89 Quotes by Napoleon Hills on Success And Riches

Oliver Napoleon Hill (born October 26, 1883 – November 8, 1970) was an American self-help author. He is known best for his book Think and Grow Rich (1937) which is among the 10 best selling self-help books of all time.

Think and Grow Rich is based on Hill's earlier work The Law of Success, said to be the result of more than twenty years of study of many individuals who had amassed personal fortunes.

First published during the Great Depression. At the time of Hill's death in 1970, Think and Grow Rich had sold more than 20 million copies, and by 2015 over 100 million copies had been sold worldwide.

His other notable books are "Outwitting The Devil" and the "Law of Success".

Here is a selection of quotes by Napoleon Hills on success and wealth creation.

1. If you do not see great riches in your imagination, you will never see them in your bank balance.

2. “The way of success is the way of continuous pursuit of knowledge.”

3. “Success comes to those who become success conscious.”

4. “Both success and failure are largely the results of habit!”

5. “Every man is what he is, because of the dominating thoughts which he permits to occupy his mind.”

6. “Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything.” 

7. There is one weakness in people for which there is no remedy. It is the universal weakness of lack of ambition!”

8. There is a difference between WISHING for a thing and being READY to receive it. No one is ready for a thing, until he believes he can acquire it.”

9. “You’ve got to be sure of yourself before you can ever win a prize.”

10.  “Poverty needs no plan. It needs no one to aid it, because it is bold and ruthless. Riches are shy and timid. They have to be “attracted.”

11.  “The world has the habit of making room for the man whose actions show that he knows where he is going.” 

12. “Life’s battles, don’t always go to the stronger or faster man. But soon or later the man who wins is the man who thinks he can!”

13.  “The cause of the depression is traceable directly to the worldwide habit of trying to reap without sowing.”

14.  “There are no limitations to the mind except those we acknowledge both poverty and riches are the offspring of thought.”

15. “Our minds become magnetized with the dominating thoughts we hold in our minds and these magnets attract to us the forces, the people, the circumstances of life which harmonize with the nature of our dominating thoughts.”

16. “When your desires are strong enough, you will appear to possess superhuman powers to achieve.” 

17. “Deliberately seek the company of people who influence you to think and act on building the life you desire.”

18. “Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle.” 

19. “The cause of depression is traceable directly to the worldwide habit of trying to reap without sowing.”

20. “Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire and begin at once, whether you are ready or not, to put this plan into action.” 

21. “Some people dream of success, while others wake up and work hard at it."

22. “You might remember well that nothing can bring you success but yourself."

23. "All achievements, all earned riches, have their beginning in an idea.”

24. “There is one quality which one must possess to win, and that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to possess it.” 

25. “You can think your way into or out of almost any circumstance, good or bad.” 

25. “Procrastination is the bad habit of putting of until the day after tomorrow what should have been done yesterday.” 

26. “Keep you mind fixed on what you want in life: not on what you don’t want.”

27. “Hold a picture of yourself and steadily enough in your mind’s eye, and you will be drawn toward it.”

28. “Life reflects your own thoughts back to you.”

29. "It is your responsibility to make sure that positive emotions constitute the dominating influence of your mind."

30. "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."

31. “Set your mind on a definite goal and observe how quickly the world stands aside to let you pass.”

32. "Neglecting to broaden their view has kept some people doing one thing all their lives.”

33. “Knowledge is power.” It is nothing of the sort! Knowledge is only potential power. It becomes power only when, and if, it is organized into definite plans of action, and directed to a definite end.”

34. “Remember that the moment you reduce the statement of your desire, and a plan for its realization, to writing, you have actually taken the first of a series of steps, which will enable you to convert the thought into its physical counterpart.”

35.  “Your subconscious mind recognizes and acts only upon thoughts which have been well-mixed with emotion or feeling.”

36.  “All thoughts which have been emotionalized (given feeling) and mixed with faith (expectancy), begin immediately to translate themselves into their physical equivalent.”

37 “One sound idea is all that one needs to achieve success.”

38. "Any idea, plan, or purpose may be placed in the mind through repetition of thought.” 

39. "If you are not learning while you’re earning, you are cheating yourself out of the better portion of your compensation"

40. "Do not wait: the time will never be 'just right'. Start where you stand, and work whatever tools you may have at your command and better tools will be found as you go along."

  

41. "When you are able to maintain your own highest standards of integrity - regardless of what others may do - you are destined for greatness."

42. "It takes half your life before you discover life is a do-it-yourself project."

43. "Successful men become successful only because they acquire the habit of thinking in terms of success."

44.  "Remember that your dominating thoughts attract, through a definite law of nature, by the shortest and most convenient route, their physical counterpart. Be careful what your thoughts dwell upon."

45. "If you believe yourself unfortunate because you have loved and lost, perish the thought. One who has loved truly, can never lose entirely."

45. "Most so called FAILURES are only temporary defeats"

46. "Most great people have attained their greatest success just one step beyond their greatest failure."

47. "Opportunity...it often comes disguised in the form of misfortune or temporary defeat."

  

47. "The man who does more than he is paid for will soon be paid for more than he does."

48. "Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit."

48. "TELL THE WORLD WHAT YOU INTEND TO DO, BUT FIRST SHOW IT.This is the equivalent of saying "deeds, and not words, are what counts most"

49. "A genius is simply one who has taken full possession of his own mind and directed it toward objectives of his own choosing, without permitting outside influences to discourage or mislead him"

50. "Great achievement is usually born of great sacrifice, and never the result of selfishness.” 

51. “Everyone faces defeat. It may be a stepping-stone or a stumbling block, depending on the mental attitude with which it is faced.” 

52. "You have a brain and mind of your own. Use it, and reach your own decisions.”

53. “A positive mind finds a way it can be done; A negative mind looks for all the ways it can’t be done.”

54. “The ladder of success is never crowded at the top.” 

55. “The majority of men meet with failure of their lack of persistence in creating new plans to take the place of those which fail.”

56. “When you have talked yourself into what you want, right there is the place to stop talking and begin saying it with deeds.”

57. "Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success.” 

58. “There is one quality which one must possess to win, and that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to possess it.” 

59. "All the breaks you need in life wait within your imagination, imagination is the warship of your mind, capable of turning mind energy into accomplishment and wealth.”

60. "Action is the real measure of intelligence.” 

61. “There is no substitute for persistence. The person who makes persistence his watch-word, discovers that “Old Man Failure” finally becomes tired, and makes his departure. Failure cannot cope with persistence.”

Opinions are the cheapest commodities on earth. Everyone has a flock of opinions ready to be wished upon anyone who will accept them. If you are influenced by “opinions” when you reach DECISIONS, you will not succeed in any undertaking.”

62.  “Put your foot upon the neck of the fear of criticism by reaching a decision not to worry about what other people think, do, or say.”

63."Who said it could not be done? And what great victories has he to his credit which qualify him to judge others accurately?" 

64. "A quitter never wins-and-a winner never quits.”

65.  “Success requires no apologies, failure permits no alibis.” 

66. “One of the most common causes of failure is the habit of quitting when one is overtaken by temporary defeat."

67. “Faith and fear make poor bedfellows. Where one is found, the other cannot exist.”

 68. “Mind control is the result of self-discipline and habit. You either control your mind or it controls you. There is no hall-way compromise.” 

  

69. “Self-discipline begins with the mastery of your thoughts. If you don’t control what you think, you can’t control what you do. Simply, self-discipline enables you to think first and act afterward.”

70. “Before we can master an enemy, we must know its name, its habits its place of abode

71. “Fear, the worst of all enemies, can be effectively cured by forced repetition of acts of courage.” 

72. “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.”

 73. “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.”

74.“Remember, too, that all who succeed in life get off to a bad start, and pass through many heartbreaking struggles before they ‘arrive’.” 

75.  “Every person who wins in any undertaking must be willing to burn his ships and cut all sources of retreat.” 

  

76. “No one ever is defeated until defeat has been accepted as a reality.”

77.“More gold had been mined from the mind of men than the earth it self.”

78. "Fortunate is the young man or young woman who learns, early in life, to use imagination, and doubly so in this age of greater opportunity." 

79."Wherever you find a prosperous business, you will come upon some individual who has Creative Vision." 

80. "If you will decide definitely what you want most during your entire lifetime and write it down on paper so that I can read it, I will give you the key with which you may open the door to the attainment of your desires - whatever they may be." 

81. "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." 

82. "Big pay and little responsibility are circumstances seldom found together." 

83. "Education comes from within; you get it by struggle and effort and thought."

84. "No person can succeed in a line of endeavor which one does not like." 

  

85. "Goals are dreams with a deadline."

86.  Success is good at any age, but the sooner you find it, the longer you will enjoy it.”

87.  If you can't do great things, do small things in a great way.

88. To be a star, you must shine your own light, follow your own path, and don’t worry about darkness, for that is when the stars shine brightest.” 

89.  “Remember that your real wealth can be measured not by what you have, but by what you are.”