Motto: Our destiny is determined by our actions, not entirely by our birth. A privileged man without power is a waste, an educated man without influence is a worthless pile of rubbish. (Men of privilege without power are waste-material. Men of enlightenment without influence ate the poorest kind of rubbish.) july20, 1897 Dear John: You want me to sail with you forever, which sounds great, but I'm not your captain forever. God created our feet so that we can walk on our own. Maybe you are not ready to go alone, but you need to know that the challenging and magical business world I am in is the starting point of your new life. From there, you will start to participate Future feast of life.As for how you use the knife and fork placed in front of your life, and how to taste every dish served by the angel of fate, it is entirely up to you.

Of course, I expect you to stand out and outdo me in the not-too-distant future.And my decision to keep you by my side is nothing more than to bring you to a high starting point of your career, so that you can enjoy the opportunity to make rapid progress without having to climb hard. Of course, this is nothing worthy of your rejoicing and showing off, let alone your gratitude.The founding belief of the United States of America is that all men are created equal, but this equality is equality in the sense of rights and laws, and has nothing to do with economic and cultural advantages.Think about it, our world is like a mountain. When your parents live on the top of the mountain, you are destined not to live at the foot of the mountain; when your parents live at the foot of the mountain, you are destined not to live on the top of the mountain.In most cases, the position of the parents determines the starting point of the child's life.

But this does not mean that everyone's starting point is different, and their life results are also different.In this world, there will never be a theory of hereditary poverty and wealth, and there will never be a theory of hereditary success and failure. There is only the truth of my struggle and my success.I am a firm believer that our destinies are determined by our actions, not entirely by our origins. As you know, when I was young, my family was very poor. I remember that all the books I used when I was in middle school were bought for me by kind neighbors. At the beginning of my life, my weekly salary was only 5 yuan. The bookkeeper of money, but through relentless struggle I have built an enviable oil empire.In the eyes of others, this seems to be a legend, but I think it is a reward for my perseverance and active struggle, and a reward for my hard work by the God of Destiny.

John, opportunities will never be equal, but outcomes can be.In history, whether in politics or business, especially in the business world, there are many examples of self-made people. They all had few opportunities because of poverty, but they all became famous because of their struggle.However, history is also littered with rich kids who had all the advantages and failed.According to a statistic from Massachusetts, among the children of seventeen rich people, none of them left this world rich. And a long time ago, there was a story satirizing the incompetence of rich children in the society. It said that in a small bar in Philadelphia, a guest talked about a certain millionaire and said, "He is a self-made millionaire." "Yes," replied a shrewder gentleman next door, "he inherited twenty millions, and he turned it into a million."

It's a harrowing story.But in our society today, the children of rich families are in a dilemma. Many of them are destined to receive sympathy and pity, and even go to hell. A family's history of glory and success does not guarantee a bright future for its children and grandchildren.I admit that an early advantage does go a long way, but it doesn't guarantee a win in the end.I have thought about this sad question more than once for the rich kids. It seems to me that the rich kids start to assume the advantages, but have little chance to learn and develop the skills needed to survive.Because of the urgent need to save themselves, people of humble origin will actively display their creativity and ability, and cherish and seize various opportunities.I also observed that the children of rich families lack the ambition to save themselves like the poor and lowly, so they can only pray to God to grant him success.

So, when you and your sisters were very young, I consciously kept you from knowing that your father was a rich man. What I taught you the most were values ​​such as frugality and personal struggle, because I knew that giving people The quickest way to bring harm is to give money, which can make people corrupt, domineering, arrogant, and lose the best happiness.I can't bury my beloved children with wealth and foolishly make you incompetent people who don't think about making progress and only know how to rely on the fruits of your parents. A truly happy person is one who can enjoy his creations.Those who are like sponges who only take but don't give will only lose happiness.

I believe that there is no one who does not desire to live a happy and noble life, but there are not many people who really understand where the noble and happy life comes from.In my opinion, a noble and happy life does not come from a noble blood, nor a noble way of life, but from a noble character-self-reliance, look at those noble people who win the respect of the world and show their charm everywhere, We know the value of self-reliance. John, every move you make will be on my mind.But more than this concern, I have more confidence in you, and I believe that your excellent character, a character more valuable than any wealth in the world, will help you lay a good future and will help you have success. And a fulfilling life.

But you need to reinforce the belief that the starting point may affect the outcome, but not determine it.Factors such as ability, attitude, character, ambition, means, experience and luck play an extremely important role in life and in the world of business.Your life has just begun, but a battle of your life is ahead of you.I can feel deeply that you want to be the winner of this war, but you know that everyone has the will to pursue victory, and only those who are determined to prepare will win. My son, the privileged without power is trash, the educated without influence is worthless rubbish.Find your way and God will help you!

love your father