Then Arkad shared the second law. "A man’s wealth is not in the coins he hoards, but in the gold that works for him . I took my saved coppers and lent them to the armor-maker to buy more tin. He paid me back with interest. I lent to the farmer for a new plow. His extra harvest paid me back. Make your gold your slave, so you may be free."
"Yes," Arkad replied. "But a few coppers today become a handful of silver in a year. A handful of silver becomes a pouch of gold in ten years. This is the first law: pay yourself first ."
Wealth is not what you earn. It is what you keep, what you grow, and what you protect. najbogatiot covek vo vavilon
Arkad nodded. "Anyone can do this. Save a tenth. Let it grow. Avoid loss. Do this for ten years, and you will not be poor. Do it for thirty, and you will dine with kings."
Arkad’s eyes grew serious. "There is a third law: Guard your gold from loss by consulting the wise. Would you ask a baker to heal a broken leg? No. Then do not ask a brick-layer to manage your investments. I lost gold twice—once to a reckless friend, once to a get-rich-quick scheme—until I learned to seek advice from those who understand wealth. Lend only where your gold is safe." Then Arkad shared the second law
Yet, long ago, Arkad was a poor scribe who carved clay tablets for other men’s wages.
Arkad said. "For years, I paid everyone else: the baker, the clothier, the sandal-maker. But I never paid myself. Algamish told me to put aside no less than one-tenth of every coin I earned. Not to spend. To keep." He paid me back with interest
Bansir frowned. "I earn so little. One-tenth is a few coppers."
And while Arkad remained the richest man in Babylon until his final breath, Bansir became the second richest—not because he inherited gold, but because he finally understood the helpful story hidden inside a simple truth: