Benjamin Franklin’s, “The Way to Wealth” essay talks about the taxes in which Americans had to pay but ways to make their earnings worthwhile. One of the steps to wealth is the line between getting help from others and helping ourselves. The essay informs of the extent to which outside people or institutions assist people on the way to wealth.
The essay starts off with some old fashion, “hard work pays more” sayings. “ . . . neither the estate nor the office will enable us to pay our taxes. If we are industrious, we shall never starve . . .,” this line acknowledges the fact that having land or riches won’t enable you to be wealthy, but effort or diligence will. Having diligence will never leave you starving, so to be wealthy, you must work hard instead of relying on the fact that you have a rich estate. There then come words of trust in others. “ . . . not to oversee workmen is to leave them your purse open. Trusting too much to others' care is the ruin of many . . . In the affairs of this world men are saved, not by faith, but by the want of it; but a man's own care is profitable . . . ” It’s advised that you can’t rely on others’ too much because when you’re leaning on them for safety and care, you won’t profit or learn how to take care of your own self. Although wanting faith in others’ can save you, caring for yourself will grant you profit. “ . . . If you would have a faithful servant, and one that you like, serve yourself . . .” this line basically brings the subject further, saying that if you want something done and done correctly, it’s better to serve yourself, for it’s yourself whom you can trust and like.
The extent to which others help on the way to wealth is very limited. There can be great land and we could be rich, but in order to maintain this we must work hard, and even though being rich helps, it only helps to a certain point. It won’t help pay the taxes for the rest of our lives; we must continue to work