How a Greek Slave Taught Rome's Richest Man to Stop Caring About Money

The most expensive lesson is always the one you never learn

Dear Unlearners,

Two men in ancient Rome taught us everything we need to know about wealth. One had billions. One had nothing. Only one of them was actually rich.

Marcus Crassus couldn't sleep.

The richest man in Rome tossed and turned in his silk sheets, his mind racing with numbers. Property values. Army costs. Investment returns. The fortunes of his rivals.

Outside his window, smoke rose from another fire in the city's poorest district. His men would already be there, waiting. Not to help, but to profit.

This was how Crassus built his empire. When buildings caught fire in Rome, his private fire brigade would rush to the scene. But instead of extinguishing the flames, they'd wait. Crassus would appear, offering to buy the burning building for a fraction of its worth. Only after the desperate owner sold would his men put out the fire.

It was brilliant. It was ruthless. It made him the wealthiest man in the empire.

But it was never enough.

When asked how much money would satisfy him, Crassus …