Acres of Diamonds

Rating:
Summary: Acres of Hot Air
Review: I received this book from a pseudo-intellectual for Christmas. Not wanting this person to feel their efforts were unappreciated I decided to read it. What a waste of time. Conwell is a pontificating windbag intoxicated with his own ego. I guess that's what happens when you have a captured audience and they are compelled to listen to dribble ad nauseum. Basically, Conwell's point could have been made (and understood) in ten pages or less. Why his ramblings continue onward is because his listeners were too polite to stand up and walk out. Conwell needs an elementary lesson how to articulate his thoughts. A self proclaimed professor, Conwell is overcome with himself and weaves a lecture of rehashed parables that cumulate full circle without basis of fact or theory.

Rating:
Summary: Regrets
Review: It is regretable that the writer of "Acres of Hot Air" forgot about the addage concerning a fool. "It is better to keep your mouth shut and let people think you are a fool, than to open it and remove all doubt." If you do not like the book, simply say you did not enjoy the book. No need to be so arrogant.

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Summary: SAGE ADVICE
Review: Really enjoyed this little gem. Abe Lincoln's success formula and others are filled with common sense tactics to leading a rich life. Looking forward to using some of these pearls and passing this book on to those I care about.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book with practical ideas to succeed in business
Review: So much business wisdom in so little space. There are a number of short stories in this book, which will give anyone reading them excellent business advice. A lot these ideas are now being rediscovered by modern management.This book is also the seminal book for many of our modern "How to" succeed in business books. Mr Conwell's personal story is also extremely interesting and of merit. The funds from the lectures on which this book is based were used to found Temple University in Philadelphia. .

Rating:
Summary: Good Book -- Simple Concept portrayed in an excellent manner
Review: Think about a simple lesson you may have learned in your life. How about: The answer you are looking for is usually right in front of you. Well...this is what the book depicts for the reader. It really is well written and the story makes you wonder. By the way...Where are those Acres of Diamonds when you need them?

Rating:
Summary: A Small Gem Everyone Should Read
Review: This book is small, eloquent, and easy to understand. It is about life, success, money, and priorities, what these things are and aren't, and will continue to challenge the way most of us choose to live our lives for years. Read this one instead of "Who Moved My Cheese."

Rating:
Summary: The Invisibility of the Obvious
Review: Toward the end of his life, Russell H. Conwell (1843-1925) observed, "I am astonished that so many people should care to hear this story over again. Indeed, this lecture has become a study in psychology; it often breaks all rules of oratory, departs from the precepts of rhetoric, and yet remains the most popular of any lecture I have delivered in the fifty-seven years of my public life. I have sometimes studied for a year upon a lecture and made careful research, and then presented the lecture just once -- never delivered it again. I put too much work on it. But this had no work on it -- thrown together perfectly at random, spoken offhand without any special preparation, and it succeeds when the thing we study, work over, adjust to a plan, is an entire failure." He then went on to explain to each audience that "acres of diamonds are to be found in this city, and you are to find them. Many have found them. And what man has done, man can do. [They are] are not in far-away mountains or in distant seas; they are in your own back yard if you will but dig for them." These comments provide an excellent introduction to Conwell's book. As I read it, I thought about Dorothy in L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz. Only after a series of adventures far from Kansas did she realize that "there's no place like home." What Conwell has in mind involves far more than such appreciation, however. The tale he shares in this book, concerning a wealthy Persian named Ali Hafed, demonstrates that almost everything we may seek elsewhere is already in our lives and available to us.

Rating:
Summary: You are Here to Be Rich
Review: When you look at what you think that you are not getting in your life --- and you allow yourself to be open to the best that you are really worthy of, you discover ways to stay where you are and to grow. You master being on a path that is made for you. And it is in this awareness you attract all the money that you need. If you are willing to look for opportunities through getting fed up with your greatest pains, I recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: one of the greatest books ever written
Review: Whoever said that great things come in small packages, must have had this book in mind. Conwell tells the story of a man who looked for diamonds and travelled the whole world to find them. After years of searching he came back home empty handed. His wife remarried and he was destitute. By accident one day he found the diamonds in his own backyard. The moral is obvious: Examine all the evidence to find truth. Most of the time its right under your nose. Although conwell uses this story to illustrate some matters of business, the message can be applied to anything. The smartest people in the world use the principles in this book whether they know it or not. The smart and succesful are usually in the minority and probably always will be. Others may not grasp the genius in this book, but the principles of success are here.

Rating:
Summary: one of the greatest books ever written
Review: Whoever said that great things come in small packages, must have had this book in mind. Conwell tells the story of a man who looked for diamonds and travelled the whole world to find them. After years of searching he came back home empty handed. His wife remarried and he was destitute. By accident one day he found the diamonds in his own backyard. The moral is obvious: Examine all the evidence to find truth. Most of the time its right under your nose. Although conwell uses this story to illustrate some matters of business, the message can be applied to anything. The smartest people in the world use the principles in this book whether they know it or not. The smart and succesful are usually in the minority and probably always will be. Others may not grasp the genius in this book, but the principles of success are here.