The meeting that changed the world forever: Andrew Carnegie meets Napoleon Hill and lays ground for “Think and Grow Rich” (get your free copy in the sidebar)

"Think And Grow Rich" / Life of Napoleon Hill / Napoleon Hill — No Comments
18
Jan 11

Napoleon Hill, “Think and Grow Rich” and Personal Success

The most famous book on personal success is “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill. Download your free copy now in the sidebar

Napoleon Hill has really changed many people’s outlook on life and success. He was a man of firm and definite beliefs and he was the first to identify and write down these ideas in a book.

Napoleon Hill was born in a single room cottage in the Appalachian township of Pound on the Pound River in Wise County, Virginia on 26 October 1883.

Napoleon Hill was one of the earliest producers of the modern genre of personal-success literature if not the inventor of this genre. He probably has inspired the success of more men and women than any other person in history. In his most famous book “Think and Grow Rich”, he will give you a fresh look at the human condition concerning success.

Napoleon Hill was a great thinker and is one of the most famous authors of all times. He claims that success can be achieved with one’s own means in all disciplines, such as philosophy, mathematics, scientific research and especially business and entrepreneurship.

Success can also be achieved in diplomacy and in all occupations requiring self-control, flexibility, and perseverance. It can be achieved in education and all careers related to children and youths. Success is the child of hard labor, persistence and bold audacity.

In “Think and Grow Rich”, Napoleon Hill explains that success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out. It is going from failure to failure without a loss of enthusiasm. Success is easiest learned from the lives, the achievements and even the failures of successful people. Success is never simply a matter of luck and success is not the key to happiness. It is the way you spend your life doing your best for others and for yourself.

Famous U.S. Army General George S. Patton said about success: “I don’t measure a man’s success by how high he climbs but how high he bounces when he hits bottom.”

To your success. Napoleon Hill left “Think and Grow Rich” to the world. You can get it free now.

If you’ve found this website helpful, please click the Donate button. I’m grateful for your support.

"Think And Grow Rich" / Andrew Carngie / Life of Napoleon Hill / Napoleon Hill — 4 Comments
26
Oct 10

Why Napoleon Hill went to work for 20 years without any pay for the richest man in the world?

“Think and Grow Rich” was Napoleon Hill’s biggest success, but not his first one. 20 years after Andrew Carnegie had commissioned Napoleon Hill with the task of a lifetime, the first practical philosophy of success was published: “The Law of Success in Sixteen Lessons”

TAGR-Ads: The Science of Getting Rich Maverick Money Makers Blog Mastermind Mobile Monopoly

There are a lot of rumors in circulation concerning the first meeting of Napoleon Hill with Andrew Carnegie. This is what Napoleon Hill tells about this historical day that led to “The Law of Success in Sixteen Lessons” and “Think and Grow Rich”

The following is a transcript of a speech that Napoleon Hill held before a live audience. He is telling the story of his first meeting with Andrew Carnegie in 1908 and how Mr. Carnegie commissioned him to write the first practical philosophy of success and achievement.

>> My brother and I had matriculated of Georgetown University Law school intending to become lawyers. We didn’t have any money but I did have ability to write and I promised that I would write stories about successful men, sell them to a magazine and pay our way through. And my first assignment fortunately was with Andrew Carnegie in Pittsburgh.

He gave me 3 hours. And when the 3 hours were over, he said: “Now, this interview is just beginning. Come on of the house, stay all night and after the dinner we’ll take up the interview again.” He kept me there three days and nights. And believe you me, I was more than flattered. I wondered what it was all about.

He kept talking to me about the need for a new philosophy. He said: “We’ve had many philosophies with days of Socrates and Plato on down to the days of William James and Emerson, but most of them dealt with the moral laws of life. What we need is an economic philosophy for the man on the streets that will enable him to make use of the know-how gained by men like myself over a lifetime of experience.” Well, it sounded (…) very nice to me except for one thing: I didn’t know exactly what that word philosophy meant. And finally, at the end of the third day, he said:

“Now, look here! I have been talking to you for three days about the need for a new philosophy. I’m gonna ask you a question about it: If I commission you to become the author of this philosophy, give you letters of introduction to men, whose experiences you will need in collaboration with yourself. Are you willing to put in 20 years of research, because that’s how long it will take, paying your own way as you go along without any subsidy from me – yes or no?”

Ladies and Gentlemen, there been many times in my life when I faced difficult problems and difficult decisions. And I don’t think I ever faced one more embarrassing than that. Because when Mr. Carnegie put that proposition to me (…), my hand was down in my pocket and I was fiddling with the money that I had there just about enough to get back to Washington and if I would have had to stay in a hotel instead of Mr. Carnegie’s house I wouldn’t have that much. I didn’t even know the meaning of the word Philosophy. And yeah, the richest men in the world wanted me to go to work for him for 20 years without pay.

Wasn’t that a situation for you? I started to tell Mr. Carnegie, I started to do exactly what you or the most of the people would have done under the same circumstances. Now, what do you think that was? What would you have done, if you would have faced that sort of proposition: going to work for 20 years without any pay for the richest man in the world? Well, yes that’s what I was about to do.

But something inside of me wouldn’t let me open my mouth until I got a hunch that if Mr. Carnegie kept me there for three days, it must have been for a purpose. That he must have seen something in me that I didn’t know was there. Also, that man, a man with Mr. Carnegie’s reputation for picking men, certainly didn’t pick me to do a job like that unless he knew I had the ability to do it.

And whatever this something was, this silent invisible person, who was standing, looking over my shoulder and whispering into my ear, said: Go ahead and tell him “Yes”.

I said: “Mr. Carnegie, I not only will accept the commission, Sir, but you may depend upon it that I will complete it.” He said: “I like the way you enter that (…) and I think you will do it. You have the job.” <<

Napoleon Hill had worked 20 years to write the first practical philosophy of success. It was entitled “The Law of Success in Sixteen Lessons”. Nine years and some research later, Napoleon Hill published his biggest success: “Think and Grow Rich”. You can grab yourself a free ebook copy in the sidebar.

TAGR-Ads: The Science of Getting Rich Maverick Money Makers Blog Mastermind Mobile Monopoly

If you’ve found this website helpful, please click the Donate button. I’m grateful for your support.

"Think And Grow Rich" / Books by Napoleon Hill / Life of Napoleon Hill / Napoleon Hill — No Comments
3
Sep 10

Napoleon Hill and “Think and Grow Rich” FAQ

Yes, you are right. I am mentioning this fact at the end of this post, too. But anyway: You can get a free ebook copy of “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill on the right.

TAGR-Ads: The Science of Getting Rich Maverick Money Makers Blog Mastermind Mobile Monopoly

What do you want to know about a man, whose book is selling millions during 7 decades?

These FAQ on Napoleon Hill and “Think and Grow Rich” with some interesting questions and answers to his professional and private life will be complemented in the future.

When did Napoleon Hill live?
Napoleon Hill was born on October 26, 1883 and died on November 8, 1970 at the age of 87.

Where was Napoleon Hill born, where did he die?
Napoleon Hill was born in Pound in Southwest Virginia and died in South Carolina.

What was Napoleon Hill’s profession?
Napoleon Hill was an author, journalist, lecturer and attorney. At the age of 13 he started as a mountain reporter for local newspapers. Later he worked for Bob Taylor’s Magazine, was an advertising writer, a teacher and owned a candy store.

What was the title of Napoleon Hill’s first book?
His first book was entitled “The Law of Success in 16 Lessons”. It was published in 1928.

Why did Napoleon Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich” become so successful?

Napoleon Hill’s book “Think and Grow Rich” was published in 1937 during the Great Depression. It contained Napoleon Hill’s philosophy of personal success as described in “The Law of Success in 16 Lessons”, but in a condensed form.

It must have hit the nerve at a time when many were without jobs and had a poor perspective in life. The sound footing of Napoleon Hill’s philosophy were interviews with more than 500 millionaires and billionaires. So Napoleon Hill and his book “Think and Grow Rich” gained a great amount of credibility.

Napoleon Hill’s philosophy was simple and easy to understand, too. That made it possible for the average man and woman to read, understand and apply Napoleon Hill’s success principles for their own personal success.

Did Napoleon Hill walk his talk?
You bet. He had a major purpose in life, namely to make a philosophy of personal success accessible to everybody. Napoleon Hill worked 20 years, that was the time he led the 500+ interviews without compensation, to publish his first book “The Law of Success in 16 Lessons”.

And, of course, he had to overcome a lot of obstacles in his personal and professional life. He even survived an assassination attempt in 1926. Napoleon Hill wrote 12 books and published several magazines.

Was Napoleon Hill married?
Yes, he was married three times. First with Florence Elisabeth Hornor, then Rosa Lee Beeland and last Annie Lou Norman.

Did Napoleon Hill have kids?
Yes, he had 3 sons (James, Napoleon Jr. and David) with his first wife Florence Elisabeth Hornor.

What is Napoleon Hill’s heritage?
Napoleon Hill has left his books and his comprehensively developed philosophy of personal success to the world. His heritage is being conducted by the Napoleon Hill Foundation, “a nonprofit educational institution dedicated to making the world a better place in which to live.“
http://www.naphill.org

Is “Think and Grow Rich” still up to date?
Napoleon Hill has always considered success being a developable personal habit. In his book “Think and Grow Rich”, Napoleon Hill teaches how to develop this habit of success. So it is, aside from some details, still up to date.

Where can I get Napoleon Hill’s books?
Napoleon Hill’s books are, except “Mental Dynamite”, “How to Raise Your Own Salary” and “PMA Science of Success Course”, still being published. You can buy them at any bookstore. But wait! You can get a free ebook copy of Napoleon Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich” on this website up on the right.

Sorry, but just to keep the symmetry: Napoleon Hill, “Think and Grow Rich”, ebook, pdf, free, top right. That was short and sweet, wasn’t it?

TAGR-Ads: The Science of Getting Rich Maverick Money Makers Blog Mastermind Mobile Monopoly

If you’ve found this website helpful, please click the Donate button. I’m grateful for your support.

"Think And Grow Rich" / Life of Napoleon Hill / Napoleon Hill — 4 Comments
13
Mar 10

Napoleon Hill Quotes

Napoleon Hill was highly capable of expressing things short and sweet. You will find many of these Quotes in Napoleon Hill’s book “Think And Grow Rich” (free copy right)

TAGR-Ads: The Science of Getting Rich Maverick Money Makers Blog Mastermind Mobile Monopoly

Napoleon Hill Quotes:

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

“Accurate analysis of over 25,000 men and women who had experienced failure, disclosed the fact that Lack of Decision was near the head of the list of the 30 major causes of failure.”

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

“Money, without brains, always is dangerous. Properly used, it is the most important essential of civilization.”

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

“It has been said that man can create anything which he can imagine.”

“You are engaged in an undertaking of major importance to you. To be sure of success, you must have plans which are faultless.”

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

“The basis of persistence is the Power of Will.”

“The “Master Mind” may be defined as: “Coordination of knowledge and effort, in a spirit of harmony, between two or more people, for the attainment of a definite purpose.”

Napoleon Hill

“‘Let me call your attention to a great power, which is under your control.’, said Mr. Carnegie.”

“Whatever the Mind can conceive and believe, the Mind can achieve.”

“If you believe it, you can do it.”

“Failures see the hole in the donut, but do not see the donut around the hole.”

“If you do not see great riches in your imagination, you will never see them in your bank balance.”

“Tolerance and an open mind are practical necessities of the dreamer of today.”

“In planning to acquire your share of the riches, let no one influence you to scorn the dreamer.”

“Let us not forget, Columbus dreamed of an Unknown world, staked his life on the existence of such a world, and discovered it!”

“Copernicus, the great astronomer, dreamed of a multiplicity of worlds, and revealed them!”

“Practical dreamers DO NOT QUIT!”

“The Wright brothers dreamed of a machine that would fly through the air. Now one may see evidence all over the world, that they dreamed soundly.”

“The oak sleeps in the acorn. The bird waits in the egg, and in the highest vision of the soul, a waking angel stirs. DREAMS ARE THE SEEDLINGS OF REALITY.”

“The world is filled with an abundance of OPPORTUNITY which the dreamers of the past never knew.”

“Only those who become “money conscious” ever accumulate great riches.”

“There are no limitations to the mind except those we acknowledge.”

“Both poverty and riches are the offspring of thought.”

“Riches begin in the form of thought!”

“Faith removes limitations!”

Capital letters (majuscules) by Napoleon Hill. Bold letters by Rick. “Think And Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill. Free copy of “Think And Grow Rich” on the right by Rick.

If you’ve found this website helpful, please click the Donate button. I’m grateful for your support.

"Think And Grow Rich" / Life of Napoleon Hill / Media / Mindmaps / Napoleon Hill — 4 Comments
11
Mar 10

Timeline-Mindmap on Napoleon Hill

Napoleon Hill’s (“Think And Grow Rich”) Biographical Data in a Mindmap

TAGR-Ads: The Science of Getting Rich Maverick Money Makers Blog Mastermind Mobile Monopoly

This mindmap gives a quick overview of Napoleon Hill’s life. Please click the mindmap to enlarge. Napoleon Hill’s 12 books on personal success and getting rich are highlighted orange. Numbers in brackets identify Hill’s age at that time.

Timeline-Mindmap on Napoleon Hill

Off -Topic:

I have used the freeware mindmap-software XMind to create this mindmap. On the whole it is a suitable program. But it slows down tremendously when it comes to bigger mindmaps. In addition is it difficult or even impossible to arrange the branches as desired if you want to add multiple main-branches to the center. (Like in this mindmap. I had already grouped the branches but it was still very difficult.)

The bottom line is: I do not recommend it even though it is free.

If you need a free mindmap program, you’d better stick to “FreeMind” despite its known restrictions in design-options and others.

For excellent mindmapping-results you may consider these programs:

iMindMap – Official mindmap-software, endorsed by Tony Buzan, inventor of mindmapping.
NovaMind – Perfected over many years with very intuitional handling.
MindManager – Excellent for use in business. Has a lot of well-elaborated features. To big for private use.

If you’ve found this website helpful, please click the Donate button. I’m grateful for your support.

"Think And Grow Rich" / Life of Napoleon Hill / Napoleon Hill — 1 Comment
9
Mar 10

About Napoleon Hill

TAGR-Ads: The Science of Getting Rich Maverick Money Makers Blog Mastermind Mobile Monopoly

Oliver Napoleon Hill was born on October 26, 1883 in Pound, Wise County, Virginia.

Napoleon Hill, author of 'Think And Grow Rich'

He was an American author and one of the earliest producers of the modern genre of personal-success literature. His most famous and best-selling book “Think And Grow Rich” sold 30 – 60 million (data varies) copies since it was published for the first time in 1937.

Despite the title “Think And Grow Rich” Hill’s aim was not only to enable people to get rich. His intention was particulary to examine the power of personal beliefs and the role they play in personal success.

Napoleon Hill wanted to identify how achievement of any kind actually occurs and how to derive a formula of success that could be applied by the average person.

Napoleon Hill was born into poverty and his mother, Sarah Sylvania Blair, died when he was 10 years old. His father James Monroe Hill remarried two years later and Napoleons well-educated stepmother Martha tutored Nap, as he was called, in writing.

At 13, he began writing for several small-town newspapers in the Wise County area. Later, Napoleon Hill entered Georgetown University Law School (Washington D. C.) using his earnings as “mountain reporter” but soon he had to drop out due to shortness of money.

Working with “Bob Taylor’s Magazine” a popular periodical on achieving power and wealth, in the year 1908 Hill was to conduct his first major interview with one of the most impressing celebreties in those days: 73-year-old Scottish-American industrialist, businessman and entrepreneur – steel tycoon Andrew Carnegie.

He was the then richest man in America and a major philanthropist. That interview changed Napoleon Hill’s life in a way he never thought was possible.

Andrew Carnegie commissioned Hill with writing a philosophy of achievement based on interviews with more than 500 successful and wealthy men and women, many of them millionaires or multimillionaires. Napolen Hill’s mission was to find a formula of success that could be used by the average person.

Among the people consulted were personalities like

HENRY FORD

WILLIAM WRIGLEY JR.

JOHN WANAMAKER

JAMES J. HILL

GEORGE S. PARKER

E. M. STATLER

HENRY L. DOHERTY

CYRUS H. K. CURTIS

GEORGE EASTMAN

THEODORE ROOSEVELT

JOHN W. DAVIS

ELBERT HUBBARD

WILBUR WRIGHT

WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN

DR. DAVID STARR JORDAN

J. ODGEN ARMOUR

CHARLES M. SCHWAB

HARRIS F. WILLIAMS

DR. FRANK GUNSAULUS

DANIEL WILLARD

KING GILLETTE

RALPH A. WEEKS

JUDGE DANIEL T. WRIGHT

JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER

THOMAS A. EDISON

FRANK A. VANDERLIP

F. W. WOOLWORTH

COL. ROBERT A. DOLLAR

EDWARD A. FILENE

EDWIN C. BARNES

ARTHUR BRISBANE

WOODROW WILSON

WM. HOWARD TAFT

LUTHER BURBANK

EDWARD W. BOK

FRANK A. MUNSEY

ELBERT H. GARY

DR. ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL

JOHN H. PATTERSON

JULIUS ROSENWALD

STUART AUSTIN WIER

DR. FRANK CRANE

GEORGE M. ALEXANDER

J. G. CHAPPLINE

HON. JENNINGS RANDOLPH

ARTHUR NASH

CLARENCE DARROW

It took Napoleon Hill exactly 20 years to accomplish his goal but finally he succeeded. The result was his first book “The Law Of Success In Sixteen Lessons”, published in 1928. Nine years and one publication later (“The Magic Ladder Of Success”, 1930), Napoleon Hill published his world bestseller, the classic personal-achievement book “Think And Grow Rich” in 1937 at the age of 53.

Nine books followed. All of them covered the formula of getting rich and successful. Hill later called his works “The Philosophy of Achievement”. The most contributing elements and inevitable foundations of successful personal achievement and riches are freedom, democracy, capitalism and harmony, said Hill. Firm beliefs and the overcoming of fears are another two core values in order to grow rich and live a successful life.

Napoleon Hill joined staff of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s National Recovery Administration from 1933 – 1936. It is said, that Roosevelt’s world-famous sentence “We have nothing to fear, but fear itself.” was penned for the president by Napoleon Hill during that time.

Hill married Florence Elisabeth Hornor in 1910. The couple had 3 sons, James (*1911), Napoleon Jr. (*1912) and David (*1918). Florence and Napoleon were divorced in 1935.

Napoleon Hill, one of Americas most beloved motivational authors, writer, teacher and lecturer of the principles of success and getting rich passed away in South Carolina on November 8, 1970, at the age of 87.

If you’ve found this website helpful, please click the Donate button. I’m grateful for your support.