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The preacher of modern self-help who defined success through the power of positive thinking
Napoleon Hill (1883-1970) is the founding father of the modern self-help movement. Commissioned by steel magnate Andrew Carnegie, Hill spent over 20 years interviewing more than 500 of America's wealthiest men, including Henry Ford and Thomas Edison, and published Think and Grow Rich in 1937. The book distilled 13 principles of success, with the central premise that what the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve. Selling over 100 million copies worldwide, it remains one of the best-selling self-help books of all time. Hill's positive mental attitude philosophy profoundly influenced later writers including Norman Vincent Peale, Earl Nightingale, and Tony Robbins.
All riches and achievements begin with an idea, and that idea must be backed by a burning, obsessive desire. Vague wishes produce no results; only a definite goal combined with an intense desire activates the full power of the mind.
Source: Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, The Ralston Society, 1937
Faith is the alchemy of the mind, connecting thought with infinite intelligence. By repeatedly reinforcing belief through auto-suggestion, the subconscious accepts these beliefs and converts them into action, ultimately achieving the goal.
Source: Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, The Ralston Society, 1937
When two or more people work together in perfect harmony toward a definite purpose, they generate a third mind — the mastermind — that exceeds the sum of individual intellects. Carnegie's success was built on this coordinated alliance, not solo effort.
Source: Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, The Ralston Society, 1937
Almost every successful person had failed multiple times before succeeding. The difference was they chose to persist rather than quit. Persistence is a habit that can be cultivated through training; its opposite, weakness, is equally a habit.
Source: Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, The Ralston Society, 1937
From burning desire to mastery of self, success broken down into 13 actionable mental steps.
Henry Ford had only an elementary school education, yet his burning desire and unwavering faith in the automobile industry built the Ford Motor Company, which changed the world.
By repeatedly reciting goals with emotional intensity, conscious messages are planted into the subconscious, which then drives action toward those goals.
Hill recommended reading aloud a written statement of goals twice daily, morning and evening, in a quiet environment with intense emotional investment, sustained over 30 days to reshape subconscious beliefs.
Treat every failure as feedback, not a final verdict, and use a positive emotional frequency to attract people and opportunities on the same wavelength.
Thomas Edison experienced roughly 10,000 failures while inventing the lightbulb, yet consistently reframed each attempt as finding 10,000 ways that won't work, ultimately succeeding.
Hill claimed Carnegie commissioned him to spend 20 years studying success, but historians have found no Carnegie documents, letters, or staff records confirming this meeting, shaking the entire narrative foundation of Think and Grow Rich.
Hill declared bankruptcy multiple times in his life, had three failed marriages, and a son who suffered from his neglect. The man teaching wealth and success was himself unable to consistently practice his own principles.
1908-1928
Interviewing America's wealthiest, accumulating raw material
Allegedly commissioned by Andrew Carnegie, Hill worked as a journalist interviewing hundreds of successful men including Henry Ford, John D. Rockefeller, and Thomas Edison, distilling common success patterns.
1928-1937
Systematizing and publishing research findings
Published the eight-volume Law of Success in 1928, establishing a comprehensive success philosophy system. Though commercial reception was modest, it laid the content foundation for Think and Grow Rich.
1937-1970
Globalizing the success philosophy
Published Think and Grow Rich in 1937, riding America's post-Depression hunger for hope, achieving immediate bestseller status. In his later years, Hill collaborated with W. Clement Stone to further spread PMA philosophy globally.
Context: Born in the remote mountains of Virginia into poverty, losing his mother at a young age.
Decision: Stepmother Sarah Ingram profoundly shaped his positive mental attitude.
Reasoning: His impoverished background became a lifelong motivation for pursuing success.
Outcome: Established the core belief that poverty is not destiny.
Lesson: Adverse circumstances can be converted into a driving force for excellence.
Context: Hill interviewed steel magnate Carnegie as a journalist; Carnegie allegedly commissioned him to spend 20 years studying the laws of success.
Decision: Accepted the commission and began systematically interviewing America's successful people.
Reasoning: Carnegie believed the laws of success could be systematically distilled and taught.
Outcome: Launched a 20-year research journey that ultimately led to Think and Grow Rich.
Lesson: A single pivotal commission can define the mission of a lifetime.
Context: Hill founded a business magazine based on his philosophy, promoting success principles.
Decision: Expanded the reach of success philosophy through print media.
Reasoning: A magazine could reach a broader audience than books alone.
Outcome: Built a substantial readership, but the magazine ultimately ceased due to business challenges.
Lesson: Idea dissemination requires a sustainable business model to support it.
Context: After 20 years of research accumulation, organized interview findings into an eight-volume success philosophy system.
Decision: Published research findings as a systematic curriculum targeting business audiences.
Reasoning: Believed success was not accidental but the result of following learnable principles.
Outcome: Established a comprehensive success philosophy framework, but commercial reception was limited.
Lesson: Systematization is the key step in converting experience into teachable knowledge.
Context: After the Great Depression, Americans hungered to rebuild their confidence in wealth creation. Hill condensed the success laws into 13 principles in more accessible language.
Decision: Simplified and focused on the psychological dimension of success, emphasizing the power of thought.
Reasoning: The historical context provided ideal fertile ground: people needed to rebuild their confidence.
Outcome: Sold hundreds of thousands of copies in its first year, becoming one of the best-selling self-help books in American history.
Lesson: Delivering the right message in the right language at the right moment can produce historic impact.
Context: After the original publication, Hill continued refining his theory, adding positive mental attitude content in revised editions.
Decision: Added content related to positive mental attitude, expanding the original 13-step framework.
Reasoning: Reader feedback showed mental attitude was the most overlooked yet most important success factor.
Outcome: Reinforced PMA as central to his system.
Lesson: Good theories require iterative improvement rather than remaining static.
Context: Insurance magnate Stone incorporated Hill's success philosophy into corporate training, establishing a long-term partnership.
Decision: Extended the PMA philosophy from books into corporate training and mass media.
Reasoning: Business implementation was the best way to test the real value of success theory.
Outcome: Co-authored Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude (1960); the PMA movement swept American business.
Lesson: Partnering with resource-rich practitioners can amplify theory into a social movement.
Context: The book co-authored with Stone systematized PMA theory, becoming a must-read for corporate training.
Decision: Repackaged positive mental attitude theory in a more practical, case-study-driven format.
Reasoning: The business world needed practical frameworks directly connected to workplace scenarios.
Outcome: Became one of the most influential business motivation books of the 1960s.
Lesson: Repackaging content for a specific audience can unlock entirely new markets.
Context: Hill passed away in South Carolina, leaving behind a success philosophy legacy that changed the lives of millions.
Decision: Continued lecturing and writing in his final years, viewing the spread of success philosophy as his lifelong mission.
Reasoning: Believed every person had the capacity to change their destiny by changing their thoughts.
Outcome: Think and Grow Rich continued to sell for decades after his death, with influence extending to the present day.
Lesson: Truly great ideas outlive their creators and continue to spread.
Hill's most important work, distilling 13 success principles. With over 100 million copies sold, it is the foundational text of modern self-help.
The predecessor to Think and Grow Rich, an eight-volume comprehensive success philosophy system containing more detailed principle explanations and case studies.
Co-authored with insurance magnate Stone in Hill's later years, systematizing PMA theory and applying it to business contexts.
Allegedly commissioned Hill to research the laws of success, serving as the originating impulse for Hill's entire thought system.
Transcendentalism's concept that thought is reality deeply influenced Hill's framework of mental laws.
Drew directly from Hill's PMA framework to build the modern motivational training industry.
The Power of Positive Thinking directly inherited Hill's PMA philosophy and combined it with Christian faith.
Together systematized and promoted PMA theory into the business world, co-authoring Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude.
More gold has been mined from the thoughts of men than has ever been taken from the earth.
Hill's work is the grandfather of all motivational literature. It set the template for what would follow.
