There is no more succinct and useful handbooks on achieving personal wealth than in Wattle's classic. Many millionaires have started with this single volume. A Go Thunk Yourself classic, this is a key part to completing the GTY Student Handbook.

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Product Description

The 100-year-old book that inspired Rhonda Byrne's bestselling The Secret

• Live your dream
• Acquire wealth
• Learn a proven method for success
• Access your inner strength
• Realize your potential

Rediscover the original version of Wallace D. Wattles's 1910 classic, The Science of Getting Rich--the forerunner of every personal finance and self-help book ever written. Explore the principles that have shown generations of readers the way to riches and fulfillment in life.

"The book, as it turns out, is about getting rich - not only in terms of money but in every possible way, including relationships and health. As I read, it became clear to me that what Wattles was presenting was actually the science of life. He wrote The Science of Getting Rich in 1910 for the coal miners in his area, so the book is quite short and the language is simple. He doesn't get into philosophies or theories. He doesn't explain why or how it works. He just says, 'Do what I say and your life will completely change.'" (Rhonda Byrne, executive producer of The Secret, as quoted in You've Got To Read This Book!)

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #172585 in Books
• Published on: 2002-01-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 108 pages

Review
"...His is a gentle philosophy which excludes competition and cheating, and encourages cooperation." -- Publishers Weekly

About the Author
Post Civil War American writer whose works, along with those of Orison Swett Marden, influenced most of the positive-thinking, self-help, and motivational writers and speakers of the 20th century.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Chapter 1. The Right to Be Rich

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 praiseworthy. 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.

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Customer Reviews

Practical, Hands-on Assistance; and Many Original Ideas
This new release is a reprint of the original 1910 edition of Wallace Wattles' guide to financial success and personal growth. Make sure that you get the new 2002 Iceni Books edition, and not some of the other versions that are around, which have been made unusable by editing. Wattles' book is a true classic in the genre, and it has been mentioned along with such other classics like George Clason's "The Richest Man In Babylon" and Napoleon Hill's "Think and Grow Rich." It was always a surprise to me, that this book, in full original title "The Science of Getting Rich or Financial Success Through Creative Thought," is less well-known than the titles mentioned above. While Clason's book, in the essence, is a tale about the workings of exponential growth, and Hill's book is little more than the repetition of the formula, "whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve," in Wattles' book there is much more to be found.

Wattles, like Hill, also emphasizes the importance of using one's power of thought, and one's willpower, as an indispensable ingredient on the way to get rich. But Wattles with his suggestions is way ahead of Hill, because he does not think exclusively along egoistical lines, as does Hill. Throughout the book he warns the reader of acquiring riches in a competitive way, and strongly advises to do any business in a creative way instead. He asserts that the reader should never compete for what is already there, but should instead create something of value, be it a product, or a service. This thought alone is a revelation. Wattles makes unmistakably clear that only in that way it is possible for everyone to get rich. Instead of keeping others down by competition, if you strive to get rich in a creative way, you inspire other people to do so as well, and open up a way for others to follow.

Besides this thought, which is original in how to get rich, and self-help literature, Wattles has much other original, yet always practical, advice for his readers, like how to best get into the right business, how to direct thoughts and actions purposefully, how to convey the impression of personal growth, and much more. I am issuing here, however, some kind of a warning to you: Wattles grounds his science on the ideas of oriental philosophies, which state that there exists one original substance in the universe, where all things originate from. To back up that notion, he mentions that this idea was also held by many western philosophers, like Hegel, and Emerson, and requires the reader to accept the truth of this notion by faith. I cannot say that I am a believer in the one substance, and still, I have learned some of my most important lessons from Wattles. So do not be put off by that esoteric concept, but concentrate instead on the solid foundations of financial and personal success that Wattles hands over to you. I am convinced that Wattles in this book says all that you need for success.

AWESOME!
A crystal clear look at truth. I would compare this gem to The Game of Life and How to Play It, by Scovel-Shinn (except that it's even better). It is a master piece written by someone who clearly understood (he passed away long ago) the reality behind the illusions of time and space. It could also be categorized as a "New Thought" book.

WARNING... I understand that this title's copyright has expired, therefore there are others who have reprinted this book, making slight modifications that entitle them to add their name as a co-author. Don't go there. Don't let anyone else tell you what Mr. Wattles had to say, because he says it all so well himself in this true reprint!!!

This is a MUST HAVE book!

A New Thought Classic With Practical Application
Wallace D. Wattles wrote several books but is best known for his prosperity classic, The Science of Getting Rich. Wattles is an early author within the New Thought Movement whose book is making a comeback along with Charles Haanel's The Master Key System. Those who have read both works will notice their similarities, including their use of creative visualization as the primary tool for creative application of the karmic "Law of Attraction." The element that underlies this Law and gives purpose to one's visualization is strong desire mixed with unwavering faith in Omnipotent Goodness (or God) which is omnipresent and, therefore, in residence within as one's essential Source of empowerment. One must first know what one wants and want it badly enough to do whatever it takes (within ethical limits) to get it. This idea is expounded in other New Thought publications such as "It Works" by R.H.J. and "The Ultimate Secret To Getting Absolutely Everything You Want" by Mike Hernacki. Creative visualization requires one to imagine what one strongly desires (to be, do, or have) and take what Wattles calls "the Mental Attitude of Ownership" toward everything in one's mental picture. One must persistently visualize oneself as being, doing, or having whatever one wants, and be deeply grateful for it both before and after one actually gets it. According to Wattles, "the man who can sincerely thank God for the things which as yet he owns only in imagination, has real faith."

Wattles' view of God is pantheistic (All is God), which is rooted in monism (All is One; One is All). He admits this in his preface and refers the reader to Oriental philosophies and thinkers like Spinoza, Hegel, and Emerson for the philosophical foundations of his book. He freely alternates between the personal pronoun "He" with the use of "God" and impersonal terms like "the Universe," "Nature," "Original Substance," "Formless Stuff," etc. in reference to the Intelligent "One Thing" that lives, thinks and seeks increasing expressions of abundant life through creation (including creating through us via desire, will and imagination). His intent is practical, not philosophical. The book is "intended for the men and women whose most pressing need is for money; who wish to get rich first, and philosophize afterward." The "science" in the book's title refers to the "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." In Chapter 4, Wattles says that the first step towards getting rich is "to acquire the ability to think the way you want to think" which he defines as thinking "TRUTH," regardless of appearances. Does anybody desire poverty or disease? No; therefore, poverty and disease are considered only temporary appearances whereas the reality is abundance and health as desired by All.

Wattles sees economics from a divine perspective where scarcity isn't a problem. Therefore, he is at odds with contemporary economists like Thomas Sowell who, in his book Basic Economics, defines economics in terms of scarcity. According to Sowell, "Scarcity means that everyone's desires cannot be satisfied completely, regardless of which particular economic system or economic policy we choose - and regardless of whether an individual or a society is poor or affluent. Therefore competition among people for these resources is inherent." Wattles strongly disagrees and affirms that the supply is limitless because it transcends the visible supply in the "limitless riches of Formless Substance" out of which all things are made and continually being made. He calls his readers to "rise from the competitive to the creative plane" and bases his ethic on the creative mindset, which is without fear or haste. More life is sought for all, and every person should be given more in use value than any cash value received. According to Wattles, "you can only get what is yours by giving the other man what is his."

Although I disagree with the monistic and/or pantheistic world view, I think Wattles has some insightful things to say that may be divorced from monism but are essential to a unified concept of a personal God and His creation as essentially GOOD, not evil. Although Wattles says in Chapter 1 that he shall not speak of riches in a figurative way, it is clear that he views wealth more as abundant life than mere cash. However, one of several flaws in the book is that he doesn't discuss in detail the important question of WHEN one can expect to get one's most pressing need for money fulfilled and whether death may thwart one's quest or be overcome. Only if death is no obstacle can he boldly say, as in his preface, that "failure is impossible."