the richest man in babylon

the richest man in babylon
by george s. clason

i was listening to one of those
how-to-be-a-millionaire-CDs
– this time from jim rohn –
that mama alice had in her car
on the way back from sandersville.
the speaker explained that in every speech he gave
he recommended people read this book.
few did.
all they had to do was get it from the library.
thing is, he continued, few had a library card.

down for the challenge,
i checked it out from the library
and ended up reading 144-page book in 3-4 days
in between all the other stuff
i do as a life manager, i.e. full-time-mom.

it’s a quick, entertaining read
chock full of the wisdom of how to make a material fortune on earth
in the format of parables set in the times of babylon.

here is the first rule getting mo’ money:

a part of all i earn is mine to keep

“…learning was of two kinds:
the one kind being the things we learned and knew,
and the other being the training that taught us how to find out what we did not know…” [p. 12]

“If you become wealthy, then what you save must earn, and its children must earn, that all may help to give you the abundance you crave.” [p.14]

“[The part of your earnings you save] should be not less than a tenth no matter how little you earn.” [p.14]

and if you make a mistake: “Your savings are gone, youth, you have jerked your wealth-tree up by the roots. But plant another. Try again.” [p.15]

“Advice is one thing that is freely given away, but watch that you take only what is worth having.” [p.16]

“Opportunity is a haughty goddess who wastes no time with those who are unprepared.” [p.18]

“Will power is but the unflinching purpose to carry a task you set for yourself to fulfillment. If I set for myself a task, be it ever so trifling, I shall see it through. How else shall I have confidence in myself to do important things?…When I set a task for myself, I complete it. Therefore, I am careful not to start difficult and impractical tasks, because I love leisure.” [p.18]

if all men were rich would there be enough wealth to go around? “Wealth growns wherever men exert energy…If a rich man builds him a new palace, is the gold he pays out gone? No, the brickmaker has part of it and the laborer has par to fit, and the artist has part of it. and everyone who labors upon the house has part of it. yet when the palace is completed, is it not worth all that it cost?” [p.19]

“Therefore invest they treasure with greatest caution that it may not be lost. Usurious rates of return are deceitful sirens that sing but to lure the unwary upon the rocks of loss and remorse.” [p.20]
(usury: the lending of money at exorbitant interest rates)