Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill Book Review

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          Originally published in 1937, Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon
Hill is, according to the book’s cover, an “inspirational classic” that I categorize in the self-help genre.
          The author wrote this book after spending over twenty years researching the most successful people in the world. His original mentor, Andrew Carnegie, with a “twinkle in his eye… carelessly tossed” (13) the secret into his mind when he was a boy. The secret is mentioned in plain sight many times throughout the book without being directly named, for it is more effective for the reader to realize what the secret is on their own when they are ready. When you are ready, it will become clear. I will state it here in my own words, but you may not appreciate it until your mind can truly accept it: A strong, burning desire to act out your sound plans will absolutely reward you with what you’ve requested from life. Your desired results will manifest on the conditions that the desire is fueled your “bulldog” (21) persistence, fortified by faith and strong, positive emotions, and created in conjunction with a mastermind group led by you. These plans must be for the attainment of a crystal-clear vision of exactly how much money you want, the exact date you want to receive it, and what product or service you imagine giving in return for it. This book should be read at least three times, as suggested by the author. I had to read the book three times before I understood the secret formula. I think the first time I read this book was about ten years ago. Last year, I read it for a second time. Finally, I read it again for this book report.
          This book is a pretty easy read, but bear in that mind that it was written a long time ago and some of the language is outdated; however, the philosophy is probably applicable for eternity. I enjoyed almost all the anecdotal stories that supported the ideas presented. I especially liked the one about the little girl who demanded fifty cents from a man who may have been her mother’s boss or landlord (the relationship wasn't exactly clear to me). This story was humorous and inspiring, which made me smile, because he was described as an intimidating person, and when he tried to scare her off, she stepped toward him and screamed at the top of her lungs, “My mammy’s gotta have that fifty cents!” Her bravery and persistence made him submit to her, and he gave her a half-dollar coin from his pocket, making him contemplate his “whipping” afterwards (25). Because of the reference to fifty cents and the persistence and bravery the little girl displayed to get what she wanted, I connected the story to the rapper 50 Cent and his album Get Rich or Die Tryin’, which is pretty much the exact philosophy of the book. The title of the aforementioned story is, “A Fifty-Cent Lesson in Persistence.”
          Some ideas in this book require an open mind to accept. The ideas of “Infinite Intelligence” and how people’s subconscious minds are connected, allowing for telepathy and clairvoyance, are claimed to be supported by experiments conducted by J. B. Rhine (209). A quick review on Wikipedia states that those experiments couldn’t be successfully reproduced for various reasons (“Clairvoyance”). Whether or not thoughts can be transmitted from one person’s brain to another by using strong emotion to increase those thoughts’ frequency, much like a radio broadcast (206), is still up for debate. I don’t believe science has been able to prove or disprove it. But there are a lot of things that we don’t understand about the universe, so I keep an open mind about that particular issue.
          Other ideas, however, are easier to accept. I personally find the idea of autosuggestion to be a very valid concept, only because autosuggestion is filling your mind with thoughts that you choose, which will influence your behavior. Also, thinking from an artist’s perspective and remembering the “dumb” things I have done in life, I’ve experienced situations that were created by actions I wasn’t consciously aware of, almost Freudian slip type of things that “inadvertently” gave me what I wanted, usually in the disguise of a negative situation that turned out positive in the end. I believe that your mind can be programed to manifest situations that make your dominating thoughts a reality by influencing your unconscious behavior and giving you ideas that you can act on—you just have to be aware of your thoughts and choose those that serve your desires. This idea could actually replace the concept of “Infinite Intelligence,” as far as its purpose in generating ideas from the “creative imagination” goes, if the idea of “Infinite Intelligence” is debunked.
          This book is a must-read! Its philosophy is foundational and the basis for many self-help books produced afterwards, such as The Secret. I’ve read The Secret once, and I hesitate to put it in the same category as Think and Grow Rich, because my impression of the ideas in The Secret was that all you had to do was believe you were in attainment of your desires and they would manifest themselves. And if I remember correctly, The Secret doesn't mention that you have to act in order to manifest your desires. I got the impression that The Secret was telling me that your desires would manifest automatically, leaving out the critical fact that you must actually take action. However, Think and Grow Rich emphasizes taking action and persisting through failures, replacing your failed plans with better ones, and not taking “no” for an answer. Glimpses of the philosophy in this book are found in almost any YouTube video or book on being successful. I suggest reading this book at least three times and, on the third time, highlighting all the excerpts you find especially important.  

Works Cited

Hill, Napoleon. Think and Grow Rich. New York. Ballantine Books,                    1996. Print.
Wikipedia Contributors. “Clairvoyance.” Wikipedia, The Free                              Encyclopedia. 18 Aug 2018. Web. 11 Sept. 2018.