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♖ 7 Rockefeller Lessons I’ll Pass to My Kids
The Moat | Issue 009
Ali Mamujee
June 21, 2025
Hi Friends,
Most strategy books teach you how to win.
This one made me stop and ask: What do I want to pass down?
After a friend’s multi-event Indian wedding, plus my sister-in-law’s engagement celebration, I finally found a quiet moment.
On the flight home from Jersey, I left my phone in the overhead bin and picked up a book I had been meaning to read:
The 38 Letters from J.D. Rockefeller to His Son
Like many, I saw Rockefeller as a ruthless monopolist. A symbol of dominance, not depth. But this book changed everything. It wasn’t a self-congratulatory memoir or a playbook of business tactics. These were private letters; a father writing to his only son, John.
And that’s what makes them powerful. There’s a kind of truth you cannot fake when you’re writing to your child. No audience. No legacy to protect. Just honesty, never meant to be seen by anyone else.
In this issue, I am sharing 7 of the most powerful lessons from those letters. The ones I maniacally started highlighting on the plane. The kind I plan to pass down to our kids, Aleena (11) and Leeana (7).
Family at the Jersey wedding event.
If you lead a team, raise a family, or want to build something that actually matters, I think you will find something valuable here.
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1. Work Is Heaven
“Heaven and hell are created by ourselves, John. If you view work as pleasure, life is heaven; if you view work as duty, life is hell.”
Rockefeller celebrated September 26, 1855, the day he got his first job, as more important than his birthday. He called it Job Day and honored it every year. To him, idleness was not relaxing. It was dangerous.
It reminded me how often we treat work like something to escape. But the ability to create through hands, ideas, and grit is a gift.
“I am nearly seventy years old, I still fight in the business world, because I know the quickest way to end my life is to do nothing.”
Note: Rockefeller lived to 97 years old.
2. Be the Architect of Your Destiny
“In the eyes of ordinary people, luck is always innate... Such a person can never have a peek into the truth that makes one successful. John, you are the designer and architect of your destiny.”
This one hit me.
It is easy to point to timing, connections, or privilege. But Rockefeller’s message is sharp. Your future is built, not found.
I want my daughters to know: no one is coming. Go build your life.
3. Don’t Be a Foolish Smart Person
“Learning itself is not very good, John. Learning must be used to make work. To become a person who can use what you have learned, you must first become a person with practical ability.”
In a world obsessed with knowledge, podcasts, certifications, and frameworks, Rockefeller cuts to the truth. Knowledge without action is bullshit.
Learn everything. But wear it like a toolbelt, not a trophy.
4. Excuses Are the Language of the Weak
“The more successful a person is, the less he will make excuses. Excuses are the cause of failure. I despise those who are good at making excuses, but I also sympathize with them.”
Rockefeller was not shaming. He was telling the truth. Excuses feel safe, but they quietly erode your edge.
Own your outcomes. That is how you grow.
5. Control Your Thoughts, Control Your Life.
“John, be an Ambitionist.”
“What kind of person you think you are will make you become that person. The size of our thoughts determines the size of our achievements. A person’s self-esteem is the core of his personality.”
Before mindset was a buzzword, Rockefeller knew the power of belief.
Your thoughts shape your world. Choose them wisely.
6. Have Lots of Ideas
“The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas.”
“Believing that something can be done will provide us with creative solutions.”
“Cultivate the attitude: I can do better. Reflect nightly: How can I do better today?”
Rockefeller did not wait for inspiration. He made a habit of creativity.
I hope my daughters grow into that same rhythm. Curious. Reflective. Relentless.
7. Everyone Wears an Invisible Sign
“Everyone has an invisible sign hanging from their neck saying: ‘Make me feel important.’”
This might be the most powerful line in the book.
Behind every title, persona, and role, you will find the same human truth. We all want to matter.
If I can teach my daughters one leadership skill, it is this. Make others feel important, and you will never lead alone.
Final Reflection
Rockefeller wrote 38 letters to shape the future of his family. Not for an audience. Not for acclaim. Just for a person who mattered most.
And if you are curious if John Jr. went on to become a deadbeat (I was), the answer is no:
Doubled the family fortune through disciplined real estate investments.
Donated over $500M to education, medicine, and the arts becoming one of history’s most generous philanthropists.
Gave the land for the United Nations and protected 30,000 acres across Grand Teton, Acadia, and Yosemite shaping diplomacy and conservation forever.
I may never write letters like he did. But I can choose to live them.
If you are raising a family, building a company, or trying to lead with purpose, I hope one of these lessons finds its way into your story too.
Til next week,
—Ali
P.S. Read something that unexpectedly changed your life? I would love to hear what it was. I read every reply.
P.PS. Dealing with a challenge you want my help, send me note. I am here to help.
About Me: I’m Ali, a former tech exec who now advises growth-stage B2B companies on strategy & GTM execution.
Learn more about my story on LinkedIn.
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