Mr. Rohn talked about his early mentor, a man named Earl Schoff and went on to tell us how Mr. Schoff turned him on to personal development and pointed him to the right books to read. One of the most important books, said Rohn was The Richest Man in Bablyon.

Rohn had made and lost a fortune but came back and made another fortune and gave credit to the principles in The Richest Man in Bablyon for helping him accomplish that feat.

I read The Richest Man in Bablyon and have to admit, I hated it! I thought it was stupid, like feel good stuff that has no substance. When ever friends came over, I hid the book. I felt so ridiculous.

But Mr. Rohns words of wisdom kept echeoing in my mind. So I read it over and over untill the principles were imbedded into my conscious and subconsious mind.

Soon, after the fifth reading, the the principles became habits for me. My wealth esculated at a very rapid rate. I was no longer wasting money. I was now investing the first 10% of my income, tithing 10% and investing another 10% in capital like no load mutuals, real estate, discounted mortgages, tax liens and my own business.

The Richest Man in Bablyon has 7 basic principles:

1) Start thy purse to fattening - save/invest
2) Control thy expenditures - watch out for self serving brokers
3) Make thy gold mutiply - use powerful investments
4) Guard thy treasures from loss - watch out for brokers with
their hot tips.
5) Make of thy dwelling a profitable investment - rental properties, your own home---but stay within your means.
6) Insure a future income - do work that you love to do. Become excellent at it.
7) Increase thy ability to earn - education never stops. Keep reading good books like this one, The Millionaire Next Door, Rich Dad Poor Dad and so on.

The Richest Man in Bablyon is an excellent book. Although only 145 pages, it is packed with powerful information that can be life changing. It has helped some people like Jim Rohn and others become millionaires.

George Samuel Clason was born in Louisiana, Missouri, on November 7, 1874. He attended the University of Nebraska and served in the United States Army during the Spanish-American War. Beginning a long career in publishing, he founded the Clason Map Company of Denver, Colorado and published the first road atlas of the United States and Canada. In 1926, he issued the first in a series of pamphlets on thrift and financial success, using parables set in ancient Bablyon to make each of his points.

These were distributed in large quantities by banks and insurance companies and became familiar to millions, the most famous being "The Richest Man in Bablyon," the parable which has impacted the lives of millions of people. These "Babylonian Parables" have become a modern inspiritional classic.

The Richest Man in Babylon is must reading for anyone who wants to achieve maximum financial success. Highly recommended.

220 of 229 found the following review helpful:


POWERFUL, VERY POWERFUL BOOK!  Aug 01, 1998
I am continually amazed at how a book so small can contain so much content and be so powerful. This book should be mandatory reading beginning at the grade school level through college and should be given as a gift right along with a diploma.

I took the advice of acde1034@yahoo.com who recommended 'The Millionaire next Door" and "More Weath without Risk" and bought and have read both. Both of these books are in the same status as "The Richest Man in Bablyon" and should also be required reading by anyone who is serious about their financial future. I am now giving "Richest Man in Bablyon" as a accessory gift to a cash gift at weddings and graduations.

161 of 166 found the following review helpful:


A ONE OF A KIND CLASSIC  Jun 05, 1998
I first read "Richest Man in Bablyon bac in 1975. At first I was taken back by it's compact size and story book style. This book should be read by everyone from grade school to the college level students, employees, executives and the self employed. In todays's society, where people spend most if not all of what they make, this book is mre valuable than ever. Other books I would recommend are; "The Millionaire next Door" by Dr. Stanley et all, "More Wealth without Risk" and "Financial Self-Defense" by Charles Givens. Great book. A must read for anyone seeking financial independence,

131 of 135 found the following review helpful:


An Old Book with a Fair Amount of Wisdom  Nov 08, 2001 By D. W. Casey
I often give this book out as a gift whenever a person younger than me asks for my advice on money. I always present this book to them saying "if you read it and do as it says, it will work magic." It really contains excellent, time tested advice, and would make a good gift for someone in their early 20s who is on their own for the first time, and struggling.

The book is a series of parables about money written in the 1920s by George Clason. They were written as individual essays of a few thousand words, but the theme throughout them is consistent -- save 10% of your money, give 10% away, use 10% to reduce your debt load, and live on the remaining 70%.

The stories in the book are entertaining; they are reminiscent of some of the parables in the Bible, such as the Prodigal Son or the story of the Workers in the Vineyard. I think this is intentional on the part of the author; certainly readers in the 1920s had an appreciation for "old fashioned stories with a moral" that people today seem to have lost. I enjoy the book greatly, though, and any thoughtful person who reads the book should find it interesting, especially if they are trying to get their finances in order.

75 of 75 found the following review helpful:


Still a must read for all who want to be wealthy  Feb 07, 2004 By Mark
When I first started in sales 19 years ago, a good friend of mine advised me of the benefit of personal development books and suggested that I start to build a good library.

One of the first books he recommended to me was The Richest Man in Bablyon. His advise was that you can live off your income but you can't get wealthy off of income. You only get wealthy by investing, starting with that first 10% and with the proper management of money.

The Richest Man in Bablton may be a turnoff to the analytical types. Question: how are you analytical types doing financially?
Read and use the principles in this book. It will make all the difference in the world.

I also recommend The Millionaire Next Door, The Automatic Millionaire and More Wealth without Risk.

Les I forget, always remember that a lesson in wealth building is to give to recieve and the best time to start giving is when you feel you cannot afford to. It will come back to multiplied many times over.

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