Raising Capitalists Foundation

Resources

Videos About Capitalism

Main Street Capitalism: An Entrepreneur’s Journey

Listen in as Russell Gray sits in for Robert Kiyosaki on the Rich Dad Radio Show and interviews Main Street capitalist Leila Adnani.

Discover why capital is more than just money, currency or credit; and how Leila transformed from an indebted ideological student in need of a job into a practical Main Street capitalist who creates jobs.

Books About Capitalism

Foundational & Philosophical

  • The Wealth of Nations – Adam Smith (1776)
    (The original foundation of free-market thought.)
  • The Law – Frédéric Bastiat (1850)
    (Concise and powerful defense of property, liberty, and limited government.)
  • Economics in One Lesson – Henry Hazlitt (1946)
    (Accessible breakdown of sound economic principles.)
  • Capitalism and Freedom – Milton Friedman (1962)
    (Links economic freedom directly to political freedom.)
  • The Road to Serfdom – F. A. Hayek (1944)
    (Warns against central planning; champions free enterprise.)
  • Human Action – Ludwig von Mises (1949)
    (A comprehensive case for capitalism through praxeology—human decision-making.)
  • The Constitution of Liberty – F. A. Hayek (1960)
    (A deeper philosophical argument for freedom and the role of law in capitalism.)
  • The Anti-Capitalistic Mentality – Ludwig von Mises (1956)
    (Critiques cultural and intellectual attacks on capitalism.)
  • Democracy in America – Alexis de Tocqueville (1835–1840)
    (Not a capitalism book per se, but deeply supportive of liberty, civil society, and entrepreneurship.)
  • Atlas Shrugged – Ayn Rand (1957)
    (Dramatic and ideological defense of free-market individualism.)

Moral and Practical Case for Capitalism

  • The Rational Optimist – Matt Ridley (2010)
    (Argues how trade and innovation have lifted humanity.)
  • The Pursuit of Happiness: In the Founders’ Words – Doug Smith (2007)
    (Connects American founding ideals to economic liberty.)
  • The Morality of Capitalism – Edited by Tom G. Palmer (2011)
    (Essays from global thinkers defending capitalism’s ethical foundation.)
  • Conscious Capitalism – John Mackey & Raj Sisodia (2013)
    (Capitalism with purpose—great for Main Street advocates.)
  • Earned Success: How America’s New Generation of Entrepreneurs is Creating Opportunity – Arthur C. Brooks (2011)
  • The Conservative Heart – Arthur C. Brooks (2015)
    (Moral and emotional case for capitalism that works for everyone.)
  • Free to Choose – Milton & Rose Friedman (1980)
    (Public-friendly articulation of capitalism’s benefits.)
  • How Capitalism Saved America – Thomas J. DiLorenzo (2004)
    (Debunks myths about capitalism’s impact on society.)
  • The Spirit of Democratic Capitalism – Michael Novak (1982)
    (Explores the spiritual and cultural case for free markets.)
  • The Next American Economy – Samuel Gregg (2022)
    (Argues for decentralization and moral renewal through Main Street economics.)
  • The Creature from Jekyll Island – G. Edward Griffin (1994)
    (A provocative exposé of the Federal Reserve, arguing it enables crony capitalism, manipulates currency, and threatens the integrity of true free markets.)

Modern Guides for Entrepreneurs & Families

  • The Millionaire Next Door – Thomas J. Stanley & William D. Danko (1996)
    (How modest, responsible Main Street earners build wealth.)
  • Small Business, Big Vision – Matthew & Adam Toren (2011)
    (Encouragement for small business owners.)
  • Start-up Nation: The Story of Israel’s Economic Miracle – Dan Senor & Saul Singer (2009)
    (Entrepreneurship as economic empowerment.)
  • The E-Myth Revisited – Michael E. Gerber (1986)
    (How small businesses succeed with systems and mindset.)
  • The Lean Startup – Eric Ries (2011)
    (Entrepreneurial freedom through testing, agility, and ownership.)
  • Zero to One – Peter Thiel (2014)
    (Visionary entrepreneurial thinking anchored in ownership and innovation.)
  • The Go-Giver – Bob Burg & John David Mann (2007)
    (Business as service; rooted in value creation over manipulation.)
  • Rich Dad Poor Dad – Robert Kiyosaki (1997)
    (Financial education and freedom through business and investment.)
  • The Hard Thing About Hard Things – Ben Horowitz (2014)
    (Lessons from real entrepreneurship — grit and resilience matter.)
  • Thou Shall Prosper: Ten Commandments for Making Money – Rabbi Daniel Lapin (2002)
    (A moral and spiritual case for creating wealth.)
  • The Art of the Deal – Donald J. Trump & Tony Schwartz (1987)
    (A bold, behind-the-scenes look at entrepreneurial thinking, negotiation tactics, and the mindset of high-stakes deal-making in American business.)

Quotes About Capitalism

Contemplate these to increase your understanding.

Share them to raise awareness. Discuss them to engage your followers.

“A man is not paid for having a head and hands, but for using them.” – Elbert Hubbard

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” – Thomas Edison

“If you don’t drive your business, you will be driven out of business.” – B. C. Forbes

“There is no security on this earth. There is only opportunity.” – Douglas MacArthur

“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” – Peter Drucker

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” – Theodore Roosevelt

“What is not started today is never finished tomorrow.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” – Colin Powell

“A small business is an amazing way to serve and leave an impact on the world you live in.” – Nicole Snow

“The strength of a nation lies in the homes of its people.” – Abraham Lincoln

“Profit is the reward for serving your fellow man.” – Harry Browne

“Make something people want and sell it for more than it costs to make. There’s your business plan.” – Paul Graham

“Capitalism is not about taking—it’s about trading value for value.” – Unknown

“The common denominator of success is service.” – Sam Walton

“You don’t have to be big to be great.” – Jim Collins

“The moral case for capitalism is that it respects human freedom and rewards merit, innovation, and hard work.” – Arthur C. Brooks

“Capitalism gives all of us the opportunity to become capitalists, one transaction at a time.” – Russell Gray

“Free enterprise is not a hunting license. It is a responsibility.” – Herbert Hoover

“Capitalism is the only system that can make poor people rich without making rich people poor.” – Unknown

“You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.” – Abraham Lincoln

“Free-market capitalism is far more moral than government redistribution because it respects human choice.” – Thomas Sowell

“A society that puts equality before freedom will get neither. A society that puts freedom before equality will get a high degree of both.” – Milton Friedman

“The essence of freedom is the proper limitation of government.” – Unknown

“The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.” – Margaret Thatcher

“What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving.” – Adrian Rogers

“In a free society, prosperity comes not from mandates, but from merit.” – Unknown

“When you subsidize poverty and failure, you get more of both.” – James Dale Davidson

“The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.” – Adrian Rogers

Case Studies in Raising Capitalists

Do you have or know of a case study about raising capitalists you’d like to share?

Kim Butler raises Robby Butler

Alan Schnur raises Jake Schnur

Eric Wohlwend raising Deven and Ethan Wohlend

Russell Gray raises Staci Gray

Stephanie Riley raising Faith Riley