How to Get Rich

Felix Dennis doesn’t write like a polite mentor. He writes like someone grabbing you by the collar and saying, “Before you chase this, understand what it actually costs.”

The book’s first move is psychological, not practical: Dennis tries to strip away the fantasy version of wealth—the version where you work hard, win big, and then float into a life of freedom and gratitude. He argues that most people want the image of being rich (respect, options, safety) without wanting the process (risk, boredom, humiliation, obsession, and years of instability).

To make the point real, imagine two people:

Person A says they want to be rich, but they also want evenings free, weekends sacred, predictable income, and everyone to approve of their choices.

Person B says they want to be rich and is willing to look foolish for years, take uncomfortable bets, lose friends, and build a life that doesn’t look “balanced” from the outside.

Dennis’s claim is that only Person B has any shot at the kind of wealth he’s talking about—and even then, luck has to cooperate.

What Dennis Means by “Rich” and Why That Definition Changes Everything

Dennis isn’t talking about being “comfortable.” He’s talking about the level of wealth where you can make large decisions without financial consequences meaningfully touching you—where you can take risks that would terrify most people, and you can survive losses that would destroy most families.

That definition matters because it exposes a trap:

• If your goal is financial security, you can get there with a high-income career + disciplined investing.

• If your goal is extreme wealth, Dennis argues you need ownership, and you need the willingness to play a much more volatile game.

Example:
A surgeon earning $400k/year can build a strong net worth over time. But their income is still tied to their labor, licensing, health, and time. A business owner who builds a brand and sells it has the possibility of a single liquidity event—one deal—that leaps past decades of salary.

Dennis is saying: if you want the leap, you need to accept the leap’s risks.

The “War” Mentality: The Cost Is Not Abstract—It’s Personal

Dennis warns that the pursuit of wealth can require a mindset similar to marching into battle—not because business is literally war, but because the emotional demands can be brutal.

Relationships get strained because ambition is greedy

When you’re building something from scratch, time disappears. Stress rises. Your attention narrows.

Example:
You start a small media brand. The early wins feel exciting—your first clients, your first ad revenue, your first real momentum. But then growth demands more:

• You’re answering customer messages at midnight.

• You’re rewriting sales pages at 2 a.m.

• You miss birthdays because “this quarter matters.”

• Your partner stops complaining… and starts emotionally detaching.

Dennis’s point is uncomfortable: even if your intention is “I’m doing this for my family,” the experience for your family may be “you weren’t here.”

Public failure is part of the ticket price

Dennis insists that wealth-seekers must become comfortable being mocked.

Example:
You quit your stable job to build an online education business. You post about it publicly. Six months later, you’re struggling. People who ...