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“This, my students, was the first cure I did discover for my lean purse: ‘For each ten coins I put in, to spend but nine.’ Debate this amongst yourselves. If any man proves it untrue, tell me upon the morrow when we shall meet again.”
each of us calls our ‘necessary expenses’ will always grow to equal our incomes unless we protest to the contrary.
“All men are burdened with more desires than they can gratify.
The Third Cure — Make Thy Gold Multiply
The Fourth Cure — Guard Thy Treasures from Loss
This, then, is the fifth cure for a lean purse: Own thy own home.”
Provide in advance for the needs of thy growing age and the protection of thy family.”
The Seventh Cure — Increase Thy Ability to Earn
For a man to wish to be rich is of little purpose. For a man to desire five pieces of gold is a tangible desire which he can press to fulfillment.
This is the process by which wealth is accumulated: first in small sums, then in larger ones as a man learns and becomes more capable.
“The wisdom of making a payment immediately when we are convinced our bargain is wise,” suggested a venerable saddle maker. “If the bargain be good, then dost thou need protection against thy own weaknesses as much as against any other man.
Dost agree with me that no man can arrive at a full measure of success until he hath completely crushed the spirit of procrastination within him?”
Men of action are favored by the goddess of good luck.
My son, it is my desire that thou succeed to my estate. Thou must, however, first prove that thou art capable of wisely handling it. Therefore, I wish that thou go out into the world and show thy ability both to acquire gold and to make thyself respected among men.
Gold cometh gladly and in increasing quantity to any man who will put by not less than one-tenth of his earngs to create an estate for his future and that of his family.
Gold laboreth diligently and contentedly for the wise owner who finds for it profitable employment, multiplying even as the flocks of the field.
Gold clingeth to the protection of the cautious owner who invests it under the advice of men wise in its handling.
Gold slippeth away from the man who invests it in businesses or purposes with which he is not familiar or which are not approved by those skilled in its keep.
Gold flees the man who would force it to impossible earnings or who followeth the alluring advice of tricksters and schemers or who trusts it to his own inex...
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“Then be not swayed by foolish sentiments of obligation to trust thy treasure to any person. If thou wouldst help thy family or thy friends, find other ways than risking the loss of thy treasure. Forget not that gold slippeth away in unexpected ways from those unskilled in guarding it. As well waste thy treasure in extravagance as let others lose it for thee.
We found the trail to Babylon because the soul of a free man looks at life as a series of problems to be solved and solves them, while the soul of a slave whines, ‘What can I do who am but a slave?’
