Let me answer your question with a bit of a story.

I was raised in the Banana Republics of Central America in the 80's. My parents were ministers, and because of this, my understanding of finances and economy were severely limited. My parents worked 100 hour weeks building churches, youth camps, a Bible college and a private school for dirt poor farmer's children. And my parents received a salary based on individual churches donations. Money just always showed up. And because of the favorable exchange rate in Central America, our near poverty level US income allowed us a very comfortable living in Central America.

Now, fast forward 10 years later circa the late 90's. I was working as an ER nurse in inner city Chicago. I was working tons of hours while my wife was going back to school, but we never seemed to make ends meet on my $40k salary. The money just never showed up, and I really never understood why. It always had as a kid. Meanwhile, I would read about high tech entrepreneurs making a bundle in the first dot com boom. I was really intrigued, but I never really understood what was going on. And, I could not get my mind around all the money that people were making in the high tech industry.

Fast forward another 6-7 years. I was living in LA, making a bit more cash, but still working as an ER nurse. I hated my job as an ER nurse, so I was trying to get a break into the Special Effects field because I've always loved computers and computer graphics. Problem was, the people that I knew that worked in the field really didn't like it. The hours were downright abusive and the environment was sweat-shop-esque: working 16 hour days, 7 days a week with 1/2 a day off every other Sunday for laundry, getting laid off when the movie was done, and unemployment for 3 months waiting for the next gig.

I picked up a copy of Hackers and Painters at the Fry's in Burbank because of a review on Slashdot. I'm sure it was just where I was at the time, but precious few books and essays have influenced my thinking more.

How to Make Wealth: Explained what I didn't understand from my childhood--wealth creation as the basis of the economy and how to create wealth. Defining financial issues as "The money problem." And, then casting that problem as a solvable problem. It's not just about working a lot of hours, it's all about creating wealth.

Why Nerds are Unpopular: Explained most of my problems in High School and why I hated the experience so much.

Hackers and Painters (the essay): Connected the dots between the art world that I was trying to succeed in and the world of programming that I loved as a child.

Over all, Paul's essays really helped work through a lot of what it meant to live in the US, how this money thing worked, and how to solve the money problem. Furthermore, he connected the dots on how to start my own startup, and eventually solve the money problem doing something that I really enjoy in the process--working with computers and creating things. I've been preparing myself to be a founder ever since.

I've gone back to school, and this summer, I'm completing my BS in CS. I've paid off the vast majority of my debt over the past 4-5 years in preparation for the serial entrepreneur life. I moved to Silicon Valley last year, and I'm getting to know people in the tech biz.

So, it's not that I have a shrine to PG next to my monitor. And, it's not like I'm burning incense in front of my copy of Hackers and Painters. But, I do deeply appreciate what he's communicated in his essays. I'm very grateful to him for sharing his experiences. And, the ideas that his essays have communicated have changed my thinking enough that they have actually changed the direction of my life.