It's ok to say "fucks" on HN, especially if it's a direct quote (and in this case fairly relevant since he was a fairly crass man).

I looked up the quote and it seems like it was fornicates though I remember it being fucks. I didn't do a ton of research to verify it though. i remember it as "if it fucks, floats or flies; rent" but I lost the book so I can't look it up easily.

I remember reading "fornicates" as well when I read the book. While I'm not able to find a direct online source to the quote, I did stumble upon this old HN thread where multiple people quote the same thing: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=680645 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=680633 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=681167

Many people don't strive to be trashy all the time, and that reddit style encouragement to always push the trashy envelope isn't always cute!

so Felix Dennis is the 'Old Wise Person' refereed to elsewhere in this thread with the same quote? Or is this another one of those quotes like the ones attributed to Einstein i.e. no-one know who said it.

It was in his book "how to get rich" or something similar to that title. Half memoir half advice. It's actually a pretty good read... title notwithstanding. I am not sure if he was he originator of that saying though.

The Audible version is extremely good. The narrator makes it sound like Monty Python, which seems to be an accurate tone for the book. It isn't a parody, but it's definitely irreverent and thoroughly entertaining.

One of the better books on wealth building I've read. Also very amuzing!

I don't think he coined the phrase, but his book is a strong read for sure.