How to Be Rich [Mass Market Paperback]

J. Paul Getty (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 1, 1986

How to Be Rich J. Paul Getty

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Jove (September 1, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0515087378
• ISBN-13: 978-0515087376
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 0.7 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,377 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

105 of 108 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Knowledge is Power. This book is full of Knowledge. May 22, 1998

By A Customer

Format:Mass Market Paperback

This is not a book about how to get rich. As its title implies, it is a book about how to be rich. Accordingly, much of Getty's advice is directed toward the development of a particular state of mind rather than detailing a formula for monetary acquisition. Although Getty earned the basis of his mega-fortune as a wildcatter in the oilfields of California, Texas and Oklahoma, he was a highly-educated man. Following graduation from college in California, he attended Oxford University, earning a graduate degree there. Only after his return from England did he plunge into the enterprise of oil exploration and drilling that paid off so handsomely. Thus, Getty's book is not the one-dimensional tract so commonly written today by lesser intellects. He discusses what it means to be rich -- the attitudes, the appreciation for the cultural heritage of classical music, literature and art (The Getty museum in California, based on his original collections, is one of the largest repositories of fine art in the world today). He discusses how an individual's outlook and attitudes constitute a virtual program for either success or failure. Then he provides the intellectual tools for changing self-limiting habits and developing productive and beneficial ones. He provides practical advice and an expert evaluation of the various forms of investment. In recent years, we have seen sports figures, entertainers and lawsuit winners squander their fortunes. On the other hand, we have seen immigrants like those who escaped Castro's Cuba with nothing but their lives -- their entire life's work stolen by the communist thugs -- only to earn a second fortune in the US. Why is this? Because, having been rich, they knew how to be rich -- they had programmed themselves to be rich.... Getty's book goes a long way toward imparting that information to its readers. Once in possession of Getty's guidance, however, the hard work of implementing it still lies ahead, but his book is a literary roadmap to success without peer. Read more ›

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars 'Richness' has as much to do with perspective as wealth October 5, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Mass Market Paperback

Getty brilliantly and boldly shares the attitude, ethics, backbone and independent thinking that was the key to his prosperity. Don't look merely for 'how-to-make-more-money' tips: this book transcends that. If you're looking for honest, direct insight on how to 'be' successful in any business day or age, Getty is the man!

36 of 38 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars a hard hitting truthful book November 7, 1997

By A Customer

Format:Mass Market Paperback

A lot of books tell you how to be rich, but they rarely work. This book is truthful and written by a man who in todays dollars would be richer than Bill Gates and Warren Buffett combined. This is the best book I have ever bought on finance. Getty doesn't cut corners on his advice. Best of all this book makes a lot of sense, and doesn't sugar coat the truth. This is something that cannot be said for many books.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars It's about working May 8, 2005

By Naweko San-Joyz

Format:Mass Market Paperback

J. Paul Getty lays a clear map for guiding yourself to richness. Early on, Getty asserts that being "rich" is not a number, but truly a state of mind. In his view, there is no magic potion, mantra or affirmation that will garner you more goodies. If you want money, get out and work for it. If you want to be rich you must work for yourself. And once you hire people, even though you bear all responsibility for what happens, encourage your competent employees to think and act as if they are running their own company.

Getty got rich because he understood the fundamentals of economics, thanks to his parents. Getty reasoned that the whole point of economic growth is to enhance your own life, as well as the lives of those around you.

Wealth and wealth seeking is made to seem loathsome in some altruistic circles. Yet, within the pages of "How To Be Rich", you find a man who consistently laid his ego aside and sweated alongside oil-workers. As his standard of living rose, so did that standard of living of numerous other people around him.

It may appear as if Getty encourages trickle-down economics. Getty worked fast and hard so as to turn any trickle into a gushing spring. If things didn't go his way, Getty maintained a "calm", and thus more productive demeanor, and found solutions. He admits to his screw-ups and delineates characteristics that promote success. In short, Getty delivers a worthwhile read for any aspiring person.

26 of 31 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Being Rich Is A Mindset March 5, 2003

By Super Trader VINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback

This is a great book. Getty is the consumate businessman, but in this book he doesn't discuss the lessons of being rich, he discusses the refinement. The bottom line is that richness is how you act and what your goals are. Everyday is an opportunity to "be rich" take advantage of it.

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Really Surprising and Entertaining March 4, 2004

By Terry Smith

Format:Mass Market Paperback

How To Be Rich surprised me in many ways. J. Paul Getty offers a lot of advice to executives rising through the ranks and those looking to. There's plenty of very entertaining historical coverage of Getty's rise to legendary status starting with the first chapter, How I Made My First Billion, along with other first-hand accounts and stories of his colleges from the era interspersed throughout the book. The book's focus is on how "to be" rich, i.e. the responsibilities thereof, rather than how "to become" rich. Of course, in Getty's case he simply took the skills he learned from working with his father, went out on his own to drill a few holes in the ground, and started pumping oil. There are also chapters regarding investing on Wall Street, in real estate, and in fine art, the later being a particularly interesting chapter. The chapter Art of Individuality is a must-read for anyone who is utterly depressed by the total lack of creativity in today's corporate cubicle conformist culture.