The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason teaches seven wealth principles through parables set in ancient Babylon. The most foundational: a part of all you earn is yours to keep. Not to spend later — to keep and grow. These principles have survived for nearly a century because they address human behavior, not market conditions. The patterns they target — spending everything you earn, chasing quick returns, neglecting to invest in yourself — are as intact today as they were in ancient Mesopotamia.
// A PROBLEM AS OLD AS CIVILIZATION
In Clason’s story, there’s a chariot builder named Bansir who arrives at a question that quietly devastates anyone who truly sits with it. He was skilled. He worked hard. He was respected in his trade. And yet, after years of labor, his purse was empty.
His question was simple: how is it that a man can work his entire life and still have nothing to show for it?
His friend Arkad — the wealthiest man in Babylon — gave him an answer that wasn’t secretive, complicated, or clever. It was, in fact, so straightforward that most people who hear it nod in agreement and continue living exactly as they were. The information isn’t hidden. The difficulty is in the doing.
Clason published these parables in 1926, during the years just before the Great Depression, when people needed to hear that small, steady actions still mattered even when the world had lost its footing. That context matters. These principles were written for people starting from nothing — a skilled worker with an empty purse and a willingness to begin.
// THE SEVEN LAWS
01 — A Part of All You Earn Is Yours to Keep
Before any other obligation, set aside a portion of everything you earn. Not to spend later — to keep and grow. The traditional guidance is one tenth. If that feels impossible right now, begin with what you can. But begin. Because if you cannot discipline yourself to live on less than you make, no amount of income will ever be enough. This is the seed from which everything else grows.
02 — Let Your Spending Reflect Your Values
Expenditures expand to fill whatever income is available. This is not a modern problem — it is a human one. The answer isn’t deprivation. It’s becoming conscious of what you’re choosing to pay for and asking honestly whether those choices reflect what you actually care about. Most people are funding a life they didn’t intentionally choose.
03 — Put Your Money to Work
Money saved but not invested is resting when it could be laboring on your behalf. Compound growth requires no special intelligence — only consistency and time. The earlier you begin, the more powerful the effect.
04 — Protect What You Have Built
Before chasing higher returns, secure the foundation. Seek counsel from people who work with money as their vocation, not from those who offer opportunities that sound extraordinary. The emotional cost of losing what you’ve carefully built lingers far longer than the satisfaction of any single gain.
05 — Build Equity, Not Rent
Where possible, own rather than rent. This applies to property, to assets, to the broader architecture of your financial life. Ownership changes your relationship to the future in ways that renting never fully can. It roots you.
06 — Create Systems That Work Without You
There is a difference between accumulating money and building something that generates it. The goal is to create assets and systems that produce income whether you are actively working or not. This is the difference between employment and sovereignty.
07 — Invest in Yourself Above All Else
Jim Rohn taught that the most important work you will ever do is the work you do on yourself. Your earning capacity is a direct reflection of the value you bring. Every skill you develop, every problem you learn to solve, every domain of expertise you build makes you more valuable. This is the one investment that compounds in every direction at once.
// THE STOIC PERSPECTIVE
Seneca wrote that it’s not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor.
The wealth principles from Babylon aren’t about accumulation for its own sake. They’re about building a financial foundation that supports the life you actually want — one where money serves your values instead of consuming your attention. Kahlil Gibran understood this too. He wrote that work done with love is how a person keeps faith with themselves and with the world. The Wealth Engine isn’t purely financial. It’s existential. What you do with money reflects what you believe about yourself and what you think you deserve.
FAQ
What percentage should I save?
The traditional guidance is 10%. If that isn’t possible right now, start with 5% or even 2%. The habit of paying yourself first matters more than the amount. The pattern compounds.
Do these principles work in 2026?
Yes — because they address human behavior, not market conditions. The tendency to spend everything you earn, to chase quick returns, to neglect investing in yourself — these patterns are timeless.
Do these principles work for people starting from zero?
That’s exactly who they were written for. Bansir, the character who learns these lessons, is a skilled worker with an empty purse. The principles assume you start with nothing but a willingness to begin.
How is this different from budgeting?
Budgeting tracks what you spend. These principles build a system where money works for you — saving, investing, protecting, growing. Different layer, different outcome.
Why does investing in yourself increase income?
Your income follows your value. Every skill you develop makes you better at solving problems that matter to other people. This is the one investment that pays dividends in every direction simultaneously.
// BUILD YOUR WEALTH ENGINE
The Wealth Engine is Chapter 5 of Self.exe — a 9-chapter personal operating system that integrates Stoic philosophy, Babylonian wealth principles, Musashi’s warrior discipline, and modern self-concept psychology into one working framework. Every chapter includes exercises you complete yourself. Not a book you read once. A system you install and return to.
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Self.exe: A Personal Operating System for Identity, Wealth, and Growth by Wyatt Mercer. Available as a digital workbook and paperback.