Think and Grow Rich

at times the book is quite a tough read but it was written in 1937 so expect certain values and ways of the world etc that have been long extinguished.

Timeless classic that never gets old and the information is just as applicable today. Once you've read it for the first time, let it soak in and then when you enter another phase or decision in life - read it again. You will absorb information that you didn't pick up on the first time. I truly believe this book to be one that every college student or young adult needs to read before going out on their own.

It is written by Napoleon Hill and also includes additional writings/articles that have been found and added to the end. The information within the pages has been used and tested by many well known Americans - including Andrew Carnegie, Charles M. Schwab, Henry Ford and President Woodrow Wilson. Do yourself a favor and get this book in hard copy so you can mark it up and continue taking notes as you read it over and over!

This book was given to me by a friend who thought I might need a little boost in my outlook on starting a successful company. This book was exactly what I needed, and made me realize a few things that might make me a bit more successful. The first chapter starts out really cheesy (for lack of a better word), but then settles into great advice for anyone who wants to be successful at whatever they do. This book is not just about making money. It's about attaining goals, figuring out your definite chief aim in life, and taking continuous actions toward that goal.

Think and Grow Rich was originally written in 1937 and is a culmination of the studies of the time's richest people. It has some great advice for the beginner, and includes some helpful stories of how to apply the principles. Many times it tells you to circle back and reread certain chapters. Ideally, the book wants you to study itself and master the ideas in each chapter. It wants to be a textbook for your successful life. Problem is, it's now 2017. 80 years has passed. Some of the tips are still beneficial, but others are older, outdated techniques that would not work in today's environment. One could argue I'm not keeping an open mind. I would say they're being blinded by the advice of someone from 80 years ago.

This was not the easiest book to read. The writing is rich in vocabulary. It makes progression slow. I expect there to be other books that cover the same principles in modern terminology. Aside from the language, it's still a good, short book to jumpstart your mind and prepare it for higher levels of success. Even if you don't capitalize on them, you'll be able to better recognize those traits and behaviors.

There is a serious intellectual concern when we participate in a concerted effort to laud a work which propagates unproven claims which have serious scientific implications. It is unforgivable that this work is often times compared to and associated with Dale Carnegie's masterpiece. The two works are not comparable in that this one makes unsubstantiated claims and the other lays out testable methods for improving human interactions and relations. a tremendous disappointment after all the hype.

I've had a love-hate affair with this book.

Originally, purchased in 2017, because a fellow founder recommended it to me. I couldn't get through the first pages of the book, because of its fantastical tone and exclamatory ALL CAPS.

In 2020 tried reading it again, but struggled halfway through the book. It was just too convoluted.

This year, 2021, I made it till the end, because I guess I've finally become receptive to its message.

Although the book is of course hopelessly misplaced in the current epoch with some of its observations and recommendations, there are some valuable pieces of advice that have really made me think differently. After all: “Mind control is the result of self-discipline and habit. You either control your mind or it controls you.”

DNF.

This book reads like those Facebook posts you see from acquaintances that got involved in a pyramid scheme and they have to constantly hype their product but everyone knows its trash. “With AQUALUNG 3000, I can BREATHE through my KNEECAP, which allows me up to 2,000 PERCENT more OXYGEN!!”

I'm sure there are things to be gained from this book....if you read it in 1950.

This book feels every bit of its age to me (87 years old). It doesn't give bad advice necessarily, just basic positive thinking encouragement. Some good nuggets of wisdom, but this can easily be absorbed by reading a detailed summary or viewing a YouTube video outlining the main points.

I'm conflicted. I loved parts of this book, hated other parts and was discomfited by others. For starters, this is a book for the “ambitious” and I'm not one. That immediately puts me at odds with the author of this book.

The first few chapters seemed like a re-reading of Rhonda Bryne's Secret. Since this book was published much earlier, I presume Rhonda was totally inspired by this book. The next few chapters challenged my opinions quite a bit, and I found myself disappointed with the contents. In contrast,  the last few chapters were quite brutally honest and pricked my conscience far more than I was comfortable with. 

Lots of gems of wisdom throughout the book. I've highlighted extensively and perhaps, I'll someday read the last few chapters once again for a jolt, when I feel the need for one.

3.5+/5.0

“FAITH is the head chemist of the mind. When faith is blended with the vibration of thought, the subconscious mind instantly picks up the vibration, translates it into its spiritual equivalent, and transmits it to Infinite Intelligence, as in the case of prayer.” P. 45

“Your ability to use the principle of autosuggestion will depend, very largely, upon your capacity to concentrate upon a given desire until that desire becomes a burning obsession” p. 72

“Of all the ages of civilization, this is the most favorable for the development of the imagination because it is an age of rapid change. Everywhere we come into contact with stimuli that develop the imagination. Through the aid of the imaginative faculty, humankind has discovered, and harnessed, more of Nature's forces during the past 50 years than during the entire history of the human race previous to that time.” P. 97

“Moreover, he was probably the most powerful man who ever lived. His power was passive, but it was real.
Let us study the method by which he attained his stupendous power. It may be explained in a few words. He came by power through inducing over 200 million people to coordinate, with mind and body, in a spirit of harmony for a definite purpose. In brief, Gandhi accomplished a miracle, for it is a miracle when 200 million people can be induced-not forced to cooperate in a spirit of harmony, for a limitless time. If you doubt that this is a miracle, try to induce any two people to cooperate in a spirit of harmony for any length of time. Every person who manages a business knows what a difficult matter it is to get employees to work together in a spirit even remotely resembling harmony.” P. 199

If you have seen a couple of motivational videos, you might already know the content of this book.
And if you haven't read a book in one sitting, then here's your chance, you can finish it in half sitting according to me.

This is pretty wild. For probably like the first half, I thought this book was something like “The Secret” but with a whole bunch of old-timey name dropping. But every once in a while some serious capitalist fellating would happen for a few pages and then it would go back to telling you how to will yourself to success.

In the end though, I found it contradictory and a bit too much like pro-capital propaganda. In one passage, the author predicts that the future will be moving towards a place where people are working in a partnership and there everyone shares in the profits of business. In other passages, he chastises organized labor for grasping for more than an honest wage for honest work. Still in other places, he like spent a chapter going over the mythology of the American revolution and how a group of people organized to not just take the scraps they were given but to strive for more.

Maybe I didn't grasp the overall message of the book. The author did warn me that unless I was ready to receive the divine message of how to gain wealth it would be hidden from me. But honestly, he said a lot of stuff.

I give it more than the minimum because there are some good ideas, some even radical ideas in there. I can't give it more though, it is way too in the pocket of robber barons.

Every few years, there seems to be a new self-help book craze with a new book out to lead the trend. Books like 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and Chicken Soup for the Soul helped to cement the self help book as a constant in our day. Reasons for this are not surprising, as life can be messy and complicated, and we may need a little reexamination of our lives from time to time to see how we can do anything better. One of these books that is designed to offer the reader hope for future success is The Secret by Royanda Bryne. In the book, she tells how people for generations have known that the ‘secret' to success is positive thinking, and how thoughts become positive or negative things in reality. Understanding that this concept is nothing new, I began reading that book's predecessor, and what many consider the granddaddy of all the self-help books: Think and Grow Rich by Richard Hill. First published in 1937, I was curious if this book still held up all these years later. I am glad to say that it does, but that doesn't mean it is perfect.

In terms of if you will like this book, or not, I think the biggest hurdle for you will be buying the main concept: that if you think positively, against all odds, you will succeed. This is not a new idea. Many books have been sold about this same philosophy, but for it's time, during the Great Depression, this was revolutionary. With that said, if you cannot buy into this, then you most likely will not like this book. I have read reviews of people who do not believe in this for one reason or another, and I can agree with them. The world is a complex place, and it is easy to think you will do well, when you do not have the means to do so. Or worse, actively take a harmfully positive stance on a negative situation. People also have varied experiences that challenge their outlook on life. It is easy to spout platitudes one sees on motivational posters when things are okay, but when the chips are down and you are facing serious negative situations, then it is unsurprising one can adopt a negative view on the world. Overall, I'd agree with this theory, only to modify it and say that negative thoughts can lead to negative actions, which can lead to negative outcomes, and so on, if that makes sense. Though, I will admit that later books take this too far and say that if things happen to you like you get seriously ill, then you had too many negative thoughts, which I do not agree with. In short, when it comes to this philosophy, your mileage may vary.

As for the book itself, it still holds up well, all things considered. There are some dated references that a modern reader may not get, like the names of major business moguls at the time, or examples of different technologies used, but these are relatively minor complaints. The author does a good job at offering reflective pieces, such as helping to identify your weaknesses with a questionnaire, and a list of things that you should look for in a good employer, or what you should be as a good employee.

One major complaint I have, however, is the length. It is too long, as it is filled with what seem like stories and examples that drag on and on for pages at a time, when, in the end, they offer little benefit overall. Especially when I listened to this on audiobook, there were many times where I had to stop and pay attention as my mind began to wonder.

Still, this book overall holds up surprisingly well for something written over 50 years ago. If you haven't read it, then I recommend you do, if for no other reason than historical significance, to understand how these books on positive thinking have changed over the years. I give it a three out of five.

I feel very conflicted by this book. On the one hand, I found that it had some very good advice - perhaps not in finances, but in how I should look at myself. In particular, I enjoyed the beginning of the book and the last chapter.

It was around the 75% mark that things just took a turn, however. People have already commented about Chapter Two, and I can take that with a grain of salt as being a product of the times, but I struggled a lot more with other ideas found in the book. Things such as, “Men are polygamist by nature and if a husband steps out on a woman it's because she's ignorant and couldn't keep his attention.” I just-WHAT??? Perhaps that's natural for the author, but a lack of sexual integrity isn't found in every single man just off the bat, that's ridiculous! Also, how baldness comes from wearing hats too tightly by men struggling to fit into society? Preposterous!

Again, some of these ideas were just wild and I was not prepared - especially since I was under the impression that this was a finance book. However, there are good introspective parts to this book that I enjoyed, and will ask myself the questions found in those particular chapters.

This book did not age well. The claims are doubtful and the tone exagerated.