Outwitting the Devil®: The Secret to Freedom and Success (Official Publication of the Napoleon Hill Foundation)

by Napoleon Hill

Q This confession of yours will disillusion millions of people whose only hope for salvation is in their churches. Isn’t that a cruel thing to do to them? Wouldn’t most people be better off living in the bliss of ignorance than to know the truth about you? A What do you mean by the term “salvation”? From what are people being saved? The only form of enduring salvation that is worth a green fig to any human being is that which comes from recognition of the power of his own mind. Ignorance and fear are the only enemies from which men need salvation.

A You leave me no choice but that of direct answer. To begin with, the public school system approaches the subject of education from the wrong angle. The school system endeavors to teach children to memorize facts, instead of teaching them how to use their own minds.

Q Describe the changes needed just as they come to you. A You are forcing me to commit an act of treason against myself, but here it is: Reverse the present system by giving children the privilege of leading in their school work instead of following orthodox rules designed only to impart abstract knowledge. Let instructors serve as students and let the students serve as instructors. As far as possible, organize all school work into definite methods through which the student can learn by doing, and direct the class work so that every student engages in some form of practical labor connected with the daily problems of life. Ideas are the beginning of all human achievement. Teach all students how to recognize practical ideas that may be of benefit in helping them acquire whatever they demand of life. Teach the students how to budget and use time, and above all teach the truth that time is the greatest asset available to human beings and the cheapest. Teach the student the basic motives by which all people are influenced and show how to use these motives in acquiring the necessities and the luxuries of life. Teach children what to eat, how much to eat, and what is the relationship between proper eating and sound health. Teach children the true nature and function of the emotion of sex, and above all, teach them that it can be transmuted into a driving force capable of lifting one to great heights of achievement. Teach children to be definite in all things, beginning with the c...

Q What is the commonest and most destructive of all sins? A Fear and ignorance.

Q What is faith? A It is a state of mind wherein one recognizes and uses the power of positive thought as a medium by which one contacts and draws upon the universal store of Infinite Intelligence at will.

Q Stating the matter in another way, faith is definiteness of purpose backed by belief in the attainment of the object of that purpose. Is that correct? A That’s the idea, exactly.

Faith is “a state of mind wherein one recognizes and uses the power of positive thought as a medium by which one contacts and draws upon the universal store of Infinite Intelligence at will.” Hill succinctly sums up the definition: “Faith is definiteness of purpose backed by belief in the attainment of the object of that purpose.”

Q WHAT PREPARATION MUST ONE UNDERGO before being able to move with definiteness of purpose at all times? A One must gain mastery over self This is the second of the seven principles. The person who is not master of himself can never be master of others. Lack of self-mastery is, of itself, the most destructive form of indefiniteness.

Q Where should one begin when making a start at control over self? A By mastering the three appetites responsible for most of one’s lack of self-discipline. The three appetites are (1) the desire for food, (2) the desire for expression of sex, (3) the desire to express loosely organized opinions.

Q How can one master the emotion of sex? A By the simple process of transmuting that emotion into some form of activity other than copulation. Sex is one of the greatest of all forces which motivate human beings. Because of this fact it is also one of the most dangerous forces. If humans would control their sex desires and transmute them into a driving force with which to carry on their occupation—that is, if they spent on their work one half the time they dissipate in pursuit of sex, they would never know poverty.

Q Do you mean, by your statement, that one should not indulge the desire for sex? A No, I mean that sex, like all other forces available to man, should be understood, mastered, and made to serve man. The desire for sex expression is as natural as the desire for food. The desire can no more be killed than one can entirely stop a river from flowing. If the emotion of sex is shut off from the natural mode of expression, it will break out in some other less desirable form, just as a river will, if dammed, break through and flow around the dam. The person who has self-discipline understands the emotion of sex, respects it, and learns to control and transmute it into constructive activities.

Q Just what damage is there in over-indulgence of sex? A The greatest damage is that it depletes the source of man’s greatest driving force, and wastes, without adequate compensation, man’s creative energy. It dissipates energy needed by nature to maintain physical health. Sex is nature’s most useful therapeutic force. It depletes the magnetic energy which is the source of an attractive, pleasing personality. It removes the sparkle from one’s eyes and sets up discord in the tone of one’s voice. It destroys enthusiasm, subdues ambition, and leads inevitably to the habit of drifting on all subjects.

Q I would like for you to answer my question in another way by telling me what beneficial ends the emotion of sex may be made to attain, if mastered and transmuted. A Controlled sex supplies the magnetic force that attracts people to one another. It is the most important factor of a pleasing personality. It gives quality to the tone of voice and enables one to convey through the voice any feeling desired. It serves, as nothing else can serve, to give motive-power to one’s desires. It keeps the nervous system charged with the energy needed to carry on the work of maintaining the body. It sharpens the imagination and enables one to create useful ideas. It gives quickness and definiteness to one’s physical and mental movements. It gives one persistence and perseverance in the pursuit of one’s major purpose in life. It is a great antidote for all fear. It gives one immunity against discouragement. It helps to master laziness and procrastination. It gives one physical and mental endurance while undergoing any form of opposition or defeat. It gives one the fighting qualities necessary under all circumstances for self-defense. In brief, it makes winners and not quitters!

Q I gather, from what you say, that the emotion of sex is a virtue, not a fault. A It is a virtue when controlled and directed to the attainment of desirable ends. It is a fault when neglected and permitted to lead to acts of lust.

Q Do I understand you to say that knowledge of the true functions of sex and ability to think accurately are the two things of greatest importance to mankind? A That is what I intended you to understand. Accurate thinking comes first because it is the solution to all man’s problems, the answer to all his prayers, the source of opulence and all material possessions. Accurate thinking is aided by properly controlled and directed sex emotion because sex emotion is the same energy as that with which one thinks. It begins with those who desire self-determination sufficiently to be willing to pay its price. No one can be entirely free—spiritually, mentally, physically, and economically—without learning the art of accurate thinking. No one can learn to think accurately without including, as a part of the needed knowledge, information on the control of sex emotion through transmutation.