Rich Dad, Poor Dad

“I can't afford it.” The other dad forbade those words to be used. He insisted I say, “How can I afford it?”

“I can't afford it.” The other dad forbade those words to be used. He insisted I say, “How can I afford it?” One is a statement, and the other is a question. One lets you off the hook, and the other forces you to think.

“I can't afford it.” The other dad forbade those words to be used. He insisted I say, “How can I afford it?” One is a statement, and the other is a question. One lets you off the hook, and the other forces you to think. My soon-to-be-rich dad would explain that by automatically saying the words “I can't afford it,” your brain stops working. By asking the question “How can I afford it?” your brain is put to work.

“Learn to manage risk.”

"You're only poor if you give up. The most important thing is that you did something. Most people only talk and dream of getting rich. You've done something.

If you can't make up you mind decisively, then you'll never learn to make money anyway. Opportunities come and go. Being able to know when to make quick decisions is an important skill.

“Life pushes all of us around. Some give up. Others fight. A few learn the lesson and move on. They welcome life pushing them around. To these few people, it means they need and want to learn something. They learn and move on. Most quit, and a few like you fight.”

you're the kind of person who has no guts, you just give up every time life pushes you. If you're that kind of person, you'll live all your life playing it safe, doing the right things, saving yourself for some event that never happens. Then, you die a boring old man. You'll have lots of friends who really like you because you were such a nice hard-working guy.

You really wanted to win, but the fear of losing was greater than the excitement of winning. Deep inside, you and only you will know you didn't go for it. You chose to play it safe.”

“You'd best change your point of view. Stop blaming me, thinking I'm the problem. If you think I'm the problem, then you have to change me. If you realize that you're the problem, then you can change yourself, learn something and grow wiser. Most people want everyone else in the world to change but themselves. Let me tell you, it's easier to change yourself than everyone else.”

most people do. They quit and go looking for another job, better opportunity, and higher pay, actually thinking that a new job or more pay will solve the problem. In most cases, it won't.”

“You're taxed when you earn. You're taxed when you spend. You're taxed when you save. You're taxed when you die.”

“Good,” rich dad said softly. “Most

“Most people have a price. And they have a price because of human emotions named fear and greed. First, the fear of being without money motivates us to work hard, and then once we get that paycheck, greed or desire starts us thinking about all the wonderful things money can buy. The pattern is then set.”

They desire money for the joy they think it can buy. But the joy that money brings is often short lived, and they soon need more money for more joy, more pleasure, more comfort, more security.

“In fact, the reason many rich people are rich is not because of desire but because of fear. They actually think that money can eliminate that fear of not having money, of being poor, so they amass tons of it only tofind out the fear gets worse. They now fear losing it.

“I've met so many people who say, `Oh, I'm not interested in money.' Yet they'll work at a job for eight hours a day. That's a denial of truth.

“You mean the moment I began to picture a new baseball glove, candy and toys, that's like a carrot to a donkey?” Mike asked. “Yeah.

Money is the carrot, the illusion. If the donkey could see the whole picture, it might rethink its choice to chase the carrot.”

To work hard for money, thinking that money will buy you things that will make you happy is also cruel. To wake up in the middle of the night terrified about paying bills is a horrible way to live. To live a life dictated by the size of a paycheck is not really a life. Thinking that a job will make you feel secure is lying to yourself.