Of All People, John D. Rockefeller Embraced The Idea That Struggling Was Good For You
The famous magnate was incredibly wealthy and also believed that tough times helped you
Nearly a century after his death, famed business magnate John D. Rockefeller is still used as a common euphemism for wealth. To live like a Rockefeller is to lead a life of unabashed opulence and excess. However, one thing the fabulously rich man believed fervently was that there were few things as good for a person to experience as struggle.
Born in 1939, Rockefeller came from a family of some means, However, he took that to heights never seen before, establishing Standard Oil and becoming the wealthiest man in the United States. By 1913, his net worth was estimated to be $900 million, which represented nearly 3% of the entire country’s gross domestic product (GDP). In short order, he became the country’s first billionaire, and when he died in 1937, he left behind some $1.4 billion (worth more than $30 billion in modern value).
Having so much money, the press practically hung on every one of Rockefeller’s words, perhaps hoping that he might dispense some advice that would reveal the secrets of accumulating such sums of money. It’s true he was accused regularly of predatory business practices, but he was…
