Think and Grow Rich

Andrew Carnegie's Mentorship

Publication

Andrew Carnegie

Inspiring people and organizations to be bigger than themselves

Think and Grow Rich

The secret

None

None

WHAT DO YOU WANT MOST?

Is It Money, Fame, Power, Contentment, Personality, Peace of Mind, Happiness?

The Thirteen Steps to Riches described in this book offer the shortest dependable philosophy of individual achievement ever presented for the benefit of the man or woman who is searching for a definite goal in life.

Before beginning the book you will profit greatly if you recognize the fact that the book was not written to entertain. You cannot digest the contents properly in a week or a month.

After reading the book thoroughly, Dr. Miller Reese Hutchison, nationally known Consulting Engineer and long-time associate of Thomas A. Edison, said--

"This is not a novel. It is a textbook on individual achievement that came directly from the experiences of hundreds of America's most successful men. It should be studied, digested, and meditated upon. No more than one chapter should be read in a single night. The reader should underline the sentences which impress him most. Later, he should go back to these marked lines and read them again. A real student will not merely read this book, he will absorb its contents and make them his own. This book should be adopted by all high schools and no boy or girl should be permitted to graduate without having satisfactorily passed an examination on it. This philosophy will not take the place of the subjects taught in schools, but it will enable one to organize and apply the knowledge acquired, and convert it into useful service and adequate compensation without waste of time."

Dr. John R. Turner, Dean of the College of The City of New York, after having read the book, said--

"The very best example of the soundness of this philosophy is your own son, Blair, whose dramatic story you have outlined in the chapter on Desire."

Dr. Turner had reference to the author's son, who, born without normal hearing capacity, not only avoided becoming a deaf mute, but actually converted his handicap into a priceless asset by applying the philosophy here described. After
reading the story (starting on page 52), you will realize that you are about to come into possession of a philosophy which can be transmuted into material wealth, or serve as readily to bring you peace of mind, understanding, spiritual harmony, and in some instances, as in the case of the author's son, it can help you master physical affliction.

The author discovered, through personally analyzing hundreds of successful men, that all of them followed the habit of exchanging ideas, through what is commonly called conferences. When they had problems to be solved they sat down together and talked freely until they discovered, from their joint contribution of ideas, a plan that would serve their purpose.

You, who read this book, will get most out of it by putting into practice the Master Mind principle described in the book. This you can do (as others are doing so successfully) by forming a study club, consisting of any desired number of people who are friendly and harmonious. The club should have a meeting at regular periods, as often as once each week. The procedure should consist of reading one chapter of the book at each meeting, after which the contents of the chapter should be freely discussed by all members. Each member should make notes, putting down ALL IDEAS OF HIS OWN inspired by the discussion. Each member should carefully read and analyze each chapter several days prior to its open reading and joint discussion in the club. The reading at the club should be done by someone who reads well and understands how to put color and feeling into the lines.

By following this plan every reader will get from its pages, not only the sum total of the best knowledge organized from the experiences of hundreds of successful men, but more important by far, he will tap new sources of knowledge in his own mind as well as acquire knowledge of priceless value FROM EVERY OTHER PERSON PRESENT.

If you follow this plan persistently you will be almost certain to uncover and appropriate the secret formula by which Andrew Carnegie acquired his huge fortune, as referred to in the author's introduction.

This is one of the best-selling self-help books of all time. Written during the Great Depression, against a backdrop of millions of people out of work and a looming world war, Napoleon Hill's magnum opus held out hope that life could get better. While not considered part of the New Thought movement, Hill drew on many of their concepts and techniques. He prefigured the 'Prosperity Consciousness' of present-day New Age thinkers. And a host of motivational writers and speakers have followed in his footsteps.

A good part of Hill's book is simply the gospel of 20th century American Capitalism: work hard, have a firm handshake, get ahead by doing quality work, treat your customers with respect, anybody can become rich and/or powerful if they overcome their personal weaknesses. Some may find the core 'secret' of this book elusive; Hill never gives us a succinct formula to acquiring wealth, although he hints that it exists. However, the title of the book is 'Think and Grow Rich,' not 'Get Rich Quick': Hill insists that we take a very detailed personal inventory, and grow spiritually, in order to draw wealth our way. This involves a developing a high level of self-discipline and obeying the Delphic injunction to 'Know Thyself'. He also incorporates a lot of good, practical business advice: find new opportunities created by technological innovations, make a written plan and keep to it, don't be afraid to fail repeatedly. The secret is here, it is just simply the sum of parts rather than an explicit roadmap.

Towards the end of the book he steps off a precipice and ventures into some very esoteric territory. He discusses harnessing Kundalini energy, manifesting psychic powers such as telepathy, tapping into higher consciousness, and getting in touch with the great minds of history, although, again, he is not too specific about how to accomplish these feats.

Think and Grow Rich is one of those books which makes a lasting impression. No matter what you may think of Hill's philosophy and his folksy writing style, you are bound to come away from this book feeling energized, more optimistic about life, and (possibly) a bit richer for the experience. --J. B. Hare, 7/20/2006



DISCLAIMER: This is not an Official Napoleon Hill Fan Club. This is simply a Fan Profile for the book that has changed the lives of thousands of people. The intention of this is for people to connect around the world to those who have read the book and wants to share to others how they have applied it in their lives and those who wants a guide on how they can apply the teachings of Napoleon Hill.