The Five Essential Principles of Thought and Wealth Accumulation

Author: Napoleon Hill

In every chapter of this book, mention is made of the money-making secret that brought fortunes to more than five hundred exceedingly wealthy men whom I have carefully analyzed over many years. Andrew Carnegie called my attention to this secret more than a quarter-century ago. This shrewd, lovable old Scot nonchalantly let the secret fall into my mind when I was but a boy, then sat back in his chair, with a merry twinkle in his eyes, and watched carefully to see if I had sufficient intelligence to understand the full import 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 in preparing myself to disclose 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 it has been practically tested by thousands of people in almost every walk of life. Mr. Carnegie's idea was that the magic formula, which had brought him a stupendous fortune, should be placed within reach of people who do not have time to investigate how people make money, and he hoped the formula would be tested and proved valid through the experience of men and women in every profession. He envisioned that the formula should be taught in all public schools and colleges, and he expressed the opinion that if properly taught, it would revolutionize the entire educational system so that the time spent by a student in school could be reduced to less than half. As a final word of preparation, may I offer a brief suggestion through which the Carnegie secret may be recognized? It is this: All achievements, all acquired wealth, have their beginning in an idea! If you are ready to know the secret, you already possess half of it; therefore, you will readily recognize the other half the moment it is brought to your mind. Napoleon Hill