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Think and Grow Rich |
IN
EVERY chapter of this book, mention has been made of the money-making
secret which has made fortunes for more than five
hundred exceedingly wealthy men whom I have carefully analyzed over a
long period of years. The
secret was brought to my attention by Andrew Carnegie, more than a quarter
of a century ago. The canny, lovable old Scotsman carelessly tossed it
into my mind, when I was but a boy. Then he sat back in his chair, with a
merry twinkle in his eyes, and watched carefully to see if I had brains
enough to understand the full significance of what he had said to me. When
he saw that I had grasped the idea, he asked if I would be willing to
spend twenty years or more, preparing myself to take it to the world, to
men and women who, without the secret, might go through life as failures.
I said I would, and with Mr. Carnegie’s cooperation, I have kept my
promise. This
book contains the secret, after having been put to a practical test by
thousands of people, in almost every walk of life. It was Mr. Carnegie’s
idea that the magic formula, which gave him a stupendous fortune, ought
to be placed within reach of people who do not have time to investigate
how men make money, and it was his hope that I might test and demonstrate
the soundness of the formula through the experience of men and women in
every calling. He believed the formula should be taught in all public
schools and colleges, and expressed the opinion that if it were properly
taught it would so revolutionize the entire educational system that the
time spent in school could be reduced to less than half. His
experience with Charles M. Schwab, and other young men of Mr. Schwab’s
type, convinced Mr. Carnegie that much of that which is taught in the
schools is of no value whatsoever in connection with the business of
earning a living or accumulating riches. He had arrived at this decision,
because he had taken into his business one young man after another, many
of them with but little schooling, and by coaching them in the use of this
formula, developed in them rare leadership. Moreover, his
coaching made fortunes for everyone of them who followed his instructions. In
the chapter on Faith, you will read the astounding story of the
organization of the giant United States Steel Corporation, as it was
conceived and carried out by one of the young men through whom Mr.
Carnegie proved that his formula will work for
all who are ready for it. This single application of the secret, by
that young man—Charles M. Schwab—made him a huge fortune in both money
and OPPORTUNITY. Roughly speaking, this particular application of the
formula was worth siz hundred
million~ dollars. These
facts—and they are facts well known to almost everyone who knew Mr.
Carnegie—give you a fair idea of what the reading of this book may bring
to you, provided you KNOW WHAT IT IS
THAT YOU WANT. Even
before it had undergone twenty years of practical testing, the secret was
passed on to more than one hundred thousand men and women who have used it
for their personal benefit, as Mr. Carnegie planned that they should. Some
have made fortunes with it. Others have used it successfully in creating
harmony in their homes. A clergyman used it so effectively that it brought
him an income of upwards of $75,000.00 a year. Arthur
Nash, a Cincinnati tailor, used his near-bankrupt business as a “guinea
pig” on which to test the formula. The business came to life and made a
fortune for its owners. It is still thriving, although Mr. Nash has gone.
The experiment was so unique that newspapers and magazines, gave it more
than a million dollars’ worth of laudatory publicity. The
secret was passed on to Stuart Austin Wier, of Dallas, Texas. He was ready
for it — so ready that he gave up his profession and studied law. Did he
succeed? That story is told too. I
gave the secret to Jennings Randolph, the day he graduated from College,
and he has used it so successfully that he is now serving his third term
as a Member of Congress, with an excellent opportunity to keep on using it
until it carries him to the White House. While
serving as Advertising Manager of the LaSalle Extension University, when
it was little more than a name, I had the privilege of seeing J. G.
Chapline, President of the University, use the formula so effectively that
he has since made the LaSalle one of the great extension schools of the
country. Woodrow
Wilson, during the World War. It was passed on to every soldier who fought
in the war, carefully wrapped in the training received before going to the
front. President Wilson told me it was a strong factor in raising the
funds needed for the war. More
than twenty years ago, Hon. Manuel L. Quezon (then Resident Commissioner
of the Philippine Islands), was inspired by the secret to gain freedom for
his people. He has gained freedom for the Philippines, and is the first
President of the free state. A
peculiar thing about this secret is that those who once acquire it and use
it, find themselves literally swept on to success, with but little effort,
and they never again submit to failure! If you doubt this, study the names
of those who have used it, wherever they have been mentioned, check their
records for yourself, and be convinced. There
is no such thing as SOMETHING FOR NOTHING! The
secret to which I refer cannot be had without a price, although the price
is far less than its value. It cannot be had at any price by those who are
not intentionally searching for it. It cannot be given away, it cannot be
purchased for money, for the reason that it comes in two parts. One part
is already in possession of those who are ready for it. The
secret serves equally well, all who are ready for it. Education has
nothing to do with it. Long before I was born, the secret had found its
way into the possession of Thomas A. Edison, and he used it so
intelligently that he became the world’s leading inventor, although he
had but three months of schooling. The
secret was passed on to a business associate of Mr. Edison. He used it so
effectively that, although he was then making only $12,000 a year, he
accumulated a great fortune, and retired from active business while still
a young man. You will find his story at the beginning of the first
chapter. It should convince you that riches are not beyond your reach,
that you can still be what you wish to be, that money, fame, recognition
and happiness can be had by all who are ready and determined to have these
blessings. How
do I know these things? You should have the answer before you finish this
book. You may find it in the very first chapter, or on the last page. While
I was performing the twenty year task of research, which I had undertaken
at Mr. Carnegie’s request, I analyzed hundreds of well known men, many
of whom admitted that they had accumulated their vast fortunes through the
aid of the Carnegie secret; among these men were: HENRY
FORD WILLIAM
WRIGLEY JR. JOHN
WANAMAKER JAMES
J. HILL GEORGE
S. PARKER E.
M. STATLER HENRY
L. DOHERTY CYRUS
H. K. CURTIS GEORGE
EASTMAN THEODORE
ROOSEVELT JOHN
W. DAVIS ELBERT
HUBBARD WILBUR
WRIGHT WILLIAM
JENNINGS BRYAN DR.
DAVID STARR JORDAN J.
ODGEN ARMOUR CHARLES
M. SCHWAB HARRIS
F. WILLIAMS DR.
FRANK GUNSAULUS DANIEL
WILLARD KING
GILLETTE RALPH A. WEEKS JUDGE
DANIEL T. WRIGHT JOHN
D. ROCKEFELLER THOMAS
A. EDISON FRANK
A. VANDERLIP F.
W. WOOLWORTH COL.
ROBERT A. DOLLAR EDWARD
A. FILENE EDWIN
C. BARNES ARTHUR
BRISBANE WOODROW
WILSON WM.
HOWARD TAFT LUTHER
BURBANK EDWARD
W. BOK FRANK
A. MUNSEY ELBERT
H. GARY DR.
ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL JOHN
H. PATTERSON JULIUS
ROSENWALD STUART
AUSTIN WIER DR.
FRANK CRANE GEORGE
M. ALEXANDER J.
G. CHAPLINE HON.
JENNINGS RANDOLPH ARTHUR
NASH CLARENCE
DARROW These
names represent but a small fraction of the hundreds of well known
Americans whose achievements, financially and otherwise, prove that those
who understand and apply the Carnegie secret, reach high stations in life.
I have never known anyone who was inspired to use the secret, who did not
achieve noteworthy success in his chosen calling. I have never known any
person to distinguish himself, or to accumulate riches of any consequence,
without possession of the secret. From these two facts I draw the
conclusion that the secret is more important, as a part of the knowledge
essential for self-determination, than any which one receives through what
is popularly known as “education.” What
is EDUCATION, anyway? This has been answered in full detail. As
far as schooling is concerned, many of these men had very little. John
Wanamaker once told me that what little schooling he had, he acquired in
very much the same manner as a modern locomotive takes on water, by
“scooping it up as it runs. Henry Ford never reached high school, let
alone college. I am not attempting to minimize the value of schooling, but
I am trying to express my earnest belief that those who master and apply
the secret will reach high stations, accumulate riches, and bargain with
life on their own terms, even if their schooling has been meager. Somewhere,
as you read, the secret to which I refer will jump from the page and stand
boldly before you, IF YOU ARE READY FOR IT! When it appears, you will
recognize it. Whether you receive the sign in the first or the last
chapter, stop for a moment when it presents itself, and turn down a glass,
for that occasion will mark the most important turning point of your life. We
pass now, to Chapter One, and to the story of my very dear friend, who has
generously acknowledged having seen the mystic sign, and whose business
achievements are evidence enough that he turned down a glass. As you read
his story, and the others, remember that they deal with the important
problems of life, such as all men experience. The
problems arising from one’s endeavor to earn a living, to find hope,
courage, contentment and peace of mind; to accumulate riches and to enjoy
freedom of body and spirit. Remember,
too, as you go through the book, that it deals with facts and not with
fiction, its purpose being to convey a great universal truth through which
all who are READY may learn, not only WHAT
TO DO, BUT ALSO HOW TO DO
IT! and receive, as well, THE NEEDED STIMULUS TO MAKE A START. As
a final word of preparation, before you begin the first chapter, may I
offer one brief suggestion which may provide a clue by which the Carnegie
secret may be recognized? It is this – ALL ACHIEVEMENT,
ALL EARNED RICHES, HAVE THEIR BEGINNING IN AN IDEA! If you are ready
for the secret, you already possess one half of it, therefore, you will
readily recognize the other half the moment it reaches your mind. THE AUTHORExcerpted from Think and Grow Rich, Copyright © 1937 by
Napoleon Hill |
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