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WHATEVER
may be said in praise of poverty, the fact remains that it is not possible to live a
really complete or successful life unless one is rich. No man can rise to his greatest
possible height in talent or soul development unless he has plenty of money; for to unfold
the soul and to develop talent he must have many things to use, and he cannot have these
things unless he has money to buy them with.
A man develops in mind, soul, and body by making use of things, and society is so organized
that man must have money in order to become the possessor of things; therefore, the basis
of all advancement for man must be the science of getting rich.
The object of all life is development; and everything that lives has an inalienable right
to all the development it is capable of attaining.
Man's right to life means his right to have the free and unrestricted use of all the things
which may be necessary to his fullest mental, spiritual, and physical unfoldment; or, in
other words, his right to be rich.
In this book, I shall not speak of riches in a figurative way; to be really rich does
not mean to be satisfied or contented with a little. No man ought to be satisfied with
a little if he is capable of using and enjoying more. The purpose of Nature is the advancement
and unfoldment of life; and every man should have all that can contribute to the power;
elegance, beauty, and richness of life; to be content with less is sinful.
The man who owns all he wants for the living of all the life he is capable of living is
rich; and no man who has not plenty of money can have all he wants. Life has advanced so
far, and become so complex, that even the most ordinary man or woman requires a great
amount of wealth in order to live in a manner that even approaches completeness. Every person
naturally wants to become all that they are capable of becoming; this desire to realize
innate possibilities is inherent in human nature; we cannot help wanting to be all that
we can be. Success in life is becoming what you want to be; you can become what you want
to be only by making use of things, and you can have the free use of things only as you
become rich enough to buy them. To understand the science of getting rich is therefore the
most essential of all knowledge.
There is nothing wrong in wanting to get rich. The desire for riches is really the desire
for a richer, fuller, and more abundant life; and that desire is praise worthy. The man
who does not desire to live more abundantly is abnormal, and so the man who does not desire
to have money enough to buy all he wants is abnormal.
There are three motives for which we live; we live for the body, we live for the mind,
we live for the soul. No one of these is better or holier than the other; all are alike desirable,
and no one of the three--body, mind, or soul--can live fully if either of the others is cut
short of full life and expression. It is not right or noble to live only for the soul and
deny mind or body; and it is wrong to live for the intellect and deny body or soul.
We are all acquainted with the loathsome consequences of living for the body and denying both mind
and soul; and we see that real life means the complete expression of all that man can
give forth through body, mind, and soul. Whatever he can say, no man can be really happy or
satisfied unless his body is living fully in every function, and unless the same is
true of his mind and his soul. Wherever there is unexpressed possibility, or function not
performed, there is unsatisfied desire. Desire is possibility seeking expression, or function
seeking performance.
Man cannot live fully in body without good food, comfortable clothing, and warm shelter;
and without freedom from excessive toil. Rest and recreation are also necessary to his physical
life .
He cannot live fully in mind without books and time to study them, without opportunity
for travel and observation, or without intellectual companionship.
To live fully in mind he must have intellectual recreations, and must surround himself with
all the objects of art and beauty he is capable of using and appreciating.
To live fully in soul, man must have love; and love is denied expression by poverty.
A man's highest happiness is found in the bestowal of benefits on those he loves; love
finds its most natural and spontaneous expression in giving. The man who has nothing to give
cannot fill his place as a husband or father, as a citizen, or as a man. It is in the use
of material things that a man finds full life for his body, develops his mind, and unfolds
his soul. It is therefore of supreme importance to him that he should be rich.
It is perfectly right that you should desire to be rich; if you are a normal man or woman
you cannot help doing so. It is perfectly right that you should give your best attention
to the Science of Getting Rich, for it is the noblest and most necessary of all studies.
If you neglect this study, you are derelict in your duty to yourself, to God and humanity;
for you can render to God and humanity no greater service than to make the most of yourself.