The Soul of Money: Reclaiming the Wealth of Our Inner Resources (Paperback)

~ Lynne Twist (Author), (Contributor)
Key Phrases: conversation for sufficiency, toxic myth, relationship with money, Mother Teresa, The Hunger Project, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

This is the best book I have ever read about values, money and abundance. It makes you look at . . . these things from a new perspective. (Lynne Franks - The Sunday Express )

Product Description

"An inspired, utterly fascinating book….A book for everyone who would like to make the world a better place."—Jane Goodall This unique and fundamentally liberating book shows us that examining our attitudes toward money—earning it, spending it, and giving it away—can offer surprising insight into our lives, our values, and the essence of prosperity.

Lynne Twist, a global activist and fundraiser, has raised more than $150 million for charitable causes. Through personal stories and practical advice, she demonstrates how we can replace feelings of scarcity, guilt, and burden with experiences of sufficiency, freedom, and purpose. In this Nautilus Award-winning book, Twist shares from her own life, a journey illuminated by remarkable encounters with the richest and poorest, from the famous (Mother Teresa and the Dalai Lama) to the anonymous but unforgettable heroes of everyday life. .

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: W.W. Norton & Co. (October 17, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 039332950X
• ISBN-13: 978-0393329506
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #24,949 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #22 in	Books > Business & Investing > Industries & Professions > Nonprofit Organizations & Charities
  #23 in	Books > Business & Investing > Economics > Money & Monetary Policy
  #54 in	Books > Business & Investing > Personal Finance > Budgeting & Money Management

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars HAVE MORE, GIVE MORE MONEY - read this to find out how!, October 9, 2006

By	Arielle Ford (La Jolla, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It one delightful, entertaining and meaningful book, Lynne Twist explains how to lead an abundant life that benefits you, your family AND the world. I read the hardcover edition more than three years and am still benefitting from it today. If this book were required reading, the world would be a place that works for everyone.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Being Authentic; Enjoying a Life of Meaning; & Making a Difference, October 19, 2008

By	Thomas M. Loarie (Danville, CA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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Are you in a life long struggle between money and the calling of your soul? Is money at odds with your most deeply held values, commitments, and ideals? Do you have an inner hunger to be authentic, to have a life of meaning, a life in which you can make a difference? If yes, then Lynne Twist's "The Soul of Money: Reclaiming the Wealth of Our Inner Resources" was written for you. As Deepak Chopra notes, "To anyone who wants to transform their lives and the world, I give this book my highest recommendation."

Author Twist has found that there are striking commonalities across cultures in our basic human relationship with money and the way that relationship governs, dominates, and stresses our lives. In each culture, Twist has seen the powerful grip that money has on our lives, the wounds and hardship that it can impose, and the immense healing power of even the smallest amount of money when we use it to express our humanity - our highest ideals and our most soulful commitments and values.

"The Soul of Money" offers a way to "realign our relationship with money to be more truthful, free, and potent, enabling us to live a life of integrity and full self-expression consistent with our deepest core values, no matter what our financial circumstances. The book is not about turning away from money or simplifying expenditures, or doing budgets or financial planning, although the wisdom gained will be relevant to all those activities. This book is about living consciously, fully, and joyfully in our relationship with money, and learning to understand and embrace its flow. It is about using the unexamined portal of our relationship with money to deliver a widespread transformation in all aspects of our lives."

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Soul for Sale, October 9, 2009

By	T. Cody Swift "tcswift" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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The basic objective of the author is to legitimize a set of mechanisms through which those with wealth can buy, and self-justifiably reconnect with their "soul". Through various assumptions about the inherent good and power of the charitable dollar, the author attempts to create a social trend where philanthropy is glamorized, and thus those with vast amounts of money can feel warm-hearted and self-important. In one sense, her efforts are quite merited, attempting to realign the selfish desires of the ego (social power, ascension, prestige) with the needs of the impoverished societies. On the other hand, the author's thesis further justifies great concentrations of wealth, perpetuating investments in harmful business practices, and further growing the disparities in personal finance to fund this new trend in philanthropy consumerism.

Two assumptions in this book lacking consideration:

-The author naively posits charitable giving to be fundamentally good. The author places huge bias on her own value framework for "good" philanthropic causes- like ending world hunger. However, she never considers the great level of subjectivity in what might actually nourish someone's soul. What if someone's soul is truly fulfilled by funding racist, sexist, elitist causes...like the recent blow to gay rights in CA with the Mormon's support of Prop 8. I doubt the author would be thrilled about that, even though the supporters' souls were probably quite satisfied from that victory.

-The author also makes the assumption that it is the private sector's responsibility to take on great fundamental issues like health care, education, public safety, and providing food and water. The author does this in part to motive individual responsibility and charitable giving on heart-wrenchingly dire issues. However, it is the role of the tax dollars we pay, delegated by the government we elect, to address those larger issues. By convincing the individual that it is their responsibility to "end hunger", it is giving people a false sense of importance and purpose, while quickly sucking up funds that could have better been used to reform our failed democracy and government to do their job.

For a more rational look: American Foundations: An Investigative History