Check out the best P.T. Barnum quotes from the legendary showman that inspire creativity, ambition, and the courage to dream big.
Phineas Taylor Barnum, better known as P.T. Barnum, was an American businessman, entertainer, author, and philanthropist who revolutionized the entertainment industry.
Born on July 5, 1810, in Bethel, Connecticut, Barnum was a visionary who believed in the power of imagination, curiosity, and perseverance.
He was best known for being the founder of the world-famous “Barnum & Bailey Circus”, often called “The Greatest Show on Earth.”
Through his bold ideas, Barnum built an empire that celebrated curiosity, courage, and showmanship — proving that success belongs to those who dare to dream beyond the ordinary.
Even today, P.T. Barnum’s life story remains a timeless symbol of resilience, ambition, and the pursuit of greatness.
Here are the most famous P.T. Barnum quotes that remind us to dream fearlessly, think boldly, and never stop believing in the extraordinary.
Top 10 P.T. Barnum Quotes From The Greatest Showman
- “Be cautious and bold.” — P.T. Barnum
- “There is a fool born every minute.” — P.T. Barnum
- “Comfort is the enemy of progress.” — P.T. Barnum
- “Nothing draws a crowd quite like a crowd.” — P.T. Barnum
- “The noblest art is that of making others happy.” — P.T. Barnum
- “Money is a very excellent servant, but a terrible master.” — P.T. Barnum
- “Exposing an illusion is not the same as revealing a truth.” — P.T. Barnum
- “No one ever made a difference by being like everyone else.” — P.T. Barnum
- “The best kind of charity is to help those who are willing to help themselves.” — P.T. Barnum
- “Fortune always favors the brave and never helps a man who does not help himself.” — P.T. Barnum
Best P.T. Barnum Quotes About Money
- “Young men starting in life should avoid running into debt.” — P.T. Barnum
- “Nobody ever lost a dollar by underestimating the taste of the American public.” — P. T. Barnum
- “Money is, in some respects, like fire. It is a very excellent servant, but a terrible master.” — P. T. Barnum
- “Hyperbole isn’t the worst crime. Men suffer more from imagining too little than too much.” — 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
- “Play? Pay good money to watch people stand around and talk for two hours and they call *me* a conman.” — P. T. Barnum
- “The possession of a perfect knowledge of your business is an absolute necessity in order to ensure success.” — P. T. Barnum
- “Every man’s occupation should be beneficial to his fellow-man as well as profitable to himself. All else is vanity and folly.” — P. T. Barnum
- “Remember the proverb of Solomon: He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand, but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.” — 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
Famous Quotes From P.T. Barnum
- “There’s no such thing as bad publicity.” — P. T. Barnum
- “I will loose my camel, and trust it to God!” — P. T. Barnum
- “Watch my girls grow up. The show must go on.” — P. T. Barnum
- “We cannot all see alike, but we can all do good.” — P. T. Barnum
- “Clowns are the pegs on which the circus is hung.” — P. T. Barnum
- “You can fool most of the people most of the time.” — P. T. Barnum
- “The bigger the humbug, the better people will like it.” — P. T. Barnum
- “Many people are gullible, and we can expect this to continue.” — P. T. Barnum
- “Trust me, they don’t know it yet, but they’re going to love you.” — P. T. Barnum
- “Well then how about you show them a smile? That’d be unusual.” — P. T. Barnum
- “No man ever went broke overestimating the ignorance of the American public.” — P. T. Barnum
- “I don’t care what the newspapers say about me as long as they spell my name right.” — P. T. Barnum
- “Oh well, If you’ve heard of me all the way over here, I must have been doing something right.” — P. T. Barnum
- “The greatest humbug of all is the man who believes—or pretends to believe—that everything and everybody are humbugs.” — P.T. Barnum
- “The common man, no matter how sharp and tough, actually enjoys having the wool pulled over his eyes, and makes it easier for the puller.” — P. T. Barnum
Inspirational P.T. Barnum Quotes On Success & Working Hard
- “Writing lives forever, while you may not.” — P. T. Barnum, (The Greatest Showman)
- “Without publicity a terrible thing happens: nothing.” — P. T. Barnum, (The Greatest Showman)
- “Well they’re laughing anyway, kid, so you might as well get paid.” — P. T. Barnum, (The Greatest Showman)
- “The great ambition should be to excel all others engaged in the same occupation.” — P T Barnum, (The Greatest Showman)
- “You must exercise your caution in laying your plans, but be bold in carrying them out.” — P. T. Barnum, (The Greatest Showman)
- “Advertising is to a genuine article what manure is to land – it largely increases the product.” — P. T. Barnum, (The Greatest Showman)
- “Unless a man enters upon the vocation intended for him by nature, and best suited to his peculiar genius, he cannot succeed.” — P. T. Barnum, (The Greatest Showman)
- “The safest plan, and the one most sure of success for the young man starting in life, is to select the vocation which is most congenial to his tastes.” — P. T. Barnum, (The Greatest Showman)
- “Whatever you do, do it with all your might. Work at it, 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.” — P. T. Barnum, (The Greatest Showman)
- “No man has a right to expect to succeed in life unless he understands his business, and nobody can understand his business thoroughly unless he learns it by personal application and experience.” — P. T. Barnum, (The Greatest Showman)
Conclusion
What are your favorite P.T. Barnum quotes and P.T. Barnum sayings listed above? If there is a quote that we’ve missed, then let us know in the comments section what your thoughts are.
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