is not at all permanent and death is always nearby. Therefore we must immediately engage in acts of merit.

The wise man should restrain his senses like the crane and accomplish his purpose with due knowledge of his place, time and ability.

Be ever active in the management of the economy, because the root of wealth is economic activity; inactivity brings material distress.

Accumulated wealth is saved by spending, just as incoming fresh water is saved by letting out stagnant water.

Moral excellence is an ornament for personal beauty; righteous conduct, for high birth; success, for learning; and proper spending, for wealth.

A man is great by deeds, not by birth. Even a drop of poison can cause destruction; one does not need a large amount.

He who loses his money is forsaken by his friends, his wife, his servants, and his relations; yet when he regains his riches those who have forsaken him come back to him. Hence wealth is certainly the best of relations.