Who said “I know of nothing more despicable and pathetic than a man who devotes all the hours of…”?

Verified

John D. Rockefeller. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourceRandom Reminiscences of Men and Events (1906)

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“I know of nothing more despicable and pathetic than a man who devotes all the hours of the waking day to the making of money for money's sake.”
— John D. Rockefeller
VerifiedRandom Reminiscences of Men and Events (1906) · evidenceMoney

Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: Random Reminiscences of Men and Events (1906).

APA

Rockefeller, J. D. (n.d.). I know of nothing more despicable and pathetic than a man who devotes all the hours of the waking day to the making of money for money's sake. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/29715-i-know-of-nothing-more-despicable-and-pathetic/

MLA

Rockefeller, John D. “I know of nothing more despicable and pathetic than a man who devotes all the hours of the waking day to the making of money for money's sake.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/29715-i-know-of-nothing-more-despicable-and-pathetic/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Rockefeller, John D. “I know of nothing more despicable and pathetic than a man who devotes all the hours of the waking day to the making of money for money's sake.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/29715-i-know-of-nothing-more-despicable-and-pathetic/.

Related quotes

“Money begets money.”
— Italian Proverb
Original (Italian)

Danari fanno danari

VerifiedRecorded in Cassell's Book of Quotations Proverbs and Household Words: A Collection of Quotations from British and American Authors ..., p. 827 · evidenceDetails & citeMoney

More quotes by Rockefeller

“Do you know the only thing that gives me pleasure? It's to see my dividends coming in.”
VerifiedRemark to a neighbor, quoted by John Lewis in Cosmopolitan (1908) · evidenceDetails & citeRewards
“I always tried to turn every disaster into an opportunity.”
Opportunity
“If your only goal is to become rich, you will never achieve it.”
Goals
“It is wrong to assume that men of immense wealth are always happy.”
Happiness
“I can think of nothing less pleasurable than a life devoted to pleasure.”
Pleasure
“I would rather earn 1% off a 100 people's efforts than 100% of my own efforts.”
Effort
All 21 John D. Rockefeller quotes →