I am the basis of all wealth, the heritage of the wise, the thrifty and prudent. I am the poor man's joy and comfort, the rich man's prize, the right hand of capital, the successful partner of many thousands of successful men. I am the solace of the widow, the comfort of old age, the cornerstone of security against misfortune and want. I am handed down to children, through generations, as a thing of greatest worth. I am the choicest fruit of toil. Credit respects me, yet I am humble. I stand before every man bidding him to know me for what I am, and to possess me. I grow and increase in value through countless days. Though I seem dormant, my worth increases, never failing, never ceasing; time is my aid and population heaps up my gain. Fire and elements I defy, for they cannot destroy me. My possessors learn to believe in me; invariable they become envied. While all things wither and decay, I survive. The centuries find me younger, increasing in strength. The thriftless speak ill of me. The charlatans of finance attack me. I amtrustworthy. I amsound. Unfailing I triumph and detractors are disproved. Minerals and oils come from me. I am sound. I am producer of food, the basis for ships and factories, the foundation of banks. Yet I am so common that thousands unthinking and unknowingly pass me by.

-I am real estate

-author unknown