Money, which represents the prose of life, and which is hardly spoken of in parlors without an apology, is, in its effects and laws, as beautiful as roses. –Ralph Waldo Emerson

Emerson is one of the writers that Wattles endorses as sharing the philosophies of The Science of Getting Rich. Emerson talks of money’s effects being as beautiful as roses. And being ‘the prose of life’ means money is like ordinary speech, a way of expression. Roses decorate our lives, speech helps us connect with others and Emerson’s statement reflects the same sentiments as Wattles:

In this book, I shall not speak of riches in a figurative way; to be really rich does not mean to be satisfied or contented with a little. No man ought to be satisfied with a little if he is capable of using and enjoying more. The purpose of Nature is the advancement and unfoldment of life; and every man should have all that can contribute to the power; elegance, beauty, and richness of life; to be content with less is sinful.

Listen to all of chapter 1 when you are ready. I have embedded it here:

If you have the wherewithal to make the most of yourself and your life it not only makes your life more pleasant and meaningful but it lifts those around you. With sufficient means you inspire others to move forward with their lives, for your family you provide stability and will be able to provide education and the things that can help them form in a positive way. When you imbue your life and family with values, with a spirit of all things being possible then as Emerson alludes, moneys effects is as beautiful as roses.

One of the misnomers is that “money is the root of all evil.” This is attributed to the Bible and used to justify failure. In fact the Bible says, “the love of money is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10).” Emerson and Wattles are not talking about the love of money but rather of money as a tool for bringing good things to life.

If you consider money as being like an ordinary expression of life then you can appreciate it like good words. Good words lift and inspire but words can also tear down. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t use words rather that you should use your words in a beneficial way and leave the words that tear down behind.

The whole discussion of money is not so a man may become the biggest glutton in the world, not to be the biggest consumer, not to be a Jabba the Hutt – fat and controlling, but so he may fully participate in life and produce value — to empower himself and others. Emerson in his lecture on wealth says:

Every man is a consumer, and ought to be a producer. He fails to make his place good in the world, unless he not only pays his debt, but also adds something to the common wealth. Nor can he do justice to his genius, without making some larger demand on the world than a bare subsistence. He is by constitution expensive, and needs to be rich.

And we’ll leave it there for now.