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JULY 2009Think andGrow Richby Napoleon HillSuccess PrinciplesNow’s the time to become a practicaldreamer with a definite purposeQUICK OVERVIEWWritten during the Great Depression, Think and Grow Rich touted hope in a timewhen almost all hope was lost. Napoleon Hill knew Americans needed inspiration tosee beyond their circumstances to the possibility of a prosperous future.Published in 1937, Think and Grow Rich focuses on 13 principles for successful livingculled from what Hill learned during years of researching hundreds of the mostsuccessful people of his time. The book offers insights on how successful people achievetheir goals and instructs readers on how to apply these principles to their own lives.Today, the original version of Think and Grow Rich (which was used for this summary) isconsidered public domain and is accessible free in e-book form on the Web.APPLY AND ACHIEVEHill predicted that fortunes would be made by those who viewed the fi nancialhardships of the time as opportunities to create a new and better life for themselves.“Never in the history of America has there been so great an opportunity for practicaldreamers as now exists . A new race is about to be run . The rules of the racehave changed because we now live in a changed world .” That statement was true in1937, and it seems history is repeating itself once again.Is it possible to gain riches by changing your thought process?Edwin C. Barnes discovered how true it is that men really do think and grow rich.His discovery began with a burning desire to become a business associate of the greatThomas Edison.One of the chief characteristics of Barnes’ desire was that it was definite. He wantedto work with Edison, not for him. When this desire, or impulse of thought, first flashedinto his mind, he was in no position to act upon it. Two difficulties stood in his way:1SUCCESS PointsIn this book you’ll learn: Proven principles forsuccessful living The six “ghosts of fear” andhow to outwit themINTRODUCTIONPageWritten by Napoleon HillFirst published in 1937Book cover shown:Random House, 1987 Why you need to knowexactly what you want in life How to become “successconscious” as opposed to“failure conscious”SUCCESS.comSUCCESS BOOK SUMMARIES
Think and Grow RichThe Value of FaithFAITH is the “eternal elixir” which gives life, power,and action to the impulse of thought!The foregoing sentence is worth reading asecond time, and a third, and a fourth. It is worthreading aloud!FAITH is the starting point of all accumulation ofriches!FAITH is the basis of all “miracles,” and allmysteries which cannot be analyzed by the rulesof science!FAITH is the only known antidote for FAILURE!FAITH is the element, the “chemical” which, whenmixed with prayer, gives one direct communicationwith Infinite Intelligence.FAITH is the element which transforms theordinary vibration of thought, created by the finitemind of man, into the spiritual equivalent.FAITH is the only agency through which thecosmic force of Infinite Intelligence can beharnessed and used by man.He did not know Mr. Edison, and he did not have enoughmoney to pay his railroad fare to Orange, N.J.But he was so determined to find a way to carry out his desirethat he fi nally decided to travel to New Jersey on a freight train.Once there, he went to Edison’s laboratory and announced thathe had come to go into business with the inventor. In speakingof the first meeting between Barnes and Edison, years later,Mr. Edison said, “I gave him the opportunity he asked forbecause I saw he had made up his mind to stand by until he succeeded.Subsequent events proved that no mistake was made.”Just what young Barnes said to Mr. Edison on that occasionwas far less important than what he thought. Edison himselfsaid so! It was what he thought that counted.Eventually, the opportunity came. Mr. Edison had justperfected a new office device known as the Edison DictatingMachine. His salesmen did not believe it could be sold withoutgreat effort. Barnes saw his opportunity, though. He knew hecould sell the Edison Dictating Machine. In fact, he sold it sosuccessfully that Edison gave him a contract to distribute andmarket it all over the nation.Page2The business alliance went on to operate for decades. Outof it, Barnes made himself rich in money, but he had also donesomething infi nitely greater—he had proved that one reallymay Think and Grow Rich.Barnes literally thought himself into a partnership withthe great Edison! He thought himself into a fortune. He hadnothing to start with, except the capacity to know what hewanted and the determination to stand by that desire until herealized it.Think and Grow Rich explores the principles behind changingthe thought process to achieve success. When you begin tothink and grow rich, you will observe that riches begin with astate of mind, with defi niteness of purpose and with little or nohard work.Observe very closely, as soon as you master the principles ofthis philosophy and begin to follow the instructions for applyingthese principles, your fi nancial status will begin to improve andeverything you touch will begin to transmute itself into an assetfor your benefit. Impossible? Not at all!The object of Think and Grow Rich is to help all who seek it tolearn the art of changing their minds from failure consciousnessto success consciousness.DESIRE: THE STARTING POINT OFALL ACHIEVEMENTEvery human being who reaches the age of understandingthe purpose of money, wishes for it. Wishing will not bringriches. But desiring riches with a state of mind that becomes anobsession, then planning defi nite ways and means to acquireriches, and backing those plans with persistence which does notrecognize failure, will bring riches.The method by which desire for riches can be transmutedinto its fi nancial equivalent consists of six defi nite,practical steps: Fix in your mind the exact amount of money you desire.It is not sufficient merely to say “I want plenty of money.”Be defi nite as to the amount. Determine exactly what you intend to give in returnfor the money you desire. (There is no such reality as“something for nothing.”) Establish a defi nite date when you intend to possess themoney you desire.SUCCESS.comSUCCESS BOOK SUMMARIES
Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire, andbegin at once, whether you are ready or not, to put thisplan into action. Write out a clear, concise statement of the amount ofmoney you intend to acquire, name the time limit for itsacquisition, state what you intend to give in return forthe money, and describe clearly the plan through whichyou intend to accumulate it. Read your written statement aloud, twice daily, oncejust before retiring at night, and once after arising inthe morning.How can one harness and use the power of desire? I wishto convey the thought that all achievement, no matter whatmay be its nature, or its purpose, must begin with an intense,burning desire for something definite.FAITH: VISUALIZATION OF,AND BELIEF IN, ATTAINMENTOF DESIREFaith is a state of mind which may be induced, or created,by affirmation or repeated instructions to the subconsciousmind, through the principle of auto-suggestion. Faith is astate of mind which you may develop at will, after you havemastered the principles in this book, because it is a state ofmind which develops voluntarily, through application and useof these principles.Repetition of affirmation of orders to your subconscious mind is theonly known method of voluntary development of the emotion of faith.It is a well-known fact that one comes to believe whateverone repeats to one’s self, whether the statement be true or false. Ifa man repeats a lie over and over, he will eventually accept thelie as truth. Moreover, he will believe it to be the truth. Everyman is what he is, because of the dominating thoughts which hepermits to occupy his mind.Now comes a very significant statement of truth:
Written during the Great Depression, Think and Grow Rich touted hope in a time when almost all hope was lost. Napoleon Hill knew Americans needed inspiration to see beyond their circumstances to the possibility of a prosperous future. Published in 1937, Think and Grow Rich focuses on 13 principles for successful living
