Tea at Trianon: The Hidden Luxury of Living Frugally

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Wednesday, July 26, 2023

The Hidden Luxury of Living Frugally

From Simple Money:

So, why do we choose to spend more than we make? Sure, some people will say it’s just too hard to earn enough money. But most of us could spend less if we really tried. What’s really going on? Everywhere we look, ads tell us we’ll be happier if we spend more. It’s hard to ignore them. The more we make, the more we’re tempted to spend on nicer cars, bigger houses, and luxury vacations. We end up chasing a better life we can’t afford. But living simply and staying out of debt is better than living large and owing money. When you live within your means, you can relax. You don’t live to impress others. You can enjoy the simple things in life. You can teach your family important lessons about money. And you’ll have fewer regrets. (Read more.)