During a 2020 podcast conversation with Lewis Howes, early in the COVID‑19 crisis, Kiyosaki broke people into three categories: fragile, robust, and “antifragile.” The fragile are like glass—when the economy hits them, they break. The robust are like rocks; they endure the blows but don’t really grow from them. The antifragile, however, are the ones who get stronger as adversity hits, using downturns as a chance to learn, adapt, and rebuild.
Kiyosaki encourages people to become financial “wartime leaders” rather than “peacetime warriors”—those who only shine when things are easy. He believes that entrepreneurs, in particular, are better positioned to ride recessions because they can create their own opportunities instead of waiting for corporate promotions. When layoffs hit, demand cools, or a business fails, the entrepreneurial mindset treats it as feedback, not failure. For Kiyosaki, building skills that let you create value, even when the economy is weak, is one of the most powerful moves you can make.
