The Science of Getting Rich (Updated Translation)

Book Summary

Wallace D. Wattles' "The Science of Getting Rich" (1910) presents a systematic and philosophical approach to wealth creation, arguing that getting rich is a matter of exact science rather than chance or circumstance. Written at the height of the New Thought movement, the book combines practical business principles with metaphysical concepts about the nature of thought and creative power.

The work begins by asserting that the desire for riches is natural and good, challenging the common notion that poverty is somehow more spiritual. Wattles argues that every person has the right to be rich because a full, successful life requires the use of things that can only be obtained through money.

Central to the book's philosophy is the concept of the "Thinking Stuff" from which all things are made - a formless substance that permeates the universe and responds to human thought. Wattles argues that by thinking in a "Certain Way" and acting in a "Certain Way," anyone can harness this creative power to manifest wealth.

The text provides specific instructions for applying these principles, emphasizing the importance of gratitude, clear vision, and unwavering faith. Wattles insists that one must form a clear mental image of what they want and maintain steady focus on this vision while feeling genuine gratitude for what they already have.

A significant portion of the work focuses on efficient action. Wattles argues that while thought is essential, it must be combined with purposeful, efficient action. He emphasizes doing everyday tasks in an excellent way while maintaining a mindset of continuous advancement and increase.

The book addresses competition, arguing that true wealth creation is not competitive but creative. Wattles maintains that one should never compete but rather create something new, focusing on giving more in use value than is received in cash value.

The Science of Getting Rich (Modern, Updated Translation)

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Preface

This book is practical, not philosophical; it's a hands-on guide, not a deep dive into theories. It's meant for people who urgently need money; those who want to get rich first and think about the deeper meaning later. It's for those who haven't had the time, resources, or chance to study complex ideas, but who want results and are ready to trust scientific conclusions as a starting point for action, without needing to understand all the steps that led to those conclusions.

The reader is expected to trust the basic statements, just like they would trust information about electrical laws if it came from someone like Marconi or Edison. By trusting these statements and acting on them confidently, anyone can become wealthy. This is because the science used here is precise, and failure is not an option. However, for those who want to explore philosophical ideas and find a logical reason to believe, I will mention some experts here.

The monistic theory of the universe—the idea that everything is one and one is everything; that one substance appears as the many different elements of the material world—comes from Hindu origins. Over the past two hundred years, this idea has slowly become more accepted in Western thinking. It is the basis of all Eastern philosophies and also influences the philosophies of thinkers like Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Schopenhauer, Hegel, and Emerson.

If you're interested in exploring the philosophical foundations, it's recommended to read works by Hegel and Emerson. Additionally, you might find "The Eternal News," a great pamphlet published by J. J. Brown at 300 Cathcart Road, Govanhill, Glasgow, Scotland, to be helpful. You could also benefit from a series of articles written by the author, published in Nautilus (Holyoke, Mass.) during the spring and summer of 1909, titled "What Is Truth?"

In writing this book, I've focused on making it clear and simple, so everyone can understand. The plan of action in this book comes from philosophical ideas; it's been tested and proven to work in real life. If you're curious about how these ideas were developed, check out the works of the authors I mentioned earlier. But if you want to see the benefits of these philosophies in real life, read this book and follow its instructions exactly.

The Author.

The Right to be Wealthy

No matter how much people praise poverty, the truth is that you can't live a truly complete or successful life unless you're rich. A person can't reach their full potential in talent or personal growth without having plenty of money. To grow as a person and develop talents, you need many things, and you can't get those things without money to buy them.

People grow in their mind, spirit, and body by using things, and society is set up so that people need money to own things. Therefore, the foundation of all progress for people must be the knowledge of how to become wealthy.

The goal of all life is growth, and everything that is alive has an undeniable right to reach its full potential for growth.

A person's right to life means their right to freely and fully use everything they need for their complete mental, spiritual, and physical growth; in other words, their right to be wealthy.

In this book, I won't talk about riches in a symbolic way; being truly rich doesn't mean being happy or content with just a little. No one should be satisfied with a small amount if they can use and enjoy more. Nature's goal is to help life grow and develop, and everyone should have everything that can add to the strength, elegance, beauty, and richness of life. Being content with less is wrong.

A person who has everything they need to live their best life is considered rich, and no one without enough money can have everything they want. Life has become so advanced and complicated that even the average person needs a lot of money to live a life that feels complete. Everyone naturally wants to become the best version of themselves; this desire to fulfill our potential is a part of human nature, and we can't help but want to be all we can be. Success in life means becoming who you want to be, and you can only achieve this by using resources, which you can freely access only if you are wealthy enough to afford them. Therefore, understanding how to become rich is the most important knowledge to have.

There's nothing wrong with wanting to be rich. Wanting wealth is really about wanting a richer, fuller, and more abundant life, and that desire is something to be admired. A person who doesn't want to live more fully is unusual, and so is someone who doesn't want enough money to buy what they want.

There are three reasons why we live: for the body, the mind, and the soul. None of these is better or more sacred than the others; all are equally important, and none of them—body, mind, or soul—can thrive if any of the others is not fully expressed. It isn't right or noble to live only for the soul while ignoring the mind or body; and it's wrong to focus only on the intellect while neglecting the body and soul.

We all know the unpleasant results of focusing only on physical needs and ignoring the mind and soul. Real life is about fully expressing everything a person can through their body, mind, and soul. No matter what someone says, they can't be truly happy or satisfied unless their body is fully active in every way, and the same goes for their mind and soul. Whenever there's potential that's not expressed or a function that's not fulfilled, there's an unsatisfied desire. Desire is the potential looking to be expressed or a function wanting to be performed.

A person cannot live well physically without good food, comfortable clothing, and a warm place to live. They also need freedom from too much hard work. Rest and relaxation are important for their physical well-being too.

He can't fully live in his mind without books and time to study them, without chances to travel and observe, or without having intellectual friends.

To live fully in mind, a person needs intellectual activities and should surround themselves with art and beauty that they can enjoy and appreciate.

To truly live with a full heart, a person needs love, but poverty prevents love from being expressed.

A person's greatest happiness comes from giving to those they love; love is most naturally and easily shown through giving. Someone who has nothing to give cannot fully fulfill their role as a husband, father, citizen, or even as a person. Using material things is how a person fully lives physically, grows mentally, and develops spiritually. Therefore, it is very important for them to be wealthy.

It's completely okay to want to be rich; if you're a typical man or woman, you can't help but feel this way. It's also completely okay to focus on learning how to become wealthy, as it's one of the most important and valuable things you can study. If you ignore this, you're not fulfilling your responsibility to yourself, to God, and to others. By becoming the best version of yourself, you provide the greatest service to God and humanity.

There is a Science to becoming Rich

There is a science of getting rich, and it is an exact science, just like algebra or arithmetic. There are specific rules that control how to become wealthy; once anyone learns and follows these rules, they will become rich with absolute certainty.

Owning money and property happens because of doing things in a specific way. People who do things in this specific way, whether they mean to or not, become rich. On the other hand, those who don't follow this specific way, no matter how hard they work or how skilled they are, stay poor.

It's a natural rule that similar causes always lead to similar effects. So, any man or woman who learns to do things in this specific way will definitely become rich.

The truth of the above statement is shown by the following facts:

Getting rich doesn't depend on where you live. If it did, everyone in certain neighborhoods would be wealthy; everyone in one city would be rich, while people in other towns would be poor; or everyone in one state would have lots of money, while people in a neighboring state would be struggling.

Everywhere we look, we see rich and poor people living next to each other, often working in the same jobs. When two people are in the same area and doing the same work, and one becomes rich while the other stays poor, it shows that getting rich isn't mainly about where you are. Some places might be better than others, but when two people in the same job and neighborhood have different financial outcomes, it suggests that getting rich comes from doing things in a certain way.

Moreover, being able to do things in this specific way isn't just because someone has talent. Many talented people stay poor, while others with very little talent become rich.

When we look at people who have become rich, we see that they are pretty average in every way and don't have more talents or abilities than other people. It's clear that they don't get rich because they have special talents or abilities that others don't. Instead, they get rich because they do things in a certain way.

Getting rich isn't about saving money or being "thrifty." Many very stingy people stay poor, while those who spend freely often become rich.

Getting rich isn't just about doing things that others don't do. Sometimes, two people in the same business do almost exactly the same things, but one becomes rich while the other stays poor or even goes bankrupt.

From all of this, we can conclude that becoming rich happens by doing things in a specific way.

If becoming rich comes from doing things in a specific way, and if similar actions always lead to similar results, then any man or woman who can do things in that way can become rich. This makes the whole process as predictable as exact science.

The question comes up here: Is this Certain Way so hard that only a few people can follow it? This can't be true, as we've seen, when it comes to natural ability. Talented people get rich, and not-so-smart people get rich; intellectually brilliant people get rich, and very simple-minded people get rich; physically strong people get rich, and weak and sickly people get rich.

A certain level of thinking and understanding is, of course, necessary; but when it comes to natural ability, any man or woman who can read and understand these words definitely has the potential to become rich.

Additionally, we've noticed that it's not just about the environment. Location does matter; you wouldn't go to the middle of the Sahara Desert and expect to run a successful business.

Getting rich means you need to interact with people and be where people are available to do business with. If these people are interested in doing business the way you want, that's even better. But that's about all that the environment contributes.

If anyone else in your town can become rich, then you can too, and if anyone else in your state can become rich, then you can too.

It's not about picking a specific business or career. People become wealthy in all sorts of businesses and professions, while their neighbors doing the same job might stay poor.

It's true that you'll do best in a business you enjoy and that suits you. If you have certain well-developed skills, you'll excel in a business that requires those skills.

It's best to start a business that fits your local area. For example, an ice cream shop would do better in a warm place than in Greenland. Similarly, a salmon fishery would be more successful in the Northwest than in Florida, where there are no salmon.

However, besides these general limitations, becoming wealthy doesn't depend on being in a specific business. It's about learning to do things in a certain way. If you're currently in a business and someone else in your area is getting rich from the same business while you are not, it's because you're not doing things in the same way that the other person is doing them.

No one is stopped from becoming rich just because they don't have money to start with. It's true that once you have some money, it gets easier and faster to make more. But if you already have money, you're already rich and don't need to worry about how to get there. No matter how little money you have, if you start doing things in a specific way, you'll start to get richer, and you'll start to build up money. Getting money is part of the process of becoming rich, and it's a result that always comes from doing things in this specific way.

Even if you're the poorest person around and owe a lot of money, even if you have no friends, influence, or resources, if you start doing things in this specific way, you will definitely start to become wealthy, because similar actions lead to similar results. If you don't have any money to start with, you can get some; if you're in the wrong job, you can find the right one; if you're in the wrong place, you can move to the right place; and you can do all of this by starting in your current job and location and doing things in the certain way that leads to success.

Also, we have seen that it is not a matter of environment. Location counts for something; one would not go to the heart of the Sahara and expect to do successful business.

Getting rich involves the necessity of dealing with men, and of being where there are people to deal with; and if these people are inclined to deal in the way you want to deal, so much the better. But that is about as far as environment goes.

If anybody else in your town can get rich, so can you; and if anybody else in your state can get rich, so can you.

Again, it is not a matter of choosing some particular business or profession. People get rich in every business, and in every profession; while their next door neighbors in the same vocation remain in poverty.

It is true that you will do best in a business which you like, and which is congenial to you; and if you have certain talents which are well developed, you will do best in a business which calls for the exercise of those talents.

Also, you will do best in a business which is suited to your locality; an ice-cream parlor would do better in a warm climate than in Greenland, and a salmon fishery will succeed better in the Northwest than in Florida, where there are no salmon.

But, aside from these general limitations, getting rich is not dependent upon your engaging in some particular business, but upon your learning to do things in a Certain Way. If you are now in business, and anybody else in your locality is getting rich in the same business, while you are not getting rich, it is because you are not doing things in the same Way that the other person is doing them.

No one is prevented from getting rich by lack of capital. True, as you get capital the increase becomes more easy and rapid; but one who has capital is already rich, and does not need to consider how to become so. No matter how poor you may be, if you begin to do things in the Certain Way you will begin to get rich; and you will begin to have capital. The getting of capital is a part of the process of getting rich; and it is a part of the result which invariably follows the doing of things in the Certain Way.

You may be the poorest man on the continent, and be deeply in debt; you may have neither friends, influence, nor resources; but if you begin to do things in this Way, you must infallibly begin to get rich, for like causes must produce like effects. If you have no capital, you can get capital; if you are in the wrong business, you can get into the right business; if you are in the wrong location, you can go to the right location; and you can do so by beginning in your present business and in your present location to do things in the Certain Way which causes success.

Is Opportunity Monopolized?

No one stays poor because opportunities have been taken away from them or because others have hoarded all the wealth. While you might be blocked from entering certain business areas, there are still many other options available to you. For example, it might be difficult to take control of any major railroad systems since that area is mostly dominated by a few. However, the electric railway industry is still new and offers many opportunities for innovation. Additionally, in just a few years, air travel and transportation will become a major industry, providing jobs for hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people. Why not focus on developing aerial transportation instead of trying to compete with J. J. Hill and others in the steam railway industry?

It's true that if you work for the steel company, you don't have much chance of owning the factory where you work. But it's also true that if you start doing things in a certain way, you can soon leave your job at the steel company. You can buy a farm between ten to forty acres and start a business growing food. Right now, there's a big opportunity for people who live on small pieces of land and farm them intensively; these people will definitely become rich. You might think it's impossible for you to get the land, but I'm going to show you that it's not impossible, and you can definitely get a farm if you start working in a certain way.

At different times, opportunities arise in various directions based on what society needs and its current stage of development. Right now, in America, opportunities are leaning towards agriculture and related industries and professions. Today, farmers have more opportunities in their field than factory workers do in theirs. Business people who provide services or products to farmers have more opportunities than those who cater to factory workers. Similarly, professionals who work with farmers have more opportunities than those who serve the working class.

There are plenty of opportunities for someone who goes with the flow, instead of trying to fight against it.

Factory workers, whether as individuals or as a group, aren't missing out on opportunities. They aren't being held back by their bosses or crushed by big companies and capital groups. As a group, they are in their current situation because they don't do things in a certain way. If American workers wanted to, they could follow the example of their peers in Belgium and other countries by setting up large department stores and cooperative businesses. They could elect people from their own group to political positions and pass laws that support the growth of these cooperative businesses. In just a few years, they could peacefully take control of the industrial sector.

The working class can become the leading class whenever they start doing things in a specific way. The rules for gaining wealth are the same for them as they are for everyone else. They need to understand this, and they will stay in their current situation as long as they keep doing what they're doing now. However, an individual worker isn't limited by the lack of knowledge or laziness of their group; they can seize opportunities to become wealthy, and this book will show them how.

No one stays poor because there isn't enough wealth; there's more than enough for everyone. Just the building materials in the United States could build a palace as big as the Capitol in Washington for every family on Earth. With intensive farming, this country could produce enough wool, cotton, linen, and silk to dress everyone in the world more finely than Solomon in all his splendor, along with enough food to feed everyone lavishly. The visible resources are practically endless, and the invisible resources truly are endless.

Everything you see on earth is made from one basic substance, from which all things come.

New forms are always being created, and older ones are disappearing; but they are all just different shapes taken by the same thing.

There's an endless supply of Formless Stuff, or Original Substance. The universe is made from it, but not all of it was used up in creating the universe. The spaces in, around, and between everything we can see are filled with this Original Substance; this Formless Stuff; the basic material for everything. We could make ten thousand times more than what already exists, and we still wouldn't run out of this universal raw material.

No one is poor because nature doesn't have enough resources or because there's not enough to share.

Nature is an endless source of wealth; it will never run out. The original substance is full of creative energy and is always making more things. When we run out of building materials, more will be created; when the soil is worn out and can no longer grow food or materials for clothing, it will be renewed or new soil will be made. Even when all the gold and silver have been mined from the earth, if people still need them, more will be created from the formless substance. This formless stuff responds to what people need; it won't let us go without anything good.

This is true for people as a group; humanity as a whole is always very wealthy. If some individuals are poor, it's because they don't follow the specific way of doing things that makes a person rich.

The Formless Stuff is smart; it's material that can think. It's alive and always driven to seek more life.

Life naturally wants to grow and live more; intelligence naturally wants to expand, and consciousness wants to reach beyond its limits and express itself more completely. The universe of shapes and forms has been created by a formless living substance, which takes on form to express itself more fully.

The universe is a vast, living presence, constantly moving towards more life and better functioning.

Nature is designed to support and promote life; its main purpose is to help life grow. Because of this, everything that can possibly support life is generously provided. There can be no shortage unless God were to contradict Himself and undo His own creations.

You are not kept poor because there isn't enough wealth available; I will show you later that even the limitless resources of the universe are available to anyone who chooses to think and act in a specific way.

The Basic Principle in the Science of Becoming Rich

Thought is the only power that can create real wealth from the formless substance. The material from which everything is made is a substance that can think, and when this substance has a thought of a form, it creates that form.

Original Substance changes based on its thoughts; everything you see in nature is the visible result of a thought in Original Substance. When the Formless Stuff thinks of a shape, it becomes that shape; when it thinks of a movement, it makes that movement. This is how everything was created. We live in a world of thoughts, which is part of a universe of thoughts.

The idea of a moving universe spreads throughout Formless Substance, and this Thinking Stuff moves based on that idea, forming systems of planets and keeping them in place. Thinking Substance shapes itself according to its thoughts and moves as it thinks. When it imagines a system of suns and planets circling, it forms these bodies and moves them as it thinks. When it thinks of a slowly growing oak tree, it moves accordingly and creates the tree, even if it takes centuries to complete. In creating, the Formless seems to follow the paths of motion it has set up; the thought of an oak tree doesn't instantly create a fully grown tree, but it does start the forces that will grow the tree along established growth paths.

Every thought about a form, when held in a thinking substance, leads to the creation of that form. However, this usually happens along paths of growth and action that are already in place.

If you imagine a house with a specific design and this idea is impressed upon a formless substance, it might not immediately create the house. However, it would direct the creative energies already active in business and trade towards making the house quickly. If there are no current ways for this creative energy to work, then the house would be created directly from the basic substance, without waiting for the slow natural processes of the world.

Any idea or thought about a shape or form, when focused on the Original Substance, will lead to the creation of that shape or form.

Humans are thinkers and can create new ideas. Anything that a person makes with their hands has to first exist in their mind; they can't create something until they've thought about it first.

Up until now, people have only focused on using their hands to work. They've used physical labor to change or modify the shapes and things that already exist. No one has really considered the idea of creating new things by using their thoughts to influence the formless substance.

When a person has an idea, they take materials from nature and create an image of what's in their mind. So far, they haven't really tried to work together with the Formless Intelligence, or to work "with the Father." They haven't imagined that they can "do what they see the Father doing." People usually change and shape existing things through physical work; they haven't considered whether they can create things from Formless Substance by sharing their thoughts with it. We aim to show that they can do this; to prove that anyone can do it, and to explain how. Our first step is to establish three basic principles.