Book Summary Preview :
Think and Grow Rich

The Big Idea

Over two decades, Hill interviewed 504 people, including such luminaries as Ford, Wrigley, Wanamaker, Eastman, Rockefeller, Thomas Edison, Woolworth, Darrow, Burbank, Morgan, Firestone, and three United States Presidents.  Most of those interviewed began in poverty, with little education and influence. Yet, they all managed to become very successful at amassing staggering amounts of wealth.  Hill distilled his findings into a 13-step formula that begins and ends with very basic principles.

Why You Need this Book

The process painstakingly outlined by Napoleon Hill in this enduring book, despite all the care that went into its creation, is simple and basic.  Out of the life lessons learned by some of the wealthiest and most successful men in history, Hill has derived 13 basic principles for the attainment of lasting wealth, and in this book he expounds on them using simple, clear and evocative language.

Step One - Desire:  The Starting Point of All Achievement

Desire truly is the starting point of all achievement. To achieve any goal in life, first you must want it so much so that you can practically taste it.
  
Choose a definite goal and place all your energy, all your willpower and all your effort to the achievement of that goal.  Leave yourself no way of retreat. Think to yourself that you have to win, or perish in the attempt.  Only by doing so will you attain a burning desire to win and that is essential for success at anything.

Wishing alone will not bring riches.  You must desire riches with a state of mind that becomes an obsession.  You must then plan definite ways and means to acquire riches, and back those plans with persistence.  Lastly, you should not recognize the possibility of failure.

The method by which the desire for riches can be transmuted into actual riches consists of six steps:

1. Fix in your mind the exact amount of money you desire. It is insufficient merely to say, “I want plenty of money”.
2. Determine exactly what you intend to give in return for the money you desire.  “Something for nothing” is a misconception.
3. Establish a definite date when you intend to possess the money.
4. Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire, and begin at once, whether you are ready or not, to put this plan into action.
5. Write out a clear, concise statement of the amount of money you intend to acquire, name the time limit for its acquisition, state what you intend to give in return for the money, and describe clearly the plan through which you intend to accumulate it.
6. Read your written statement aloud, twice daily, once just before retiring at night and once after arising in the morning.  You must believe that you are already in possession of that money.