Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Enough: True Measures of Money, Business, and Life
Skip to main content
.us
Hello Select your address
All
Select the department you want to search in
Hello, Sign in
Account & Lists
Returns & Orders
Cart
All
Disability Customer Support Best Sellers Amazon Basics Customer Service New Releases Prime Today's Deals Music Books Amazon Home Registry Fashion Kindle Books Gift Cards Toys & Games Sell Automotive Shopper Toolkit Pet Supplies Coupons Computers Home Improvement Pharmacy Beauty & Personal Care Video Games Luxury Stores Smart Home Health & Household Handmade Audible
All-new Fire 7 tablet

  • Enough: True Measures of Money, Business, and Life
  • ›
  • Customer reviews

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
389 global ratings
5 star
71%
4 star
14%
3 star
8%
2 star
6%
1 star
1%
Enough: True Measures of Money, Business, and Life

Enough: True Measures of Money, Business, and Life

byJohn C. Bogle
Write a review
How customer reviews and ratings work

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon
See All Buying Options

Top positive review

All positive reviews›
David C. Fischer
5.0 out of 5 starsAgreeing with Tom Peters, "best business book I have ever read..."
Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2021
Bogle wrote Enough in the midst of the 2008 Financial Crisis. I had always been quick to read new Bogle books, but was particularly interested in his take on the Crisis, and especially the character changes in society that enabled it. I read it for the first time within a month of it coming out.

Bogle has been my hero for a long time. I had the good fortune to spend one and a half hours with him in his office in Malvern in 2014 and to do a podcast interview of him in 2015. The world lost its greatest steward of investment wealth with his passing in 2019.

Recently I read a wealth advisor’s blog on his commentaries on “enough”. I liked the author’s viewpoints, remembering how it sounded a lot like Bogle. I said, “Time to re-read Enough”.

I have now read this book maybe five times. Agreeing with Tom Peters in the Prologue, “this is the best business book I’ve ever read, and as good a primer on life as I’ve read as well.”

I sought out my previously read copy with its copious highlighting and dog-eared pages. Could not find it. Must have loaned it to a friend. Fortunately, I had another copy on the shelf (I have given this book out a lot over the years!).

When I read, I highlight copiously, yet reserve a “dog-ear” for a page that I find especially insightful. This aids in a quick review of a book--go back a re-read only the turned-over-corner pages. On this reading, I dog-eared eight pages. For this review, I thought I would give a sentence or two on each of these special pages from this most-recent reading.

#1 p. 31 (2010 edition, paperback)
Relates quote from Warren Buffett partner, Charlie Munger, who laments so much “ethical young brain power” going into finance when they could be distinguished by work “providing much more value to others”. Bogle precedes this with “far too many of us seemingly no longer make anything; we’re merely trading pieces of paper”.

#2 p. 85
His commentary on “Fundamental Indexing”, that branch of money managers who recommend you not weight portfolios by market cap, but by using “factors” such as book value, market cap, earnings, etc. He comments that it is not appropriate to say, “value investing wins” when we observe value outperforming in the past. Bogle is consistent here and in all his writings that winning investment performance in the past creates high valuations, making it less likely to win in the future. (This is exactly what has happened to value and many other “factor” approaches since 2008!)

#3. p. 115
This is how Bogle begins his section entitled “The Spirit of Trust”. “My faith in trust goes back to the Golden Rule. We are, after all, implored in the Bible to love our neighbors…” Bogle’s integrity is so high, I am eager to learn of his inspiration and underpinnings. As a Christian, I love that he finds deep truth in the Bible.

#4 p. 123
This is early on in the chapter “Too Much Business Conduct, Not Enough Professional Conduct”. Bogle relays how in times past, a “professional” was someone who was out to do good in the world. Think physician, teacher, attorney, engineer, architect. In today’s age of focus on money, Bogle sees all the professions tempted more by “doing good for me”. He suggests trustees of “other people’s money” are professionals too, but he is not seeing the fruit of it. Bogle writes: “Harvard Business School professor Rakesh Khurana was right on the mark when he defined the conduct of a true professional with these words: ‘I will create value for society, rather than extract it.’”

#5 p. 183
Relates a summary of the book and film, A Civil Action. The story is of corporate-caused water pollution causing multiple leukemia cases in a Massachusetts town. The attorney working for the injured has a transformed life so much so that he loses all his personal wealth in the legal fight. This is to such an extent that the attorney’s bankruptcy judges asks, “Where are the things by which one measures one’s life?” Bogle ends this mini-review reminded of one of his favorite hymns: God of Grace and God of Glory.
He finally inspired me to watch this movie for the first time! It is powerful.

#6 p. 190.
Another reference to his religious foundations:
“I am not at all embarrassed to mention the constructive role of religion in fostering these higher values…the virtues of the Golden Rule, and standards of conduct that parallel the Ten Commandments. We thrive as human beings and as families not by what faith we happen to hold, but by having faith, faith in something far greater than ourselves.”

#7 p. 196
Relates the popular T. S. Eliot quote that I love so much:
“Where is the Life we have lost in living?
Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?
Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?
The cycles of Heaven in twenty centuries
Bring us farther from God and nearer to the Dust”

#8 p. 224
In the chapter “Not Enough Character”, he gets personal and vulnerable. No doubt, Bogle achieved success and significance in his life. Yet, he is human, and we all at times struggle with our worth.
Excerpt: “Most of us should not have to spend much time wondering whether the rabbits we are chasing are real or false…Yet in the quiet of the evening and sometime loneliness of the soul, many of those who shouldn’t need to wonder about the value of hard work and life well lived doubtless do exactly that. … (Perhaps it will surprise you to learn that I do a lot of lonely wondering about the worth of my own life and career)….We’ll be better human beings and achieve greater things if we challenge ourselves to pursue careers that create value for society—with personal wealth not as the goal, but as the by-product.”

I thoroughly benefitted from my re-read of Enough. I hope to find my earlier dog-eared version to compare the differences in my special pages then v. now.
Read more
9 people found this helpful

Top critical review

All critical reviews›
jgarch
3.0 out of 5 starsIt's just "ok", I would not go out of my way to read this book
Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2021
First of all, John Bogle is a great American and I consider myself a proponent of his investing strategy. I have read other books of his, and this one disappointed me. Why? Because it repeats themes in the other books I have read and is so basic and common sense, that I found myself perpetually waiting for something profound to pop-up. I cant believe the introduction raves about what a special book this is, the only reason I am glad I read it, is I was curious about the book for so long, I got that out of the way. I toyed with giving it two stars, but out of admiration for John Bogle, I gave it "3". Keep your expectations in check if you purchase this book, it is not so much about having "Enough" in life, as it is about loosely coupled themes centered around morality, values and finance.
Read more

Search
Sort by
Top reviews
Filter by
All reviewers
2 star only
Text, image, video
Filtered by
2 starClear filter
21 global ratings | 13 global reviews

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

From the United States

David
2.0 out of 5 stars Great business philosophy. Tiresome prose.
Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2021
Verified Purchase
I’ll be frank because he’s dead and won’t read this:

JB was a business genius, but a mediocre writer. Nothing he wrote was especially objectionable and I probably agree with him on 90% of his positions, but the whole thing felt disjointed and didn’t move properly. I got a good sense of the man… and learned that he’s the type of author I would trust with my money. And that’s fine.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
Report abuse
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


Me
2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed.
Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2021
Verified Purchase
Bogle is great, yet this is pie in the sky dreaming. This utopia ain't gonna happen.
Helpful
Report abuse
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


Gavriel Koretz
2.0 out of 5 stars Not an easy read, and not because the topic is complicated.
Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2022
Verified Purchase
I managed to get through half until I gave up. The language is almost academic and not fun to read. Need a dictionary near by
Helpful
Report abuse
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


Kindle Customer Y
2.0 out of 5 stars Too long for the bottom lines
Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2022
Verified Purchase
The book felt like a self admiration.
Nevertheless, it could be enough to understand the main points in a few pages and stories.
Helpful
Report abuse
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


EBJ
2.0 out of 5 stars very poorly written
Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2020
Verified Purchase
lots of short 'evaluations' by his friends, but nothing very well described by Bogel himself. I don't recommend this book.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
Report abuse
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


Mediahound 🎧
VINE VOICE
2.0 out of 5 stars A dull read, didn't learn a whole lot
Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2012
Verified Purchase
While I admire John Bogle immensely and have been a member of Vanguard for more years than I care to count, I regret my purchase of this book.

Simply, I found the narrative a bit dull and unfortunately, didn't really learn anything from this book.
6 people found this helpful
Helpful
Report abuse
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


Shane Ellis
2.0 out of 5 stars Repetitive and boring. A better book to read by Bogle
Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2017
Verified Purchase
I had enough of this book after the first couple chapters. Repetitive and boring. A better book to read by Bogle, is his little book on common sense investing.
4 people found this helpful
Helpful
Report abuse
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


dusty
2.0 out of 5 stars Old man yammers on and on about the evils of ...
Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2017
Verified Purchase
Old man yammers on and on about the evils of modern finance while trying to sell you Vanguard index funds
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
Report abuse
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


Rob Azarcon
2.0 out of 5 stars Meh, I've read many books on personal finance. ...
Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2015
Verified Purchase
Meh, I've read many books on personal finance. The message isn't one I haven't heard before. Maybe if I read it first.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
Report abuse
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


James M
2.0 out of 5 stars Pages warped.
Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2014
Verified Purchase
I have not read this book yet. But when received the hard back portion looked new but all of the pages inside are warped and appear to be different paper. Very disappointed at the quality provided for a new book.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
Report abuse
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


  • ←Previous page
  • Next page→

Need customer service? Click here
‹ See all details for Enough: True Measures of Money, Business, and Life

Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations
›
View or edit your browsing history
After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Back to top
Get to Know Us
  • Careers
  • Blog
  • About Amazon
  • Sustainability
  • Press Center
  • Investor Relations
  • Amazon Devices
  • Amazon Science
Make Money with Us
  • Sell products on Amazon
  • Sell apps on Amazon
  • Become an Affiliate
  • Become a Delivery Driver
  • Start a package delivery business
  • Advertise Your Products
  • Self-Publish with Us
  • Host an Amazon Hub
  • ›See More Ways to Make Money
Amazon Payment Products
  • Amazon Rewards Visa Signature Cards
  • Amazon Store Card
  • Amazon Secured Card
  • Amazon Business Card
  • Shop with Points
  • Credit Card Marketplace
  • Reload Your Balance
  • Amazon Currency Converter
Let Us Help You
  • Amazon and COVID-19
  • Your Account
  • Your Orders
  • Shipping Rates & Policies
  • Amazon Prime
  • Returns & Replacements
  • Manage Your Content and Devices
  • Amazon Assistant
  • Help
EnglishChoose a language for shopping.
United StatesChoose a country/region for shopping.
Amazon Music
Stream millions
of songs
Amazon Advertising
Find, attract, and
engage customers
Amazon Drive
Cloud storage
from Amazon
6pm
Score deals
on fashion brands
AbeBooks
Books, art
& collectibles
ACX
Audiobook Publishing
Made Easy
Alexa
Actionable Analytics
for the Web
 
Sell on Amazon
Start a Selling Account
Amazon Business
Everything For
Your Business
Amazon Fresh
Groceries & More
Right To Your Door
AmazonGlobal
Ship Orders
Internationally
Home Services
Experienced Pros
Happiness Guarantee
Amazon Ignite
Sell your original
Digital Educational
Resources
Amazon Web Services
Scalable Cloud
Computing Services
 
Audible
Listen to Books & Original
Audio Performances
Book Depository
Books With Free
Delivery Worldwide
Box Office Mojo
Find Movie
Box Office Data
ComiXology
Thousands of
Digital Comics
DPReview
Digital
Photography
Fabric
Sewing, Quilting
& Knitting
Goodreads
Book reviews
& recommendations
 
IMDb
Movies, TV
& Celebrities
IMDbPro
Get Info Entertainment
Professionals Need
Kindle Direct Publishing
Indie Digital & Print Publishing
Made Easy
Amazon Photos
Unlimited Photo Storage
Free With Prime
Prime Video Direct
Video Distribution
Made Easy
Shopbop
Designer
Fashion Brands
Amazon Warehouse
Great Deals on
Quality Used Products
 
Whole Foods Market
America’s Healthiest
Grocery Store
Woot!
Deals and
Shenanigans
Zappos
Shoes &
Clothing
Ring
Smart Home
Security Systems
eero WiFi
Stream 4K Video
in Every Room
Blink
Smart Security
for Every Home
Neighbors App
Real-Time Crime
& Safety Alerts
 
    Amazon Subscription Boxes
Top subscription boxes – right to your door
PillPack
Pharmacy Simplified
Amazon Renewed
Like-new products
you can trust
   
  • Conditions of Use
  • Privacy Notice
  • Interest-Based Ads
© 1996-2022, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates