Post: #1

Written in 1834. Available for free at gutenberg

My main point of interest is Chapter 2.

What do you think of this excerpt:

Quote:Let 1,000 young men, at the age of 30 years, enter into business with a given amount of capital, all acquired by their own hard earnings, and let them pursue their business 30 years faithfully; that is, till they are 60 years of age. Let 1,000 others commence at the age of 20, with three times the amount of capital possessed by the former, but at the same time either inherited, or loaned by their friends, and let them pursue their calling till they are 60 years of age; or for a period of 40 years. We will suppose the natural talents, capacity for doing business, and expenditures—in fact every thing,—the same, in both cases. Now it requires no gift of prophecy to foretell, with certainty, that at 60 years of age a far greater proportion of the 1,000, who began at 30 and depended solely on their own exertions, will be men of wealth, than of those who began at 20 with three times their capital. The reason of these results is found in the very nature of things, as I have shown both above, and in my remarks on industry.
But these views are borne out by facts. Go into any city in the United States, and learn the history of the men who are engaged in active and profitable business, and are thriving in the world, and my word for it, you will find the far greater part began life with nothing, and have had no resources whatever but their own head and hands. And in no city is this fact more strikingly verified than in Boston. On the other hand, if you make a list of those who fail in business from year to year, and learn their history, you will find that a very large proportion of them relied on inheritances, credit, or some kind of foreign aid in early life;—and not a few begun very young.

Is this concept outdated today? He continues more about this subject. Basically he says 'stand on your own feet first, no matter your circumstances before seriously going in business'.

Post: #2

Like most.adages and parables, it doesn't bare out in modern life. Zuckerberg's attempt to buy snapchat.from billionaire Spiegel of snap chat fame is the most recent public example of how.wealth can stay "all up in the family " ( c) Ghostface

The rich often get richer despite their ineptitude. The powerful gain more power.even when.their morals fail.