Doubt in parsing a sentence

Do the right way

Hi Guys,
I am stuck in parsing a sentence. I can't understand its meaning.
Here is the passage..

The ways by which you may get money almost without exception lead downward. To have
done anything by which you earned money merely is to have been truly idle or worse. If the
laborer gets no more than the wages which his employer pays him, he is cheated, he cheats
himself. If you would get money as a writer or lecturer, you must be popular, which is to go down
perpendicularly.

This line is taken Life without principles by Henry David.

Please help.TIA.

FixedDice

Rearranged, rewritten, or parenthesized as I saw fit:

1. (The ways by which you may get money) lead downward almost without exception.
2. (To have done anything by which you earned money [only]) is to have been truly idle or worse.
3. If the laborer gets no more than the wages which his employer pays him, [the laborer] is cheated [and] cheats himself.
4. If you would get money as a writer or lecturer, you must be popular, [and to be a popular writer or lecturer] is to go down perpendicularly.

Do the right way

Thanks @FixedDice . I have doubt in point 1 and 4 . Can you please elaborate on those?

FixedDice

I'm not a big Thoreau person, but the passage seems to be warning about dangers of pursuing wealth and fame. With that in mind...

The ways by which you may get money almost without exception lead downward.

"[A]lmost without exception" denotes frequency at which "[t]he ways... lead downward," so that can move to the back to avoid confusion; "lead" would be the verb for "[t]he ways," of course.

If you would get money as a writer or lecturer, you must be popular, which is to go down perpendicularly.

I think "which is to go down perpendicularly" is attached to "popular."

Do the right way

If you would get money as a writer or lecturer, you must be popular, which is to go down perpendicularly.

I think "which is to go down perpendicularly" is attached to "popular.">

@FixedDice Does it mean that if a writer or lecturer gets money and he is popular then his popularity will go down?

I don't get the relation between getting money and his popularity going down...

Seeking Perfection

@"Do the right way" said:

The ways by which you may get money almost without exception lead downward.

Getting money usually causes spiritual decay.

To have done anything by which you earned money merely is to have been truly idle or worse.

Doing something just to earn money is worse for your soul than doing nothing.

If the laborer gets no more than the wages which his employer pays him, he is cheated, he cheats himself.

Workers should enjoy their work(get something out of it besides money) or they will be spiritually damaged and it will be their own fault.

If you would get money as a writer or lecturer, you must be popular, which is to go down perpendicularly.

For a writer or lecturer to make money they have to be popular. Trying to be popular makes you and your soul worse as fast as possible.

I'm not sure if this is what you wanted, but I'm pretty sure that this is loosely what it means.

Do the right way

Thanks a lot @"Seeking Perfection" . I understood each and every sentence now. Absolutely clear now. You seem to be good at philosophy.

Can you tell which book should i read or podcasts should i listen to improve my understanding in philosophy?

I have gone through basics from Cash Course Philosophy which was recommended by @akistole. But still i am having some holes in my understanding and i am failing to comprehend.

Seeking Perfection

@"Do the right way" said:
Thanks a lot @"Seeking Perfection" . I understood each and every sentence now. Absolutely clear now. You seem to be good at philosophy.

Can you tell which book should i read or podcasts should i listen to improve my understanding in philosophy?

I have gone through basics from Cash Course Philosophy which was recommended by @akistole. But still i am having some holes in my understanding and i am failing to comprehend.

I'm not sure. Just reading a lot of it might help. I didn't really ever use a textbook or podcasts.

My major substantially overlapped with philosophy. I enjoyed the Republic by Plato, Tocqueville's Democracy in America, Locke's A Letter Concerning Toleration, and many of the other works I read for my major. I would recommend all of those. Tocqueville might be a good start. Get the Mansfield translation. He also praises lawyers fairly regularly. You should be able to find A Letter Concerning Toleration by Locke on the internet. There are tons of copies of the Republic floating around.

Do the right way

Thanks @"Seeking Perfection" for your recommendations . I will prefer to start off with The Republic by Plato. As i couldnt find the mansfield tanslated version of Democracy in America.

olepueblo

How I would pause when reading it, as indicated by the commas.

The ways by which you may get money, almost without exception, lead downward. To have
done anything by which you earned money, merely is to have been truly idle or worse. If the
laborer gets no more than the wages which his employer pays him, he is cheated, he cheats
himself. If you would get money as a writer or lecturer, you must be popular, which is to go down
perpendicularly.

I studied phil. and think the best way to get into it is to explore your interests and the various branches. I think interest is extremely important to get you through the hours of analysis of a small amount of written material.