Think and Grow Rich

Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich is a culmination of more than twenty years of intensive study into the psychology of success. Commissioned by steel magnate Andrew Carnegie, Hill was encouraged to uncover the mental laws governing human achievement. Carnegie believed that wealth and accomplishment were not accidents of birth, luck, or education, but the results of specific patterns of thought and disciplined action. Hill accepted Carnegie’s challenge and conducted interviews with more than 500 highly successful individuals, including Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, John D. Rockefeller, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Alexander Graham Bell, and Charles Schwab.

During these interviews, Hill observed that despite coming from vastly different backgrounds and possessing different skill sets, these leaders demonstrated similar internal qualities: clarity of purpose, persistence in adversity, confidence in their vision, and a structured approach to achieving goals. Success was not random or mysterious; it followed identifiable psychological principles. Hill believed that if ordinary individuals learned and applied these mental laws, they could transform their futures regardless of circumstance.

Unlike books that focus on strategies, market predictions, or financial tactics, Think and Grow Rich asserts that wealth originates internally. The mind is the starting point: a person must first believe and envision success before results materialize. Hill argues that thoughts carry a measurable vibration or energy that attracts conditions into one’s life, shaping behavior and influencing opportunities. Therefore, mastering one’s thinking becomes synonymous with mastering fate.

The Transformational Power of Burning Desire

Hill begins with the assertion that the foundation of all achievement is a burning desire. He describes desire not as casual interest, but a consuming obsession strong enough to push a person through hardship and rejection. Many people dream of wealth or success casually, but few are willing to convert that desire into focused determination. Hill argues that the emotional intensity behind desire determines whether a goal becomes reality.

To illustrate, Hill recounts the story of Edwin C. Barnes, a man with no money, no influence, and no formal connection to Thomas Edison. Barnes desired not simply to work for Edison, but to become his business partner. He traveled across the country by freight train and presented himself at Edison’s office. Although granted only a low-level job at first, Barnes held unwavering belief. After years of persistence, when Edison invented a new dictation machine, Barnes volunteered to sell it and succeeded so dramatically that Edison made him an official partner. Barnes achieved wealth and status because he treated his desire as non-negotiable.

Hill provides a process to transform desire into reality: define the exact amount of money or result desired, identify what you will give in return, set a timeline, write a formal statement outlining the goal, read it aloud morning and night, and visualize the outcome in sensory detail. Repeated visualization increases emotional conviction, which reshapes behavior until the goal manifests.

Belief as a Mental Catalyst

Hill identifies faith as the psychological force that transforms desire into physical reality. Faith is created and strengthened through repeated positive thinking, visualization, and emotional reinforcement. Hill explains that the subconscious ...