The Humbugs of the World: An Account of Humbugs, Delusions, Impositions, Quackeries, Deceits and Deceivers Generally, in All Ages
The Humbugs of the World: An Account of Humbugs, Delusions, Impositions, Quackeries, Deceits and Deceivers Generally, in All Ages
The greatest showman on earth turns his gaze inward. P.T. Barnum, the man who made a fortune spectacularly deceiving the public, now pulls back the curtain on every kind of humbug operating in the world. From faith healers and political charlatans to medical quacks and spiritualist mediums, Barnum catalogs the century's greatest cons with the knowing smile of a fellow practitioner. What makes this book remarkable is Barnum's unique position as both master and anatomist of deception. He reveals how people get fooled while quietly admitting he made his fortune doing much the same thing. The tone is playful and satirical, but beneath the humor lies a sharp insight into human nature: we want to be deceived, we crave the marvelous, and we'll believe almost anything that flatters our hopes. Written in 1865, this book reads like a field guide to the credulity of the age, from the spiritualism craze to the endless parade of get-rich-quick schemes. It's essential reading for anyone who wants to understand how swindlers work, why people fall for tricks, and what Barnum himself called the "genius" of American gullibility.
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“WHATEVER YOU DO, DO IT WITH ALL YOUR MIGHT Work at it, if necessary, early and late, in season and out of season, not leaving a stone unturned, and never deferring for a single hour that which can be done just as well now. The old proverb is full of truth and meaning, "Whatever is worth doing at all, is worth doing well." Many a man acquires a fortune by doing his business thoroughly, while his neighbor remains poor for life, because he only half does it. Ambition, energy, industry, perseverance, are indispensable requisites for success in business. Fortune always favors the brave, and never helps a man who does not help himself.””
— P. T. Barnum
“Be cautious and bold.””
— P. T. Barnum
“Money is, in some respects, like fire. It is a very excellent servant, but a terrible master.””
— P. T. Barnum
“Let your motto then always be 'Excelsior', for by living up to it there is no such word as fail.””
— P. T. Barnum
“Young men starting in life should avoid running into debt. There is scarcely anything that drags a person down like debt. It is a slavish position to get ill, yet we find many a young man, hardly out of his "teens," running in debt. He meets a chum and says, "Look at this: I have got trusted for a new suit of clothes." He seems to look upon the clothes as so much given to him; well, it frequently is so, but, if he succeeds in paying and then gets trusted again, he is adopting a habit which will keep him in poverty through life. Debt robs a man of his self-respect, and makes him almost despise himself.””
— P. T. Barnum
“The foundation of success in life is good health: that is the substratum fortune; it is also the basis of happiness. A person cannot accumulate a fortune very well when he is sick.””
— P. T. Barnum
“Fortune always favors the brave, and never helps a man who does not help himself.””
— P. T. Barnum
“The foundation of success in life is good health:””
— P. T. Barnum
“Dr. Franklin says "it is the eyes of others and not our own eyes which ruin us. If all the world were blind except myself I should not care for fine clothes or furniture.””
— P. T. Barnum
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Barnum, P. T.. The Humbugs of the World: An Account of Humbugs, Delusions, Impositions, Quackeries, Deceits and Deceivers Generally, in All Ages. Lex, lex-books.com/book/the-humbugs-of-the-world-an-account-of-humbugs-delusions-impositions-quackeries--3b86f76a-a01f-49c9-8e91-1898cd3f5437.Barnum, P. T. (n.d.). The Humbugs of the World: An Account of Humbugs, Delusions, Impositions, Quackeries, Deceits and Deceivers Generally, in All Ages. Lex. https://lex-books.com/book/the-humbugs-of-the-world-an-account-of-humbugs-delusions-impositions-quackeries--3b86f76a-a01f-49c9-8e91-1898cd3f5437Barnum, P. T.. The Humbugs of the World: An Account of Humbugs, Delusions, Impositions, Quackeries, Deceits and Deceivers Generally, in All Ages. Lex. https://lex-books.com/book/the-humbugs-of-the-world-an-account-of-humbugs-delusions-impositions-quackeries--3b86f76a-a01f-49c9-8e91-1898cd3f5437.
