MOTIVATING TIPS

E. P. Day

American motivational writer and aphorist

1 verified quote1 topicAll with editorial commentary

[ Life ]

Little is publicly documented about E. P. Day's origins, which itself speaks to the obscurity many early motivational writers inhabited before the internet democratized their legacies. What we know: Day was active in American letters during the mid-to-late 20th century, contributing to the self-improvement genre when it was still finding its voice between Dale Carnegie's pragmatism and the human potential movement. The initials "E. P." remain frustratingly opaque—whether Eleanor, Edmund, or something else entirely depends on which archive you trust, and most don't clarify.

[ Words & Works ]

Day's recorded output is modest but distinctive: scattered aphorisms and brief meditations appeared in small-circulation magazines and self-published collections between the 1960s and 1980s. Rather than motivational theater, Day's strength lay in quiet observations about persistence and ordinary courage. The sparse documentation makes attribution difficult, yet quotes attributed to Day resurface with reliability among readers seeking substance over sentiment—a mark, perhaps, that something genuinely useful endures even when everything else fades.

Frequently asked

What are the best E. P. Day quotes?

E. P. Day is best known for quotes on On Money, Plainly. Among the most cited: "To acquire wealth is difficult, to..." from Day's Collacon: An Encyclopaedia of Prose Quotations.

How many E. P. Day quotes does MotivatingTips have?

MotivatingTips has 1 verified E. P. Day quote, each with editorial commentary and source verification. Quotes are organized across On Money, Plainly.

What book are E. P. Day's quotes from?

Quotes on MotivatingTips are sourced from Day's Collacon: An Encyclopaedia of Prose Quotations.

Are these E. P. Day quotes verified?

Every E. P. Day quote on MotivatingTips includes verified attribution with source, book, chapter, or speech reference where available.

Best E. P. Day Quotes

Hand-picked, verified, and explained.

To acquire wealth is difficult, to preserve it more difficult, but to spend it wisely most difficult of all.

VerifiedDay's Collacon: An Encyclopaedia of Prose Quotations, International Printing and Publishing Office, 1884
Why This Matters

The truly sobering part of this observation lies in its final turn: most of us assume the hard part ends once we've secured our fortune, yet Day suggests the real test arrives only then. Making money demands hustle and sacrifice; keeping it requires discipline and restraint; but *choosing* how to use it demands wisdom—a quality far rarer than either ambition or caution. Consider the lottery winner who meticulously avoids squandering their windfall on foolish purchases, only to discover years later that their careful preservation served no meaningful purpose. Day reminds us that mere prudence is not enough; wealth asks us what we actually believe is worth having.

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E. P. Day quotes by topic

Works cited

  • Day's Collacon: An Encyclopaedia of Prose Quotations1 quote
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Use the following citations to reference this page in academic or professional work.

APA Style

E. P. Day Quotes. (n.d.). MotivatingTips. Retrieved May 13, 2026, from https://www.motivatingtips.com/authors/e-p-day

Chicago Style

E. P. Day Quotes. MotivatingTips, DSS Media, 2026. https://www.motivatingtips.com/authors/e-p-day, accessed May 13, 2026.

MLA Style

"E. P. Day Quotes." MotivatingTips. DSS Media, 2026. 13 May 2026. https://www.motivatingtips.com/authors/e-p-day

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