the carnegie dictum

A good example that we all can look up to is Andrew Carnegie who can be regarded as the richest self-made man of all time. He followed this three-part dictum in his life:

• To spend the first third of one’s life getting all the education one can.
• To spend the next third making all the money one can.
• To spend the last third giving it all away for worthwhile causes.

To sum up Carnegie’s philosophy, our first priority is to educate ourselves well, build assets patiently until we have sufficient wealth for ourselves and spend rest of our life sharing our wealth with others.

The first two parts of his dictum communicate that we need to take care of ourselves and our growth, and establish ourselves first. Only then, we’ll be able to help others successfully and contribute meaningfully to their lives.