Think and Grow Rich was written by Napoleon Hill in 1937 and promoted as a personal development and self-improvement book. He claimed to be inspired by a suggestion from business magnate and later-philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.[1]
While the book's title and much of the writing concerns increasing income, the author insists that his philosophy can help people succeed in any line of work, to do and be anything they can imagine.[2] First published during the Great Depression,[3] the book had sold more than 20 million copies by the time of Hill's death in 1970.[4] By 2015, more than 100 million copies had been sold worldwide.[5]
It remains the biggest seller of Napoleon Hill's books. BusinessWeek magazine's Best-Seller List ranked it the sixth best-selling paperback business book 70 years after it was published.[6] Think and Grow Rich is listed in John C. Maxwell's A Lifetime "Must Read" Books List.[7]
Think and Grow Rich is based on Hill's earlier work The Law of Success, said to be the result of more than twenty years of study of many individuals who had amassed personal fortunes.[3]
Hill studied their habits and drew some 16 "laws" to be applied to achieve success. Think and Grow Rich condenses them, providing the reader with 13 principles in the form of a "Philosophy of Achievement".[3] The book asserts that desire, faith, and persistence can propel one to great heights if one can suppress negative thoughts and focus on long-term goals.
The 14 "Principles" listed in the book are:
Thoughts are things
Desire
Faith
Autosuggestion
Specialized Knowledge
Imagination
Organized Planning
Decision
Persistence
Power of the Master Mind
The Mystery of Sex Transmutation
The Subconscious Mind
The Brain
The Sixth Sense
There are several courses created from the Think and Grow Rich content and principles. Earl Nightingale co-created with Napoleon Hill a 30-minute audio summary of the book, titled "Think and Grow Rich: Instant Motivator".
