The Richest Man in Babylon

Clason claims people have a universal desire to experience good luck, and raises the question of if, and how, a person can attract luck. When men in ancient Babylon had questions, they went to the Temple of Learning, where teachers volunteered their knowledge for anyone who wanted to learn. Clason claims that this informal school was open to men of all classes who could question and debate what they learned. Arkad is one of these teachers.

A student asks Arkad how he can become lucky. The men discuss their poor luck at gaming tables where they pray to the Goddess but rarely win. Arkad shares that the Goddess does not pay attention to trivial matters like gaming, but instead wants “to aid those who are in need and reward those who are deserving” (39). As such, Arkad says that the men will find the goddess in “places where the doings of men are more worthwhile and more worthy of reward” (39).

Arkad explains that people are more likely to be “lucky” and make a profit from their honest work, rather than at the gaming tables where “the chances of profit are always against him” (39). He goes on to logically analyze how often the gamekeepers win and the game’s players lose, telling the men that their chances of winning are low. He builds on this idea to point out that the wealthy men he knows did not become successful through gambling.

One older man stands and shares a story about failing to invest his income in a profitable scheme as a young man. He now regrets that he “did permit good luck to escape” (41). Another man tells a similar story of how he passed up the opportunity to buy a large flock of sheep for a very good deal but felt unprepared and procrastinated in his decision making. He also regrets allowing such a great opportunity to bypass him. The men ask a merchant how he confronts procrastination. The merchant admits that he had to “recognize and conquer” procrastination in his younger years, and that it was “ever watching and waiting to thwart my accomplishments” (44).

Arkad agrees that procrastination is a major enemy of success and asks the men how they view good luck in light of their conversation. The weaver, who asked about how to attain good luck, now feels that “to attract good luck to oneself, it is necessary to take advantage of opportunities” (45). Arkad agrees with this assessment and urges his listeners to be “men of action” who act decisively when they are presented with opportunities (45). Clason ends this passage with the statement, “Men of action are favored by the goddess of good luck” (45).