"Getting ahead"

Posted by Bob on November 27, 2000

In Reply to: "Getting ahead" posted by Patty on November 27, 2000

: The simple phrase "getting ahead" (financially) is one I've wondered about. I understand its general meaning, but I've been trying to understand what its original sense was.

: Did it mean to put away money beyond one's expenses? Did it refer to bettering one's lot in life? Did it refer to social climbing? To advancing one's career?

: Thanks. - Patty

Happiness, they say, is positive cash flow. There's a famous quote from Dickens which compares income and expenses ... where happiness and misery are defined by which is greater.
Most people in the world, I'm sure, live from payday to payday. To have something left over, to get ahead of the wolf, is a wonderful feeling.

• "Getting ahead" Bob 11/27/00