Book: Rockefeller Letters

This is the book cover

This week, I have not been able to spend as much time writing as I would have liked to, and that is largely because I have not been able to put this wonderful book down. Thank you to long time reader Rav Sandhu for this incredible recommendation.

It is 38 of the letters written by JD Rockefeller to his son.

Who is JD Rockefeller?

JD Rockefeller was once the richest man on earth through founding Standard Oil. From humble beginnings in New York he worked his way up as a bookkeeper before investing in oil refining. He was considered a bold industrialist who kept making acquisitions and expanded his business empire. In 1911, Standard Oil controlled over 90% of US oil refining! In response the US government broke up his near monopoly under anti-trust laws. Rockefeller later focused on philanthropy with a focus on education, medical research and the University of Chicago.

What is the book about?

38 Letters from JD Rockefeller to to His Son is a collection of heartfelt advice from John D. Rockefeller to his son, offering wisdom on life, business, and character. Through these letters, Rockefeller shares his experiences, emphasizing hard work, integrity, and the responsible use of wealth.

The tone is both loving and wise, as he guides his son with warmth and deep concern for his moral and personal growth. He encourages humility despite privilege, stresses the importance of faith and service, and warns against excess. His words reflect a father’s devotion, aiming to shape his son into a principled and thoughtful leader.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and it because it was from a father to a son. It felt real unlike the hollow tone of self-help books. It was also brutal. JD Rockefeller insisted his son be more ruthless in pursuit of his goals.

10 take-aways from the book.

1. Wealthy children are at risk of being spoilt due to a lack of struggle

   1. "History has been filled with examples of rich children who were privileged but have failed in life"

   2. "Once rich children begin taking advantage of their family success, they will have little opportunity to learn and develop the skills needed for survival"

   3. "The quickest way to harm someone is to give them money. It can make people corrupt, depraved and arrogant"

2. You need to be ready to look for and take opportunities when they arise

   1. "Visionary businessmen are always good at finding opportunities in the every disaster"

   2. "Luck is the remnant of design"

   3. "The first condition is to know your goals.....the second is knowing what resources you have"

3. Craft your mind and focus to make work pleasurable

   1. "Loving work is a belief...work is a privilege"

   2. "The more difficult or unpleasant the work is, the more urgent it is to accomplish it"

   3. "The highest reward for our hard work is not what we get, but what we become"

4. Don't wait until you have perfected a plan, start!

   1. "If you do not take action, even the world's most practical, beautiful and viable philosophy will not work"

   2. "We must admit that with limited time, no one can complete everything...only concentrate on the work that gives the greatest results"

   3. "If you wait until all conditions are perfect...the opportunity will be given to others"

5. Take risks, and be willing to fail

   1. "You need to know that no one in this world leads a smooth life; on the contrary, they live side by side with failure"

   2. "No matter how detailed the plan is, we still cannot accurately predict the final outcome"

   3. "Passive people do not regard failure as an opportunity for learning and growth, as they are always admonishing themselves"

   4. "Once avoiding failure becomes your motivation for doing things, you embark on a path of laziness and powerlessness"

6. There is a right time to borrow money

   1. "Borrowing money is not a bad thing.....don't treat it like a life buoy when you only use it in times of crisis, but instead treat it as a powerful tool you can use to make opportunities"

   2. "More people make money by borrowing money... buying and selling a dollar profit each is far less profitable than buying and selling a hundred dollars"

7. The importance of Integrity

   1. "The rewards of being honest are enormous"

   2. "Honesty is a method and a strategy"

   3. "I never forget to treat investors, bankers, customers, including competitors with sincerity"

8. The need for optimism and positivity

   1. "Dream + Failure + Challenge = Success"

   2. "Optimistic people will see opportunity in suffering and pessimistic we see suffering in opportunity"

   3. "Every top-notch person who reaches the peak or is almost reaching the peak is positive. They are positive because they regularly enrich their hearts with good, clean, powerful and positive spiritual thoughts"

9. Wealth has attached responsibility

   1. "What is more noble than having huge wealth is to serve the motherland in accordance with its needs"

   2. "Great wealth is also a great responsibility, and I shoulder the mission of benefitting mankind"

   3. "Only fools are pretentious because of money"

10. Keep your mind healthy

    1. "Just like our physical appetite, we also have a spiritual appetite. But many people often use the lack of time as an excuse to keep their hearts hungry"

    2. "People who are thirsty for spiritual energy can be seen everywhere. Those who live in depression, negativity, failure and melancholy, they all desperately need spiritual nourishment"

    3. "Have you heard that the lumberjack's output will decline, just because he did not spare time to sharpen him and his axe?"

I thoroughly recommend the book, and thank Rav again for telling me about it.