Who said “Resolve not to be poor: whatever you have, spend less. Poverty is a great enemy to human…”?

Verified

Samuel Johnson. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourceLetter to James Boswell, December 7, 1782, p. 494

Evidence: Wikiquote · How we check

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“Resolve not to be poor: whatever you have, spend less. Poverty is a great enemy to human happiness; it certainly destroys liberty, and it makes some virtues impracticable, and others extremely difficult.”
VerifiedLetter to James Boswell, December 7, 1782, p. 494 · evidencePoverty and The Poor

Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: Letter to James Boswell, December 7, 1782, p. 494.

APA

Johnson, S. (n.d.). Resolve not to be poor: whatever you have, spend less. Poverty is a great enemy to human happiness; it certainly destroys liberty, and it makes some virtues impracticable, and others extremely difficult. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 25, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/33861-resolve-not-to-be-poor-whatever-you-have/

MLA

Johnson, Samuel. “Resolve not to be poor: whatever you have, spend less. Poverty is a great enemy to human happiness; it certainly destroys liberty, and it makes some virtues impracticable, and others extremely difficult.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/33861-resolve-not-to-be-poor-whatever-you-have/. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Johnson, Samuel. “Resolve not to be poor: whatever you have, spend less. Poverty is a great enemy to human happiness; it certainly destroys liberty, and it makes some virtues impracticable, and others extremely difficult.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 25, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/33861-resolve-not-to-be-poor-whatever-you-have/.