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    Prosperity Super Pack #1
    Prosperity Super Pack #1
    Prosperity Super Pack #1
    Ebook1,994 pages38 hours

    Prosperity Super Pack #1

    By Napoleon Hill, P. T. Barnum, James Allen and

    ()

    Read preview

    • Success

    • Self-Improvement

    • Personal Growth

    • Positive Thinking

    • Power of Thought

    • Rags to Riches

    • Power of Positive Thinking

    • American Dream

    • Self-Discovery

    • Self-Made Man

    • Journey of Self-Discovery

    • Overcoming Adversity

    • Power of Love

    • Mentor

    • Personal Transformation

    • Personal Development

    • Faith

    • Determination

    • Wealth

    • Visualization

    About this ebook

    Now together for the first time are ten of the most important books ever written on the subject of Wealth and Success. That’s more than 1,000 pages of the best advice and instruction that you’ll ever receive on how to become successful for one incredibly reasonable price. The writers in this volume are all legendary, and for good reason. It’s time to stop hoping for success and do something about getting it. This book will guide you every step of the way.

    Collected in this omnibus edition are 'Think and Grow Rich' by Napoleon Hill; 'The Art of Money Getting' by P. T. Barnum; 'The Science of Getting Rich' by Wallace D. Wattles; 'As a Man Thinketh' by James Allen; 'The Secret of the Ages' by Robert Collier; 'Thoughts are Things' by Prentice Mulford; 'Your Invisible Power and How to Use It' by Genevieve Behrend; 'Dynamic Laws of Prosperity' by Catherine Ponder; 'Acres of Diamonds' by Russell H. Conwell; and 'How to Succeed' by Orison Swett Marden.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherWilder Publications, Inc.
    Release dateJul 1, 2016
    ISBN9781515406846
    Prosperity Super Pack #1
    Author

    Napoleon Hill

    Napoleon Hill was born in 1883 in a one-room cabin on the Pound River in Wise County, Virginia. He is the author of the motivational classics The Laws of Success and Think and Grow Rich. Hill passed away in November 1970 after a long and successful career writing, teaching, and lecturing about the principles of success. His lifework continues under the direction of the Napoleon Hill Foundation.

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      Book preview

      Prosperity Super Pack #1 - Napoleon Hill

      Prosperity

      Super Pack #1

      Think and Grow Rich

      by Napoleon Hill

      The Art of Money Getting

      by P. T. Barnum

      The Science of Getting Rich

      by Wallace D. Wattles

      As a Man Thinketh

      by James Allen

      The Secret of the Ages

      by Robert Collier

      Thoughts are Things

      by Prentice Mulford

      Your Invisible Power and How to Use It

      by Genevieve Behrend

      Dynamic Laws of Prosperity

      by Catherine Ponder

      Acres of Diamonds

      by Russell H. Conwell

      How to Succeed

      by Orison Swett Marden

      ©2016 Sublime Books

      Cover image © Can Stock Photo Inc. / pixelmaniak

      All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission except for brief quotations for review purposes only.

      Sublime Books

      PO Box 632

      Floyd VA 24091-0632

      ISBN 13: 978-1-5154-0684-6

      First Edition

      10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

      Table of Contents

      The Prosperity / New Thought Bundle eBook Series

      Think and Grow Rich

      Foreword

      Tributes to the Author

      Publisher’s Preface

      Author’s Preface

      Thoughts Are Things

      The Inventor and the Tramp.

      Sly Disguises of Opportunity.

      Three Feet From Gold.

      I Will Never Stop Because Men Say No.

      A Fifty-Cent Lesson in Persistence.

      The Strange Power of a Child.

      One Sound Idea Is All You Need.

      The Impossible Ford V-8 Motor.

      You Are The Master of Your Fate, the Captain of Your Soul, Because…

      Principles That Can Change Your Destiny.

      Desire

      The Man Who Burned Bridges.

      The Spur That Drives to Riches.

      Six Ways to Turn Desires into Gold.

      Can You Imagine Yourself a Millionaire?

      The Power of Great Dreams.

      How to Get Dreams Off the Launching-Pad.

      Desire Outwits Mother Nature.

      An Accident That Changed a Life.

      He Won a New World with Six Cents!

      The Little Deaf Boy Who Heard.

      Thought That Works Miracles.

      Mental Chemistry Works Magic.

      Faith

      How To Develop Faith.

      No One Is Doomed to Bad Luck.

      Faith Is a State of Mind Which May Be Induced by Auto-Suggestion.

      The Magic of Self-Suggestion.

      Self-Confidence Formula.

      The Disaster of Negative Thinking.

      What Genius Lies Asleep in Your Brain?

      How an Idea Built a Fortune.

      Riches Begin with Thought.

      Auto-Suggestion

      See and Feel Money in Your Hands.

      How to Strengthen Your Powers of Concentration.

      Six Steps to Stimulate Your Subconscious Mind.

      The Secret of Mental Power.

      Specialized Knowledge

      The Ignorant Man Who Made a Fortune.

      You Can Get All the Knowledge You Need.

      It Pays to Know How to Purchase Knowledge.

      A Lesson from a Collection Agency.

      The Road to Specialized Knowledge.

      A Simple Idea That Paid Off.

      A Tested Plan for Landing the Ideal Job.

      You Don't Have to Start at the Bottom.

      Make Dissatisfaction Work for You.

      Your Associates Can Be Priceless.

      Make Your Ideas Pay Off Through Specialized Knowledge.

      Imagination

      Two Forms of Imagination.

      Give Your Imagination Some Exercise.

      The Laws That Lead to Fortune.

      How to Make Practical Use of Imagination.

      The Enchanted Kettle.

      What I Would Do If I Had a Million Dollars?

      How to Transmute Ideas Into Cash.

      Organized Planning

      If Your First Plan Fails—Try Another!

      Planning the Sale of Personal Services.

      Most Leaders Begin as Followers.

      The Major Attributes of Leadership.

      The 10 Major Causes of Failure in Leadership.

      Some Fertile Fields in Which New Leadership Will Be Required.

      When and How to Apply for a Position.

      Information to Be Supplied in a Written Brief.

      How to Get the Exact Position You Desire.

      The New Way of Marketing Services.

      What Is Your QQS Rating?

      The Capital Value of Your Services.

      The Thirty-one Major Causes of Failure: How Many of These Are Holding You Back?

      Do You Know Your Own Worth?

      Take Inventory of Yourself.

      Self-analysis Questionnaire for Personal Inventory.

      Where and How One May Find Opportunities to Accumulate Riches.

      The Miracle That Has Provided These Blessings.

      The Capital Cornerstone of Our Lives.

      Decision

      Tips on Making Your Own Decisions.

      Freedom or Death on a Decision.

      Fifty-six Who Risked the Gallows.

      Organization of a Master Mind.

      A Decision That Changed History.

      The Most Momentous Decision Ever Placed Upon Paper.

      Know What You Want and You'll Generally Get It.

      Persistence

      Your Test of Persistence.

      Are You Money Conscious or Poverty Conscious?

      How to Snap Out of Mental Inertia.

      Climb Over Your Failures.

      Verily it Pays to be Persistent!

      Symptoms of Lack of Persistence.

      If You Fear Criticism—

      Breaks Can Be Made to Order.

      How to Develop Persistence.

      How to Master Difficulties.

      Power of the Master Mind

      Gaining Power Through the Master Mind.

      How to Multiply Your Brain Power.

      The Power of Positive Emotions.

      The Mystery of Sex

      Relationship of Achievement to Highly Developed Sex Natures.

      The Ten Mind Stimuli.

      Genius Is Developed Through the Sixth Sense.

      Where Hunches Come From.

      Developing the Creative Faculty.

      How an Inventor Gets His Best Ideas.

      Methods Used by Geniuses Are Available to You.

      The Driving Force of Sex.

      Why Men Seldom Succeed Before Forty.

      The Greatest of All Mind Stimulants.

      The Storehouse of Personal Magnetism.

      False Beliefs About Sex Harm the Personality.

      The Fruitful Years After Forty.

      Tap Your Powerhouse of Emotions.

      One Who Loves Truly Can Never Lose Entirely.

      Reasons Why a Man's Wife Can Either Make or Break Him.

      The Uselessness of Wealth Without Women.

      The Subconscious Mind

      How to Energize Your Subconscious Mind for Creative Effort.

      Make Your Positive Emotions Work for You.

      The Secret of Effective Prayer.

      The Brain

      The Greatest Forces Are Intangible.

      The Dramatic Story of the Brain.

      How to Join Minds in Teamwork.

      The Sixth Sense

      Miracles of the Sixth Sense.

      Let Great Men Shape Your Life.

      Building Character Through Auto-Suggestion.

      The Startling Power of Imagination.

      Tapping the Source of Inspiration.

      A Mighty Force of Slow Growth.

      How to Outwit the Six Ghosts of Fear

      The Six Basic Fears.

      The Fear of Poverty.

      The Most Destructive Fear.

      Symptoms of the Fear of Poverty.

      Money Talks!

      The Fear of Criticism.

      Symptoms of the Fear of Criticism.

      The Fear of Ill Health.

      Symptoms of the Fear of Ill Health.

      The Fear of Loss of Love.

      Symptoms of the Fear of Loss of Love.

      The Fear of Old Age.

      Symptoms of the Fear of Old Age.

      The Fear of Death.

      Symptoms of the Fear of Death.

      Old Man Worry.

      The Disaster of Destructive Thinking.

      The Devil’s Workshop: the Seventh Basic Evil.

      How to Protect Yourself Against Negative Influences.

      Self-analysis Test Questions.

      The One Thing Over Which You Have Absolute Control.

      Fifty-seven Famous Alibis: by Old Man IF.

      The Art of Money Getting

      Art of Money Getting

      Don't Mistake Your Vocation

      Select the Right Location

      Avoid Debt

      Persevere

      Whatever You Do, Do it with All Your Might

      Depend Upon Your Own Personal Exertions

      Use the Best Tools

      Don't Get Above Your Business

      Learn Something Useful

      Let Hope Predominate but Be Not Too Visionary

      Do Not Scatter Your Powers

      Be Systematic

      Read the Newspapers

      Beware of Outside Operations

      Don't Indorse Without Security

      Advertise Your Business

      Be Polite and Kind to Your Customers

      Be Charitable

      Don't Blab

      Preserve Your Integrity

      The Science of Getting Rich

      Preface

      The Right To Be Rich

      There is A Science of Getting Rich

      Is Opportunity Monopolized?

      The First Principle in The Science of Getting Rich

      Increasing Life

      How Riches Come to You

      Gratitude

      Thinking in the Certain Way

      How to Use the Will

      Further Use of the Will

      Acting in the Certain Way

      Efficient Action

      Getting into the Right Business

      The Impression of Increase

      The Advancing Man

      Some Cautions, and Concluding Observations

      Summary of the Science of Getting Rich

      As a Man Thinketh

      Foreword

      Thought and Character

      Effect of Thought on Circumstances

      Effect of Thought on Health and the Body

      Thought and Purpose

      The Thought-Factor in Achievement

      Visions and Ideals

      Serenity

      The Secret of the Ages

      The Secret of the Ages: Volume 1

      Foreword

      The World’s Greatest Discovery

      In the Beginning

      The Purpose of Existence

      The Open, Sesame! of Life

      The Genie-of-Your-Mind

      The Conscious Mind

      The Subconscious Mind

      The Universal Mind

      The Secret of the Ages: Volume 2

      The Primal Cause

      MATTER—Dream or Reality?

      The Philosopher’s Charm

      The Kingdom of Heaven

      To Him That Hath—

      To the Manner Born

      Desire—The First Law of Gain

      The Magic Secret

      The Soul’s Sincere Desire

      The Secret of the Ages: Volume 3

      Aladdin & Company

      See Yourself Doing It

      As A Man Thinketh

      The Law of Supply

      The World Belongs to You

      Wanted

      The Secret of the Ages: Volume 4

      The Formula of Success

      The Talisman of Napoleon

      It Couldn’t Be Done

      This Freedom

      The Only Power

      The Law of Attraction

      A Blank Check

      The Three Requisites

      That Old Witch—Bad Luck

      He Whom a Dream Hath Possessed

      The Bars of Fate

      Exercise

      The Secret of the Ages: Volume 5

      Your Needs Are Met

      The Ark of the Covenant

      The Science of Thought

      The Master of Your Fate

      The Acre of Diamonds

      Unappropriated Millions

      The Secret of Power

      This One Thing I Do

      The Secret of the Ages: Volume 6

      The Master Mind

      What Do You Lack?

      The Sculptor and the Clay

      Why Grow Old?

      The Fountain of Youth

      The Secret of the Ages: Volume 7

      The Medicine Delusion

      The Gift of the Magi

      Suffer Little Children to Come Unto Me

      L’Envoi

      Thoughts are Things

      The Material Mind Versus The Spiritual Mind

      Who Are Our Relations?

      Thought Currents

      One Way to Cultivate Courage

      Look Forward!

      God in the Trees: Or, The Infinite Mind in Nature

      Some Laws of Health and Beauty

      Museum and Menagerie Horrors

      The God in Yourself

      The Healing and Renewing Force of Spring

      Immortality in the Flesh

      The Attraction of Aspiration

      The Accession of New Thought

      Your Invisible Power And How to Use It

      Foreword

      Order Of Visualization

      How To Attract To Yourself The Things You Desire

      Relation Between Mental And Physical Form

      Operation Of Your Mental Picture

      Expressions From Beginners

      Suggestions For Making Your Mental Picture

      Things To Remember

      Why I Took Up The Study Of Mental Science

      How I Attracted To Myself Twenty Thousand Dollars

      How I Became The Only Personal Pupil Of The Greatest Mental Scientist Of The Present Day

      How To Bring The Power In Your Word Into Action

      How To Increase Your Faith

      The Reward Of Increased Faith

      How To Make Nature Respond To You

      Faith With Works—What It Has Accomplished

      Suggestions As To How To Pray Or Ask, Believing You Have Already Received

      Things To Remember

      Dynamic Laws of Prosperity

      Introduction: There’s Gold Dust in the Air for You!

      01. The Shocking Truth about Prosperity

      02. The Basic Law of Prosperity

      03. The Vacuum Law of Prosperity

      04. The Creative Law of Prosperity

      05. The Imaging Law of Prosperity

      06. The Prosperity Law or Command

      07. The Prosperity Law of Increase

      08. Prosperous Attitudes

      09. Work: A Mighty Channel for Prosperity

      10. Financial Independence Can Be Yours

      11. The Prosperity Law of Love and Good Will

      12. The Prosperity Law of Prayer

      13. The Prosperity Law of Self-Confidence

      14. Your Genius Powers for Prosperity

      15. Your Special Powers for Prosperity

      16. The Prosperity Law of Persistence

      17. What about Indebtedness?

      18. Health and Prosperous Thinking

      Conclusion: When the Gold Dust Settles

      Acres of Diamonds

      An Appreciation

      Introduction

      Acres of Diamonds

      His Life and Achievements

      The Story of the Sword

      The Beginning at Old Lexington

      Story of the Fifty-seven Cents

      His Power as Orator and Preacher

      Gift for Inspiring Others

      Millions of Hearers

      How a University Was Founded

      His Splendid Efficiency

      The Story of Acres of Diamonds

      Fifty Years on the Lecture Platform

      The Acre of Diamonds

      How to Succeed Or, Stepping-Stones to Fame and Fortune

      First, Be a Man

      Seize Your Opportunity

      How Did He Begin?

      Out of Place

      What Shall I Do?

      Will You Pay the Price?

      Foundation Stones

      The Conquest of Obstacles

      Dead in Earnest

      To Be Great, Concentrate

      At Once

      Thoroughness

      Trifles

      Courage

      Will-Power

      Guard Your Weak Point

      Stick

      Save

      Live Upward

      Sand

      Above Rubies

      Moral Sunshine

      Hold Up Your Head

      Books and Success

      Riches Without Wings

      The Sublime Super Pack eBook Series

      If you enjoyed this Super Pack you may wish to find the other books in this series. 

      Prosperity Super Pack #1: ISBN: 978-1-5154-0684-6

      Prosperity Super Pack #2: ISBN: 978-1-5154-0685-3

      Prosperity Super Pack #3: ISBN: 978-1-5154-0686-0

      Prosperity Super Pack #4: ISBN: 978-1-5154-0687-7

      Prosperity Super Pack #5: ISBN: 978-1-5154-0688-4

      Prosperity Super Pack #6: ISBN: 978-1-5154-0689-1

      The New Thought Super Pack #1: ISBN: 978-1-5154-0690-7

      The New Thought Super Pack #2: 978-1-5154-0691-4

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      Catholic Super Pack: ISBN: 978-1-5154-0694-5

      Neville Goddard Super Pack: ISBN: 978-1-5154-0695-2

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      Charles F. Haanel Super Pack: ISBN: 978-1-5154-0697-6

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      Friedrich Nietzsche Super Pack: ISBN: Friedrich Nietzsche Super Pack

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      Think and Grow Rich

      by Napoleon Hill

      Foreword

      What Do You Want Most?

      Is It Money, Fame, Power,

      Contentment, Personality,

      Peace of Mind, Happiness?

      The Thirteen Steps to Riches described in this book offer the shortest dependable philosophy of individual achievement ever presented for the benefit of the man or woman who is searching for a definite goal in life.

      Before beginning the book you will profit greatly if you recognize the fact that the book was not written to entertain. You cannot digest the contents properly in a week or a month. After reading the book thoroughly, Dr. Miller Reese Hutchison, nationally known Consulting Engineer and long-time associate of Thomas A. Edison, said— This is not a novel. It is a textbook on individual achievement that came directly from the experiences of hundreds of America’s most successful men. It should be studied, digested, and meditated upon. No more than one chapter should be read in a single night. The reader should underline the sentences which impress him most. Later, he should go back to these marked lines and read them again. A real student will not merely read this book, he will absorb its contents and make them his own. This book should be adopted by all high schools and no boy or girl should be permitted to graduate without having satisfactorily passed an examination on it. This philosophy will not take the place of the subjects taught in schools, but it will enable one to organize and apply the knowledge acquired, and convert it into useful service and adequate compensation without waste of time. Dr. John R. Turner, Dean of the College of The City of New York, after having read the book, said— The very best example of the soundness of this philosophy is your own son, Blair, whose dramatic story you have outlined in the chapter on Desire." Dr. Turner had reference to the author’s son, who, born without normal hearing capacity, not only avoided becoming a deaf mute, but actually converted his handicap into a priceless asset by applying the philosophy here described. After reading the story, you will realize that you are about to come into possession of a philosophy which can be transmuted into material wealth, or serve as readily to bring you peace of mind, understanding, spiritual harmony, and in some instances, as in the case of the author’s son, it can. help you master physical affliction. The author discovered, through personally analyzing hundreds of successful men, that all of them followed the habit of exchanging ideas, through what is commonly called conferences. When they had problems to be solved they sat down together and talked freely until they discovered, from their joint contribution of ideas, a plan that would serve their purpose. You, who read this book, will get most out of it by putting into practice the Master Mind principle described in the book. This you can do (as others are doing so successfully) by forming a study club, consisting of any desired number of people who are friendly and harmonious. The club should have a meeting at regular periods, as often as once each week. The procedure should consist of reading one chapter of the book at each meeting, after which the contents of the chapter should be freely discussed by all members. Each member should make notes, putting down all ideas of his own inspired by the discussion. Each member should carefully read and analyze each chapter several days prior to its open reading and joint discussion in the club. The reading at the club should be done by someone who reads well and understands how to put color and feeling into the lines. By following this plan every reader will get from its pages, not only the sum total of the best knowledge organized from the experiences of hundreds of successful men, but more important by far, he will tap new sources of knowledge in his own mind as well as acquire knowledge of priceless value from every other person present. If you follow this plan persistently you will be almost certain to uncover and appropriate the secret formula by which Andrew Carnegie acquired his huge fortune, as referred to in the author’s introduction.

      Tributes to the Author

      From Great American Leaders

      Think and Grow Rich was 25 years in the making. It is Napoleon Hill’s newest book, based upon his famous Law of Success Philosophy. His work and writings have been praised by great leaders in Finance, Education, Politics, Government.

      Dear Mr. Hill:— I have now had an opportunity to finish reading your Law of Success textbooks and I wish to express my appreciation of the splendid work you have done in the organization of this philosophy. It would be helpful if every politician in the country would assimilate and apply the 17 principles upon which your lessons are based. It contains some very fine material which every leader in every walk of life should understand. I am happy to have had the privilege of rendering you some slight measure of help in the organization of this splendid course of common sense philosophy.

      Sincerely yours

      (Former President and former Chief Justice of the United States):

      Supreme Court of the United States Washington, D. C.

      By applying many of the 17 fundamentals of the Law of Success philosophy we have built a great chain of successful stores. I presume it would be no exaggeration of fact if I said that the Woolworth Building might properly be called a monument to the soundness of these Principles.— F. W. Woolworth: King of the 5 and 10 Cent Stores

      I feel greatly indebted for the privilege of reading your Law of Success. If I had had this philosophy fifty years ago, I suppose I could have accomplished all that I have done in less than half the time. I sincerely hope the world will discover and reward you.— Robert Dollar: A Great Steamship Magnate

      Mastery of the Law of Success philosophy is the equivalent of an insurance policy against Failure.— Samuel Gompers: Famous American Labor Leader

      May I not congratulate you on your persistence. Any man who devotes that much time . . . must of necessity make discoveries of great value to others. I am deeply impressed by your interpretation of the ‘Master Mind’ principles which you have so clearly Described.— Woodrow Wilson: a Former President of the United States

      I know that your 17 fundamentals of success are sound because I have been applying them in my business for more than 30 years.— John Wanamaker: a Merchant Prince

      I know that you are doing a world of good with your Law of Success. I would not care to set a monetary value on this training because it brings to the student qualities which cannot be measured by money, alone. — George Eastman: World’s Largest Maker of Cameras

      Whatever success I may have attained I owe, entirely, to the application of your 17 fundamental principles of the Law of Success. I believe I have the honor of being your first student.— W.M.. Wrigley, Jr.: a Nationally Known Business Chief

      Publisher’s Preface

      This book conveys the experience of more than 500 men of great wealth, who began at scratch, with nothing to give in return for riches except thoughts, ideas and organized plans. Here you have the entire philosophy of moneymaking, just as it was organized from the actual achievements of the most successful men known to the American people during the past fifty years. It describes what to do, also, how to do it! It presents complete instructions on how to sell your personal services. It provides you with a perfect system of self-analysis that will readily disclose what has been standing between you and the big money in the past. It describes the famous Andrew Carnegie formula of personal achievement by which he accumulated hundreds of millions of dollars for himself and made no fewer than a score of millionaires of men to whom he taught his secret. Perhaps you do not need all that is to be found in the book— no one of the 500 men from whose experiences it was written did— but you may need one idea, plan or suggestion to start you toward your goal. Somewhere in the book you will find this needed stimulus. The book was inspired by Andrew Carnegie, after he had made his millions and retired. It was written by the man to whom Carnegie disclosed the astounding secret of his riches— the same man to whom the 500 wealthy men revealed the source of their riches. In this volume will be found the thirteen principles of money-making essential to every person who accumulates sufficient money to guarantee financial independence. It is estimated that the research which went into the preparation, before the book was written, or could be written— research covering more than twenty-five years of continuous effort— could not be duplicated at a cost of less than $100,000.00. Moreover, the knowledge contained in the book never can be duplicated, at any cost, for the reason that more than half of the 500 men who supplied the information it brings have passed on.

      Riches cannot always be measured in money!

      Money and material things are essential for freedom of body and mind, but there are some who will feel that the greatest of all riches can be evaluated only in terms of lasting friendships, harmonious family relationships, sympathy and understanding between business associates, and introspective harmony which brings one peace of mind measurable only in spiritual values!

      All who read, understand and apply this philosophy will be better prepared to attract and enjoy these higher estates which always have been and always will be denied to all except those who are ready for them.

      Be prepared, therefore, when you expose yourself to the influence of this philosophy, to experience a changed life which may help you not only to negotiate your way through life with harmony and understanding, but also to prepare you for the accumulation of material riches in abundance.

      The Publisher

      Author’s Preface

      In every chapter of this book, mention has been made of the money-making secret which has made fortunes for more than five hundred exceedingly wealthy men whom I have carefully analyzed over a long period of years.

      The secret was brought to my attention by Andrew Carnegie, more than a quarter of a century ago. The canny, lovable old Scotsman carelessly tossed it into my mind, when I was but a boy. Then he sat back in his chair, with a merry twinkle in his eyes, and watched carefully to see if I had brains enough to understand the full significance of what he had said to me. When he saw that I had grasped the idea, he asked if I would be willing to spend twenty years or more, preparing myself to take it to the world, to men and women who, without the secret, might go through life as failures. I said I would, and with Mr. Carnegie’s cooperation, I have kept my promise.

      This book contains the secret, after having been put to a practical test by thousands of people, in almost every walk of life. It was Mr. Carnegie’s idea that the magic formula, which gave him a stupendous fortune, ought to be placed within reach of people who do not have time to investigate how men make money, and it was his hope that I might test and demonstrate the soundness of the formula through the experience of men and women in every calling. He believed the formula should be taught in all public schools and colleges, and expressed the opinion that if it were properly taught it would so revolutionize the entire educational system that the time spent in school could be reduced to less than half. His experience with Charles M. Schwab, and other young men of Mr. Schwab’s type, convinced Mr. Carnegie that much of that which is taught in the schools is of no value whatsoever in connection with the business of earning a living or accumulating riches. He had arrived at this decision, because he had taken into his business one young man after another, many of them with but little schooling, and by coaching them in the use of this formula, developed in them rare leadership. Moreover, his coaching made fortunes for everyone of them who followed his instructions. In the chapter on Faith, you will read the astounding story of the organization of the giant United States Steel Corporation, as it 12 13 was conceived and carried out by one of the young men through whom Mr. Carnegie proved that his formula will work for all who are ready for it. This single application of the secret, by that young man— Charles M. Schwab— made him a huge fortune in both money and opportunity. Roughly speaking, this particular application of the formula was worth six hundred million dollars. These facts—and they are facts well known to almost everyone who knew Mr. Carnegie— give you a fair idea of what the reading of this book may bring to you, provided you know what it is that you want. Even before it had undergone twenty years of practical testing, the secret was passed on to more than one hundred thousand men and women who have used it for their personal benefit, as Mr. Carnegie planned that they should. Some have made fortunes with it. Others have used it successfully in creating harmony in their homes. A clergyman used it so effectively that it brought him an income of upwards of $75,000.00 a year. Arthur Nash, a Cincinnati tailor, used his near-bankrupt business as a guinea pig on which to test the formula. The business came to life and made a fortune for its owners. It is still thriving, although Mr. Nash has gone. The experiment was so unique that newspapers and magazines, gave it more than a million dollars’ worth of laudatory publicity. The secret was passed on to Stuart Austin Wier, of Dallas, Texas. He was ready for it— so ready that he gave up his profession and studied law. Did he succeed? That story is told too. I gave the secret to Jennings Randolph, the day he graduated from College, and he has used it so successfully that he is now serving his third term as a Member of Congress, with an excellent opportunity to keep on using it until it carries him to the White House. While serving as Advertising Manager of the La-Salle Extension University, when it was little more than a name, I had the privilege of seeing J. G. Chapline, President of the University, use the formula so effectively that he has since made the LaSalle one of the great extension schools of the country. The secret to which I refer has been mentioned no fewer than a hundred times, throughout this book. It has not been directly named, for it seems to work more successfully when it is merely uncovered and left in sight, where those who are ready, and Searching for it, may pick it up. That is why Mr. Carnegie tossed it to me so quietly, without giving me its specific name. If you are ready to put it to use, you will recognize this secret at least once in every chapter. I wish I might feel privileged to tell you how you will know if you are ready, but that would deprive you of much of the benefit you will receive when you make the discovery in your own way. While this book was being written, my own son, who was then finishing the last year of his college work, picked up the manuscript of chapter two, read it, and discovered the secret for himself. He used the information so effectively that he went directly into a responsible position at a beginning salary greater than the average man ever earns. His story has been briefly described in chapter two. When you read it, perhaps you will dismiss any feeling you may have had, at the beginning of the book, that it promised too much. And, too, if you have ever been discouraged, if you have had difficulties to surmount which took the very soul out of you, if you have tried and failed, if you were ever handicapped by illness or physical affliction, this story of my son’s discovery and use of the Carnegie formula may prove to be the oasis in the Desert of Lost Hope, for which you have been searching. This secret was extensively used by President Woodrow Wilson, during the World War. It was passed on to every soldier who fought in the war, carefully wrapped in the training received before going to the front. President Wilson told me it was a strong factor in raising the funds needed for the war. More than twenty years ago, Hon. Manuel L. Quezon (then Resident Commissioner of the Philippine Islands), was inspired by the secret to gain freedom for his people. He has gained freedom for the Philippines, and is the first President of the free state. A peculiar thing about this secret is that those who once acquire it and use it, find themselves literally swept on to success, with but little effort, and they never again submit to failure! If you doubt this, study the names of those who have used it, wherever they have been mentioned, check their records for yourself, and be convinced. There is no such thing as something for nothing! The secret to which I refer cannot be had without a price, although the price is far less than its value. It cannot be had at any price by those who are not intentionally searching for it. It cannot be given away, it cannot be purchased for money, for the reason that it comes in two parts. One part is already in possession of those who are ready for it. The secret serves equally well, all who are ready for it. Education has nothing to do with it. Long before I was born, the secret had found its way into the possession of Thomas A. Edison, and he used it so intelligently that he became the world’s leading inventor, although he had but three months of schooling. The secret was passed on to a business associate of Mr. Edison. He used it so effectively that, although he was then making only $12,000 a year, he accumulated a great fortune, and retired from active business while still a young man. You will find his story at the beginning of the first chapter. It should convince you that riches are not beyond your reach, that you can still be what you wish to be, that money, fame, recognition and happiness can be had by all who are ready and determined to have these blessings. How do I know these things? You should have the answer before you finish this book. You may find it in the very first chapter, or on the last page. While I was performing the twenty year task of research, which I had undertaken at Mr. Carnegie’s request, I analyzed hundreds of well known men, many of whom admitted that they had accumulated their vast fortunes through the aid of the Carnegie secret; among these men were: —

      Henry Ford

      William Wrigley Jr.

      John Wanamaker

      James J. Hill

      George S. Parker

      E. M. Statler

      Henry L. Doherty

      Cyrus H. K. Curtis

      George Eastman

      Theodore Roosevelt

      John W. Davis

      Elbert Hubbard

      Wilbur Wright

      William Jennings Bryan

      Dr. Dmtid Starr Jordan

      J. Odgen Armour

      Charles M. Schwab

      Harris F. Williams

      Dr. Frank Gunsaulus

      Daniel Willard

      King Gillette

      Ralph A. Weeks

      Judge Daniel T. Wright

      John D. Rockefeller

      Thomas A. Edison

      Frank A. Vanderlip

      F. W. Woolworth

      Col. Robert A. Dollar

      Edward A. Filene

      Edwin C. Barnes

      Arthur Brisbane

      Woodrow Wilson

      Wm. Howard Taft

      Luther Burbank

      Edward W. Bok

      Frank A. Munsey

      Elbert H. Gary

      Dr. Alexander Graham Bell

      John H. Patterson

      Julius Rosenwald

      Stuart Austin Wier

      Dr. Frank Crane

      George M. Alexander

      J. G. Chappline

      Hon. Jennings Randolph

      Arthur Nash

      Clarence Darrow

      These names represent but a small fraction of the hundreds of well known Americans whose achievements, financially and otherwise, prove that those who understand and apply the Carnegie secret, reach high stations in life. I have never known anyone who was inspired to use the secret, who did not achieve noteworthy success in his chosen calling. I have never known any person to distinguish himself, or to accumulate riches of any consequence, without possession of the secret. From these two facts I draw the conclusion that the secret is more important, as a part of the knowledge essential for self-determination, than any which one receives through what is popularly known as education.

      What is education, anyway?

      This has been answered in full detail. As far as schooling is concerned, many of these men had very little. John Wanamaker once told me that what little schooling he had, he acquired in very much the same manner as a modern loco-motive takes on water, by scooping it up as it runs. Henry Ford never reached high school, let alone college. I am not attempting to minimize the value of schooling, but I am trying to express my earnest belief that those who master and apply the secret will reach high stations, accumulate riches, and bargain with life on their own terms, even if their schooling has been meager.

      Somewhere, as you read, the secret to which I refer will jump from the page and stand boldly before you, if you are ready for it! When it appears, you will recognize it. Whether you receive the sign in the first or the last chapter, stop for a moment when it presents itself, and turn down a glass, for that occasion will mark the most important turning-point of your life.

      We pass now, to Chapter One, and to the story of my very dear friend, who has generously acknowledged having seen the mystic sign, and whose business achievements are evidence enough that he turned down a glass. As you read his story, and the others, remember that they deal with the important problems of life, such as all men experience.

      The problems arising from one’s endeavor to earn a living, to find hope, courage, contentment and peace of mind; to accumulate riches and to enjoy freedom of body and spirit.

      Remember, too, as you go through the book, that it deals with facts and not with fiction, its purpose being to convey a great universal truth through which all who are ready may learn, not only what to do, but also how to do it! and receive, as well, the needed stimulus to make a start.

      As a final word of preparation, before you begin the first chapter, may I offer one brief suggestion which may provide a clue by which the Carnegie secret may be recognized? It is this— All achievement, all earned riches, have their beginning in an idea! If you are ready for the secret, you already possess one 17 18 half of it, therefore, you will readily recognize the other half the moment it reaches your mind.

      Napoleon Hill

      Thoughts Are Things

      The Man Who Thought His Way into Partnership with Thomas A. Edison

      Truly, thoughts are things, and powerful things at that, when they are mixed with definiteness of purpose, persistence, and a burning desire for their translation into riches, or other material objects.

      A little more than thirty years ago, Edwin C. Barnes discovered how true it is that men really do think and grow rich. His discovery did not come about at one sitting. It came little by little, beginning with a burning desire to become a business associate of the great Edison.

      One of the chief characteristics of Barnes’ Desire was that it was definite. He wanted to work with Edison, not for him. Observe, carefully, the description of how he went about translating his desire into reality, and you will have a better understanding of the thirteen principles which lead to riches.

      When this desire, or impulse of thought, first flashed into his mind he was in no position to act upon it. Two difficulties stood in his way. He did not know Mr. Edison, and he did not have enough money to pay his railroad fare to Orange, New Jersey.

      These difficulties were sufficient to have discouraged the majority of men from making any attempt to carry out the desire. But his was no ordinary desire! He was so determined to find a way to carry out his desire that he finally decided to travel by blind baggage, rather than be defeated. (To the uninitiated, this means that he went to East Orange on a freight train).

      The Inventor and the Tramp.

      He presented himself at Mr. Edison’s laboratory, and announced he had come to go into business with the inventor. In speaking of the first meeting between Barnes and Edison, years later, Mr. Edison said, He stood there before me, looking like an ordinary tramp, but there was something in the expression of his face which conveyed the impression that he was determined to get what he had come after. I had learned, from years of experience with men, that when a man really desires a thing so deeply that he is willing to stake his entire future on a single turn of the wheel in order to get it, he is sure to win. I gave him the opportunity he asked for, because I saw he had made up his mind to stand by until he succeeded. Subsequent events proved that no mistake was made.

      Just what young Barnes said to Mr. Edison on that occasion was far less important than that which he thought. Edison, himself, said so! It could not have been the young man’s appearance which got him his start in the Edison office, for that was definitely against him. It was what he thought that counted.

      If the significance of this statement could be conveyed to every person who reads it, there would be no need for the remainder of this book.

      Barnes did not get his partnership with Edison on his first interview. He did get a chance to work in the Edison offices, at a very nominal wage, doing work that was unimportant to Edison, but most important to Barnes, because it gave him an opportunity to display his merchandise where his intended partner could see it.

      Months went by. Apparently nothing happened to bring the coveted goal which Barnes had set up in his mind as his definite major purpose. But something important was happening in Barnes’ mind. He was constantly intensifying his desire to become the business associate of Edison.

      Psychologists have correctly said that when one is truly ready for a thing, it puts in its appearance.

      Barnes was ready for a business association with Edison, moreover, he was determined to remain ready until he got that which he was seeking.

      He did not say to himself, Ah well, what’s the use? I guess I’ll change my mind and try for a salesman’s job. But, he did say, I came here to go into business with Edison, and I’ll accomplish this end if it takes the remainder of my life. He meant it! What a different story men would have to tell if only they would adopt a definite purpose, and stand by that purpose until it had time to become an all-consuming obsession!

      Maybe young Barnes did not know it at the time, but his bulldog determination, his persistence in standing back of a single Desire, was destined to mow down all opposition, and bring him the opportunity he was seeking.

      Sly Disguises of Opportunity.

      When the opportunity came, it appeared in a different form, and from a different direction than Barnes had expected. That is one of the tricks of opportunity. It has a sly habit of slipping in by the back door, and often it comes disguised in the form of misfortune, or temporary defeat. Perhaps this is why so many fail to recognize opportunity.

      Mr. Edison had just perfected a new office device, known at that time, as the Edison Dictating Machine (now the Ediphone). His salesmen were not enthusiastic over the machine. They did not believe it could be sold without great effort. Barnes saw his opportunity. It had crawled in quietly, hidden in a queer looking machine which interested no one but Barnes and the inventor.

      Barnes knew he could sell the Edison Dictating Machine. He suggested this to Edison, and promptly got his chance. He did sell the machine. In fact, he sold it so successfully that Edison gave him a contract to distribute and market it all over the nation. Out of that business association grew the slogan, Made by Edison and installed by Barnes.

      The business alliance has been in operation for more than thirty years. Out of it Barnes has made himself rich in money, but he has done something infinitely greater, he has proved that one really may Think and Grow Rich.

      How much actual cash that original desire of Barnes’ has been worth to him, I have no way of knowing. Perhaps it has brought him two or three million dollars, but the amount, whatever it is, becomes insignificant when compared with the greater asset he acquired in the form of definite knowledge that an intangible impulse of thought can be transmuted into its physical counterpart by the application of known principles.

      Barnes literally thought himself into a partnership with the great Edison! He thought himself into a fortune. He had nothing to start with, except the capacity to know what he wanted, and the determination to stand by that desire until he realized it.

      He had no money to begin with. He had but little education. He had no influence. But he did have initiative, faith, and the will to win. With these intangible forces he made himself number one man with the greatest inventor who ever lived.

      Now, let us look at a different situation, and study a man who had plenty of tangible evidence of riches, but lost it, because he stopped three feet short of the goal he was seeking.

      Three Feet From Gold.

      One of the most common causes of failure is the habit of quitting when one is overtaken by temporary defeat. Every person is guilty of this mistake at one time or another.

      An uncle of R. U. Darby was caught by the gold fever in the gold-rush days, and went west to dig and grow rich. He had never heard that more gold has been mined from the brains of men than has ever been taken from the earth. He staked a claim and went to work with pick and shovel. The going was hard, but his lust for gold was definite.

      After weeks of labor, he was rewarded by the discovery of the shining ore. He needed machinery to bring the ore to the surface. Quietly, he covered up the mine, retraced his footsteps to his home in Williamsburg, Maryland, told his relatives and a few neighbors of the strike. They got together money for the needed machinery, had it shipped. The uncle and Darby went back to work the mine.

      The first car of ore was mined, and shipped to a smelter. The returns proved they had one of the richest mines in Colorado! A few more cars of that ore would clear the debts. Then would come the big killing in profits.

      Down went the drills! Up went the hopes of Darby and Uncle! Then something happened! The vein of gold ore disappeared! They had come to the end of the rainbow, and the pot of gold was no longer there! They drilled on, desperately trying to pick up the vein again— all to no avail.

      Finally, they decided to quit.

      They sold the machinery to a junk man for a few hundred dollars, and took the train back home. Some junk men are dumb, but not this one! He called in a mining engineer to look at the mine and do a little calculating. The engineer advised that the project had failed, because the owners were not familiar with fault lines. His calculations showed that the vein would be found just three feet from where the Darbys had stopped drilling! That is exactly where it was found!

      The Junk man took millions of dollars in ore from the mine, because he knew enough to seek expert counsel before giving up.

      Most of the money which went into the machinery was procured through the efforts of R. U. Darby, who was then a very young man. The money came from his relatives and neighbors, because of their faith in him. He paid back every dollar of it, although he was years in doing so.

      I Will Never Stop Because Men Say No.

      Long afterward, Mr. Darby recouped his loss many times over, when he made the discovery that desire can be transmuted into gold. The discovery came after he went into the business of selling life insurance.

      Remembering that he lost a huge fortune, because he stopped three feet from gold, Darby profited by the experience in his chosen work, by the simple method of saying to himself, I stopped three feet from gold, but I will never stop because men say ‘no’ when I ask them to buy insurance.

      Darby is one of a small group of fewer than fifty men who sell more than a million dollars in life insurance annually. He owes his stickability to the lesson he learned from his quitability in the gold mining business.

      Before success comes in any man’s life, he is sure to meet with much temporary defeat, and, perhaps, some failure. When defeat overtakes a man, the easiest and most logical thing to do is to quit. That is exactly what the majority of men do.

      More than five hundred of the most successful men this country has ever known, told the author their greatest success came just one step beyond the point at which defeat had overtaken them. Failure is a trickster with a keen sense of irony and cunning. It takes great delight in tripping one when success is almost within reach.

      A Fifty-Cent Lesson in Persistence.

      Shortly after Mr. Darby received his degree from the University of Hard Knocks, and had decided to profit by his experience in the gold mining business, he had the good fortune to be present on an occasion that proved to him that No does not necessarily mean no.

      One afternoon he was helping his uncle grind wheat in an old fashioned mill. The uncle operated a large farm on which a number of colored sharecrop farmers lived. Quietly, the door was opened, and a small colored child, the daughter of a tenant, walked in and 23 24 took her place near the door.

      The uncle looked up, saw the child, and barked at her roughly, what do you want?

      Meekly, the child replied, My mammy say send her fifty cents.

      I’ll not do it, the uncle retorted, Now you run on home.

      Yas sah, the child replied. But she did not move.

      The uncle went ahead with his work, so busily engaged that he did not pay enough attention to the child to observe that she did not leave. When he looked up and saw her still standing there, he yelled at her, I told you to go on home! Now go, or I’ll take a switch to you.

      The little girl said yas sah, but she did not budge an inch.

      The uncle dropped a sack of grain he was about to pour into the mill hopper, picked up a barrel stave, and started toward the child with an expression on his face that indicated trouble.

      Darby held his breath. He was certain he was about to witness a murder. He knew his uncle had a fierce temper. He knew that colored children were not supposed to defy white people in that part of the country.

      When the uncle reached the spot where the child was standing, she quickly stepped forward one step, looked up into his eyes, and screamed at the top of her shrill voice, My mammy’s gotta have that fifty cents!

      The uncle stopped, looked at her for a minute, then slowly laid the barrel stave on the floor, put his hand in his pocket, took out half a dollar, and gave it to her.

      The child took the money and slowly backed toward the door, never taking her eyes off the man whom she had just conquered. After she had gone, the uncle sat down on a box and looked out the window into space for more than ten minutes. He was pondering, with awe, over the whipping he had just taken.

      Mr. Darby, too, was doing some thinking. That was the first time in all his experience that he had seen a colored child deliberately master an adult white person. How did she do it? What happened to his uncle that caused him to lose his fierceness and become as docile as a lamb? What strange power did this child use that made her master over her superior? These and other similar questions flashed into Darby’s mind, but he did not find the answer until years later, when he told me the story.

      Strangely, the story of this unusual experience was told to the author in the old mill, on the very spot where the uncle took his whipping. Strangely, too, I had devoted nearly a quarter of a century to the study of the power which enabled an ignorant, illiterate colored child to conquer an intelligent man.

      The Strange Power of a Child.

      As we stood there in that musty old mill, Mr. Darby repeated the story of the unusual conquest, and finished by asking, What can you make of it? What strange power did that child use, that so completely whipped my uncle?

      The answer to his question will be found in the principles described in this book. The answer is full and complete. It contains details and instructions sufficient to enable anyone to understand, and apply the same force which the little child accidentally stumbled upon.

      Keep your mind alert, and you will observe exactly what strange power came to the rescue of the child, you will catch a glimpse of this power in the next chapter. Somewhere in the book you will find an idea that will quicken your receptive powers, and place at your command, for your own benefit, this same irresistible power. The awareness of this power may come to you in the first chapter, or it may flash into your mind in some subsequent chapter. It may come in the form of a single idea. Or, it may come in the nature of a plan, or a purpose. Again, it may cause you to go back into your past experiences of failure or defeat, and bring to the surface some lesson by which you can regain all that you lost through defeat.

      After I had described to Mr. Darby the power unwittingly used by the little colored child, he quickly retraced his thirty years of experience as a life insurance salesman, and frankly acknowledged that his success in that field was due, in no small degree, to the lesson he had learned from the child.

      Mr. Darby pointed out: every time a prospect tried to bow me out, without buying, I saw that child standing there in the old mill, her big eyes glaring in defiance, and I said to myself, ‘I’ve gotta make this sale. ‘ The better portion of all sales I have made, were made after people had said ‘NO’.

      He recalled, too, his mistake in having stopped only three feet from gold, but, he said, that experience was a blessing in disguise. It taught me to keep on keeping on, no matter how hard the going may be, a lesson I needed to learn before I could succeed in anything.

      This story of Mr. Darby and his uncle, the colored child and the gold mine, doubtless will be read by hundreds of men who make their living by selling life insurance, and to all of these, the author wishes to offer the suggestion that Darby owes to these two experiences his ability to sell more than a million dollars of life insurance every year.

      Life is strange, and often imponderable! Both the successes and the failures have their roots in simple experiences. Mr. Darby’s experiences were commonplace and simple enough, yet they held the answer to his destiny in life, therefore they were as important (to him) as life itself. He profited by these two dramatic experiences, because he analyzed them, and found the lesson they taught. But what of the man who has neither the time, nor the inclination to study failure in search of knowledge that may lead to success? Where, and how is he to learn the art of converting defeat into stepping stones to opportunity?

      In answer to these questions, this book was written.

      One Sound Idea Is All You Need.

      The answer called for a description of thirteen principles, but remember, as you read, the answer you may be seeking, to the questions which have caused you to ponder over the strangeness of life, may be found in your own mind, through some idea, plan, or purpose which may spring into your mind as you read.

      One sound idea is all that one needs to achieve success. The principles described in this book, contain the best, and the most practical of all that is known, concerning ways and means of creating useful ideas.

      Before we go any further in our approach to the description of these principles, we believe you are entitled to receive this important suggestion…. When riches begin to come they come so quickly, in such great abundance, that one wonders where they have been hiding during all those lean years. This is an astounding statement, and all the more so, when we take into consideration the popular belief, that riches come only to those who work hard and long.

      When you begin to think and grow rich, you will observe that riches begin with a state of mind, with definiteness of purpose, with little or no hard work. You, and every other person, ought to be interested in knowing how to acquire that state of mind which will attract riches. I spent twenty-five years in research, analyzing more than 25,000 people, because I, too, wanted to know "how wealthy men become that way.

      Without that research, this book could not have been written.

      Here take notice of a very significant truth, viz:

      The business depression started in 1929, and continued on to an all time record of destruction, until sometime after President Roosevelt entered office. Then the depression began to fade into nothingness. Just as an electrician in a theater raises the lights so gradually that darkness is transmuted into light before you realize it, so did the spell of fear in the minds of the people gradually fade away and become faith.

      Observe very closely, as soon as you master the principles of this philosophy, and begin to follow the instructions for applying those principles, your financial status will begin to improve, and everything you touch will begin to transmute itself into an asset for your benefit. Impossible? Not at all!

      One of the main weaknesses of mankind is the average man’s familiarity with the word impossible. He knows all the rules which will not work. He knows all the things which cannot be done. This book was written for those who seek the rules which have made others successful, and are willing to stake everything on those rules.

      A great many years ago I purchased a fine dictionary. The first thing I did with it was to turn to the word impossible, and neatly clip it out of the book. That would not be an unwise thing for you to do.

      Success comes to those who become success conscious.

      Failure comes to those who indifferently allow themselves to become failure conscious.

      The object of this book is to help all who seek it, to learn the art of changing their minds from failure consciousness to success consciousness.

      Another weakness found in altogether too many people, is the habit of measuring everything, and everyone, by their own impressions and beliefs. Some who will read this, will believe that no one can think and grow rich. They cannot think in terms of riches, because their thought habits have been steeped in poverty, want, misery, failure, and defeat.

      These unfortunate people remind me of a prominent Chinese, who came to America to be educated in American ways. He attended the University of Chicago. One day President Harper met this young Oriental on the campus, stopped to chat with him for a few minutes, and asked what had impressed him as being the most noticeable characteristic of the American people.

      Why, the Chinaman exclaimed, the queer slant of your eyes. Your eyes are off slant!

      What do we say about the Chinese?

      We refuse to believe that which we do not understand. We foolishly believe that our own limitations are the proper measure of limitations. Sure, the other fellow’s eyes are off slant, because they are not the same as our own.

      The Impossible Ford V-8 Motor.

      Millions of people look at the achievements of Henry Ford, after he has arrived, and envy him, because of his good fortune, or luck, or genius, or whatever it is that they credit for Ford’s fortune. Perhaps one person in every hundred thousand knows the secret of Ford’s success, and those who do know are too modest, or too reluctant, to speak of it, because of its simplicity. A single transaction will illustrate the secret perfectly.

      A few years back, Ford decided to produce his now famous V-8 motor. He chose to build an engine with the entire eight cylinders cast in one block, and instructed his engineers to produce a design for the engine. The design was placed on paper, but the engineers agreed, to a man, that it was simply impossible to cast an eight-cylinder gas engine block in one piece.

      Ford said, Produce it anyway.

      But, they replied, it’s impossible!

      Go ahead, Ford commanded, and stay on the job until you succeed no matter how much time is required.

      The engineers went ahead. There was nothing else for them to do, if they were to remain on the Ford staff. Six months went by, nothing happened. Another

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