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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

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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 opportunityinformer.com

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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.

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copyright 1937 by napoleon hill all rights reserved printings march 1937 may 1937 august 1937 february 1938 .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.

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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

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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 6

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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 7

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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 8

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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 9

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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 moneymaking 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 twentyfive 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 riches cannot always be measured in money 10

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money and material things are essential for freedom of body and mind but there are some who will feel that the greatest of all riches can be evaluated only in terms of lasting friendships harmonious family relationships sympathy and understanding between business associates and introspective harmony which brings one peace of mind measurable only in spiritual values all who read understand and apply this philosophy will be better prepared to attract and enjoy these higher estates which always have been and always will be denied to all except those who are ready for them be prepared therefore when you expose yourself to the influence of this philosophy to experience a changed life which may help you not only to negotiate your way through life with harmony and understanding but also to prepare you for the accumulation of material riches in abundance the publisher 11

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author s preface in every chapter of this book mention has been made of the money-making secret which has made fortunes for more than five hundred exceedingly wealthy men whom i have carefully analyzed over a long period of years the secret was brought to my attention by andrew carnegie more than a quarter of a century ago the canny lovable old scotsman carelessly tossed it into my mind when i was but a boy then he sat back in his chair with a merry twinkle in his eyes and watched carefully to see if i had brains enough to understand the full significance of what he had said to me when he saw that i had grasped the idea he asked if i would be willing to spend twenty years or more preparing myself to take it to the world to men and women who without the secret might go through life as failures i said i would and with mr carnegie s cooperation i have kept my promise this book contains the secret after having been put to a practical test by thousands of people in almost every walk of life it was mr carnegie s idea that the magic formula which gave him a stupendous fortune ought to be placed within reach of people who do not have time to investigate how men make money and it was his hope that i might test and demonstrate the soundness of the formula through the experience of men and women in every calling he believed the formula should be taught in all public schools and colleges and expressed the opinion that if it were properly taught it would so revolutionize the entire educational system that the time spent in school could be reduced to less than half his experience with charles m schwab and other young men of mr schwab s type convinced mr carnegie that much of that which is taught in the schools is of no value whatsoever in connection with the business of earning a living or accumulating riches he had arrived at this decision because he had taken into his business one young man after another many of them with but little schooling and by coaching them in the use of this formula developed in them rare leadership moreover his coaching made fortunes for everyone of them who followed his instructions in the chapter on faith you will read the astounding story of the organization of the giant united states steel corporation as it 12

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was conceived and carried out by one of the young men through whom mr carnegie proved that his formula will work for all who are ready for it this single application of the secret by that young man charles m schwab made him a huge fortune in both money and opportunity roughly speaking this particular application of the formula was worth six hundred million dollars these facts-and they are facts well known to almost everyone who knew mr carnegie give you a fair idea of what the reading of this book may bring to you provided you know what it is that you want even before it had undergone twenty years of practical testing the secret was passed on to more than one hundred thousand men and women who have used it for their personal benefit as mr carnegie planned that they should some have made fortunes with it others have used it successfully in creating harmony in their homes a clergyman used it so effectively that it brought him an income of upwards of $75,000.00 a year arthur nash a cincinnati tailor used his near-bankrupt business as a guinea pig on which to test the formula the business came to life and made a fortune for its owners it is still thriving although mr nash has gone the experiment was so unique that newspapers and magazines gave it more than a million dollars worth of laudatory publicity the secret was passed on to stuart austin wier of dallas texas he was ready for it so ready that he gave up his profession and studied law did he succeed that story is told too i gave the secret to jennings randolph the day he graduated from college and he has used it so successfully that he is now serving his third term as a member of congress with an excellent opportunity to keep on using it until it carries him to the white house while serving as advertising manager of the la-salle extension university when it was little more than a name i had the privilege of seeing j g chapline president of the university use the formula so effectively that he has since made the lasalle one of the great extension schools of the country the secret to which i refer has been mentioned no fewer than a hundred times throughout this book it has not been directly named for it seems to work more successfully when it is merely uncovered and left in sight where those who are ready and 13

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searching for it may pick it up that is why mr carnegie tossed it to me so quietly without giving me its specific name if you are ready to put it to use you will recognize this secret at least once in every chapter i wish i might feel privileged to tell you how you will know if you are ready but that would deprive you of much of the benefit you will receive when you make the discovery in your own way while this book was being written my own son who was then finishing the last year of his college work picked up the manuscript of chapter two read it and discovered the secret for himself he used the information so effectively that he went directly into a responsible position at a beginning salary greater than the average man ever earns his story has been briefly described in chapter two when you read it perhaps you will dismiss any feeling you may have had at the beginning of the book that it promised too much and too if you have ever been discouraged if you have had difficulties to surmount which took the very soul out of you if you have tried and failed if you were ever handicapped by illness or physical affliction this story of my son s discovery and use of the carnegie formula may prove to be the oasis in the desert of lost hope for which you have been searching this secret was extensively used by president woodrow wilson during the world war it was passed on to every soldier who fought in the war carefully wrapped in the training received before going to the front president wilson told me it was a strong factor in raising the funds needed for the war more than twenty years ago hon manuel l quezon then resident commissioner of the philippine islands was inspired by the secret to gain freedom for his people he has gained freedom for the philippines and is the first president of the free state a peculiar thing about this secret is that those who once acquire it and use it find themselves literally swept on to success with but little effort and they never again submit to failure if you doubt this study the names of those who have used it wherever they have been mentioned check their records for yourself and be convinced there is no such thing as something for nothing the secret to which i refer cannot be had without a price although the price is far less than its value it cannot be had at any price by those who are not intentionally searching for it it cannot 14

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