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.
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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.
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.
