[PDF]Think & Grow Rich

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NAPOLEON HILL









FOREWORD


"Whatever your mind can conceive and believe it can achieve." - Napoleon Hill

American born Napoleon Hill is considered to have influenced more people
into success than any other person in history. He has been perhaps the most
influential man in the area of personal success technique development, primarily
through his classic book Think and Grow Rich which has helped million of the
people and has been important in the life of many successful people such as W.
Clement Stone and Og Mandino.

Napoleon Hill was born into poverty in 1883 in a one-room cabin on the Pound
River in Wise County, Virginia. At the age of 10 his mother died, and two years
later his father remarried. He became a very rebellious boy, but grew up to be an
incredible man. He began his writing career at age 13 as a "mountain reporter" for
small town newspapers and went on to become America's most beloved
motivational author. Fighting against all class of great disadvantages and
pressures, he dedicated more than 25 years of his life to define the reasons by
which so many people fail to achieve true financial success and happiness in their
life.

During this time he achieved great success as an attorney and journalist. His
early career as a reporter helped finance his way through law school. He was
given an assignment to write a series of success stories of famous men, and his
big break came when he was asked to interview steel-magnate Andrew Carnegie.
Mr. Carnegie commissioned Hill to interview over 500 millionaires to find a
success formula that could be used by the average person. These included Thomas
Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Henry Ford, Elmer Gates, Charles M. Schwab,
Theodore Roosevelt, William Wrigley Jr, John Wanamaker, William Jennings
Bryan, George Eastman, Woodrow Wilson, William H. Taft, John D. Rockefeller,
F. W. Woolworth, Jennings Randolph, among others.

He became an advisor to Andrew Carnegie, and with Carnegie's help he
formulated a philosophy of success, drawing on the thoughts and experience of a
multitude of rags-to-riches tycoons. It took Hill over 20 years to produce his
book, a classic in the Personal Development field called Think and Grow Rich.
This book has sold over 7 million copies and has helped thousands achieve
success.


The secret to success is very simple but you'll have to read the book to find out



what it is!


Napoleon Hill passed away in November 1970 after a long and successful
career writing, teaching, and lecturing about the principles of success. His work
stands as a monument to individual achievement and is the cornerstone of modern
motivation. His book, Think and Grow Rich, is the all time best-seller in the field.

Perhaps no other success book has influenced more people than Napoleon
Hill’s Classic Think and Grow Rich. Since it’s introduction in 1937, millions of
copies have been sold around the world. It still remains one of the top selling
books of its kind.

Several years ago I came across a biography of Hill on a PBS show and it was
an eye-opening adventure into the life of a man whose days were not the smooth
sailing I had always assumed they were.

Napoleon struggled against a myriad of obstacles throughout his life many of
which were brought on by some of the earlier choices he had made. I can’t count
the number of times he became broke and penniless following a highly successful
venture gone sour. His personal life was as spotted as his financial life and a
recounting of that could easily consume a full book.

I would have thought that my discovery of his many flaws would cause me to
lose respect for him, and thus doubt the veracity of his teachings that have
influenced me for more than twenty years. But it is quite the opposite. Having
listened to the struggles of this very human man has given me a whole new
perspective of respect, even awe, of the incredible resilience and persistence that
he displayed repeatedly against sometimes massive odds.

I now understand that he didn’t write about some theory of how to think and
grow rich. He wrote from experience his numerous experiences and the
experiences of America’s most successful.

While the casual observer would believe that this book is only about making
money, those of us who have studied it for years know otherwise. It’s about a
better way to live a rich life. And for that I am grateful that Napoleon gave so
much of himself in order that he might leave us with this incredible work.


Opportunity Informer, com



THINK and
GROW RICH


Teaching, for the first time, the famous
Andrew Carnegie formula for money-making,
based upon the THIRTEEN PROVEN
STEPS TO RICHES.

Organized through 25 years of research,
in collaboration with more than 500
distinguished men of great wealth, who
proved by their own achievements that
this philosophy is practical.


BY

NAPOLEON HILL

Author of

THE LAW OF SUCCESS

Philosophy


1938

Published by THE RALSTON SOCIETY, Meriden, Conn.


ELECTRONIC FACSIMILE EDITION

Published 2000
With Original Foreword By
Tony Seruga

Distributed by

OpportunityInformer.com


While this eBook is optimized for viewing on screen, it may be
printed out and assembled in booklet form. Because it is optimized
for screen viewing it has larger than normal type when printed.



COPYRIGHT, 1937, BY
NAPOLEON HILL

All Rights Reserved


March, 1937
May, 1937
August, 1937
February, 1938


Printings

.5000 Copies
10,000 Copies
20,000 Copies
20,000 Copies


This book is an eBook reproduction of the complete and original 1937 version of Think and
Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, originally published by The Ralston Society and now in the public
domain. This eBook edition published with an original cover design and an original foreword by
Tony Seruga, is not sponsored or endorsed by, or otherwise affiliated with, Napoleon Hill or his
family and heirs, the Napoleon Hill Foundation, The Ralston Society, or any other person or
entity.



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


5



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.


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TRIBUTES TO THE AUTHOR
From Great American Leaders


“THINK AND GROW RICH” was 25 years in the making. It is
Napoleon Hill’s newest book, based upon his famous Law of
Success Philosophy. His work and writings have been praised by
great leaders in Finance, Education, Politics, Government.


Supreme Court of the United States
Washington, D.C.


Dear Mr. Hill:—

I have now had an opportunity to finish reading your Law of
Success textbooks and I wish to express my appreciation of the
splendid work you have done in the organization of this philosophy.

It would be helpful if every politician in the country would
assimilate and apply the 17 principles upon which your lessons are
based. It contains some very fine material which every leader in
every walk of life should understand.

I am happy to have had the privilege of rendering you some
slight measure of help in the organization of this splendid course of
“common sense” philosophy.


Sincerely yours



(Former President and former Chief Justice of the United States)

KING OF THE 5 AND 10 CENT STORES

“By applying many of the 17 fundamentals of the Law of
Success philosophy we have built a great chain of successful stores.
I presume it would be no exaggeration of fact if I said that the
Woolworth Building might properly be called a monument to the
soundness of these principles.”

F. W. WOOLWORTH


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A GREAT STEAMSHIP MAGNATE


“I feel greatly indebted for the privilege of reading your Law of
Success. If I had had this philosophy fifty years ago, I suppose I
could have accomplished all that I have done in less than half the
time. I sincerely hope the world will discover and reward you.”

ROBERT DOLLAR

FAMOUS AMERICAN LABOR LEADER

“Mastery of the Law of Success philosophy is the equivalent of
an insurance policy against failure.”

SAMUEL GOMPERS

A FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

“May I not congratulate you on your persistence. Any man who
devotes that much time . . . must of necessity make discoveries of
great value to others. 1 am deeply impressed by your interpretation
of the ‘Master Mind’ principles which you have so clearly described.”

WOODROW WILSON ~

A MERCHANT PRINCE

“I know that your 17 fundamentals of success are sound
because I have been applying them in my business for more than
30 years.”

JOHN WANAMAKER


WORLD’S LARGEST MAKER OF CAMERAS

“I know that you are doing a world of good with your Law of
Success. I would not care to set a monetary value on this training
because it brings to the student qualities which cannot be
measured by money, alone.”

GEORGE EASTMAN


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A NATIONALLY KNOWN BUSINESS CHIEF


“Whatever success I may have attained I owe, entirely, to the
application of your 17 fundamental principles of the Law of
Success. I believe I have the honor of being your first student.”

WM. WRIGLEY, JR.


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PUBLISHER’S PREFACE


THIS book conveys the experience of more than 500 men of
great wealth, who began at scratch, with nothing to give in return
for riches except THOUGHTS, IDEAS and ORGANIZED PLANS.

Here you have the entire philosophy of moneymaking, just as
it was organized from the actual achievements of the most
successful men known to the American people during the past fifty
years. It describes WHAT TO DO, also, HOW TO DO IT!

It presents complete instructions on HOW TO SELL YOUR
PERSONAL SERVICES.

It provides you with a perfect system of self-analysis that will
readily disclose what has been standing between you and “the big
money” in the past.

It describes the famous Andrew Carnegie formula of personal
achievement by which he accumulated hundreds of millions of
dollars for himself and made no fewer than a score of millionaires of
men to whom he taught his secret.

Perhaps you do not need all that is to be found in the book—
no one of the 500 men from whose experiences it was written did—
but you may need ONE IDEA, PLAN OR SUGGESTION to start you
toward your goal. Somewhere in the book you will find this needed
stimulus.

The book was inspired by Andrew Carnegie, after he had made
his millions and retired. It was written by the man to whom
Carnegie disclosed the astounding secret of his riches—the same
man to whom the 500 wealthy men revealed the source of their
riches.

In this volume will be found the thirteen principles of money¬
making essential to every person who accumulates sufficient money
to guarantee financial independence. It is estimated that the
research which went into the preparation, before the book was
written, or could be written—research covering more than twenty-
five years of continuous effort—could not be duplicated at a cost of
less than $100,000.00.

Moreover, the knowledge contained in the book never can be
duplicated, at any cost, for the reason that more than half of the
500 men who supplied the information it brings have passed on.
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