We are going to provide the third and final excerpt from this truly inspiring book that was writing by a gentleman that was born before his time in the 1500’s. Later in the week we will provide the full name of the author, the title of the book and where one can purchase this book for between 3-5 dollars. In addition to this we will provide a link that will enable anyone to download a free copy of one his books; this book is different from the one we have quoted.  

We have stated so many times in the past that the basic principles of mass psychology are so simple, that its simplicity is what makes it difficult. The masses are taught that everything good must be hard to learn or acquire; nothing could be further from the truth and the only thing true here is the stupidity behind those that make this statement.  What so called experts, master psychologists, economists and the general masses are doing is that they are confusing the concept of hard work with patience.   Patience and hard work have nothing in common; in fact many impatient individuals are very hard working and they are forever getting clobbered on the head when it comes to investing and consequently many patient individuals hardly work hard at all, yet they make some of the best investment choices out there.  The only two things one needs to succeed in life are patience and discipline and if one masters these one masters mass psychology or put in another way if one masters mass psychology one masters these two very important disciplines.  Thus never ever make the mistake of confusing hard work with true success for they are not connected at all.  We use the word true success because one can indeed make a lot of money from working oneself to death and neglecting ones health or the development of ones mental facilities but then is it true wealth or true success if you have several million in the bank and your health is shot to pieces.  We would actually call that true poverty for without your health all the money in the world is worth nothing.  Optimum health is priceless.  

So to summarise one has to be willing to take a deep look at oneself, one has to be willing to strip all the layers of deceit or pretence one has put up for the rest of the world. Only then can one get an insight into what one wants. It does not take a lot of work, all you have to do is sit down and honestly ask yourself what is it that makes you happy? To help your mind fall into the right state all you have to do is go back to your childhood or to a time when you had almost nothing to worry about and then look at what it was that made you happy then. 9 out of 10 times you will find that those very same things that made you happy then are what will bring joy and light to your life now.  When you do this also you will be able to instantaneously see all the nonsense and the fake lives everyone around you is living. When you see this you will be able to spot a good investment from a bad one, you will be able to understand that the principles of patience and discipline have nothing in common with hard work, in fact they are very easy and simple to master. But to do all this you need to strip yourself to the very bare bones and then and only then will you be in a position to truly take the first powerful step up on the stair case of understanding mass psychology.  As more and more investors enter into the financial markets and start to tinker around with fundamental analysis and technical analysis; the only true powerful tool that will separate you from the packs will be mass psychology. As we enter the 21^st century this old and almost forgotten science is going to be one of the most powerful tools out there; it worked marvellously centuries ago and it will continue to work marvellously centuries after we are gone.  That’s not to say that TA will have no place in investing; it will always have a place and those that master it properly will always be able to use to it lock in handsome rewards but imagine how much more rewarding the experience of investing will be both on a personal and a financial level if you master the simple principles of mass psychology.

In the study of history we must thumb without distinction every sort of author, old or new, French or foreign, in order to get at their great variety of matter, But Caesar in my opinion, deserves particular study, not only for his knowledge and manner but for himself. Aside from the false colours with which he seeks to paint over his bad cause and the filth of his pestilent ambition, the only fault I can find with him is that he spoke too little of Caesar.  

In reading history I am accustomed to consider who and what the author may be. If he is a professional writer, I expect to learn from him mostly style and language. If he is a lawyer we should note what he offers on civil government, legal controversies and the life; if an ambassador, what he says on the sources of information and the conduct of negotiations. We should always bring the cobbler to his last.  

I like historians who are either very simply or very capable. The simple ones make it their business to merely collect what comes to their hand and record it faithfully, without discrimination or contributing anything of their own mind; they leave us to our own judgement in getting at the truth. Such for example is honest Froissast, who is frank enough, when he is caught in error, to correct it on the spot and who gives us the varied accounts made to him of the same event and even the rumour current in his time. His is the naked raw material of history, which everyone may profit by as far as he is able. 

The really capable and excellent historians posses the judgement to sift the reports that come to them, and choose those most likely to be true. From the mind and character of a prince they deduce this intentions and put the proper words in his mouth. But certainly this privilege belongs to a very few  

As for the others, who fall between the two (and they are the majority), they spoil everything. They want to chew our meat for us. They assume the right to judge history and accordingly distort it to their own bias. They undertake to select what is worthy to be known and often hide from us the very word and gesture which would teach us the most.  They omit as incredible as anything they can’t understand and many things, perhaps because they don’t know how to express them in good Latin or French.  For the most part, but especially today, your historian or biographer is elected for work because he knows how to handle language as if we were to learn grammar from them. They are hired to weave the reports they pick up on the streets into a pleasant jingle of words, and sell us so much babble.  But good histories are those written by men who either commanded or participated in the events they describe or at least have had similar experiences. Even so, the research for truth is delicate. Asinius Pollio found mistakes in the histories of Caesar himself, either because he could not have his eyes everywhere or credited the false account of his lieutenants.

As a mater of fact the knowledge we have of our own affairs is obscure enough. To aid my weak memory I have adopted a custom of late to note at the end of very book I read (and do not intend to read again) the date when I finished it and what in general I thought of it. And yet it has befallen me time and again to open a book as new and untasted which I had carefully read a few years before and scribbled up with my notes.   

As we stated we would finally provide the name of the very wise and learned gentleman we have been quoting for the last 3 weeks.  His Name is Michel de Montagine and  the title of his book his Michel  de Montaigne- The complete essays. You can acquire them from Amazon for as little as 10 dollars.