Reading Order
Think and Grow Rich Reading Order
Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich (1937) is the founding text of the positive-thinking self-help tradition — a synthesis of Hill's twenty-year study of 500 of the most successful Americans of the early 20th century, including Andrew Carnegie, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and Theodore Roosevelt, organized around thirteen principles that Hill claimed were the common factors in their success. It remains one of the best-selling self-help books of all time.
Where to start
Think and Grow Rich
Complete Think and Grow Rich Book List
- 1Buy
Think and Grow Rich
Napoleon Hill·1937·The original 1937 edition is preferred over later revised editions, which sometimes alter Hill's original language significantly. Start here — the starting point of the positive-thinking tradition.
Think and Grow Rich — Frequently Asked Questions
What are Napoleon Hill's 13 principles?
Hill's thirteen principles, which he claimed were derived from his interviews with 500 successful Americans, are: (1) Desire — a burning, obsessive desire for a specific goal, not a wish; (2) Faith — the visualization and belief in the attainment of desire; (3) Auto-suggestion — the use of affirmations and self-talk to program the subconscious mind; (4) Specialized Knowledge — practical knowledge relevant to one's definite chief aim; (5) Imagination — the ability to combine old concepts into new ideas; (6) Organized Planning — the creation of a practical plan for achieving the goal; (7) Decision — the mastery of procrastination; (8) Persistence — the sustained effort necessary to achieve the goal; (9) Power of the Master Mind — a group of people working together in a spirit of harmony toward a definite purpose; (10) The Mystery of Sex Transmutation — the redirection of sexual energy into creative and professional pursuits; (11) The Subconscious Mind — the connecting link between the conscious mind and infinite intelligence; (12) The Brain — a broadcasting and receiving station for thought; (13) The Sixth Sense — the Creative Imagination, through which Infinite Intelligence communicates.
Is Think and Grow Rich still worth reading?
Think and Grow Rich is worth reading primarily as a historical document — as the text that established the positive-thinking tradition that has shaped all subsequent popular self-help. For that purpose, reading it is invaluable: you will see where visualization, affirmations, the 'Law of Attraction,' and the idea of a burning desire originate, and you will understand what subsequent authors are building on, reacting against, or simply repeating. As practical advice, it is more mixed: the principles of desire, persistence, organized planning, and mastermind groups are genuinely useful; the metaphysics of 'infinite intelligence,' sex transmutation, and the sixth sense require a reader willing to translate mystical language into psychological terms. The book's claims about the universality of its principles and its use of historical examples (some apocryphal, some exaggerated) should be read critically.
Monthly Newsletter
Never miss a big release
Get the most anticipated upcoming books delivered to your inbox once a month — no spam, no filler.
Monthly only. Unsubscribe anytime.
Book links are Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, BookReleaseRadar earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.