The Science of Getting Rich

Key takeaways

• Wealth comes from doing things in a certain way, not from luck or talent
• Think creatively about making new value instead of competing for a fixed pie
• Hold a precise mental picture of your goal and stay grateful along the way
• Do everything that can be done today, fully, right where you are
• Leave every person better off than you found them and trust will compound

Inside this bit

1. Wealth as a repeatable method

   Wallace Wattles opens with a bold claim: getting rich is not luck, talent or location. It is the result of doing things in a certain way, and anyone who does things that way will get rich as surely as water runs downhill.

2. Create, do not compete

   Wattles draws a line between two mental modes. The competitive mind sees a fixed pie and tries to grab a bigger slice.

3. A clear picture held with gratitude

   Vague wanting gets vague results. Wattles asks you to form a definite mental image of what you want, as specific as a house plan with its rooms and costs, and to hold it steadily with faith that it is coming and a settled purpose to get it.

4. Act now, and act fully

   Thinking, Wattles insists, is only half the method. You cannot picture your way to wealth while sitting still.

5. Give more than you take

   The moral core of the book is the idea of increase. Every transaction should leave the other person better off than before.

6. Put it to work

   Write a one-page description of the financial life you want in 5 years, with specific numbers, rooms, routines and people, and read it every morning and night. Spend 2 minutes each day listing what you are grateful for, in writing, before you look at what is missing.