Napolean Hill was a successful writer and teacher about the principles of success and individual achievement. His book, Think and Grow Rich, is the all time best-seller in the field.
1. “Ideas are the beginning points of all fortunes.”
2. “If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way.”
3. “A goal is a dream with a deadline.”
4. “Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.”
5. “Fears are nothing more than a state of mind.”
6. “More gold has been mined from the thoughts of men than has been taken from the earth.”
7. “No man is ever whipped until he quits in his own mind.”
8. “Action is the real measure of intelligence.”
9. “Any idea, plan, or purpose may be placed in the mind through repetition of thought.”
10. “Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.”
11. “First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination.”
12. “Your big opportunity may be right where you are now.”
13. “Wise men, when in doubt whether to speak or to keep quiet, give themselves the benefit of the doubt, and remain silent.”
14. “We begin to see, therefore, the importance of selecting our environment with the greatest of care, because environment is the mental feeding ground out of which the food that goes into our minds is extracted.”
15. “You can start right where you stand and apply the habit of going the extra mile by rendering more service and better service than you are now being paid for.”
16. “You give before you get.”
17. “All achievements, all earned riches, have their beginning in an idea.”
18. “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.”
19. “All the breaks you need in life wait within your imagination, Imagination is the workshop of your mind, capable of turning mind energy into accomplishment and wealth.”
20. “You might well remember that nothing can bring you success but yourself.”
21. “Before success comes in any man’s life, he’s sure to meet with much temporary defeat and, perhaps some failures. When defeat overtakes a man, the easiest and the most logical thing to do is to quit. That’s exactly what the majority of men do.”
22. “When your desires are strong enough you will appear to possess superhuman powers to achieve.”
23. “Big pay and little responsibility are circumstances seldom found together.”
24. “When defeat comes, accept it as a signal that your plans are not sound, rebuild those plans, and set sail once more toward your coveted goal.”
25. “Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire and begin at once, whether you ready or not, to put this plan into action.”
26. “War grows out of the desire of the individual to gain advantage at the expense of his fellow man.”
27. “Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything.”
28. “Edison failed 10, 000 times before he made the electric light. Do not be discouraged if you fail a few times.”
29. “Effort only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to quit.”
30. “Education comes from within; you get it by struggle and effort and thought.”
31. “Every person who wins in any undertaking must be willing to cut all sources of retreat. Only by doing so can one be sure of maintaining that state of mind known as a burning desire to win – essential to success.”
32. “Happiness is found in doing, not merely possessing.”
33. “Hold a picture of yourself long and steadily enough in your mind’s eye, and you will be drawn toward it.”
34. “Great achievement is usually born of great sacrifice, and is never the result of selfishness.”
35. “Everyone enjoys doing the kind of work for which he is best suited.”
36. “Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed on an equal or greater benefit.”
37. “If you do not conquer self, you will be conquered by self.”
38. “It is always your next move.”
39. “Just as our eyes need light in order to see, our minds need ideas in order to conceive.”
40. “It takes half your life before you discover life is a do-it-yourself project.”
41. “It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed.”
42. “It has always been my belief that a man should do his best, regardless of how much he receives for his services, or the number of people he may be serving or the class of people served.”
43. “Most great people have attained their greatest success just one step beyond their greatest failure.”
44. “Reduce your plan to writing. The moment you complete this, you will have definitely given concrete form to the intangible desire.”