---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The best way to make a silk purse from a…"
description: "\"The best way to make a silk purse from a sow's ear is to begin with a silk sow. The same is true of money.\" — Norman Ralph Augustine"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e44/norman-ralph-augustine-10805_money_the-best-way-to-make-a-silk-purse-from-a_2567993.png"
---

#  The best way to make a silk purse from a sow's ear is to…

![“The best way to make a silk purse from a sow's ear is to begin with a silk sow. The same is true of money.” quote by Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e44/norman-ralph-augustine-10805_money_the-best-way-to-make-a-silk-purse-from-a_2567993.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e44/norman-ralph-augustine-10805_money_the-best-way-to-make-a-silk-purse-from-a_2567993.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e44/norman-ralph-augustine-10805_money_the-best-way-to-make-a-silk-purse-from-a_2567993.png)

> “The best way to make a silk purse from a sow's ear is to begin with a silk sow. The same is true of money.”

[Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Transforming low‑value resources into high‑value outcomes requires starting with quality inputs, not just clever tricks.

**In simple terms:** Good inputs lead to good results.

Key Takeaway

Begin with quality foundations.

Themes

finance innovation resource management value creation strategy

Mood

analytical pragmatic

Type

advice strategic

When to use this quote

- budget planning
- product development
- investment strategies
- startup scaling
- cost reduction

Key Concepts

economics entrepreneurship systems thinking

Questions to Reflect On

- What high‑quality resources can you leverage now?
- How can you improve inputs without excessive cost?

A Different Perspective

Quality inputs may be costly or unavailable, limiting transformation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/)

## Related quotes

> [You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/you-can-t-make-a-silk-purse-out-of-a-sow-s-ear/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [With a bad script and even the best cast, the most you can hope for is to turn a sow's ear into a silk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rhys-davies/with-a-bad-script-and-even-the-best-cast-the-most-you-can-hope-for-is/)

[John Rhys-Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rhys-davies/)

> [“Spiders draw just enough silk out of their bowels to catch those half-dozen flies they need to feed themselves and their loved ones; but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thornton-wilder/spiders-draw-just-enough-silk-out-of-their-bowels-to-catch-those-half/)

[Thornton Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thornton-wilder/)

> [Alongside getting faith out of a heart that is utterly hostile and unbelieving, making a silk purse out of a sow's ear or getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gerstner/alongside-getting-faith-out-of-a-heart-that-is-utterly-hostile-and/)

[John Gerstner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gerstner/)

> [If you don't generate tension in the film to begin with... you can't really make a purse out of a sow's ear, you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-weaver/if-you-don-t-generate-tension-in-the-film-to-begin-with-you-can-t/)

[Dennis Weaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-weaver/)

> [Even if one succeeds in making a silk purse out of a sow's ear, there remains the problem of what to do with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-hickey/even-if-one-succeeds-in-making-a-silk-purse-out-of-a-sow-s-ear-there/)

[Dave Hickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-hickey/)

> [Academically, I was never that interested. I skipped classes. My biggest dream was to have a coffee shop, but I had no idea how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-espinosa/academically-i-was-never-that-interested-i-skipped-classes-my-biggest/)

[Daniel Espinosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-espinosa/)

> [“Don't allow money to become the yardstick by which you measure the worth of the world around you!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-james-pritchard/don-t-allow-money-to-become-the-yardstick-by-which-you-measure-the/)

[Andrew James Pritchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-james-pritchard/)

> [Maybe you can,t buy a big house.. A new car.. A huge diamond ring.. But if you have just one true friend who loves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy/maybe-you-can-t-buy-a-big-house-a-new-car-a-huge-diamond-ring-but-if/)

Cathy

> [If you restore a car, and you're making money, then you're doing it wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/if-you-restore-a-car-and-you-re-making-money-then-you-re-doing-it/)

[Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/)

> [I would borrow money all day long, if the cost of borrowing is less than the expected return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-schneider/i-would-borrow-money-all-day-long-if-the-cost-of-borrowing-is-less/)

[Brad Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-schneider/)

> [Money is the kind of instrument which is very speedily produced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatoly-chubais/money-is-the-kind-of-instrument-which-is-very-speedily-produced/)

[Anatoly Chubais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatoly-chubais/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [Don't let's lose sight of what creates wealth. It is open markets, it is capitalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/don-t-let-s-lose-sight-of-what-creates-wealth-it-is-open-markets-it/)

[Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/)

> [You've got to tell your money what to do or it will leave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-ramsey/you-ve-got-to-tell-your-money-what-to-do-or-it-will-leave/)

[Dave Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-ramsey/)

## More by Norman Ralph Augustine

> [Regulations grow at the same rate as weeds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/regulations-grow-at-the-same-rate-as-weeds/)

[Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/)

> [By the time of the United States Tricentennial, there will be more government workers than there are workers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/by-the-time-of-the-united-states-tricentennial-there-will-be-more/)

[Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/)

> [Law Number XXXIX: Never promise to complete any project within six months of the end of the year, in either direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/law-number-xxxix-never-promise-to-complete-any-project-within-six/)

[Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/)

> [Law Number XIV: After the year 2015, there will be no airplane crashes. There will be no takeoffs either, because electronics will occupy 100…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/law-number-xiv-after-the-year-2015-there-will-be-no-airplane-crashes/)

[Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/)

> [If the Earth could be made to rotate twice as fast, managers would get twice as much done. If the Earth could be made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/if-the-earth-could-be-made-to-rotate-twice-as-fast-managers-would-get/)

[Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/)

> [People working in the private sector should try to save money. There remains the possibility that it may someday be valuable again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/people-working-in-the-private-sector-should-try-to-save-money-there/)

[Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/)

> [Software is like entropy. It is difficult to grasp, weighs nothing, and obeys the second law of thermodynamics; i.e. it always increases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/software-is-like-entropy-it-is-difficult-to-grasp-weighs-nothing-and/)

[Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/)

> [The most unsuccessful three years in the education of cost estimators appears to be fifth-grade arithmetic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/the-most-unsuccessful-three-years-in-the-education-of-cost-estimators/)

[Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/)

> [Rank does not intimidate hardware. Neither does the lack of rank.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/rank-does-not-intimidate-hardware-neither-does-the-lack-of-rank/)

[Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/)

> [By the time the people asking the questions are ready for the answers, the people doing the work have lost track of the questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/by-the-time-the-people-asking-the-questions-are-ready-for-the-answers/)

[Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/)

> [All too many consultants, when asked, 'What is 2 and 2?' respond, 'What do you have in mind?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/all-too-many-consultants-when-asked-what-is-2-and-2-respond-what-do/)

[Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/)

> [Law Number XXVIII: It is better to be the reorganizer than the reorganizee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/law-number-xxviii-it-is-better-to-be-the-reorganizer-than-the/)

[Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/)

> [If you can afford to advertise, you don't need to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/if-you-can-afford-to-advertise-you-don-t-need-to/)

[Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/)

> [For every scientific (or engineering) action, there is an equal and opposite social reaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/for-every-scientific-or-engineering-action-there-is-an-equal-and/)

[Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/)

> [A billion saved is a billion earned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/a-billion-saved-is-a-billion-earned/)

[Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/)

[Explore all 63 Norman Ralph Augustine quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/)

## More Money quotes

> [You've got to tell your money what to do or it will leave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-ramsey/you-ve-got-to-tell-your-money-what-to-do-or-it-will-leave/)

[Dave Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-ramsey/)

> [Don't let's lose sight of what creates wealth. It is open markets, it is capitalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/don-t-let-s-lose-sight-of-what-creates-wealth-it-is-open-markets-it/)

[Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [Money is the kind of instrument which is very speedily produced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatoly-chubais/money-is-the-kind-of-instrument-which-is-very-speedily-produced/)

[Anatoly Chubais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatoly-chubais/)

> [I would borrow money all day long, if the cost of borrowing is less than the expected return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-schneider/i-would-borrow-money-all-day-long-if-the-cost-of-borrowing-is-less/)

[Brad Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-schneider/)

> [If you restore a car, and you're making money, then you're doing it wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/if-you-restore-a-car-and-you-re-making-money-then-you-re-doing-it/)

[Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/)

> [Maybe you can,t buy a big house.. A new car.. A huge diamond ring.. But if you have just one true friend who loves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy/maybe-you-can-t-buy-a-big-house-a-new-car-a-huge-diamond-ring-but-if/)

Cathy

> [“Don't allow money to become the yardstick by which you measure the worth of the world around you!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-james-pritchard/don-t-allow-money-to-become-the-yardstick-by-which-you-measure-the/)

[Andrew James Pritchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-james-pritchard/)

> [Academically, I was never that interested. I skipped classes. My biggest dream was to have a coffee shop, but I had no idea how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-espinosa/academically-i-was-never-that-interested-i-skipped-classes-my-biggest/)

[Daniel Espinosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-espinosa/)

> [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/)

[Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/)

> [I doubt that we Americans can come to terms with our money neuroses without understanding the more florid pathology of the very rich for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-slater/i-doubt-that-we-americans-can-come-to-terms-with-our-money-neuroses/)

[Philip Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-slater/)

> [“The writer must earn money in order to be able to live and to write, but he must by no means live and write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goins/the-writer-must-earn-money-in-order-to-be-able-to-live-and-to-write/)

[Jeff Goins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goins/)

> [Jobs and money are never the primary cause of stress. Thinking, negative thinking causes stress. The real cause of all problems lie in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/jobs-and-money-are-never-the-primary-cause-of-stress-thinking/)

[Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/)

> [Most paper money initially existed as a substitute for gold. That's what gave it value. But right now what gives a currency value is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/most-paper-money-initially-existed-as-a-substitute-for-gold-that-s/)

[Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/)

> [The man who works for the gold in the job rather than for the money in the pay envelope, is the fellow who gets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-french-johnson/the-man-who-works-for-the-gold-in-the-job-rather-than-for-the-money/)

Joseph French Johnson

[Browse all 45,172 Money quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The best way to make a silk purse from a sow's ear is to begin with a silk sow. The same is true of money.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Norman Ralph Augustine"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/the-best-way-to-make-a-silk-purse-from-a-sow-s-ear-is-to-begin-with-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Money"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/the-best-way-to-make-a-silk-purse-from-a-sow-s-ear-is-to-begin-with-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e44/norman-ralph-augustine-10805_money_the-best-way-to-make-a-silk-purse-from-a_2567993.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e44/norman-ralph-augustine-10805_money_the-best-way-to-make-a-silk-purse-from-a_2567993.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e44/norman-ralph-augustine-10805_money_the-best-way-to-make-a-silk-purse-from-a_2567993.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The best way to make a silk purse from a sow's ear is to begin with a silk sow. The same is true of money.” — Norman Ralph Augustine",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Norman Ralph Augustine",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The best way to make a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/the-best-way-to-make-a-silk-purse-from-a-sow-s-ear-is-to-begin-with-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/the-best-way-to-make-a-silk-purse-from-a-sow-s-ear-is-to-begin-with-a/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```