Diligence and thrift appeared with the birth of civilization. It arises when people realize the need to properly prepare for both today and tomorrow. Thrift has a long history long before money was invented.

Being thrifty means being prudent and careful with your personal expenses. It involves frugality in family life, keeping the house in order rather than a mess.

If the goal of individual economics is to create and promote a happy life for individuals, then the goal of political economics is to create and expand the country's wealth.

Personal wealth has the same source as corporate wealth. Wealth is created by labor, it is preserved through savings and accumulation, and it continues to grow through diligence and perseverance.

It is personal frugality that accumulates wealth. In other words, the foundation for a happy life in every country is accumulated. In addition, it is individual profligacy that leads the country to poverty. Thus every man who is frugal and thrifty may be regarded as a public benefactor, and every man who is profligate and wasteful as a public enemy.

There is no debate about the necessity of personal thrift. Everyone recognizes and adopts it. But when it comes to political economy there are many debates - about, for example, the distribution of capital, the accumulation of property, the level of taxation, and other issues - which we do not intend to enter.

Frugality is not a natural instinct, but a character born of experience, example and foresight. It is also the result of education and intelligence. Only when people become wise and foresight will they become frugal. Therefore, the best way to make people frugal is to make people wise.

Splurging is more in line with human nature than frugality. The barbarian is the least thrifty because he has no vision and no awareness of tomorrow. Prehistoric people left nothing behind. He lives in caves or in jungle hollows filled with shrubs. He lived on aquatic shellfish picked up from the beach or various fruits collected in the forest. He killed the animals with stones, either by waiting for them to do something or by stalking them. Later, he learned to use stones as tools; he fashioned the stones into arrowheads and spear points, and used these tools to help him in his labors, so that he could kill birds and other animals more quickly.

The earliest savages knew nothing about agriculture. Only relatively recently did people collect seeds for food and save part of them for use in the coming year. When minerals were discovered, fire began to be used and minerals were smelted into metals. Humanity took a huge step in the process of civilization. From then on, he was able to make tough tools, sharp stone tools, build houses, and use tireless hard work to design and harness the diverse pathways and powers of civilization.

The residents of the seaside burned a depression in the felled tree, then pushed it into the sea, and people stood on it to fish and forage. The sunken tree became a small boat, and nails were used to tie it together. Later, the small boats turned into single-deck sailing ships, sea ships, oar rowing boats, and paddle steamers. From then on, the huge picture of the world was opened up by the process of colonization and civilization.

Had it not been for the help of the accumulated fruits of the beneficial labors of our ancestors, mankind would have continued to live in a barbaric state. They cleared the land and grew grains for human use. They invented tools and fabrics, and we reap the fruits of these labors. They discovered art and science, and we continue to benefit from their labors.

Nature teaches us that once any good thing is done, it never completely disappears with the passage of time. Those ancestors of countless generations of mankind who have long been buried underground will always remind us that life does not come easy. The handicrafts and skills displayed in the long-lost buildings and sculptures of the ancient city of Nineveh, the Tower of Babel, and the ancient city of Troy have been passed down for thousands of years until today. The fruits of labor condensed in the embrace of nature will never be lost.

The relics of these useful labors will live on, benefiting mankind as a whole, if not individuals.

The material wealth bequeathed to us by our ancestors plays only a very minor role in our inheritance. Included in our natural inheritance is something even more immortal. These things bring together the most valuable results of human skill and labor. These achievements cannot be spread through learning, but can only be spread through education and example. One generation educates another. In this way, knowledge of arts and crafts, machines, equipment and materials continues to be preserved. The fruits of the labor of our predecessors are therefore passed down from father to son; in this way, they add to the natural heritage of mankind from generation to generation - this is one of the most important means of civilization development.

It is therefore our natural right to inherit the most beneficial of the fruits of the labor of our fathers; and we cannot enjoy this right unless we ourselves labor. All people should work, whether doing physical or mental work. Without work, life is meaningless; it becomes a state of moral torpor.

The work we are talking about is by no means just physical labor, but also many more advanced tasks - litigation and endurance activities, trial work, business management, charity activities, activities that spread truth and civilization, lifting Work to relieve the suffering of the sick, activities to help the weak and make them self-reliant, etc.

A noble soul disdains living on the labor of others like a slacker, surviving on stealing food from public granaries like a parasite, or preying on the weak like a shark. He lives as a fish; on the contrary, he will do his best to fulfill his obligations, care for others, and contribute his love and strength to society. Because from the rule of kings to the manual labor of farmers, if any kind of work is to achieve good success, credibility and satisfaction, it has to pay a lot of mental work or physical work, or both.

Labor is not only a necessity, but also a pleasure. Labor that was a curse to us in the past has become a blessing from God. In some ways, our life is a conflict with nature, but in other ways, it is a collaboration with nature. Nature often draws life force from us, and we draw nourishment and warmth from nature.

Nature works with us. She provides us with the land to cultivate; she causes the seeds we sow in the ground to grow and bear fruit, allowing us to gather them for food. With the help of human labor, she provides us with wool for weaving and food for us to eat. What should not be forgotten is that, whether we are poor or rich, everything we eat, everything we wear, and everything we live in, from palaces to thatched huts, are all earned through labor.

For the sake of everyone’s common life, people cooperate with each other. Farmers cultivate the land to provide food; workers spin and produce fabrics that tailors use to make clothes; and masons build the houses in which we live and work. It is the hard work of the working people that has created today's living conditions for all mankind.

Labor and skills used in the service of despicable and obscene things will bring oneself a very dishonorable reputation. In fact, labor is a humane life; if labor is refused or opposed, then Adam's descendants will immediately be threatened with death. St. Paul said, "He who does not work shall not eat." This preacher did honor himself because he worked with his own hands and never burdened anyone.

There is a well-known story of an old farmer: As he lay on his death bed, he called his three lazy sons to him and told them an important secret. "My children," he said, "there are many gold and silver treasures buried under the plantation I left you." The old man gasped.

"Where are they hidden?" the sons asked impatiently.

"I will tell you," said the old man, "you should dig it out of the ground——"

Just when he was about to reveal the vital secret , his breathing suddenly stopped, and the old man died.

The lazy son was eager for gold and immediately started digging in the plantation left to them by his father. They grabbed shovels and shovels and worked hard to plow the land in the plantation. Even the land that was overgrown with weeds and had been barren for a long time was plowed. They carefully broke up the clods of soil so that the gold would not escape. In the end, they still didn't find the gold. It was then that they suddenly realized the true intention of their father's words. From then on, they learned to work, sown all the land on the plantation, and finally got a huge harvest, and the barns were full. Only then did they discover the treasure "buried" in the plantation - the advice their wise old father gave them!

Labor is not only a burden, suffering, honor, but also a joy. Labor seems to go hand in hand with poverty, but labor also has dignity. At the same time, labor also witnesses and satisfies our natural needs and many other needs.

Without labor, how can we be human beings, how can we live, and how can we be civilized? All the great things in human life arise from labor - the great achievements in literature, in art, in science. Knowledge—“the wings with which we fly to heaven”—can only be obtained through labor. Genius is nothing but the faculty of hard work: the energy to create great and lasting efforts.

Labor may be hard work and suffering, but it is indeed a kind of glory. It is piety, duty, praise and immortality - the praise given to those who have the highest ideals of life and labor for the purest goals.

Many people are complaining about the law of living by labor. They do not reflect at all: abiding by this law is not only obeying the divine will of God, but also for the development of our talents and development. Our body shares the needs of nature. Of all wretched persons, the idler is undoubtedly the most wretched - his life is a desert, and he has nothing to do but to gratify his sense pleasures. Aren't these the most whiny, miserable, and unsatisfied people of all? They were often in a state of boredom, seeming of no use to themselves or anyone else - mere burdens on the land - and no one missed them when they died. Who will miss them? The most miserable and shameful fate is that of the slacker.

Who has made greater contributions to moving the world forward than the working people? Everything we call progress - civilization, health, prosperity - depends on hard work - from growing barley to building steam engines and ships; from sewing collars to "enchanting the whole world" "The art of engraving, etc.

Similarly, all those useful and beautiful thoughts are the result of labor, study, observation, research and diligent thinking. The noblest and most enduring poems could not have been written without long and hard thought. No great work is done "in the heart." It is the result of repeated efforts and numerous failures before finally succeeding. Great undertakings often start from one generation and are succeeded by another generation - the present and the past continue to inherit and cooperate with each other. The great Parthenon began as a mud hut; the famous painting "The Last Judgment" began as a scribble on the beach. The same goes for individuals: Their efforts often begin with failure, but through perseverance and perseverance, they end up succeeding.

The history of diligence is engraved in the formation of character. Diligence can bring honor, if not distinction, to the poorest of men. The greatest names in the history of literature, art, and science are those who worked hardest. An instrument worker gave us the steam engine; a barber invented the spinning machine; a weaver invented the spindle spinning machine; a small vendor improved the function of the train locomotive; generations of workers from all walks of life have contributed to the development of mechanical technology. Contributed to continuous improvement.

When we talk about workers, we don’t just mean people who work with their muscles and strength. A horse can do the work too. But man is an excellent worker, for he also works with his mind, and all his bodily systems are under the influence of this higher power. When a person writes a book, draws a picture, formulates a law, or composes a poem, he or she is engaging in higher-level labor. In terms of maintaining the survival of society, these jobs may not seem as important as the work of farmers or shepherds. However, in terms of promoting the development of society toward higher intellectual and spiritual development, the contribution of mental labor is no less than that of physical labor.

We have talked so much about the importance and necessity of hard work, and we have seen the huge benefits that humans have derived from it. Obviously, if it were not for the accumulation of civilization carried out by our ancestors - the accumulation of skills, art, inventions, knowledge and culture, etc. - we would still be living in the barbarian stage.

It is the accumulation of labor that shapes the civilization of the world. Accumulation is the result of labor; only when workers begin to accumulate, the fruits of civilization will gather together. We have said that frugality was born together with civilization: we might almost say that frugality produced civilization. Thrift produces capital, and capital is the accumulated result of labor. A capitalist is a person who does not spend all the income he earns through labor.

But frugality is not a natural instinct. It is a learned behavioral principle. It involves self-control—withholding immediate pleasures in favor of planning for the future—subordinating animal desires to reason, foresight, and prudence. It works for today as well as for tomorrow. It invests accumulated capital to prepare for the future.

Edward Tennyson said: "The foresight which reason imparts to man is inseparable from the obligation to prepare for the future;... Whenever we speak of the virtue of thrift, we mean Everything must be prepared beforehand, otherwise it will be ruined. You must know that the future is unkind, and preparing for the future is the greatest virtue.”

Let’s take a look at the situation in Spain. There, the most fertile land turns out to be the least productive. There used to be as many as 12,000 villages along the Guadalquivir River, but now there are less than 800 villages left, and every one of them is filled with beggars.

A Spanish proverb says: "The sky is beautiful, the earth is beautiful, the only bad thing is the person between the sky and the earth."

Persistent hard work or Hard work is something the Spaniards cannot endure. Mostly out of laziness, mostly out of pride, they are unwilling to work hard. A Spaniard will be ashamed to work, but not to beg.

It is in this sense that society is mainly composed of two major classes - frugal people and wasteful people, people who only care about the present and people who plan for the future, thrifty people and spendthrift people, Haves and have-nots.

Those who become capitalists through labor and thrift will create other jobs. Capital accumulates in their hands and they hire others to work for them. From this, commerce and trade emerged.

Thrifty working people built houses, warehouses and factories. They started manufacturing industries that used machines for production. They built ships and sailed around the world. They pooled their capital to build railroads, ports, and docks. They opened coal, iron, and copper mines; they installed pumps to keep the water clean. They hired a large number of workers to mine and pave roads, causing the number of employed people in the society to increase by leaps and bounds.

All this is the result of thrift. It is the result of saving money and using it for programs that benefit society. Spendthrifts have not contributed a penny to the progress of the world. He spent all the money he earned, unable to help anyone, and no matter how much money he earned, his social status would not improve. He never used his resources frugally. He always asked others for help. In fact, he is the natural servant of those who are thrifty.