Lessons from “The Science of Getting Rich” (Part 1)

“The Science of Getting Rich” is a success classic written in 1910 by Wallace D. Wattles,  a man born in Illinois in 1860, with little formal education, who lived very near poverty most of his life but died a rich man.  This book–now in the public domain–is essential reading for anyone who wants increased prosperity. The main premise of the book is that getting rich is an exact science.

In the preface, Wattles explains that the reader should accept the principles laid out in “The Science of Getting Rich” on faith, and then proceed to prove their truth by acting on them. He then cites the authorities from which he developed the science of getting rich.

First, he explains that the monistic theory of the universe, the theory that All-is-One and that this one substance manifests itself as the seemingly different elements of the material world, is of Hindu origin. In addition, it is the foundation of the philosophies of Descartes, Spinoza, Leibnitz, Schopenhauer, Hegel, and Emerson.

In this post, and in the one to follow, you’ll find an analysis of “The Science of Getting Rich” so that you can begin to apply the principles expounded by Wattles in your own life.

photo credit: Jeff Belmonte

The Right to Be Rich

Wattles defines “being rich” as having all you need to live as expansively as you can. In the first chapter of “The Science of Getting Rich”, Wattles explains that a person’s right to life means their right to develop in body, mind, and soul to their fullest potential. That is, the right to life isn’t just about the right not to be harmed or to be deprived of liberty; instead, every person has an inalienable right to all the development that they’re capable of attaining.

Said development can only be accomplished through the use of things, and in order to become the possessor of things, a person must have money. Therefore, the right to life means the right to have money, or the right to be rich. This idea can be expressed as the following equation:

The Right to Life = The Right to Be Rich

“The Science of Being Rich” argues that it is normal to want to live more abundantly, so it is normal to want to be rich. To quote Wattles, “The desire for riches is really the desire for a richer, fuller, and more abundant life-and that desire is praiseworthy”.

As stated previously, we live for the body, the mind, and soul. Wattles goes on to say that it is essential to understand that each is equally important, and that we must give full expression to each.

• In order to live fully in the body, a person needs good food, comfortable clothing, warm shelter, rest, and leisure. And not just enough to be satisfied, but enough to enjoy life to its fullest.

• To live fully in mind, a person needs books and time to study them, opportunity for travel and observation, and intellectual companionship. A person also needs intellectual recreation, and to surround themselves with objects of art and beauty.

• To live fully in the soul, a person must have love, and love finds its most natural and spontaneous expression in giving.

In fact, Wattles emphasizes that it is your duty to make the most of yourself, and you can only make the most of yourself when you can acquire all of the things you need to develop your talent to its greatest capacity. Therefore, you should devote your full attention to the science of getting rich.

Getting Rich is An Exact Science

In the second chapter of “The Science of Getting Rich”, Wattles explains that getting rich is a science; in fact, it’s an exact science, like mathematics. That is, there’s a series of principles or laws that govern the process of acquiring wealth, and once these are learned and systematically applied by anyone, that person will get rich.

Wattles refers to the systematic application of the principles or laws of becoming rich as “doing things in a certain way”. He adds that once a person begins to think and act in “a certain way”, that person will become rich. The “certain way” in which to think and act is fully explained in later chapters of the book.

The first law Wattles cites is the Law of Cause and Effect, which states that like causes always produce like effects. If you swing your golf club in the same manner as a professional golf player, you will get the same results as he or she does, regardless of who you are.

Here is one definition of causality: “Causality refers to the relationship between an event (the cause) and a second event (the effect), where the second event is a direct consequence of the first.” (Source). James Allen also refers to the Law of Cause and Effect in his book “As a Man Thinketh”, which I wrote about last week.

To quote “The Science of Getting Rich”:

“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.”

photo credit: eriwst

Mistaken Causes of Getting Rich

Wattles goes on to say in Chapter 2 of “The Science of Getting Rich” that people tend to think that the following are the causes of getting rich:

• The environment in which you’re currently working or have set up your business. That is, the neighborhood, town, city, state, or country in which you currently work.
• How much talent you have or how smart you are.
• Choosing a particular business or profession.
• Doing things others fail to do.
• Having easy access to capital.

However, Wattles explains one by one why these factors are not the causes of achieving wealth. Getting rich is not a matter of environment; there are countless examples of people working in the same business and in the same neighborhood, but one fails and the other succeeds.

If the environment were the cause of getting rich, everyone in the same state would be rich, while those in another state would all be poor. Although it is true that some environments or locations are more favorable than others, the environment is not the cause of getting rich.

Also, talent is not the cause of getting rich, for there are many talented people who are not wealthy, and there are many people with little talent who are very rich. There are many intelligent people, often with high education, that fail at achieving financial success, while there are many college drop outs who become millionaires.

Additionally, people get rich and people fail in every business and in every profession. It is true that you will do better in a business that you like, and if you have some well developed talents you will do better in a business in which you can apply those talents, but getting wealthy is not determined by the business or profession you choose.

Getting rich is also not the result of doing things others fail to do, for two people in the same business can be carrying out the same activities, but one gets rich and the other files for bankruptcy. There are a lot of hard working people whose lives are filled with struggle and who never manage to accumulate wealth.

In addition, a lack of capital will not prevent you from getting rich. You can slowly begin to get access to capital and, as you progress, the access to capital will become easier and faster.

For the reasons set forth above, Wattles concludes that the aforementioned factors cannot be the cause of getting rich. So, if getting rich is not a result of the factors discussed above, what does getting rich depend on?

Wattles explains that in order to become rich you have to do things in “a certain way”, regardless of where you are, what business you’re in, how much capital you have, or how talented you may be.

Since like causes produce like effects, no matter who you are, where your business is located, or what your personal circumstances may be, if you act in accordance with the principles and laws that govern the process of acquiring wealth, you must get the results you’re looking for. The cause is doing things “in a certain way”, and money is the effect.

So how do you do things in “a certain way”?   I’ll let you know in my next blog post.

Get the Book For Free

If you would like to read “The Science of Getting Rich”, you can get the book for free by clicking here: The Science of Getting Rich for Practical Geniuses. The book is a free download; you also have the option of enrolling for an online course on “The Science of Getting Rich” created by Rebecca Fine (Rebecca lets you decide how much you’ll pay for the course, how cool is that). I took the course about two or three years ago and I think it’s really good.  Rebecca also offers a lot of interesting free stuff, so stop by, get the book, and have a look. (And yes, should you decide to enroll in the course, I’m an affiliate.)

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Related Posts:

• Lessons from “The Science of Getting Rich” (Part 2)
• Lessons from “The Science of Getting Rich” (Part 3)
• Lessons from “The Science of Getting Rich” (Part 4)
• The Silva Life System – Make Your Life Better, Better, and Better
• As a Man Thinketh – The Power of Right Thought
• Six Steps to Creating the Life You Really Want

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