/lit/ - Literature

An excerpt from book 'How to Get Rich' by Donald J. Trump

"I find reading psychology and self-help books useful. Carl Jung’s theories fascinate me and keep my mind open to my own—and the collective—unconscious. Reading his books can also be a good form of self-defense.

There’s a lot we don’t know about ourselves. Likewise, there’s a lot we may not know about everyone else. Jung used the word psyche to refer to both the conscious and the unconscious processes. (That’s where the word psycho comes from, by the way.) I first became aware of Jung through an acquaintance who had endured some extreme ordeals, yet he remained calm. I couldn’t fathom where he got this sort of grace under fire demeanor, so I asked him, and he told me that Jung’s ideas kept him centered...

This synopsis of his philosophy made such an impact on me that I immediately started reading about Carl Jung. I’m glad I did, because it helped me in my business as well as in my personal life. We are all evolving human beings, and being aware of this gave me a big boost toward maturity. It also made me less inclined to be surprised by so-called aberrant behavior. I have to stress that I am not cynical, but I am aware. I hate being in situations where I’m asking myself,How could this have happened? This reminds me of my favorite quote from Napoleon about being surprised: A good leader shouldn’t be.

...You have to know yourself as well as know other people to be an effective leader. For me, reading the work of Carl Jung was a step in the right direction. If someone had told me in business school that studying psychology would be important for financial success, I would not have believed it."