Alisa Harris points to some good comments and quotes on thrift, which some people are returning to lately. I was thinking The Art of Manliness blog had a Ben Franklin post on thrift, but I found only this list of posts related to thrift instead. Could be great weekend reading–lots of T. Roosevelt in there and the virtues of the Samurai.

In facing the future and in striving, each according to the measure of his individual capacity, to work out the salvation of our land, we should be neither timid pessimists nor foolish optimists. We should recognize the dangers that exist and that threaten us: we should neither overestimate them nor shrink from them, but steadily fronting them should set to work to overcome and beat them down. Grave perils are yet to be encountered in the stormy course of the Republic – perils from political corruption, perils from individual laziness, indolence and timidity, perils springing from the greed of the unscrupulous rich, and from the anarchic violence of the thriftless and turbulent poor. There is every reason why we should recognize them, but there is no reason why we should fear them or doubt our capacity to overcome them, if only each will, according to the measure of his ability, do his full duty, and endeavor so to live as to deserve the high praise of being called a good American citizen. – Teddy Roosevelt