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Think and Grow Rich summary
Think and Grow Rich
- Start with a definite purpose: know exactly what you want and set a date for it.
- Burning desire and faith in the goal come before any plan works, in Hill's view.
- Turn the goal into an organized plan, and change the plan when it fails while keeping the goal.
- Persistence is what separates people who reach goals from people who drift.
- A mastermind group, a few people working toward goals and sharing ideas, multiplies what one person can do.
What did Napoleon Hill find that successful people have in common?
Decide exactly what you want, write a plan, keep going when it fails, and surround yourself with people who push you. The thinking alone won't do it.
Actionable
- Write your goal in one specific sentence with a date, and read it out loud each morning for a week.
- Pick two or three people to meet monthly as a mastermind group.
- When a plan fails, write a new plan for the same goal the same day.
What readers say
- Readers who liked it say it helped them get clear on a goal and take their own ambitions seriously.
- Many readers liked the first half far more and lost interest around the planning chapters.
- Several said later books like How to Win Friends and Influence People and 7 Habits cover the same ground more clearly.
- Per one Psychology Today columnist, law-of-attraction books can leave people feeling guilty and ashamed when wishing doesn't change their circumstances.
Quick answer
Our summary of Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, in our own words.
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Open 125xWho it's for
Readers curious about where modern manifestation and success books came from, and anyone who wants a push to set a definite goal.
Tips from readers, plus one of ours
- Read the first half closely and skim the rest. Many readers found the goal, desire and plan chapters the strongest part.
- Start a small mastermind. Readers who kept anything from the book often kept this: a few people meeting regularly to share goals and hold each other to them.
- Read the mystical chapters as history. Readers say you can follow Hill's thinking without accepting the supernatural claims.
- Agree or disagree: one longtime fan said it's a book to study, and that they'd read it 90 times. We disagree for most readers. One careful read and a one-page list of the practical ideas will get you most of what it offers, and the time saved can go into the plan itself.
- Our unusual tip: write your definite goal on a sticky note and add one line under it: 'What did I do for this today?' Check it at night. Hill tells you to read your goal twice a day, and the second line turns reading into a daily action.
About this summary
This summary follows the same shape as a 125x summary: a verdict, 5 takeaways, and an Actionable section. 125x is a web app that does this for the latest videos from the YouTube channels you follow, with a verdict, 5 takeaways, the spoiler, and Actionable and Lessons tabs. The spoiler is the answer to the title, the same thing 125x gives you for clickbait video titles. More in book summaries.
FAQ: questions people ask
What is Think and Grow Rich about?
Start with a definite purpose: know exactly what you want and set a date for it. Burning desire and faith in the goal come before any plan works, in Hill's view.
Is Think and Grow Rich worth reading?
Our verdict is some value given. A 1937 classic that shaped decades of success books. The practical parts about clear goals and persistence hold up, and the mystical chapters are hard to take seriously today.
Who should read Think and Grow Rich?
Readers curious about where modern manifestation and success books came from, and anyone who wants a push to set a definite goal.
What's the main idea of Think and Grow Rich?
Decide exactly what you want, write a plan, keep going when it fails, and surround yourself with people who push you. The thinking alone won't do it.
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- Every 125x guide
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