W. D. Wattles’ seminal work, The Science of Getting Rich, first published in 1910, is not a philosophical treatise upon theories, but a practical manual intended for men and women whose most pressing need is for money. The book’s radical assertion, central to its framework, is found in Chapter II: There is a Science of Getting Rich. This chapter declares that acquiring wealth is not a product of luck, environment, or superior talent, but the inevitable consequence of following specific, demonstrable laws.
Wattles expects readers to accept his fundamental conclusions upon faith and prove their truth by acting upon them without fear or hesitation. He guarantees that the science applied here is an exact science, making failure impossible for those who adhere to its principles.
Table of Contents
The Laws Governing Riches
The core principle of this science is defined with clarity: Getting rich is an exact science, like algebra or arithmetic.
This absolute certainty stems from a foundational natural law: like causes always produce like effects. The ownership of money and property results from doing things in a Certain Way. Consequently, any man or woman who learns and obeys these laws will infallibly get rich.
Wattles contrasts those who succeed by doing things in this Certain Way (whether accidentally or on purpose) with those who, despite working hard or being highly capable, remain poor because they fail to employ this method.
Dispelling the Myth of Environment
One of the most powerful arguments presented in Chapter II is the elimination of external circumstances as the primary cause of wealth or poverty.
- Geographic location is secondary: If getting rich were solely a matter of environment, all people in certain neighborhoods or cities would be wealthy, while those in others would remain poor.
- The evidence of contradiction: We consistently observe rich and poor living side by side. They often inhabit the same environment and are engaged in the same vocations.
- The true determinant: When two men operate the same business in the same neighborhood, and one succeeds while the other fails, it “shows that getting rich is not, primarily, a matter of environment”. While location counts for something—one would not expect successful business in the heart of the Sahara—the fact remains that if anyone else in your town or state can get rich, so can you.
Talent, Thrift, and the Certain Way
Wattles systematically debunks other common explanations for wealth, further solidifying his assertion that the Certain Way is the sole deciding factor:
- Talent is not the cause: The ability to operate in this Certain Way is not due solely to the possession of talent. Many highly talented people remain poor, while individuals with very little talent achieve riches. Those who acquire wealth are often an average lot in all respects, having no greater talents than other men; they succeed simply because they happen to do things in a Certain Way.
- Saving is not the cause: Getting rich is not the result of saving, or “thrift”. Many penurious (very saving) people are poor, while free spenders often become rich.
- Action alone is insufficient: It is not simply doing things that others fail to do. Two men in the same business may do almost exactly the same things, yet one gets rich while the other remains poor or goes bankrupt.
The ultimate conclusion derived from these observations is that getting rich results entirely from doing things in a Certain Way. This realization brings the acquisition of wealth “within the domain of exact science“.
Universal Accessibility: Anyone Can Succeed
The Science of Getting Rich is not reserved for an elite few; it is universally accessible. Wattles dismisses the idea that the Certain Way might be too difficult to follow, noting that rich people include talented individuals and “blockheads,” intellectually brilliant and very stupid people, and the physically strong and the weak.
- Intellectual Requirement: Only some degree of ability to think and understand is essential, but “any man or woman who has sense enough to read and understand these words can certainly get rich”.
- Business Selection: While you will naturally do best in a business you like or one suited to your developed talents or locality (e.g., a salmon fishery in the Northwest rather than Florida), getting rich is not dependent upon your engaging in some particular business. If someone else is getting rich in your current line of business, and you are not, it is solely because you are not doing things in the same Way that the successful person is doing them.
- The Power of Starting Without Capital: Crucially, no one is prevented from getting rich by lack of capital. While having capital makes increase easier and more rapid, those with capital are already rich. The getting of capital is a part of the process of getting rich and invariably follows the doing of things in the Certain Way. Even if you are the poorest man on the continent, deeply in debt, and lack friends or resources, if you begin to do things in this Way, you must infallibly begin to get rich.
Conclusion
Chapter II establishes the fundamental premise of W. D. Wattles’ philosophy: the journey to wealth is not a chaotic struggle, but an orderly scientific process. Since the universal law dictates that like causes must produce like effects, your immediate task is not to change your environment, talent, or even business, but to learn the exact method. If you are in the wrong location or business, you can still begin right now, in your present business and in your present location, to follow the Certain Way which guarantees success. The following chapters will reveal the first principles required to put this exact science into action.