CHAPTER 2 - There is A Science of Getting Rich THERE is a Science of getting rich, and it is an exact science, like algebra or arithmetic.
There are certain laws that govern the process of acquiring riches; once these laws are
learned and obeyed by any man, he will get rich with mathematical certainty.
The ownership of money and property comes as a result of doing things in a certain way;
those who do things in this Certain Way, whether on purpose or accidentally, get rich;
while those who do not do things in this Certain Way, no matter how hard they work or
how able they are, remain poor.
It is a natural law that like causes always produce like effects; and, therefore, any man or
woman who learns to do things in this certain way will infallibly get rich. That the above
statement is true is shown by the following facts:
Getting rich is not a matter of environment, for, if it were, all the people in certain
neighborhoods would become wealthy; the people of one city would all be rich, while
those of other towns would all be poor; or the inhabitants of one state would roll in
wealth, while those of an adjoining state would be in poverty.
But everywhere we see rich and poor living side-by-side, in the same environment, and
often engaged in the same vocations. When two men are in the same locality, and in the
same business, and one gets rich while the other remains poor, it shows that getting rich
is not, primarily, a matter of environment. Some environments may be more favorable
than others, but when two men in the same business are in the same neighborhood, and
one gets rich while the other fails, it indicates that getting rich is the result of doing things
in a Certain Way. And further, the ability to do things in this certain way is not due solely
to the possession of talent, for many people who have great talent remain poor, while
other who have very little talent get rich.
Studying the people who have got rich, we find that they are an average lot in all
respects, having no greater talents and abilities than other men. It is evident that they do
not get rich because they possess talents and abilities that other men have not, but
because they happen to do things in a Certain Way.
Getting rich is not the result of saving, or "thrift"; many very penurious people are poor,
while free spenders often get rich.
Nor is getting rich due to doing things which others fail to do; for two men in the same
business often do almost exactly the same things, and one gets rich while the other
remains poor or becomes bankrupt. From all these things, we must come to the
conclusion that getting rich is the result of doing things in a Certain Way.
If getting rich is the result of doing things in a Certain Way, and if like causes always
produce like effects, then any man or woman who can do things in that way can become
rich, and the whole matter is brought within the domain of exact science.
The question arises here, whether this Certain Way may not be so difficult that only a few
may follow it. This cannot be true, as we have seen, so far as natural ability is concerned.
Talented people get rich, and blockheads get rich; intellectually brilliant people get rich,
and very stupid people get rich; physically strong people get rich, and weak and sickly
people get rich.
Some degree of ability to think and understand is, of course, essential; but in so far
natural ability is concerned, any man or woman who has sense enough to read and
understand these words can certainly get rich. Also, we have seen that it is not a matter of
environment. Location counts for something; one would not go to the heart of the Sahara
and expect to do successful business.
Getting rich involves the necessity of dealing with men, and of being where there are
people to deal with; and if these people are inclined to deal in the way you want to deal,
so much the better. But that is about as far as environment goes.
If anybody else in your town can get rich, so can you; and if anybody else in your state
can get rich, so can you. Again, it is not a matter of choosing some particular business or
profession. People get rich in every business, and in every profession; while their next
door neighbors in the same vocation remain in poverty.
It is true that you will do best in a business that you like, and which is congenial to you;
and if you have certain talents that are well developed, you will do best in a business that
calls for the exercise of those talents. Also, you will do best in a business, which is suited
to your locality; an ice-cream parlor would do better in a warm climate than in
Greenland, and a salmon fishery will succeed better in the Northwest than in Florida,
where there are no salmon.
But, aside from these general limitations, getting rich is not dependent upon your
engaging in some particular business, but upon your learning to do things in a Certain
Way.
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