"The Lightning Speed Internet Sales Success Course" LESSON #8 © 1997 B.S.A. / F.M. http://web.idirect.com/~bsa/index.htm _______________________________ THE TOPIC: The one single book that 7 out of 10 rags-to-riches millionaires say influenced them more than any other. THE ANSWER: The answer: "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand. I'm sure you've probably heard about this book. I learned from Eric Worre, TPN vice president, that 7 out of 10 self made millionaires said that this book was the one single greatest influence on their lives. (I'm not sure when this study was done). I know, this probably isn't the answer you were expecting. Perhaps you were thinking it would be "How To Swim With The Sharks And Not Get Eaten" or "My Life In Advertising" or "The Art Of War". What's all the fuss about this book? You'll have to read it yourself to find out. In the meantime, here's a description of it ... ATLAS SHRUGGED The astounding story or a man who said that he would stop the motor of the world -and did. Is he a destroyer - or a liberator? Why does he have to fight his battle not against his enemies but against those who need him most? Why does he fight his hardest battle against the woman he loves? You will know the answer to these questions when you discover the reason behind the baffling events that play havoc with the lives of the amazing men and women in this remarkable new book by the author of The Fountainhead. You will discover why a productive genius became a worthless playboy ... why a great steel industrialist was working for his own destruction ... why a philosopher became a pirate ... why a composer gave up his career on the night of his triumph ... why a beautiful woman who ran a transcontinental railroad fell in love with the man she had sworn to kill. Tremendous in scope, breathtaking in its suspense, ATLAS SHRUGGED is unlike any other book you've ever read. It is a mystery story, not about the murder of a man's body, but about the murder - and rebirth - of man's spirit. _ _ _ _ _ My friends and I read Atlas Shrugged in high school. I've probably read it 5 times by now. In fact I still remember a quote from it: "I swear by my life and by my love of it that I will never live my life for another man nor ask any other man to live their life for me" - or words to that effect. I don't like to be limited by my subject matter, so let me ramble here a bit ... a) to find (and order) any book at all in the world go to ... http://www.amazon.com b) I love everything written by Robert Anton Wilson. He has given me a staggeringly larger worldview than I once had. In fact he's sort of ruined other authors for me. I can't imagine ever learning as much from any other author. c) If you haven't read "The Way Of Life", the 1940's English interpretation of Lao Tzu's ancient writings by Witter Bynner, for God's sake do so as soon as possible. d) Anything written by Robert J. Ringer will open your eyes. A tad overly dogmatic, though. e) A tip for anybody who gets a little TOO comfortable with their philosophies: go and find some books that DISAGREE with your basic philosophies instead of just re-inforcing what you already believe and putting yourself in a dogmatic corner. Love capitalism? Read some Marxist literature. Love Jesus? Investigate Islam and Taoism a little, or read about some of the Goddess religions that pre-date Christianity by thousands of years. Love or hate network marketing? Let somebody who disagrees with you explain their point of view to you. You can't learn while you're talking or writing. Put your pen down, shut your mouth and do some listening and reading. The world is a school.