The one thing I learn more and more is that you don’t have to be smart to make money. Now, not to say that life is all about making money. Far from it in fact from my perspective. But, when it comes to making money, there are many interesting observations that have become more evident as I get older, er, wiser, or something.

People who make money are most often persistent, passionate, respectful, and whole bunch of things. But you don’t have to be smart to make money. A good dose of chutzpah helps and being a mench is key. Charm never hurt, and of course, the most important ingredient, luck. But one does not have to be an academic to make money.

I know many many smart people who have no money and I know many rich people who are not smart. In fact I remember a very wise man once saying that making money is about 10% seichel (smarts) and 90% mazal (luck) and those you use more seichel always land up making less money.

Yes, when you get too clever for your own good we generally mess things up. So, don’t mess with a winning formula! Don’t forgot who you are and where you have come from – stay grounded.

And always remember to say what you mean and mean what you say.

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints.

We spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less.

We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; we have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, but more problems; more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry too quickly, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too seldom, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values.

We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life; we’ve added years to life, not life to years.

We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor.

We’ve conquered outer space, but not inner space.

We’ve done larger things, but not better things.

We’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul.

We’ve split the atom, but not our prejudice.

We write more, but learn less.

We plan more, but accomplish less.

We’ve learned to rush, but not to wait.

We build more computers to hold more information to produce more copies than ever, but have less communication.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion; tall men, and short character; steep profits, and shallow relationships.

These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare; more leisure, but less fun; more kinds of food, but less nutrition.

These are days of two incomes, but more divorce; of fancier houses, but broken homes.

These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throw-away morality, one-night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer to quiet, to kill.

It is a time when there is much in the show window and nothing in the stockroom; a time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete.