A biography for J. Paul Gettyhasn’t been written yet.
“The rich are not born sceptical or cynical. They are made that way by events, circumstances.”
“There are one hundred men seeking security to one able man who is willing to risk his fortune.”
“You cannot further the Brotherhood of Man by encouraging class hatred.”
“The meek shall inherit the Earth, but not its mineral rights.”
“A marriage contract to me is as binding as any in business, and I have always believed in sticking to an agreement.”
“I vehemently deny that I was born a cynic and a pessimist.”
“The beauty one can find in art is one of the pitifully few real and lasting products of human endeavor.”
“How does one measure the success of a museum?”
“No one can possibly achieve any real and lasting success or 'get rich' in business by being a conformist.”
“Money is like manure. You have to spread it around or it smells.”
“My yachts were, I suppose, outstanding status symbols.”
“I was brought up in an era when thrift was still considered a virtue.”
“I have absolutely no intention of marrying Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.”
“Books, like proverbs, receive their chief value from the stamp and esteem of the ages through which they have passed.”
“I've never been one to bet on the weather.”
“During the 1950s, Aristotle Onassis and I formed what grew to be a close friendship and association in several business ventures.”
“Nationalized industries are notorious for their inability to operate at a profit.”
“I was 37 when my father died-and I no longer had any freedom of choice over what I would do with the rest of my life.”
“You cannot bring about prosperity without discouraging thrift.”
“Five wives can't all be wrong.”