Cornelius Vanderbilt — "If I had learned to read and write, I would have been a great man."
If I had learned to read and write, I would have been a great man.
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More from Cornelius Vanderbilt
"My life has been one long struggle."
"I hate debt."
"I don't propose to be a damned fool."
"I have always believed in myself."
"I'd rather have a dollar in my pocket than a hundred in the bank."
About Cornelius Vanderbilt (1794-1877)
American shipping and railroad magnate whose New York Central railroad and aggressive consolidation built the largest fortune in 19th-century America. Closely associated with John D. Rockefeller (later Gilded Age titan who learned the consolidation playbook). For an intellectual contrast, see Jay Gould, railroad speculator (1836-1892) — Vanderbilt built and ran railroads; Gould watered stock and manipulated markets. Their Erie Railroad rate-war and Gould's Black Friday (1869) gold-corner schemes were the public foil to Vanderbilt's quieter operational consolidation. The cleanest 'industrialist vs speculator' Gilded Age pairing.
Details
Attributed, often cited to highlight his humble beginnings and self-made success
Date: unknown
EducationalVerification
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Found in 1 providers: grok
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