First in a series on Think and Grow Rich (1937) by Napoleon Hill
Over the last several months, a few friends have suggested that I read Think and Grow Rich (1937) by Napoleon Hill. I resisted it until recently. I didn't like the title. I didn't like the emphasis on money, money, money. Most recently however, I asked Kevin Knebl how to approach certain personal goals. His answer, "Read, no STUDY Think and Grow Rich". So I did. If you ask a specific question of somebody you respect, you ought to give their answer a fair try.Hill's book is an early classic of personal success and self-help. It probably belongs on your must-read list even if you're not using it to further your personal goals but just to understand the evolution of the genre.
In spite of the enduring popularity of Think and Grow Rich, I had a hard time navigating some passages. I was troubled by some of the things that Hill treats as axiomatic. The money, money, money mantra borders on idolatrous materialism. Hill has some ideas about spirituality and cosmology that are at times heretical and at other times just plain goofy. Written in 1937, it contains a number of dated references and some ideas that seem naive in the light of the further unfolding of history. However, to dismiss this book because of these weaknesses (or conflicts with my personal opinions, if you prefer) would be to foolishly discard a lot of good. Most valuable are numerous mental models which, along with some excellent pep talks, have the potential to help the reader reach a new level of commitment to any worthy goal and the self-confidence required to achieve it.
I'm glad that I finally invested the time to read Think and Grow Rich. Over the next few weeks, I will continue to study and write about certain passages. Overall, I imagine a tree-lined boulevard in Chicago with the trees leafing out and flowers in bloom under a bright spring sky. The big picture is impressive. The view ahead is bright and beautiful, but it was a rough winter and there are many potholes where your can blow a tire or break an ankle. Take from it whatever good you will, and find your own way to navigate the rough spots. I do not recommend that you look here for your deepest guiding philosophy and worldview. But, if you are working on your commitment and confidence, do not neglect this classic.
5 comments:
Thanks for your kind mention of me in your post, Doug. I think that the only book that we can say has no out-dated or goofy passages is the Bible. So, TAGR has some great nuggets in it just like many other books. The reader should take what's valid for them, and discard the rest. Kind of like going to the supermarket and selecting the appropriate ingredients. You're a cool dude and I hope we get to meet face-to-face sometime. ツ
Thanks Kevin! I agree 1000%!
Hi Doug,
I Read TAGR a couple of years after I arrived in this country. As you specified, it was written in 1937 in the midst of the Great depression and amids rumors of war looming in Europe (WWII 1939-45). Money, Money, Money wasn't as Dirty a concept then as it is now. People were struggling to survive, on a daily basis. It is not a philosophy book but more an owner's manuel for your life when you are just starting or starting over. It's a step by step method to help channel the energy will all have and use on our daily lives, into being more productive than one has been till then. Nobody will pick up that book unless s(he) needs it and is looking for a different way to do things. It's not a religious book, nor a school of thought to follow and be a disciple of. Just one of the proven methods, that, if applied can yield results. As with everything, it is not a one size fits all system, and not a cure all either. it is simply a guidance manual to navigate in a material world. Because we may be spiritual, but the world and our society will remain material. Our spirituality emanates from how we personally deal with the material aspect of our world and how we let it affect us. Money is just a word at worst, a tool at best. Just like a knife the danger is in the misusing of it. The evil doesn't come from the tool but from the mind that guides the hand that wields it. So don't be afraid, or ashamed to try to better your financial situation and that of your family. You are a great man, rich or poor, money doesn't corrupt, it is the power that comes from having more than you need that corrupts the heart and the shallow mind. You have no Shallow mind and your heart has been in the right place for too long for it to be corrupted by a little more power than you would normally be accustomed to wield. I wish you all the material abundance your hearts desire, no better man deserves it more in my book.
Keep on keeping on.
Thank you for your thoughtful and very kind comments, Christian-Adam.
I agree with you. The best of TAGR is its methodical system of marshaling our inner resources to achieve our goals and to lead a life of significance.
On one point, I would change only a couple of your words. I would suggest that the evidence of our spirituality, as seen by others, emanates from how we deal with the material world but our spirituality comes first and guides those dealings. Does that makes sense?
Thanks again, my friend!
Yes Doug, about Spirituality, I agree. I should have said: our Spirituality is evidenced by how we personally deal with the material aspect of the world and how we let it affect us. What I was trying to convey is that one can be spiritual and still be materially successful. In this current "Class envy" climate certain politicians are trying to promote, the leitmotiv is : "If you are materially successful you are not Spiritual". Strangely, it only seems to apply to business people, not to the Celebrities of the Media, Hollywood, Music or Sports or Liberal Politicians. If you have money, you must have gotten it in an evil way (stole it, exploited poor folks, conned it away from innocents...etc). I firmly believe that being spiritual and fundamentally Good, compassionate and Just is not necessarily incompatible with financial success. In fact, one has nothing to do with another. You can be poor and evil and rich and Good. Just like there are evil people who are poor and evil people who are extremely rich. The same can be said about Good people, some are poor, others are rich. But Goodness or Evil is not directly tied to financial situation. TAGR simply addresses the material condition of the human being seeking to improve it. In TAGR Money is simly a Tool, financial independance is just a destination in the material world. It does not refer to matters of the Soul.
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