Assets put money in your pocket, whether you work or not, and

The words of Robert Kiyosaki—“Assets put money in your pocket, whether you work or not, and liabilities take money from your pocket.”—are not merely the language of trade and finance, but the eternal law of wealth and poverty, dressed in modern speech. In these words is contained a truth as old as the markets of Babylon and the treasuries of Rome: that what sustains you must be chosen with wisdom, and what drains you must be guarded against with vigilance. The ancients would call this balance not only prosperity, but harmony with the natural order.

An asset is like a fruitful olive tree planted in fertile ground. Even when the farmer sleeps, the branches yield olives, the press brings forth oil, and wealth multiplies without toil. A liability, by contrast, is like a leaky jar carried upon one’s back. No matter how much water is poured in, it drips away unseen, leaving the bearer weary and empty-handed. To confuse the two is to mistake poison for medicine. Many in their vanity acquire possessions that gleam like gold but bleed them slowly. Few are wise enough to plant the tree that grows while they rest.

Consider the parable of Mansa Musa, the emperor of Mali, whose wealth was legendary. His empire’s gold mines were not fleeting treasures to be squandered, but enduring assets that enriched his people generation after generation. Yet in contrast, think of the great nobles of Versailles, who filled their halls with extravagance—fine horses, gowns, and jewels—that drained their coffers until revolution swept their wealth away. Musa’s mines were living assets; the nobles’ luxuries were heavy liabilities. Thus history teaches: riches that flow to you without ceasing are life-giving, but riches that demand constant sacrifice are but chains of gilded iron.

The meaning of Kiyosaki’s words is not only for merchants and kings but for every soul who walks this earth. To live burdened with liabilities is to labor without end, trapped in cycles of debt and exhaustion. To live nourished by assets is to taste freedom, to rise above necessity, and to claim mastery over time. For when your wealth works while you rest, you are no longer a servant of money; money becomes your servant, working tirelessly in your stead.

This wisdom is also spiritual. The ancients spoke of assets not only in gold, but in virtues: honor, discipline, learning, kindness. These, too, are assets, for they yield blessings long after the deed is done. Likewise, vices—greed, sloth, envy—are liabilities, draining the soul, robbing peace, and consuming joy. Just as financial assets bring freedom to the body, so moral assets bring freedom to the spirit. Both forms of wealth must be cultivated, for only then is a life truly prosperous.

For us, the teaching is practical and urgent. Seek first to acquire assets: not only investments of money—land, stocks, businesses—but also investments of mind and heart. Build knowledge that cannot be taken from you. Plant relationships that grow in trust. Guard yourself against liabilities: debts taken for vanity, possessions bought to impress, habits that drain rather than build. Ask yourself always, “Does this give or does this take?” For in that question lies the key to fortune or ruin.

Therefore, let us act with discipline. Save and invest rather than squander. Choose wisely between what shines today and what endures tomorrow. Nurture assets that will feed your children when you are gone. Teach them this truth, as Kiyosaki teaches us, as the ancients taught before him: that the path to freedom is not the pursuit of glitter, but the building of fruitful trees. For in the end, those who live by assets rest secure, while those who live by liabilities chase shadows until their strength is gone.

Thus, remember this lesson and pass it forward: assets are the seeds of liberty, liabilities the chains of servitude. Plant wisely, harvest patiently, and let your wealth—both material and spiritual—work for you, even when your hands are still. This is the way of the wise, the enduring road to freedom.