How to Own Your Own Mind Quotes

“HILL: Will you describe the major factors which entered into the modus operandi of Mr. Ford’s mind while he was perfecting the automobile? CARNEGIE: Yes, that will be very easy. And when I describe them, you will have a clear understanding of the working principles used by all successful men, as well as a clear picture of the Ford mind, viz.: (a) Mr. Ford was motivated by a definite purpose, which is the first step in all individual achievements. (b) He stimulated his purpose into an obsession by concentrating his thoughts upon it. (c) He converted his purpose into definite plans, through the principle of Organised Individual Endeavour, and put his plans into action with unabating persistence. (d) He made use of the Master Mind principle, first, by the harmonious aid of his wife, and second, by gaining counsel from others who had experimented with internal combustion engines and methods of power transmission. Still later, of course, when he began to produce automobiles for sale, he made a still more extensive use of the Master Mind principle by allying himself with the Dodge brothers and other mechanics and engineers skilled in the sort of mechanical problems he had to solve. (e) Back of all this effort was the power of Applied Faith, which he acquired as the result of his intense desire for achievement in connection with his Definite Major Purpose.”
― Napoleon Hill, How to Own Your Own Mind

“Yes, that is the simplest known method. You see, therefore, why I have emphasised the importance of intensifying one’s desires until they become obsessional. A deep, burning desire is picked up by the subconscious and acted upon much more definitely and quickly than an ordinary desire. A mere wish appears to make no impression on the subconscious!”
― Napoleon Hill, How to Own Your Own Mind

“Edison believed that he could harness electric energy and make it serve as a light. He stood steadfastly behind that belief through more than ten thousand failures and lived to see his belief justified, although others before him had tried to accomplish the same result and failed – failed, perhaps, because they lacked the capacity for unshakable belief.”
― Napoleon Hill, How to Own Your Own Mind

“Thoughts are things,”
― Napoleon Hill, How to Own Your Own Mind

“Creative Vision is an acquired ability through which one does two very important things, viz.: First, he becomes keenly alert in recognising opportunities favorable to the attainment of his aims and purposes; second, he develops the habit of embracing these opportunities and acting upon them through Organised Individual Endeavour.”
― Napoleon Hill, How to Own Your Own Mind

“Men do best that which they wish to do!”
― Napoleon Hill, How to Own Your Own Mind

“Day by day, in every way, I am becoming better and better.”
― Napoleon Hill, How to Own Your Own Mind

“The method by which habits are formed may be compared with the method by which a ‘rut’ is cut in a dirt road by the wheels of a wagon. One time over, the road makes a slight indenture in the dirt. A second trip makes a deeper indenture, and so on, until finally the ‘rut’ becomes so deep that when once the wheels fall into it, they are guided by it. Finally, if unattended, the ‘rut’ becomes a small gulley so great as to impede progress entirely.”
― Napoleon Hill, How to Own Your Own Mind

“It spurs the subconscious section of the mind into action and causes it to call in a greater flow of Infinite Intelligence.”
― Napoleon Hill, How to Own Your Own Mind

“Most ‘opinions’ are not only valueless, but they are dangerous when they are not based on sound premises!”
― Napoleon Hill, How to Own Your Own Mind

“Anyone who masters this philosophy and learns to apply it will have much more power than any human being is capable of handling safely, unless, in his use of this power, he trims his sails in the direction of constructive service, as Henry Ford has done.”
― Napoleon Hill, How to Own Your Own Mind

“To get more from life, one must give more!”
― Napoleon Hill, How to Own Your Own Mind

“Wherever you find a prosperous business, you will come across some individual who has Creative Vision.”
― Napoleon Hill, How to Own Your Own Mind

“We probably have more accurate thinkers in the United States than exist in any other country, regardless of the population or the nature of the system of living, and this for the reason that the American way of life provides the people with the greatest possible incentive for independent thinking. Contrast the American way of life with that existing in countries where the schools, the churches, the newspapers, the radio, and every other possible source of influence are under the strict control and censorship of the government!”
― Napoleon Hill, How to Own Your Own Mind

“Personal associations are important, because everyone acquires something of the philosophy, the personality, and the mental”
― Napoleon Hill, How to Own Your Own Mind

“Everything man achieves begins with definiteness of purpose. Name a single instance, if you can, where a man has achieved any form of success without a definite motive, based on a definite purpose, carried out through a definite plan. But, you must remember that there is one more factor that must be considered in connection with definiteness of purpose. The purpose must be expressed in terms of intense action. Here is where the power of the emotions gives an account of itself. The emotional feeling of desire for the attainment of a definite purpose is the power that gives life and action to that purpose, and influences one to move on his own initiative. To ensure satisfactory results, one’s definite purpose should be given obsessional proportions. It should be backed by a burning desire for its attainment. Desires of this sort take full possession of one’s mind and keep it so fully occupied that it has no inclination or opportunity to entertain stray thoughts released by the minds of others.”
― Napoleon Hill, How to Own Your Own Mind

“Some Acid Tests to Be Made in Separating Facts from Mere Information or Inference Scrutinise with great care everything you read in books, regardless of who wrote them, and never accept the conclusions of any writer as being conclusive without asking the following questions and satisfying yourself as to the correctness of the answers: 1. Is the writer a recognised authority on the subject on which he writes? 2. Did the writer have an ulterior or selfish motive other than that of imparting accurate information? 3. Is the writer a paid propagandist whose profession is that of organising public opinion for a price? If he is, weigh his conclusions with unusual care. 4. Has the writer a profit interest or other personal interest in the subject on which he writes? If so, make allowance for this in the acceptance of his conclusions. 5. Is the writer a person of sound judgement, and not a fanatic on the subject on which he writes? Fanatics are inclined to exaggerate, even when stating facts, and to colour facts so they may convey misleading impressions. 6. Are there reasonably accessible sources from which the writer’s statements may be checked and verified? If so, consult them before accepting his conclusions. 7. Ascertain, also, the writer’s reputation for truth and veracity. Some writers are careless concerning the truth. Half-truths are frequently the most dangerous truths. 8. Be careful about accepting as facts the statements of overzealous persons who have the habit of allowing their imaginations to run wild. Such people are known as ‘radicals’ and their conclusions may be misleading if relied upon. 9. Learn to be cautious and to use your own judgement, no matter who is trying to influence you. If a statement does not harmonise with your own reasoning power (and you should train your reason to function clearly), if it is out of harmony with your own experience, hold it up for further examination before accepting it as fact. Falsehood has a queer way of bringing with it some warning note, perhaps in the tone of one’s voice, or in the expression on one’s face, if it comes through the spoken word. Train yourself to recognise this warning and to be guided by it. 10. In seeking facts from others, do not disclose to them what facts you expect to find, as many people have the bad habit of trying to please, even if they have to exaggerate or falsify in order to do so. 11. Science is the art of organising”
― Napoleon Hill, How to Own Your Own Mind

“After he had reviewed in his mind all of his former interviews, he made another discovery so important in nature that it should become known to every man who is engaged in the business of selling life insurance. He discovered that life insurance is sold to the life insurance salesman himself. Sold before he ever calls upon his prospective buyer. Sold by his own mental attitude. His own faith. His own conviction that every man should provide himself with this sort of economic security.”
― Napoleon Hill, How to Own Your Own Mind

“And that is another of the queer traits of Creative Vision. Those who use it get their work done with a minimum amount of hard work.”
― Napoleon Hill, How to Own Your Own Mind

“And the beautiful part of this discovery is the fact that it placed this man in possession of an asset that will remain with him until he no longer needs it. No business depression can ever take it from him. The map of the world may be changed, and the people of the United States may perish through their own failure to look within their own minds for a power that can save them; but this man will never again become a slave to anything or anyone, because he has discovered the man within him—that other self—which cannot be enslaved.”
― Napoleon Hill, How to Own Your Own Mind