The Expanded and Annotated My Life and Work

THE PROPER ROLE OF CAPITAL
The concept of holding capital in trust is consistent with the idea of stew-
ardship, or “responsibility for.” The Indo-European root dher, which 
appears in Persian names like Darius and in Indian titles like Jemadar 
and Sirdar, means to hold in trust. The idea of the leader as a steward of 
the organization’s welfare is a common theme in Ford’s business system.
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Capital that a business makes for itself, that is employed to expand the work-
man’s opportunity and increase his comfort and prosperity, and that is used 
to give more and more men work, at the same time reducing the cost of ser-
vice to the public—that sort of capital, even though it be under single control, 
is not a menace to humanity. It is a working surplus held in trust and daily 
use for the benefit of all. The holder of such capital can scarcely regard it as a 
personal reward. No man can view such a surplus as his own, for he did not 
create it alone. It is the joint product of his whole organization. The owner’s 
idea may have released all the energy and direction, but certainly it did not 
supply all the energy and direction. Every workman was a partner in the 
creation. No business can possibly be considered only with reference to to-
day and to the individuals engaged in it. It must have the means to carry on. 
The best wages ought to be paid. A proper living ought to be assured every