في هذا يكمن الفرق بين طبع البخيل وطبع من يتّسم بالاقتصاد الدقيق والجدّ؛ فالأول يقلق على الصغائر لذاتها، أما الثاني فلا يعنى بها إلا تبعًا لخطة الحياة التي رسمها لنفسه.

“In this consists the difference between the character of a miser and that of a person of exact economy and assiduity. The one is anxious about small matters for their own sake; the other attends to them only in consequence of the scheme of life which he has laid down to himself.”Adam Smith — The Theory of Moral Sentiments: Or, An Essay Towards an Analysis of the Principles by which Men Naturally Judge Concerning the Conduct and Character, First of Their Neighbours, and Afterwards of Themselves. To which is Added, a Dissertation on the Origin of Languages (1853)