Poverty is uncomfortable but nine times out of ten the best thing that can happen to a young man is to be tossed overboard and compelled to sink or swim.

Garfield contrasts the real hardship of poverty with its potential to force self-reliance. The metaphor of being “tossed overboard” frames adversity as an abrupt test: without external supports, a young person must either develop practical skills, discipline, and resilience (“swim”) or fail (“sink”). The line reflects a common 19th‑century American ideal of character forged through struggle and upward mobility through effort. At the same time, the opening concession—“Poverty is uncomfortable”—acknowledges suffering rather than romanticizing it entirely, suggesting Garfield’s point is not that poverty is good in itself, but that enforced responsibility can accelerate maturity and independence.