Rockefeller’s 38 Letters to His Son-Letter 18: I have no right to be poor
Dear John:
There are many tragedies caused by bigotry and pride, and the same goes for those who make poverty.
Many years ago, at the Fifth Avenue Baptist Church, I ran into a young man named Hansen, a little gardener who lived a miserable life. Perhaps Mr. Hansen thinks that it is a virtue to persist in poverty. He put on a noble appearance and said to me: "Mr. Rockefeller, I think I have a responsibility to discuss with you a question-money is the root of all evil. This is " It says in the Bible."
At that moment, I knew why Mr. Hansen had no relationship with wealth. He was getting life lessons from a misunderstanding of the "Bible". But he didn't realize it.
I didn’t want this poor young man to sink deeper and deeper in his narrow-minded swamp. I told him: “Young man, I have been nurtured by various Christian maxims since I was a child, and use this as my code of conduct. The same goes for you. But my memory seems to be better than you. You forgot, there is a word in front of that sentence-love, "loving money is the root of all evil"."
"What did you say?" Hansen's mouth was wide open, as if to swallow a whale. I really hope he has such a big appetite for making money.
"Yes, young man," I patted him on the shoulder, and said, "The Bible is rooted in the dignity and love of mankind. It is a respect for the highest soul of the universe. You can quote the words in it without fear and bring life to life. Entrust it. So when you quote the wisdom of the Bible directly, what you quote is the truth.'Love money is the source of all evil.' Oh, that's it. Love money is only a means of worship, not an end. If you don’t have the means, you won’t be able to achieve your goal. That is to say, he only knows to be a miser, then money is the root of all evil.”
"Think about it, young man," I reminded Hansen, "If you have money, you can benefit your family and friends, give them a happy and happy life, and benefit society even more, and save the helpless. Poor people, then money becomes the source of happiness."
"Young man, for every penny in your hand, you add a penny to your future destiny. Make money," I persuaded him. "You shouldn't let those paranoid ideas lock your powerful hands. You should Take time to get rich because you have money. New York is full of opportunities to get rich. You should get rich, and you can get rich. Remember, boy, although you are a hurried visitor in the world, you still have to be slippery. There is a light of life."
I don’t know whether Hansen can accept my advice. If he can’t, I will regret him. He looks very strong and his head is not stupid.
I always thought that everyone should take time to get rich. Of course, some things are indeed more valuable than money. When we see a grave full of autumn leaves, we can't help feeling an unspeakable sadness, because I know that some things are indeed noble than money. Especially those who have suffered more deeply understand that some things are sweeter, more noble, and more sacred than gold. However, everyone with common sense knows that none of those things are not greatly improved by money. Money is not necessarily everything, but in our world, many things are inseparable from money!
Love is the greatest thing God has given us, but a lover who has a lot of money can make love happier, and money has such power!
If a person says "I don't want money", it is equivalent to saying: "I don't want to serve my family, friends, and compatriots." This statement is absurd, but it is also absurd to sever the relationship between the two!
I believe in the power of money, and I believe that everyone should of course make money. However, religion has a strong prejudice against this idea, because some people believe that being a poor people of God is the supreme glory. I once heard a man praying at a prayer meeting and said that he was very grateful that he was a poor child of God. I couldn’t help but think to myself: If this man’s wife heard her husband talk so nonsense, I wonder what would happen What do you think? He would definitely think he married the wrong person.
I don’t want to see such poor people of God again, and I don’t think God wants to! I can say that if someone who should have been wealthy is cowardly and incompetent because of poverty, then he must have committed an extremely serious mistake; he is not only unfaithful and loyal to himself, but also bad to his family!
I cannot say that the amount of money earned can be used as a criterion for success in life, but almost without exception, you can use the amount of money outside to measure a person’s contribution to society. The more your income, the more your contribution. When I think that I have made countless people prosperous forever, I feel that I have a great life.
I believe that God made diamonds for his people-not for Satan's and others. The only warning God has given us is that we cannot make money or earn other things in violation of God's circumstances. Doing that will only add to our guilt. To get money, a lot of money is understandable, as long as we get it in a proper way, instead of letting money drag our noses away.
Some people don’t have money because they don’t understand money. They think that money is cold and hard. In fact, money is neither cold nor hard-it is soft and warm, it makes us feel good, and the color and luster can match the clothes we wear.
The reason why I am me is created by my past beliefs. Frankly speaking, when I felt that the world was suffering due to poverty, I had a belief: I should be a rich man and I have no right to be poor. Over time, this belief became as hard as steel.
When I was young, it was the time when the idea of worshiping gold was sacred. At that time, tens of thousands of gold prospectors rushed into California with dreams of getting rich, even though it was later discovered that the gold rush was just a trap. But it has greatly aroused the desire of millions of people to make money, including me, a child who is only more than ten years old.
At that time, my family was in a dilemma, and I often had to accept help from kind people. My mother is a very self-respecting person. She hopes that I can shoulder the responsibility of being the eldest son and build this family well. My mother's desire and teachings have cultivated me a sense of responsibility that will remain unchanged for life. I made a vow: I cannot become a poor person, I want to make money, and I want to use wealth to change the destiny of my family!
In the dream of getting rich in my youth, money is not just a tool for my family to lead a rich and worry-free life, but a society where money can be exchanged for moral dignity by giving it—spend it wisely. Status, these things are far more exciting to me than luxurious, magnificent residences and beautiful and beautiful costumes!
My understanding of money has strengthened my belief in making money and becoming a rich man, and this belief has given me incomparable fighting spirit to chase wealth.
My son, there is nothing more pitiful and contemptible than someone who makes money for the sake of making money. I know how to make money: let money be my slave and not let me be a slave of money. This is how I do it.
love your father
July 26, 1906
Rockefeller famous quote:
1. I should be a rich man, I have no right to be poor.
2. Let money be my slave, and not let me be the slave of money.
3. For every penny in the hand, it adds a penny to the power to determine future destiny.
(责任编辑：立暖) |