A Dollar Saved Is a Quarter Earned

Creator: John Ciardi, U.S. poet, translator, and critic

Context: For many years Ciardi was an editor and columnist at “The Saturday Review”. For the May 26, 1962 issue he composed a set of humorously altered versions of well-known adages. Here are three examples:[ref] 1962 May 26, The Saturday Review, Manner of Speaking by John Ciardi, Start Page 19, Quote Page 19, Column 2, Saturday Review Inc., New York. (Unz)[/ref]

  • A dollar saved is a quarter earned.
  • A taxpayer and his money are soon parted.
  • Early to bed and early to rise probably indicates unskilled employment.

The original adages were:

  • A penny saved is a penny earned.
  • A fool and his money are soon parted.
  • Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.

The statement under examination suggests that economic inflation can reduce the value of a dollar to the equivalent of a quarter over time. This insight is particularly compelling when the inflation rate is high.

Acknowledgement: Thanks to Mardy Grothe who requested a citation for this quotation.

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