“Return of principal is more important than return on principal”

Entry in progress—B.P.
 
29 April 1997, Providence (RI) Journal, “Out-of-state banking requires care” by Neil Downing, pg. E1:
“It’s the old Will Rogers maxim: Return of principal is more important than return on principal.”
 
Daily Markets
Three Things Your Investments Must Do
By Nilus Mattive on March 24, 2010
(...)
An old Wall Street saying is that investors should care more about a return OF their principal than a return ON their principal. Yet how many people really think about risk very much? A small percentage.