I'm amazed that this book continues to be so popular. The fact that was popular at the time is not surprising, but for a modern reader to enjoy wading through so much superstition and pseudoscience simply to get at a handful of actionable ideas baffles me.


What Hill got right: becoming successful in business (as in anything) requires desire and focus. He understood this and did a good job of summarizing the overall idea. Unfortunately, he spends the rest of the book hammering away at that idea to the point of annoying many readers. He also offers a few valuable suggestions such as to practically brainstorm about goals or how to review them.


What he gets wrong (just to mention a few points): 1. Desire does not guarantee that something will happen. Hill describes the outcome of desire as a certainty, rather than a likelihood. 2. Refusing to let his mute son to learn sign language did not cure the boy's hearing loss (seriously?). 3. Tearing the word "impossible" out of a dictionary doesn't change the nature of reality. 4. Appealing to science and research is hearsay without citation 5. Writing every other word in CAPS is not CONVINCING.


So many other books can inspire entrepreneurs without the nonsense in this work. I suggest reading something else, maybe Seth Godin or Michael Gerber.

Libro superficial y patético de superación personal. Libro que tal vez en su época tenía algo de interés, pero la mención de personajes históricos sin considerar la totalidad de sus aportes, tanto positivos como negativos, hacen del autor un individuo que trate de usar lo que le conviene para guiar su mensaje.
Existen libros de superación personal de mejores cualidades, actualizados y que no tratan de aparentar una grandielocuencia inexistente.

The Mother of All Self-Help Crap

This book contains a few common-sense pieces of advice that should be obvious to most people. Unfortunately, they are pretty rare and buried under a big pile of nonsensical mumbo-jumbo.

First of all, this book is prisoner of its own time. Written in 1937, not so long after WWI and the 1929 crash, the author praises capitalism without reserve. Mr.Hill chooses his champions from the past but mostly from modern USA (Ford, Carnegie, Edison, repeat ad lib). The fact that some of those men are still living at the time of writing gives to this book a flavor of propaganda in favor of the mega-riches. I found the constant boot-licking towards Mr.Hill's contemporary patros really irritating. For example, the author explains how national heroes such as Henry Ford differentiate themselves from other billionaires by being great benefactors to the rest of humanity. One year after the publication of this book, the same Henry Ford received the Grand Cross of the German Eagle from Nazi officials. So much for the humanism of this great person.

Secondly, this book is really US-centered. Unfortunately, it's centered around the worst of the US tradition. In short, America is great, the rest of the world is crap. Reliance on religion and pseudo-scientific reasoning is just laughable to an educated person. Some of the step-by-step recipes for "getting rich" a really similar to miracle elixirs from the Old west era.

Thirdly, the damage this book did to wisdom and morals doesn't stop at the last page. This book inspired generations of fake doctors and other bullshit-sellers up to now. In fact it cured me completely of this type of literature. Even the way the author passes his message sounds like a Ponzi scheme, always speaking of his "secret" that the reader will know after reading the book and advertising it to other victims.

All in all, it was a really tedious reading. The fact that so many people give it 5 stars is worrying for the state of our modern society. It seems that gurus have a bright future ahead.

Booktube Review: https://youtube.com/watch?v=i03m38764...

No more alibis

I am now ready to use the master key and enjoy the abundance in life, control my mind, create burning passion, consistently think about what I wanted to achieve and its purpose, establish harmony with life and people around me, have a concrete plan, consistently implement and strategize without any fear. Thank you, Napoleon!

This was the Jolly Girls Book Club latest read! I don't usually read "self help" books and was a bit nervous especially once I realized I had gotten my hands on the unabridged version of this book. But WOW! What a life changing book! I feel like if you read this book with an open mind you can take so many important lessons away from it. The priority in my life right now is not getting rich, I can barely make it through the day with all 4 children in tact. But what I love about this book, is how it instructs you to succeed in all aspects of your life. I love the parts about positive thinking and having a good attitude. Since this book was written in the 1930's some may say parts are dated, and they most likely are. But I found that to be part of the fun of reading it! I think it was so cool how the writer was contemporaries with people like Ford and Edison and Alexander Grahm Bell! He studied these amazing men first hand, and his experiences are invaluable. I have always believed our minds are so powerful and that our true potential is untapped. This book helped me to make a goal to reach that potential and to have the desire to become a success in everything that I decide to do.

Want to get rich?

Don't waste your hard earned money on "Get Rich Quick" books.

Of all the self-help books I've read in the recent times, this is the only one I dare to rate it 5 stars. It is indeed powerful enough to knock-out a boxer.

To make the most out of this book, one time reading is not enough, time to time you need to revisit and pick the chapter you're lacking in your personal life and re-read it. I'm planning to read this book every year at least one time. After reading this one, it's no surprise why most of the youtube channels and blogposts return this book in top search results when typed "list of best self-help books of all time".

This books strongly emphasises on principles which bring money conscious and transform your strong desire to it's monetary equivalent. Principles that point-out your weaknesses, helps you in correcting them and brings you money awareness.

I found few chapters to be complex in understanding, example: Mystery of Sex Transmutation. I'm not intelligent or matured enough to understand the meaning and philosophy tucked in it. But thanks to google and few youtube channels which gave me proper and clear explanation and I felt much better for making an effort to find out the meaning which is definitely essential to grow rich.

If you've come this far and pick-up a book with bold title then you should be definitely having a burning desire to live upto your potential and grow rich, I give you a resounding affirmation that this book will help you.

I was recommended to read "Think and Grow Rich" from my life coach and found it to be a decent read. I will be honest though and say that although I found some helpful nuggets along the way, I didn't love the book.

The author, Napolean Hill, was from the "New Thought" movement, which ultimately paved the way for the harmful rise of the prosperity gospel amongst Western culture. Although, highly motivational in theory, it can be very harmful in practice.

There were some helpful thoughts scattered throughout the book, such as, creating vision for yourself, setting tangible goals, positive self talk, etc. However, the focus on money and achievement as the ultimate means to happiness is foolish and misguided. Yes, many of the men that Hill interviewed were "successful" by the worlds standards, but spiritually poor. I also was put off by the section where he wouldn't let his deaf son learn sign language so that he could integrate into society. Ultimately, why couldn't his son have done both?

At the end of the day, positivity is a helpful tool, but it can't be a messiah.

The success of this book proves, once and for all, that human beings are stupid, gullible and easy to make money out of.

Буде простіше сприймати, якщо це початок вашого нонфікшн шляху)) сприймати треба не дуже скептично, бо треба ВІРИТИ, що ти вартий більшого. Багато застарілої інформації, все ж книга написана майже 100 років тому.
Та незважаючи на все вище написане, вона реально варта прочитання. Там багато корисної інформації, яку треба пропрацювати. Посидіти з ручкою і блокнотом, відповісти на багато запитань.
Раджу.

الكتاب يضع يده على ما ينقص القارئ
أنصح بقراءته لمن أراد أن يغير حياته العملية

رغم الزخم والتنوع الموجود بهذا الكتاب من حكم وعبر وقصص نجاح حقيقية سأقتبس عبارة واحدة فقط

لايلجم العقل عن التفكير إلا العقل نفسه

این کتاب رو تو زمان درستی خوندم و تونست خیلی واسم مفید باشه، همیشه میگم خوندن کتاب های انگیزشی واقعا باید تو زمان مناسب خودش باشه. با اینکه تالیف کتاب دهه ی ۳۰ میلادی هست، اما به نظرم مطالبش حتی برای آینده هم مفیده ن.