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P.T. Barnum, The Art Of Money Getting (1880) ...

Jun 25, 2012
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P.T. Barnum, The Art Of Money Getting (1880) “Golden rules for making money.” The table of contents alone is awesome: The art of money getting Don’t mistake your vocation Select the right location Avoid debt Persevere Whatever you do, do it with all your might Depend upon your own personal exertions Use the best tools Don’t get above your business Learn something useful Let hope predominate, but be not too visionary Do not scatter your powers Be systematic Read the newspapers Beware of “outside operations” Don’t indorse without security Advertise your business Be polite and kind to your customers Be charitable Don’t blab Preserve your integrity Like most prescriptive books (including my own) you could probably write a whole book simply stating the opposite, but there’s so much in this book I love, especially the very simple message of “living below your means” stated in the beginning, which is not stressed enough these days: True economy consists in always making the income exceed the out-go. Wear the old clothes a little longer… live on plainer food if need be; so that, under all circumstances, unless some unforeseen accident occurs, there will be a margin in favor of income. Great read. Files under: my reading year 2012

P.T. Barnum, The Art Of Money Getting (1880)

“Golden rules for making money.” The table of contents alone is awesome:

  • The art of money getting
  • Don’t mistake your vocation
  • Select the right location
  • Avoid debt
  • Persevere
  • Whatever you do, do it with all your might
  • Depend upon your own personal exertions
  • Use the best tools
  • Don’t get above your business
  • Learn something useful
  • Let hope predominate, but be not too visionary
  • Do not scatter your powers
  • Be systematic
  • Read the newspapers
  • Beware of “outside operations”
  • Don’t indorse without security
  • Advertise your business
  • Be polite and kind to your customers
  • Be charitable
  • Don’t blab
  • Preserve your integrity

Like most prescriptive books (including my own) you could probably write a whole book simply stating the opposite, but there’s so much in this book I love, especially the very simple message of “living below your means” stated in the beginning, which is not stressed enough these days:

True economy consists in always making the income exceed the out-go. Wear the old clothes a little longer… live on plainer food if need be; so that, under all circumstances, unless some unforeseen accident occurs, there will be a margin in favor of income.

Great read.

Files under: my reading year 2012

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  11. lifefilter reblogged this from austinkleon and added:
    thing is most of these still ring true!
  12. mentalcrockpot reblogged this from austinkleon and added:
    Hmm. I’m checking this out.
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