The World's Richest Man ─ Carlos Slim in His Own Words

When Carlos Slim claimed the top spot on Forbes’s annual list of the world’s richest people in 2010 (a position he’s maintained for the last four years), it was the first time since 1994 that the top spot wasn’t occupied by an American and, even more impressively, the first time ever that a person from a developing country rose to the very top of the list. Slim, who began his investment career at age 12, has much in common with another of the world’s richest people: Warren Buffett. But unlike the Buffetts, Gateses, and Zuckerbergs of the world, Carlos Slim remains a mystery to the general public, as compared to his closest peers.

The World's Richest Man: Carlos Slim In His Own Words is the most revelatory book available about this Mexican business magnate, comprised entirely of Slim's own thought-provoking and inspiring quotes. It is a comprehensive guidebook to the inner workings of the world's wealthiest man and one of its most prominent philanthropists. Over 200 quotes on business, investing, entrepreneurship, leadership, management, wealth, and life provide an intimate and direct look into the mind of this modern business icon.

Born in Mexico to parents of Lebanese descent, Slim, a civil engineer by training, owns or has significant stakes in more than 200 companies in various industries and was recently valued at $73 billion. Well known in America as the major stakeholder who rescued the New York Times Company, he is like Buffett in that they share an uncanny ability to identify undervalued companies, build them up, and then sell them at a tremendous profit. But Slim isn’t only a talented businessman; he’s also a major philanthropist. He’s donated billions of dollars through his various nonprofit foundations to education, health care, and job training for Latin America’s poorest people, while also partnering with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Clinton Global Initiative, and the Grameen Trust.

Although Slim is fabulously wealthy, he lives a relatively modest life (he has resided in the same house in Mexico City for the last forty years). His extreme wealth and steadfast humility makes him a unique creature in the world of the rich and famous. For the first time, Slim's inimitable perspective and inspirational insights have been collected in a single place for business leaders the world over to incorporate into their own management styles. The World's Richest Man: Carlos Slim In His Own Words will surely be a key part of any successful business person's home library.

Tanni Haas, Ph.D., is a Full Professor in the Department of Speech Communication Arts & Sciences at the City University of New York - Brooklyn College where he teaches courses on business communication and other topics.