The Richest Man in Babylon

February 25th, 2009 | by O.A. Wisen
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I recently read George Clason’s classic book, The Richest Man In Babylon, which reopened my eyes in many ways as far as finances and fiscal responsibility is concerned. I write about this book because I know that though over a million people have read it, there are still millions more who are yet to read it.

For most, the book touches on financial principles that they’ve been aware of and vowed to follow, but eventually disregarded. So in a sense, it did a very good job of bringing these principles to remembrance, and made strong cases on why the reward is in diligence and persistence - not necessarily how much you are able to command as an income (even though that helps a great deal). To prove that point, a person who takes a minute to observe friends or acquaintances will probably realize that he/she can name one or more persons, who is more financially stable even though they make less.

Being an old book and first published in 1926, a majority of the principles discussed in it are known to a large extent by many. Despite this fact, it doesn’t take away from the book. What makes it an awesome read for those who want to have better control of their finances is the fact that it is not written like a textbook guide, but unleashes the principles through a compelling story format.

It is based on the premise that Babylon was the richest country in its time, and the book discusses why that was the case. According to the author, the reason boiled down to principles the Babylonians followed, and their ability to abide by those principles with a certain level of doggedness. The same principles that applied then, still apply now, and will apply in the future.

The book starts with a man who (like most of us) is unhappy about his current financial situation and wants to figure out how he can have in his pocket, two pieces of gold that can rub against each other to produce a clinking sound. It then goes on to narrate salient topics such as:

• The importance of money
• Rules for amassing wealth
• Seven Cures for a Lean Purse
• The Five Laws of Gold
• The negative power debt wields
• Luck, opportunity, and the roles they play in financial matters, and much more.

I recommend it as a must read if you are serious about being motivated to improve your financial situation. I also recommend that you take notes while reading it, so that it is more like an exercise and not pleasure reading! Once done reading the book, it leaves you inspired to try out some of those principles, which can only prove profitable if you follow them every time without relenting. New and used books are available at most wholesale bookstores, but if you cannot purchase the book, you may look up a summary on wikipedia, or try to find free .pdf copies on the internet.

“Our wise acts accompany us through life to please us and to help us. Just as surely, our unwise acts follow us to plague and torment us. Alas they cannot be forgotten.”

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