A Careless Person is an Enemy to Himself and a Nuisance to Society

Carefulness in small matters is regarded by some people as but a mean virtue.  All the same, it is a very important one; for carefulness in small things teaches carefulness in great.  He who is careless in small matters generally ends in being careless in great affairs also; and he will certainly injure himself, and be a nuisance to all with whom he has any dealings. In business, time is money: and so punctuality is one of the most important business virtues. 

A business man who is careless in keeps his appointments, not only annoys the busy men whose valuable time he wastes, but damages his own business.  Customers soon lose confidence in him, and transfer their custom to more reliable firms.  Even in social life, punctuality in keeping social engagements is important, and carelessness in these matters often ends in the breaking of friendships. A servant who does his work carelessly is a constant source of trouble to his employer, and will sooner or later lose his job.  He certainly cannot expect promotion or rise of wages.

Carelessness in the management of money is the cause of much misery.  A man of moderate income, who keeps no accounts and is careless in his expenditure, is sure to spend more than he earns.  He then begins to borrow from his friends, much to their annoyance, and feels to humiliation of being dependent on the help of others.  If he does not pull his affairs together, he will live in a state of chronic debt, and gradually lose all his friends. In short, carelessness in anything, even in personal appearance, leads to unpleasant consequences, both to the careless person himself and to the society of which he forms a part.