Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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71 of 74 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Knowledge is Power. This book is full of Knowledge., 22 May 1998
By A Customer
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.
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31 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What a bloke!, 8 Nov 1999
By A Customer
JP Getty is an amazing bloke. I can only admire his hands on approach to his working life, preferring to work side by side with his workers and seeing for himself problems which arise and solving them with the people who count. This is not about how to be rich but how to be successful in business. This book gives you useful tips on how to manage and get the best out of your people and your business.
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21 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
For those with focus, a clear business vision reaps rewards, 10 May 1999
By A Customer
J. Paul Getty's honesty was fascinating in my view. He made a fortune (dollarwise) yet was married many times, seeing women as another kind of wine to be enjoyed yet admitting that perhaps he would have been happier in life with perhaps a modest income and only a single mate throughout his lifetime. He distinguishes between a true entrepreneur (like himself) vs others with almost the same God-given talent who do not achieve business goals as effectively as he does. J. Paul Getty was a very thoughtful man who I believe cared, in his own imperfect way, for society and for the people who worked for him. In my view, J. Paul Getty did give back to the community some of the financial rewards he received by serving the community well with a good solid business idea. Thank you J. Paul Getty for your unique insights into the world and the world of business.
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