Donald Trump in Trump: How to Get Rich

On Principles & Values: Tell people you’re successful or they won’t know it

A lot has happened to us all since 1987. That’s the year The Art of the Deal became the bestselling business book of the decade. Business Rule #1: If you don’t tell people about your success, they probably won’t know about it.

Business Rule #2: Keep it short, fast, and direct. The following pages will be straightforward and succinct, but don’t let the brevity of these passages prevent you from savoring the profundity of the advice you are about to receive.

The Mother of All Advice: “Trust in God and be true to yourself.” -Mary Trump, My Mother. When I look back, that was great advice, concise and wise at once. I didn’t really get it at first, later I realized how comprehensive this is- how to keep your bases covered while thinking about the big picture.

On Principles & Values: Good management requires hiring good people

Good people equals good management and good management equals good people. They have to work together or they won’t work together for very long. I’ve seen excellent people get stuck in the mires of bad management. The good managers will eventually leave, followed by the good workers, & you will be left with a team that gets along because they’re all mediocre. Save yourself time by getting the best people you can. Sometimes this can mean choosing attitude over experience and credentials. Use your creativity to come up with a good mix.

Creative people rarely need to be motivated-they have their own inner drive that refuses to be bored. They refuse to be complacent. They live on the edge, which is precisely what is needed to be successful and remain successful.

On Principles & Values: Lessons: stay focused on big picture

In the 1980s, I was riding high. I’d become a major player in Manhattan, with many top-tier properties. I had a yacht, a plane, a bestselling book. In the late eighties, I lost focus. I’d fly off to Europe to attend fashion shows, and I wasn’t looking at the clothing. My lack of attention was killing my business.

That was a low point. Of the $9.2 billion I owed, I’d personally guaranteed a billion dollars. I was a schmuck, but I was a lucky schmuck, and I wound up dealing with some understanding bankers who worked out a fair deal. After being the king of the eighties, I survived the early nineties, and by the mid-to-late nineties, I was thriving again. But I learned my lesson. I work as hard today as I did when I was a young developer in the 1970s. Don’t make the mistake I did. Stay focused.

On Principles & Values: Surround yourself with people you can trust

My phones are so busy that I require two executive assistants, and they never stop. They alone handle, on the average, more than 1,250 calls a week. They are not only efficient and fast, but also very pleasant and beautiful young women. You don’t have to be beautiful to work for me-just be good at your job. I’ve been accused of admiring beautiful women. I plead guilty. But when it comes to the workplace, anyone who is beautiful had better have brains, too. You need competent people with an inherent work ethic. I’m not a complacent person and I can’t have a complacent staff. I move forward quickly and so must they.

On Jobs: Keep loyal hardworking people around as long as they'd like

On Education: I'm big on education, for people of all ages

My sister Maryanne introduced me to the writings of Aldous Huxley. He was such a learner that when he was faced with near-total blindness as a young man, he learned braille and continued his studies anyway. He could now read in bed at night and his hand would never get cold because he could read with his hands under the covers.

Learning begets learning. I'd rather be stimulated than passive.

On Foreign Policy: Americans need to be more aware of what's going on abroad

We live in a big world, and it is important for us to be aware of cultures other than our own. I have always lived in the United States, but I make an effort to be informed about other cultures. That's easy to do in New York City, the most diverse and exciting place on earth.

Someone who had been living abroad for a few years told me, upon returning home, that a frequent comment about Americans is that you always know exactly where we're coming from. The flip side is this is that we rarely know where anyone else is coming from. We're very much up to snuff about our own national events, but we are less aware of what's happening in other countries. All of us need to pay more attention to events outside of our own realm We are connected to each other in so many ways--politically, commercially, socially.

On Corporations: Trust people consistently ranked high over 15 or 20 years

There are numerous firms that provide comprehensive charts and other information on the best returns from certain financial advisers and funds. Study those charts, not over the short term (maybe they just got lucky) but over a fifteen- or twenty-year period.

Invest with the help of a major firm like Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Bear Stearns, or Merrill Lynch. These are your hard-earned savings at stake. Don't take unnecessary risks. Generally there is a reason for success.

On Corporations: Sue scoundrels but settle with the rest

I have come to hate doctors. I think that, generally, they are a bunch of money-grubbing hogs. I can tell you about countless instances when doctors have ruined people's lives. As an example, a person I am very fond of had a foot injury that I believe should have healed naturally, but instead, the doctor operated on it, fitting pins and plates into the foot. Now, after over a year of convalescence, this person is having a hard time walking. I think that suing a doctor like this would qualify as worthwhile legal expense.

On Principles & Values: Negotiating deals is about persuasion, not power

Power is merely the ability to convince people to accept your ideas. Just because I am a successful businessman doesn't mean I always get my way. It's true that I don't have to be as vociferous about things as before. But I have to coax and make my case just like any other negotiator.

Power is not just about calling the shots. It's about ability. You can call all the shots, but if they're bad ones, no one will take much notice after a while. Know what you're doing. That's where the real power comes from.

Convincing others has a lot to do with understanding negotiation. Study the art of persuasion. Practice it. Develop an understanding of its profound value across all aspects of life.

Make it easy on the people you are trying to convince. If you are too far over their heads, they'll feel frustrated or, worse, inferior. Let them know you're all on the same level in some way.

On Corporations: Sometimes I wait 5 minutes for a deal; sometimes 15 years

One good tactic for speeding up a deal is to show a lack of interest in it. This will often make the other side rekindle their efforts to get something going. I was very interested in a deal once, but I said I'd been traveling for a couple of weeks and would get back to them after that. While I was "traveling," they used the time to modify their position and present to me almost precisely what I'd been hoping to get.

A good tactic for slowing down a deal is to distract the other side. One way is to drop hints about whether a certain aspect of the deal should be looked into further, or to mention other deals. That will set them off in a direction that consumes their time. While they're off on a tangent, you'll still be on target.

On Principles & Values: The Art of the Hair: it's all natural, and all mine

The answer, for the record, is emphatically and categorically no: I do not wear a rug. My hair is one hundred percent mine. No animals have been harmed in the creation of my hairstyle.

However, I must admit that the day might come when I will wear a hairpiece, wig, or rug--but only if I go bald, which I hope never happens. The reason for this is because, I, like most men, am very vain. Random House is paying me a fortune for this book and specifically requested a chapter on "the art of the hair," so I will admit to my vanity.

The reason my hair looks so neat all the time is because I don't have to deal with the elements very often. I will also admit that I color my hair. Somehow, the color never looks great, but what the hell, I just don't like gray hair. I wonder how much longer my hair will be a national topic of conversation.

On Families & Children: My family is my motivation

• My eldest son, Don Jr., joined the Trump Organization in September 2001 and has already proven himself to be a valuable member of our team.
• Ivanka, my eldest daughter, is currently attending the Warton School.
• Eric, my youngest son, is at Georgetown University and doing well.
• I remain very close to my brother Robert and to my sisters, Maryanne and Elizabeth. All are thriving, successful, and productive.
• My parents, Fred and Mary, passed away in 1999 and 2000, respectively. The void they left will never be filled. But what each gave to me, by way of example, will remain with me every day of my life.