American Baptist minister and lawyer, Russell Conwell was the founder and first President of Temple University who is probably best remembered for his inspirational speech “Acres of Diamonds”, in which he puts forth the idea that one need not look elsewhere for opportunity, but rather all the resources for achieving success exist in one’s own backyard. This idea is exemplified in the parable of a man who sells his farm and abandons his family in search of diamonds. His journey takes him far and wide but without success and ultimately defeated by his failure flings himself into the ocean. Later it is discovered that the farm he has sold has a wealth of diamonds below its soil. Additionally in this lecture Conwell asserts his belief that it is not impious to be wealthy for it is not money which is the root of all evil but the love of money above all else. Contained in this little volume is that inspirational speech, “Acres of Diamonds”, along with a short biography of Conwell by Robert Shackleton, and an autobiographical essay on his life as an orator by Conwell himself.
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