7 things rich people never say, according to a nearly 20-year-old personal finance classic

Rich dad would say, "My money works for me."

There is a critical difference between how rich people and average people choose to get paid: Average people choose to get paid based on time — on a steady salary or hourly rate — while rich people generally own their own business, work on commission, or choose stock options and profit sharing over higher salaries.

"If you work for money, you give the power to your employer," Kiyosaki writes. "If money works for you, you keep the power and control it."

Rich dad would say, "Learn to manage risk."

Rich people play to win, which requires an element of risk taking and a level of comfort with uncertainty.

As important as it is to take risks to accumulate wealth, it's equally important to be smart about risk-taking, which is why rich dad emphasizes "managing" risk. Blind risk won't get you anywhere, but intelligent risk — in which education and experience play a key role — is the mother of reward.

Rich dad would say, "My house is a liability."

"If you stop working today, an asset puts money in your pocket and a liability takes money from your pocket," Kiyosaki writes. "It's important to know the difference between the two."

At the end of the day, owning a house is expensive, and they do not always go up in value, Kiyosaki points out. "I am not saying don't buy a house," he writes. "What I am saying is that you should understand the difference between an asset and a liability. When I want a bigger house, I first buy assets that will generate the cash flow to pay for the house."

Rich dad would say, "Study hard so you can find a good company to buy."

The wealthiest people aren't afraid to think big. They set their expectations high and expect to make a lot of money.

Meanwhile, the masses expect to struggle, and tend to settle for less than what they're worth because of it.

Rich dad would say, "I'm a rich man, and rich people don't do this."

"Even when [my rich dad] was flat broke after a major financial setback, he continued to refer to himself as a rich man," Kiyosaki writes. "He would cover himself by saying, 'There is a difference between being poor and being broke. Broke is temporary. Poor is eternal.'"

Rich dad would say, "Money is power."

Most of us are taught to get a good education, find a job, and be grateful for what we have. Essentially, most of us are taught to settle.

Rich people, on the other hand, think about money logically, and see it for what it is: a powerful tool that can present options and opportunities.