The Magic of Thinking Big

by David J. Schwartz

book data

355 ratings, 4.22 average rating, 82 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		49%
4		29%
3		17%
2		3%
1		0%

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published

April 2nd 1987 by Fireside

binding

Paperback, 320 pages

isbn

0671646788 (isbn13: 9780671646783)

description

SET YOUR GOALS HIGH...THEN EXCEED THEM

Millions of people throughout the world have improved their lives using
The Magic of Thinking ...more

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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 587)

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06/20/08

Monica rated it:

Read in July, 2008

An inspiring book that will teach you to think beyond the mundane, every day, status quo. The enemy we call "average" threatens to take away the hopes, dreams, and meaning in our lives. Strive for excellence in everything you do. If you want something you've never had, you'll have to do something you've never done.

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02/21/08

David rated it:

Read in January, 1995

recommended to David by: My Father
recommends it for: Anyone with dreams

This book changed the way I look at the world, and will remain a powerful reminder of the great things that can be accomplished with the right attitude.

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12/31/08

Mike rated it:

Read in December, 2008

I don't really like self help books, but this was a really good book. Simple, quick read, and actually had intelligent content. I would recommend this book to anyone, but if you like self help books, then this is a must read.

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12/05/08

Tracy rated it:

Read in December, 2005

recommended to Tracy by: Ryan Godsey

I know several people who feel that this book has changed their lives. I'm not certain I can make that claim for myself, but this was the first time I'd heard of the three failure diseases: Procrastonation, Excuse-itis and detail-itis. I think at some time or another, I was guilty of all three. Now I tend to catch mysef in the midst of them and think "a-ha! Stop that."

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02/15/09

I N rated it:

recommends it for: Anyone who wants to see new horizons!

The Parable of the Talents
14"Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15To one he gave five talents[a] of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. 17So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18But the man who had received th...more The Parable of the Talents
14"Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15To one he gave five talents[a] of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. 17So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.
19"After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.'

21"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

22"The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.'

23"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

24"Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'

26"His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

28" 'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

-Jesus Christ

Greatest author who has ever lived.(less)

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01/18/09

David P. rated it:

Read in December, 2008

My Dad assigned me to read a book sometime in late November. The book he assigned me to read was The Magic of Thinking Big by Dr. David J. Schwartz, one of the leaders on the art of motivation (according to the back of the book, anyway. According to my Dad, this book would give me great principles on how to be successful in life. In this regard, the book succeeds greatly. Along with that, Dr. Schwartz makes it interesting to read about the success principles.

So, what is The Magic of ...more My Dad assigned me to read a book sometime in late November. The book he assigned me to read was The Magic of Thinking Big by Dr. David J. Schwartz, one of the leaders on the art of motivation (according to the back of the book, anyway. According to my Dad, this book would give me great principles on how to be successful in life. In this regard, the book succeeds greatly. Along with that, Dr. Schwartz makes it interesting to read about the success principles.

So, what is The Magic of Thinking Big about? The book does not really feature a storyline, a plot, or main characters (although Dr. Schwartz does mention people who succeeded on his principles. Instead, it talks about principles on how to be a successful person in life. Some of these life lessons include dreaming creatively, using goals to promote growth, and thinking like a leader; and within The Magic of Thinking Big, Dr. Schwartz uses real life people in relation to these principles. Throughout The Magic of Thinking Big, Dr. Schwartz provides real-life examples of how people succeeded by using the discussed principle. Also, Dr. Scwartz constantly mentions situation where people did not apply the discussed principle, and as a result, the person failed at reaching a goal and becoming successful.

I feel that The Magic of Thinking Big did a great job at teaching me these life lessons. For one thing, Dr. Schwartz uses the examples of people in his book, and these examples help hammer the point home. Also, Dr. Schwartz seems like a qualified person, so that makes his principles trustworthy. But the real reason that The Magic of Thinking Big was so effective at teaching me was this: It was fun to read. You can have a great educational book, but if it's boring, then no one would read it, and its lessons would never be taught. The Magic of Thinking Big, however, is a fun book to read. I found the book hard to put down at times, and because it was actually interesting and fun to read, the The Magic of Thinking Big gets its point across extremely well.

The bottom line is, you should probably read this book sometime in your life. It gives some of the best principles I've read in a long time, and not only that, the book is fun to read. The double whammy of education and entertainment that The Magic of Thinking Big pretty much makes it a must-read book. (less)

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05/14/09

Nancy rated it:

Read in May, 2009

I came away from this self-help book with a few useful/helpful tidbits, namely in the "stay positive," "love what you do" and "work hard" categories. However, as helpful as the book was in the 1960s for millions of people, I don't think I represent the its ideal audience.

Because, in order to truly glean more than just a few tidbits of advice from this book, I imagine you would have to subscribe to the thinking that "success" and its cousin, "...more

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01/28/09

Rgrega72 added it

Read in January, 2008

Teaches how to think big, to be positive in speaking, dressing for success, going first class all the way, taking quiet time for yourself to let ideas and creativity emerge. To change from thinking small and that success is not possible to thinking big that anything is possible as long as you keep and open mind associate with all types of people to broaden your perspective in all areas apply what is learned in all aspects of life because all aspects of life are connected and on aspect effects a...more

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08/02/07

Lucky rated it:

Buku ini keren, self development yang bagus banget.
Mengajari banyak hal dan gw rasa bagus dibaca untuk anak2 SMA karena disaat2 itu kepribadian gak stabil dan mereka perlu mengetahu arah mana yang ingin dituju dalam hidup

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09/02/08

Gregory rated it:

The only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars is because it reads somewhat like a text book.
It's a very cerebral approach to personal development.
Not that that's a bad thing, it's just a little dry in the read.
I HIGHLY reccommend it to those who enjoyed The 7 Habits of HIGHLY Effective People.
It was recommended to me by my mission president.
I read it shortly after returning from my mission while working for a gentleman named Dale Bell, who was a great example of s...more

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03/08/09

Mark rated it:

Read in June, 2007

Classic that is still valuable today. A great foundation if you have or want big dreams and want them to become reality. Personal caution to keep things in perspective as this kind of book, no matter how useful, is single-minded in it's scope. Read "Ordering Your Private World" too.

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03/18/09

Mark is currently reading it

bookshelves: currently-reading

This book is very down to earth in little tip techniques to help with success. It is a little bit dated as the auther quotes most executives are $15,000 a year.
There is a lot on attitude and how to change little things makes a big difference in the way you see and see others.

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06/08/09

Rhazes rated it:

Read in January, 2001

The first book that started it all. that opened up the world to me. if i havent read this book, i probably wont have the mindsets that i have today. and the dreams that im turning into reality everyday!

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03/10/09

Annalaura Brown rated it:

If you want to really learn to think and dream big then this book is a must read. Learn all about how to change your thinking from thinking too small to believing that you can achieve your dreams.

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01/05/09

Chris rated it:

Read in January, 2008

I am reading this book for the second time! This book teaches you that by changing the way you think, you can drastically change the direction of your life.

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04/06/09

Terri rated it:

totally inspiring... I quote from this book to motivate others to think not just outside the box, but beyond their capabilities.

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