165 Valuable Lessons from Think and Grow Rich

Think and Grow Rich is one of the few books I've read more than once. In fact, I've read it multiple times. Despite being nearly 80 years old, Napoleon Hill's book still holds true. In fact, Think and Grow Rich may even be more relevant today that it was when it was written during the late 1920s.

The first time I read Think and Grow Rich I was in my late teens, maybe early twenties. At that point in my life, had little to no idea about what it takes to build, much less succeed in, a business.

The second time I read it, I was finishing up at college. Still, I had no idea I'd someday own a business where I'd be coaching people older and more experience than me. However, every time I open Hill's book, I learn something new, and an old phrase or passage pops up that I really need to read.

If you've never read Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, you absolutely must! You can grab a copy on Amazon here, or, enter to win 1 of 3 copies I'm giving away!

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As this is one of the best personal development books I've ever read, I want to make sure you know about it and have a chance to win a copy.

My 165 Favorite Lessons from Think and Grow Rich

On Success

1. Before success comes in any man's life, he is sure to meet with much temporary defeat, and, perhaps, some failure.

2. “No” does not necessarily mean no.

3. One sound idea is all you need to achieve success.

4. One of the main weaknesses of mankind is the average man's familiarity with the word “impossible.”

5. There is no such thing as something for nothing!

6. Successful men, in all callings, never stop acquiring specialized knowledge related to their major purpose, business, or profession.

7. Those who are not successful usually make the mistake of believing that the knowledge-acquiring period ends when one finishes school. The truth is that schooling does little more than to put one in the way of learning how to acquire practical knowledge.

8. Successful salesmen groom themselves with care. They understand that first impressions are lasting.

9. Quality and quantity aren't enough to create a long-term market for your services. A determining factor of your success will be the spirit in which you deliver those services.

10. There is no hope of success for the person who does not have a central purpose, or definite goal which to aim.

11. There is no hope of success for the person who repels people through a negative personality.

12. The starting point of all achievement is desire.

13. Weak desires bring weak results, just as a small amount of fire makes a small amount of heat.

14. Fortunes gravitate to men whose minds have been prepared to attract them.

15. Success acknowledges talent, recognizes genius, pays off in money, only after one has refused to quit.

16. Power, organized and intelligently directed knowledge, is essential for success in the accumulation of money.

17. The ladder of success is never crowded at the top.

18. To be successful, you must find peace of mind, acquire the material needs of life, and above all, attain happiness.

19. A burning desire to be and to do is the starting point from which the dreamer must take off. Dreams are not born of indifference, laziness, or lack of ambition. All who succeed in life get off to a bad start.

20. Every person who wins in any undertaking must be willing to burn his ships and cut all sources of retreat.

21. People who succeed reach decisions promptly, and change them, if at all, very slowly. People who fail reach decisions, if at all, very slowly, and change them frequently, and quickly.

On Controlling Your Thoughts

22. All achievement, all earned riches, have their beginning in an idea!

23. Thoughts are things, and powerful things at that, when they are mixed with definiteness of purpose, persistence, and a burning desire for their translation into riches, or other material objects.

24. When a man really desires a thing so deeply that he is willing to stake his entire fortune on a single turn of the wheel in order to get it, he is sure to win.

25. The subconscious mind is like a fertile garden pot, in which weeds will grow in abundance, if the seeds of more desirable crops are not sown therein.

26. It is a well-known fact that one comes, finally, to believe whatever one repeats to one's self, whether the statement be true or false.

27. If you keep thinking poor, you'll never recognize an opportunity to become rich.

28. If you think you are beaten, you are.

29. The imagination is literally the workshop wherein are fashioned all plans created by man. It has been said that man can create anything which he can imagine.

30. Man's only limitation, within reason, lies in his development and use of his imagination.

31. Ideas are intangible forces, but they have more power than the physical brains that give birth to them. They have the power to live on, after the brain that created them has turned to dust.

32. Open-mindedness is essential for belief. Closed minds do not inspire faith, courage, and belief.

33. The most common weakness of all human beings is the habit of leaving their minds open to the negative influence of other people.

34. You have absolute control over but one thing, and that is your thoughts.

35. If you fail to control your own mind, you may be sure you will control nothing else.

36. All men have become what they are because of their dominating thoughts and desires.

37. Every human being has the ability to completely control his own mind.

38. Nature has endowed man with absolute control over but one thing, and that is thought.

39. Men take on the nature and the habits and the power of thought of those with whom they associate.

40. The positive emotions of thought form the side of the stream which carries one to fortune. The negative emotions for the side which carries one down to poverty.

41. The mind is a creature of habit. It thrives upon the dominating thoughts fed it.

42. The subconscious mind works day and night. You cannot entirely control it, but you can voluntarily hand over to it any plan, desire, or purpose which you wish transformed into concrete form.

43. Man can create nothing which he does not first conceive in thought.

44. Positive and negative emotions cannot occupy the mind at the same time. One of the other must dominate.

45. Happiness is found in doing; not merely in possessing.

46. He who has loved truly, can never lose entirely.

47. Over-caution is thinking and talking of possible failure instead of concentrating upon the means of succeeding. It's knowing all the roads to disaster, but never searching for the plans to avoid failure.

48. Thought, backed by strong desire, has a tendency to transmute itself into its physical equivalent.

On Persistence

49. Without persistence, you will be defeated, even before you start. With persistence you will win. With persistence will come success.

50. If one does not possess persistence, one does not achieve noteworthy success in any calling.

51. If one has persistence, one can get along very well without many other qualities.

52. The only “break” anyone can afford to rely upon is a self-made “break.” These come through the application of persistence. The starting point is definiteness of purpose.

53. Riches do not respond to wishes. They respond to definite plans, backed by definite desires, through constant persistence.

54. There is a point at which the majority of men meet with failure, because of their lack of persistence in creating new plans to take the place of those which fail.

55. There is no substitute for persistence. Failure cannot cope with persistence.

56. Persistence is an essential factor in the procedure of transmuting desire into its monetary equivalent. The basis of persistence is the power of will.

57. Most people are ready to throw their aims and purposes overboard, and give up at the first sign of opposition or misfortune.

58. Lack of persistence is one of the major causes of failure.

59. Lack of persistence is a weakness common to the majority of men.

60. Persistence is a state of mind, therefore it can be cultivated. Persistence is the direct result of habit.

On Fear

61. The majority of people permit relatives, friends, and the public at large to so influence them that they cannot live their own lives, because they fear criticism.

62. People refuse to take chances in business, because they fear the criticism which may follow if they fail. The fear of criticism in such cases is stronger than the desire for success.

63. The fear of criticism is at the bottom of the destruction of most ideas which never reach the planning and action stage.

64. Indecision is the seedling of fear! Indecision crystallizes into doubt, the two blend and become fear.

65. Fears are nothing more than states of mind. One's state of mind is subject to control and direction.

66. Fear paralyzes the power of reason, destroys the imagination, kills off self-reliance, undermines enthusiasm, discourages initiative, leads to uncertainty of purpose, encourages procrastination, wipes out enthusiasm and makes self-control an impossibility. It takes the charm from ones personality, destroys the possibility of accurate thinking, diverts concentration of effort; it masters persistence, turns the will-power into nothingness, destroys ambition, clouds the memory and invites failure in every conceivable form; it kills love and assassinates the finer emotions of the heart.

67. The fear of criticism robs man of his initiative, destroys his power of imagination, limits his individuality, takes away his self-reliance, and does him damage in a hundred other ways.

68. One of the most common causes of failure is the habit of quitting when one is overtaken by temporary defeat.

On Knowledge and Wisdom

69. Seek expert counsel.

70. We refuse to believe that which we do not understand. We foolishly believe that our own limitations are the proper measure of limitations.

71. Knowledge will not attract money, unless it is organized, and intelligently directed, through practical plans of action, the definite end of accumulation of money.

72. Knowledge is only potential power.

73. No individual has sufficient experience, education, native ability, and knowledge to insure the accumulation of a great fortune, without the cooperation of other people.

74. Knowledge may be converted into power by organizing it into definite plans and by expressing those plans in terms of action.

75. The reasoning of the brain is often faulty, because it is largely guided by one's accumulated experience. Not all knowledge which one accumulates through experience is accurate.

76. The most intelligent man living cannot succeed in anything without plans which are both practical and workable.

77. Genuine wisdom is usually conspicuous through modesty and silence.

78. Those who reach decisions promptly and definitely, know what they want, and generally get it.

On Failure and Defeat

79. Often opportunity comes disguised as misfortune or temporary defeat.

80. No one ever is defeated until defeat has been accepted as a reality. [Poet] Robert Burns was illiterate. Beethoven was deaf. Milton was blind.

81. Temporary defeat is not permanent failure.

82. We see men who have accumulated great fortunes, but we often recognize only their triumph, overlooking the temporary defeats which they had to surmount before “arriving.”

83. A quitter never wins – and a winner never quits.

84. A lack of decision was near the head of the list of the 31 major causes of failure.

85. Indecision and procrastination are twin brothers. Where one is found, the other may usually be found also. Kill off this pair before they completely “hog-tie” you to the treadmill of failure.

86. Every adversity brings with it the seed of an equivalent advantage.

87. Both success and failure are largely the results of habit.

88. Most of us go through life as failures, because we are waiting for the “time to be right” to start doing something worthwhile. Do not wait. The time will never be “just right.”

89. Those who can't take it do not make it.

90. Every failure brings with it the seed of an equivalent advantage.

On Managing Yourself

91. Remain ready until you get what you are seeking.

92. No more effort is required to aim high in life, to demand abundance and prosperity, than is required to accept misery and poverty.

93. Conduct yourself just as you would if you were already in possession of the material thing which you are demanding.

94. Resolve to throw off the influences of any unfortunate environment, and to build your own life to order.

95. Do not wait for a definite plan; begin at once.

96. You, and you alone, must decide whether or not the reward for which you are striving is worth the price you must pay for it in effort.

97. When a man admits that he is “too busy” to change his plans, or to give attention to any emergency, he admits his inefficiency.

98. If you have personal services to market, you are where you are, and you are what you are, because of your own conduct!

99. There is no hope for the person who is so indifferent as to not want to get ahead in life, and who is not willing to pay the price.

100. Before you can control the conditions of your environment, you must first control yourself.

101. Regarding self-control – The man who cannot control himself can never control others.

102. You may see at one and the same time both your best friend and your greatest enemy, by stepping in front of a mirror.

103. Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along.

104. Keep your eyes and ears wide open – and your mouth closed. Those who talk too much do little else.

105. The jack-of-all-trades seldom is good at any.

106. Procrastination is the opposite of decision, and is a common enemy which practically every man must conquer.

107. If you are influenced by the opinions of others, you will have no desire of your own.

On Masterminds and Friendship

108. It is not essential that you have this knowledge in your own mind. You may bridge your weakness through the aid of your “master mind” group.

109. The man who can organize and direct a “master mind” group of men who possess knowledge useful in the accumulation of money is just as much a man of education as any man of the group. Thomas Edison had only three months of schooling; Henry Ford had less than a sixth grade education.

110. People who schedule their spare time to provide for home study seldom remain at the bottom very long.

111. Too many people who begin at the bottom never manage to life their heads high enough to be seen by opportunity.

112. We rise to high positions or remain at the bottom because of conditions we can control if we desire to control them.

113. The close association with someone who refuses to compromise with circumstances he does not like is an asset that can never be measured in terms of money.

114. If you select your mastermind group with care, you will have in it at least one person who will aid you in the development of persistence.

115. Economic advantages may be created by any person who surrounds himself with the advice, counsel, and personal cooperation of a group of men who are willing to lend him wholehearted aid, in a spirit of perfect harmony.

116. No two minds ever come together without, thereby, creating a third, invisible, intangible force which may be likened to a third mind.

117. No individual may have great power without availing himself of the mastermind. Your understanding of this great truth may definitely determine your financial status.

118. Andrew Carnegie has attributed his entire fortune to the power he accumulated through his mastermind.

119. Analyze the record of any man who has accumulated a great fortune, and many of those who have accumulated modest fortunes, and you will find that they have either consciously or unconsciously employed the mastermind principle.

120. Man's brain may be compared to an electric battery. It is a well-known fact that a group of batteries will provide more energy than a single battery. The brain functions in a similar fashion.

121. Deliberately seek the company of people who influence you to think and act for yourself.

On Leadership

122. There are two types of people in the world – Leaders and Followers. Decide at the outset whether you intend to become a leader in your chosen calling, or remain a follower.

123. It is no disgrace to be a follower. On the other hand, it is no credit to remain a follower.

124. Regarding planning – The successful leader must plan his work, and work his plan.

125. Regarding habits – One of the downsides of leadership is that the leader must do more than he requires of his followers.

126. Regarding responsibility – If one of your followers makes a mistake, and shows himself incompetent, the leader must consider that it is he who failed.

127. Efficient leadership calls for the ability to organize and to master details. No genuine leader is ever “too busy.”

128. The leader who fears that one of his followers may take his position is practically sure to realize that fear sooner or later.

129. The leaders in every walk of life decide quickly, and firmly. That is the major reason why they are leaders.

130. Most men will work harder for commendation and recognition than they will for money alone.

131. The man who makes too much over this title generally has little else to emphasize.

On Money and Wealth

132. One of the strange things about human beings is that they value only that which has a price.

133. Compensation may not always be in the form of money.

134. It is an eternal truth that men receive more pay for their ability to get other to perform, than they could possibly earn by their own efforts.

135. Forget about “a job.” Forget whether or not there is an opening. Forget the usual routine of “have you got a job for me?” Concentrate on what you can give.

136. Every person must be their own salesman.

137. The day of the “go-getter” has passed. He has been replaced by the “go-giver.”

138. Money is worth no more than brains. It is often worth much less.

139. “Brains” are a form of capital which cannot be permanently depreciated through depressions, nor can this form of capital be stolen or spent.

140. Money without brains is always dangerous.

141. There is but one dependable method of accumulating and legally holding riches, and that is by rendering useful service.

142. When one goes hunting for game, one selects hunting grounds where game is plentiful. When seeking riches, the same rule would apply.

143. The majority of people who fail to accumulate money sufficient for their needs are, generally, easily influenced by the opinions of others.

144. We are not paid merely for what we know, but more particularly for what we do with that which we know.

145. There can be no compromise between poverty and riches! The two roads that lead to poverty and riches travel in opposite directions. If you want riches, you must refuse to accept any circumstance that leads toward poverty.

146. Anybody can wish for riches, and most people do, but only a few know that a definite plan, plus a burning desire for wealth, are the only dependable means of accumulating wealth.

147. The method by which industrialists and businessmen accumulate great fortunes, is by giving before they try to get.

148. Money is shy and elusive. It must be wooed and won.

149. Poverty needs no plan. It needs no one to aid it, because it is bold and ruthless.

Other Words of Incredible Wisdom

150. Lowly beginnings may be circumvented by proper planning.

151. Perfection will come through practice. It cannot come by merely reading instructions.

152. Anything acquired without effort, and without cost is generally unappreciated, often discredited.

153. Perhaps a favorable break can get you an opportunity, but the safest plan is not to depend upon luck.

154. It is just as essential to know what not to do as it is to know what to do.

155. The person who takes no chances generally has to take whatever is left when others are through choosing.

156. Over-caution is as bad as under-caution.

157. There is no substitute for honesty. There is no hope for the person who is dishonest by choice.

158. Capitalists (entrepreneurs) are the brains of civilization, because they supply the entire fabric of which all education, enlightenment and human progress consists.

159. Tell the world what you intend to do, but first show it.

160. The world has a habit of making room for the man whose words and actions show that he knows where he is going.

161. Will-power and desire, when properly combined, make and irresistible pair.

162. Most ideas are stillborn, and need the breath of life injected into them through definite plans of immediate action. The time to nurse an idea is at the time of its birth. Every minute it lives, gives it a better chance of surviving.

163. He who depends entirely upon luck is nearly always disappointed.

164. Plans are inert and useless, without sufficient power to translate them into action.

165. Conquer self and force life to pay whatever is asked.

Can you believe Napoleon Hill wrote all that wisdom almost 100 years ago?

It's pretty incredible if you ask me.

In case you missed it, Hill was a huge proponent of mastermind groups. I've got one starting soon; click here to reserve your spot.

He was also a huge fan of continued learning – be sure you enter to win a FREE copy of Think and Grow Rich, and be sure to share your link with your friends so you get more chances to win!

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