A man with a surplus can control circumstances, but a man without a surplus is controlled by them, and often has no opportunity to exercise judgment.

At the age of 17 he moved to Pittsfield Berkshire County Massachusetts where he first worked in a dry goods store. Ayer another early benefactor (and later first president) of the museum convinced Field that his everlasting legacy would be achieved by financing the project. Field's employees were also instructed not to push products on uninterested customers as was common practice in stores of the period.