---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is possible that the scrupulously…"
description: "\"It is possible that the scrupulously honest man may not grow rich so fast as the unscrupulous and dishonest one; but the success will be of a truer kin..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c4/samuel-smiles-2037_being-honest_it-is-possible-that-the-scrupulously-hon_417476.jpg"
---

#  It is possible that the scrupulously honest man may not…

![“It is possible that the scrupulously honest man may not grow rich so fast as the unscrupulous and dishonest one; but the success will be of a truer kind, earned without fraud or injustice. And even though a man should for a time be unsuccessful, still he must be honest: better lose all and save…” quote by Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c4/samuel-smiles-2037_being-honest_it-is-possible-that-the-scrupulously-hon_417476.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c4/samuel-smiles-2037_being-honest_it-is-possible-that-the-scrupulously-hon_417476.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c4/samuel-smiles-2037_being-honest_it-is-possible-that-the-scrupulously-hon_417476.jpg)

> “It is possible that the scrupulously honest man may not grow rich so fast as the unscrupulous and dishonest one; but the success will be of a truer kind, earned without fraud or injustice. And even though a man should for a time be unsuccessful, still he must be honest: better lose all and save character. For character is itself a fortune. . . .”

[Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/)

## About This Quote

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

Honesty may not bring quick wealth, but it builds lasting, genuine success and preserves character, which is a true fortune.

**In simple terms:** Honesty yields true success over time.

Key Takeaway

Value integrity over quick gains.

Themes

integrity character success ethics

Mood

reflective inspirational

Type

philosophical ethical

When to use this quote

- career decisions
- financial planning
- personal development
- entrepreneurship

Key Concepts

Moral philosophy long-term value

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you prioritize integrity when faced with lucrative unethical offers?
- What does “character as a fortune” mean for you?

A Different Perspective

Honesty can still lead to financial hardship in competitive markets.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Being honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-honest/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Dishonest Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dishonest-success-3708977/) [Fortune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fortune/) [Fraud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fraud/) [Grows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grows/) [Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest/) [Honest man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest-man/) [Honesty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honesty/) [Injustice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/injustice/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Loses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loses/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rich/) [Scrupulously Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scrupulously-honest-1574395/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Unsuccessful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unsuccessful/) [Unsuccessful Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unsuccessful-honest-3708978/) [Wealth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wealth/)

## Related quotes

> [I lay my head on his chest and listen to his heart beating, solid and sure…he reads me so well. He's known about my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/i-lay-my-head-on-his-chest-and-listen-to-his-heart-beating-solid-and/)

[Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/)

> [To be scrupulously honest, I only met Noel Coward twice in my life, and then briefly, but I heard so much about him at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-korda/to-be-scrupulously-honest-i-only-met-noel-coward-twice-in-my-life-and/)

[Michael Korda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-korda/)

> [Unsuccessful people get up whenever they feel like it and the first thing they do is watch television, read the paper, or check email.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/unsuccessful-people-get-up-whenever-they-feel-like-it-and-the-first/)

[Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/)

> [Unsuccessful candidates for the Presidency should be quietly hanged as a matter of public sanitation and decorum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/unsuccessful-candidates-for-the-presidency-should-be-quietly-hanged/)

[H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/)

> [When people with power see things happen of which they disapprove, they drop bombs and send in tanks. When people without power see things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-people-with-power-see-things-happen-of-which-they-disapprove/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The only person who is hurt by jealousy is you... Eliminate that word from your life... it may not make you unsuccessful selling your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-white/the-only-person-who-is-hurt-by-jealousy-is-you-eliminate-that-word/)

[Jack White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-white/)

> [“Be a pro at what you do. No one shows-up to meetings of the Unsuccessful Skydivers Club.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-lilly/be-a-pro-at-what-you-do-no-one-shows-up-to-meetings-of-the/)

[Ryan Lilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-lilly/)

> [Nothing is so common as unsuccessful men with talent. They lack only determination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-r-swindoll/nothing-is-so-common-as-unsuccessful-men-with-talent-they-lack-only/)

[Charles R. Swindoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-r-swindoll/)

> [Someone asked me...how it felt and I was reminded of a story that a fellow townsman of ours used to tell--Abraham Lincoln. They asked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/someone-asked-me-how-it-felt-and-i-was-reminded-of-a-story-that-a/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I've become absolutely convinced that the seminal difference between successful companies and mediocre or unsuccessful ones has little, if anything, to do with what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-lencioni/i-ve-become-absolutely-convinced-that-the-seminal-difference-between/)

[Patrick Lencioni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-lencioni/)

> [When the government makes loans or subsidies to business, what it does is to tax successful private business in order to support unsuccessful private…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-hazlitt/when-the-government-makes-loans-or-subsidies-to-business-what-it-does/)

[Henry Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-hazlitt/)

> [Most people aren't unsuccessful in life because they don't know what to do. They are unsuccessful because they don't DO what they know how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-duncan/most-people-aren-t-unsuccessful-in-life-because-they-don-t-know-what/)

[Al Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-duncan/)

> [I refer to the misunderstanding of Soviet Russia as an aggressive power, militaristically and ideologically bent upon world domination 'seeing', to quote a recent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enoch-powell/i-refer-to-the-misunderstanding-of-soviet-russia-as-an-aggressive/)

[Enoch Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enoch-powell/)

> [I was so unsuccessful for so long. I was used to the word no. I was used to you're not good enough or not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamar-braxton/i-was-so-unsuccessful-for-so-long-i-was-used-to-the-word-no-i-was/)

[Tamar Braxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamar-braxton/)

> [To be normal is the ultimate aim of the unsuccessful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/to-be-normal-is-the-ultimate-aim-of-the-unsuccessful/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

## More by Samuel Smiles

> [Biographies of great, but especially of good men are most instructive and useful as helps, guides, and incentives to others. Some of the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/biographies-of-great-but-especially-of-good-men-are-most-instructive/)

[Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/)

> [Diligence, above all, is the mother of good luck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/diligence-above-all-is-the-mother-of-good-luck/)

[Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/)

> [The women of the poorer classes make sacrifices, and run risks, and bear privations, and exercise patience and kindness to a degree that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/the-women-of-the-poorer-classes-make-sacrifices-and-run-risks-and/)

[Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/)

> [Self-respect is the noblest garment with which a man can clothe himself, the most elevating feeling with which the mind can be inspired.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/self-respect-is-the-noblest-garment-with-which-a-man-can-clothe/)

[Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/)

> [The experience gathered from books, though often valuable, is but of the nature of learning; whereas, the experience gained from actual life is of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/the-experience-gathered-from-books-though-often-valuable-is-but-of/)

[Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/)

> [The apprenticeship of difficulty is one which the greatest of men have had to serve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/the-apprenticeship-of-difficulty-is-one-which-the-greatest-of-men/)

[Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/)

> [The spirit of self-help is the root of all genuine growth in the individual; and, exhibited in the lives of many, it constitutes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/the-spirit-of-self-help-is-the-root-of-all-genuine-growth-in-the/)

[Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/)

> [The wise man... if he would live at peace with others, he will bear and forbear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/the-wise-man-if-he-would-live-at-peace-with-others-he-will-bear-and/)

[Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/)

> [Those who are the most persistent, and work in the true spirit, will invariably be the most successful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/those-who-are-the-most-persistent-and-work-in-the-true-spirit-will/)

[Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/)

> [The iron rail proved a magicians' road. It virtually reduced England to a sixth of its size. It brought the country nearer to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/the-iron-rail-proved-a-magicians-road-it-virtually-reduced-england-to/)

[Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/)

> [This extraordinary metal, the soul of every manufacture, and the mainspring perhaps of civilised society. Of iron.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/this-extraordinary-metal-the-soul-of-every-manufacture-and-the/)

[Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/)

> [Man cannot aspire if he looked down; if he rise, he must look up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/man-cannot-aspire-if-he-looked-down-if-he-rise-he-must-look-up/)

[Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/)

> [The life of a good man is at the same time the most eloquent lesson of virtue and the most severe reproof of vice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/the-life-of-a-good-man-is-at-the-same-time-the-most-eloquent-lesson/)

[Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/)

> [It is a grand old name, that of gentleman, and has been recognized as a rank and power in all stages of society. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/it-is-a-grand-old-name-that-of-gentleman-and-has-been-recognized-as-a/)

[Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/)

> [“Many are the lives of men unwritten, which have nevertheless as powerfully influenced civilization and progress as the more fortunate Great whose names are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/many-are-the-lives-of-men-unwritten-which-have-nevertheless-as/)

[Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/)

[Explore all 189 Samuel Smiles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/)

## More Being honest quotes

> [We have a fear of facing ourselves. That is the obstacle. Experiencing the innermost core of our existence is very embarrassing to a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-have-a-fear-of-facing-ourselves-that-is-the-obstacle-experiencing/)

[Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/)

> [I have often spoken of integrity as the most important of these values, realizing that integrity – and personal integrity, at that – is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/verghese-kurien/i-have-often-spoken-of-integrity-as-the-most-important-of-these/)

[Verghese Kurien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/verghese-kurien/)

> [I had never done anything with blue screen before, or prosthetics, or anything like that. Lord of the Rings was like stepping into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/i-had-never-done-anything-with-blue-screen-before-or-prosthetics-or/)

[Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/)

> [Let's be honest, if the Democrats didn't support ignoring our nation's immigration laws, there is no way they could win the presidency or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nugent/let-s-be-honest-if-the-democrats-didn-t-support-ignoring-our-nation-s/)

[Ted Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nugent/)

> [I think what saved me is me being honest. I think I somewhow had the courage to do something and say something that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/i-think-what-saved-me-is-me-being-honest-i-think-i-somewhow-had-the/)

[Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/)

> [An actor has to evaluate his own abilities and be honest with himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-newman/an-actor-has-to-evaluate-his-own-abilities-and-be-honest-with-himself/)

[Paul Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-newman/)

> [The cultural integration of psychedelics won't happen overnight, and the question of young people is perhaps the most difficult involved. The first step is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-doblin/the-cultural-integration-of-psychedelics-won-t-happen-overnight-and/)

[Rick Doblin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-doblin/)

> [I'm a person of change and I must be honest to my artistry and my creativity. That's part of the word 'jazz'... it's an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-ferguson/i-m-a-person-of-change-and-i-must-be-honest-to-my-artistry-and-my/)

[Maynard Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-ferguson/)

> [I'm going to be honest, I would love for Flava Flav to be president. It would bring a lot of excitement to the country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dj-khaled/i-m-going-to-be-honest-i-would-love-for-flava-flav-to-be-president-it/)

[DJ Khaled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dj-khaled/)

> [The buildings that were in question, they said in the same report, which was - actually, it wasn't even a bad story, to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/the-buildings-that-were-in-question-they-said-in-the-same-report/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [I guess it has to be healthy, you have to be honest with yourself and I think that's when ego is okay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophia-amoruso/i-guess-it-has-to-be-healthy-you-have-to-be-honest-with-yourself-and/)

[Sophia Amoruso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophia-amoruso/)

> [ The opening for solid waste is very small \[in the space ship\]. It's not toilet-bowl size. And aim is critical. To be honest with… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mullane/the-opening-for-solid-waste-is-very-small-in-the-space-ship-it-s-not/)

[Mike Mullane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mullane/)

> [We had 90 percent rates, but nobody paid them. And so you had all these exemptions, exclusions, shelters, all this kind of stuff. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/we-had-90-percent-rates-but-nobody-paid-them-and-so-you-had-all-these/)

[Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/)

> [I think, as a filmmaker, it's important to be honest with yourself at all times in terms of what's working and what's not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-wingard/i-think-as-a-filmmaker-it-s-important-to-be-honest-with-yourself-at/)

[Adam Wingard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-wingard/)

> [We live in a world in which the only utopian visions arrive in commercial breaks: magical visions of an impossibly hospitable world, peopled by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/we-live-in-a-world-in-which-the-only-utopian-visions-arrive-in/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

[Browse all 1,333 Being honest quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-honest/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It is possible that the scrupulously honest man may not grow rich so fast as the unscrupulous and dishonest one; but the success will be of a truer kind, earned without fraud or injustice. And even though a man should for a time be unsuccessful, still he must be honest: better lose all and save character. For character is itself a fortune. . . .",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Samuel Smiles"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/it-is-possible-that-the-scrupulously-honest-man-may-not-grow-rich-so/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Being honest"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/it-is-possible-that-the-scrupulously-honest-man-may-not-grow-rich-so/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c4/samuel-smiles-2037_being-honest_it-is-possible-that-the-scrupulously-hon_417476.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c4/samuel-smiles-2037_being-honest_it-is-possible-that-the-scrupulously-hon_417476.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c4/samuel-smiles-2037_being-honest_it-is-possible-that-the-scrupulously-hon_417476.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It is possible that the scrupulously honest man may not grow rich so fast as the unscrupulous and dishonest…” — Samuel Smiles",
                "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": "Samuel Smiles",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It is possible that the scrupulously...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/it-is-possible-that-the-scrupulously-honest-man-may-not-grow-rich-so/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/it-is-possible-that-the-scrupulously-honest-man-may-not-grow-rich-so/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
