It's very interesting, if you look at a study that was done by

The words of Rick Santorum — “It’s very interesting, if you look at a study that was done by the Brookings Institute back in 2009, they determined that if Americans do three things, they can avoid poverty. Three things. Work, graduate from high school, and get married before you have children.” — carry the steady, sober rhythm of ancient wisdom disguised in modern language. In their essence lies a principle older than any nation or institution: that order, diligence, and responsibility form the foundation upon which a stable life is built. Though born of a study and grounded in data, the truth it reflects reaches far beyond numbers — it speaks to the timeless pattern of cause and consequence, of how character shapes destiny.

In the ancient world, philosophers and prophets alike taught that freedom without discipline is the swiftest road to ruin. The three pillars that Santorum mentions — work, education, and commitment — are not merely social instructions; they are moral laws, written deep within the human experience. To work is to participate in creation, to contribute to the order of the world rather than draw from it idly. To graduate, or to complete one’s learning, is to sharpen the mind so that it may discern truth from error. And to marry before bearing children is to anchor love within responsibility, ensuring that the next generation is born into structure rather than chaos. Together, these three form a covenant with the future — a path through which families, and therefore nations, sustain themselves.

The Brookings Institute, in its study, revealed what the ancients had long understood without statistics: that poverty is not merely an economic condition, but a spiritual one — a disconnection from discipline, community, and foresight. In their findings, they observed that those who followed these three simple principles had an overwhelmingly higher chance of stability and prosperity. Yet the data itself is only the shadow of a deeper truth — that virtue and responsibility guard against misfortune more effectively than wealth alone ever could. For even in the poorest times of history, those who lived by these laws built lives of dignity and hope, while those who scorned them, though wealthy in momentary pleasure, often found themselves poor in legacy.

Consider the story of Benjamin Franklin, born into humble circumstances with little more than curiosity and will. He worked diligently, taught himself through study, and honored his commitments in both trade and family. From this foundation, he rose not only to wealth but to wisdom, becoming one of the architects of liberty itself. His rise was not magic; it was method. Like the principle Santorum describes, Franklin’s life reminds us that greatness is rarely born from chance, but from the steady cultivation of discipline and order.

Yet it must be said that Santorum’s words are not a condemnation of those who struggle, but a call to empowerment. The ancient teachers would have recognized this as the ethic of the builder — the belief that destiny bends to the one who labors faithfully, learns humbly, and loves honorably. It is the same truth that sustained civilizations for millennia: that the good life is not inherited, but earned, one act of discipline at a time. The modern world, in its rush for convenience and independence, often forgets that stability comes not from freedom alone, but from the wise stewardship of that freedom.

Still, these three pillars — work, education, and family — must not be seen as rigid laws, but as living principles that adapt to circumstance. For the essence of the teaching is not in the specific form, but in the spirit behind it. A person may not walk the same path, but if they embody the same virtues — diligence, learning, and responsibility — the result will be the same: a life of purpose, strength, and contribution. The ancients would say that while fate may give us our beginnings, it is virtue that determines our end.

So let this be a lesson to all who seek wisdom: the simplest paths are often the strongest. The world may change, but truth remains steadfast. Work with your hands and your mind, so that you may stand tall in the face of hardship. Seek learning, not merely for advancement, but for understanding. And root your love in commitment, so that the lives born of your choices may thrive in the light of order. For as the study confirms and the centuries affirm — those who build their lives upon these three pillars do not merely avoid poverty, they build empires of meaning, stability, and peace.

And thus, in the cadence of Rick Santorum’s reminder, we hear not policy, but prophecy — a return to the ancient wisdom that all great societies are founded not on wealth, but on virtue. The generations to come will prosper not through chance or favor, but through the timeless trinity of work, learning, and love bound by duty. Such is the path not only to material success, but to the wealth of the spirit — the only treasure that endures through all the ages.