Think and Grow Rich was written by Napoleon Hill and published in 1937.

It follows from [although not connected with] Wallace Wattles “The Science of Getting Rich”.

The book was touted as a personal development and self-improvement book, so while the book may appear to be about making money, Hill claimed that his philosophy can be adapted to help people do or become anything. they want.

Published during the Great Depression in the US, it is not surprising that the book has sold so well today with over 15 million copies.

Napolean Hill claimed to be inspired by a suggestion from business magnate and later philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and that he spent 25 years interviewing many millionaires to discover their secrets of success. Then after the publication of Think And Grow Rich and the success that followed, he claims to have been an advisor to Presidents …

However, the reality is very different.

Before the publication of “Think and Grow Rich”, Napolean Hill was involved in a succession of suspicious and criminal activity.

He was no Encouraged to write the book by Andrew Carnegie, whom never met, and most, if not all interviews with successful businessmen No occur.

He was no an advisor to any president.

# The modern self-help industry is built on the foundations of fraud, false claims, and people selling shovels

In short, Napolean Hill was a fraud, and his only success was this book, which was a work of fiction that makes massive unsubstantiated claims.

His personal life was a total disaster with 5 broken marriages and broken relationships with his ex-wives and children.

This book is not based on any of his own experiences of success, in fact, this book was his only commercial success.

And yet … this man … this self-promoting liar and fraud is the founding father of the modern self-help industry.

Napolean Hill’s fiction forms the basis of the work of many, if not most, of the “big names” in the personal development industry, a legacy built on lies and deception.

How many of the well-known self-help gurus we all know have had any commercial success other than selling their own equipment?

For most of them, like Napolean Hill, their fortunes are based on “selling shovels to prospectors.”

# Think and Grow Rich: An Evaluation of the Book

Regardless of what we may think about Napolean Hill as a person and the background of his personal and business life, several things are very clear:

• “Think and Grow Rich” has been a great commercial success.

• Many people claim to have been helped by your book.

• People will believe what they want to believe and will not look very far or very deeply to investigate or validate a person or a teaching.

• Humans are hardwired to look for shortcuts, and our cognitive biases lead us to anything that confirms what we want to hear.

• Belief along with expectation has tremendous power. The placebo effect proves it.

• Most of the principles outlined in “Think and Get Rich” are solid and proven principles of the power of positive thinking.

• In my opinion, the strangest principle is the mystery of sexual transmutation, especially in the context of Napolean Hill’s messy personal life.

• In my opinion, the most original principle is the power of the intellectual group. Like Jack Canfield [and others] has said, “You’re the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with.”

I recommend? Yes, definitely as part of the background reading on the entire genre of self-help and personal development material. Of the books from this period, my favorite is “The Science of Getting Rich” by Wallace Wattles.

Read the full article here: Think and Grow Rich