“The ‘living god of management’ who returned to being a street beggar
“Honest stories about life and management!”
- Maeil Business Newspaper

A completely revised edition of "Karma Management," which has sold 7 million copies worldwide.
Samsung Economic Research Institute and LG CEO Select "Must-Read for Employees"

As summer vacation approaches, there's a book that Korea's top CEOs unanimously agree on as a "must-have book for your vacation."
This is the masterpiece, "How to Live," by Kazuo Inamori, Japan's "living god of management," who started with a capital of 30 million won and built Kyocera, a giant corporation worth 15 trillion won, in just half a century.
This book was published in Japan in 2004 and sold over 1.5 million copies, and over 5 million copies in China alone, making it a huge success. It is still a bestseller even after nearly 20 years, and is widely read as the “king’s guide to management.”
What kind of great secret recipe must it be that has been praised by so many CEOs and loved for so long?

However, what Kazuo Inamori wants to say through this book is very simple, and in some ways, it is so common that it may feel cliché.
Karma, or 'up'.
Life is what you envision, and if you desire it strongly enough, it will come true. If you act with good intentions, good results will surely follow.
No matter how talented you are, if you act with bad motives, you will face bad results later, even if it may not seem like it now.
Kazuo Inamori says he has experienced this truth throughout his half-century of management, and that is why he has acted in both life and business with only one question in mind: "Is this the right thing to do as a human being?"
Kazuo Inamori asserts that no one can succeed in work or life unless they practice the moral codes and ethics that everyone learned from their parents and teachers when they were young: not lying, being honest, not being greedy, not causing trouble to others, and being kind to others.
That is the karma that governs a person's life.


This book conveys the 'correct way to live as a human being' that Kazuo Inamori realized while honestly facing life head-on for 90 years.
Numerous leaders around the world have been passionately enthusiastic about the fundamental question, "How should we live?" and in Korea, it was even selected as the "most recommended book by CEOs in Korea" according to a survey by Maeil Business Newspaper.
Nearly 20 years after the first edition was published, the 90-year-old CEO once again poses questions to young people dreaming of success in this latest revised edition.
"What kind of life are you living now? What do you hope to achieve through each day?"

Establishing a philosophy may be as futile as pouring water in the desert, or as difficult as swimming against the current in a valley.
But in this day and age, when people who work hard and sweat seem even more foolish, I believe that asking simple, straightforward questions is more valuable than anything else.
In this situation, unless we agonize over 'how to live', the confusion will only deepen.

--- Prologue, Among the questions that must be asked more passionately in uncertain times

The most important thing is ‘a strong and desperate desire first.’
If you do that, that thought will become the starting point and you will definitely achieve what you want.
Everyone's life turns out the way they envisioned it.
The desire is a 'seed', the first and most important factor needed to take root in the garden of life, spread its stem, bloom, and bear fruit.

--- From Chapter 1, Think intensely, whether you are awake or asleep

I was convinced that human destiny is not simply a matter of running on pre-existing tracks, but can be changed for better or worse entirely by one's own will.
After going through many trials and errors and twists and turns, I accepted the fundamental principle that 'everything is created by the mind' as my life philosophy.
People who have overcome countless hardships and ultimately achieved success in life think, "I have gone through many ups and downs throughout my life, but I have overcome them all." However, in reality, all of their happiness and unhappiness were the result of their own mindset.
It is none other than yourself who sows the seeds of the events or incidents that come to you.
Clearly, 'fate' exists in our human lives.
However, it is not a 'fate' that cannot be overcome by human power, and it can be changed at any time depending on one's attitude.

--- Chapter 1, Life flows as you wish

"Is this right or wrong as a human being? Is it good or bad? Is it permissible or unacceptable? Adopt these morals and ethics for dealing with people as your management guidelines and standards of judgment.
Management is ultimately an act of human beings dealing with other human beings, so it must not violate the fundamental norms of humanity.' Life and management should be practiced based on the same principles, and if decisions are made according to those principles, the company can be managed without major deviation. This was a simple and clear idea.
So I was able to run the business honestly and without any hesitation, and that mindset led me to my later success.

--- Chapter 2, Thinking by Principles

There is nothing more regrettable than living a lazy and carefree life without a serious attitude and enthusiasm.
To fill the drama of life with richness and truth, we must live each day, each moment, with complete seriousness.
Live faithfully, giving your best effort, anytime, anywhere, with burning passion and enthusiasm.
As such time accumulates, our human values ​​shine and the drama of life becomes richer and more fulfilling.
Without sincere enthusiasm, even if you have outstanding abilities and the right mindset, you will not be able to bear fruit in life.
Remember, no matter how excellent or meticulous your script is, if you want to make it a reality, you need serious passion.
--- Chapter 2, From the earnest and serious enough to reach out to God

No matter how grand your goals are, you will never succeed if you don't take the small tasks you face every day seriously.
Great achievements are the accumulation of solid effort.
Don't rush to achieve future results as quickly as possible. Live each day diligently and do your best, and tomorrow will appear on its own.
Those faithful days pile up and after 5 years, then 10 years, they finally bear fruit in the form of great achievements.
I have been managing my business with this in mind.
As a result, I was able to learn the truth of life that 'if you live today fully, you can see tomorrow.'
--- From Chapter 2, Live Desperately in the Present

From the perspective of the universe, which has a long and long history, life may be nothing more than a fleeting moment that flashes before disappearing.
But that is why the meaning and purpose of our lives lie in increasing the value of the end rather than the beginning of life, which is only a moment in time.
And I believe that the very process of striving to become that way contains human dignity and the essence of life.
--- Chapter 3, from the six practices for cultivating the mind

The pursuit of profit is the driving force behind doing business and living life, so it is okay for anyone to have a desire to make money.
But that greed must not remain solely in the realm of selfishness.
We must pursue the public interest with a 'great desire' to benefit others.
In this way, the spirit of altruism will circulate and eventually benefit oneself, making the benefits bigger and spreading more widely.
--- Chapter 4, Even if you only pick up the shell and eat it

Always strive to become a slightly purer soul than when you were born.
That is also the answer to the question, 'What are humans born for?'
I will work hard, never forget to be grateful, think good thoughts and act rightly, always discipline myself with a reflective mind, and cultivate my mind and improve my character in my daily life.
The meaning of life lies in practicing such obvious things with all one's heart.
There is no more valuable 'way of life' for humans than this.

--- Chapter 5, In order to leave this world with a slightly purer soul