Precept and Practice – OCTOBER 18 – Right Expenditure of Money

There is assuredly no action of our social life, however unimportant, which, by kindly thought, may not be made to have a beneficial influence upon others;  and it is impossible to spend the smallest sum of money, for any not absolutely necessary purpose, without a grave responsibility attaching to the manner of spending it.   The object we ourselves covet may, indeed, be desirable and harmless, so far as we are concerned, but the providing us with it may, perhaps, be a very prejudicial occupation to someone else.

And then it becomes instantly a moral question, whether we are to indulge ourselves or not.   Whatever we wish to buy, we ought first to consider not only if the thing be fit for us, but if the manufacture of it be a wholesome and happy one;  and if, on the whole, the sum we are going to spend will do as much good spent in this way as it would if spent in any other way.

It may be said that we have not time to consider all this before we make a purchase.   But no time could be spent in a more important duty;  and God never imposes a duty without giving the time to do it.

Ruskin

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From the Introduction to Precept and Practice

The kindly welcome given to my other little books, ‘Being and Doing’ and ‘Character and Conduct,’ must be my excuse for adding another collection of extracts to the number now in circulation.

The quotations are gathered from the books of many earnest thinkers, and deal with Life in all its length and breadth, with ourselves, our characters, our plain unvarnished faults and weaknesses, our often untoward circumstances, and with all that drags us down;-  with our purposes, our religion, our love and friendships, and with all that uplifts us;-  with our relation to others, our influence and responsibilities, and finally with those stages of our journey which bring us to the Road’s Last Turn and to the Silent Land.

CONSTANCE  M. WHISHAW