“This idea of starting at the bottom and working one’s way up may appear to be sound, but the major objection to it is this— too many of those who begin at the bottom never manage to lift their heads high enough to be seen by opportunity, so they remain at the bottom. It should be remembered, also, that the outlook from the bottom is not so very bright or encouraging. It has a tendency to kill off ambition. We call it “getting into a rut,” which means that we accept our fate because we form the habit of daily routine, a habit that finally becomes so strong we cease to try to throw it off. And that is another reason why it pays to start one or two steps above the bottom. By so doing one forms the habit of looking around, of observing how others get ahead, of seeing opportunity, and of embracing it without hesitation.”
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Napoleon Hill
“The turning point in the lives of those who succeed usually comes at the moment of some crisis, through which they are introduced to their ‘other selves’. John Bunyan”
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Napoleon Hill
“the power of faith as it is was demonstrated by a man well known to all of civilisation, Mahatma Gandhi of India. In this man the world experienced one of the most astounding examples of the possibilities of FAITH. Gandhi wielded more potential power than any man living in his time, and this despite the fact that he had none of the orthodox tools of power, such as money, battleships, soldiers and materials of warfare. Gandhi had no money. He had no home. He didn’t even own a suit of clothes but he did have power. How did he come by that power? HE CREATED IT OUT OF HIS UNDERSTANDING OF THE PRINCIPLE OF FAITH. AND THROUGH HIS ABILITY TO TRANSPLANT THAT FAITH INTO THE MINDS OF 200 MILLION PEOPLE. Gandhi accomplished, through the influence of faith, something that the strongest military power on earth could not, and never will, achieve through soldiers and military equipment. He accomplished the astounding feat of influencing 200 million minds to coalesce and move in unison, as a single mind. What other force on earth, except faith, could do as much?”
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Napoleon Hill
“All achievement, all earned riches, have their beginning in an idea!”
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Napoleon Hill
“Disappointment over love affairs generally has the effect of driving men to drink, and women to ruin; and this, because most people never learn the art of transmuting their strongest emotions into dreams of a constructive nature.”
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Napoleon Hill
Procrastination. This is one of the most common causes of failure. “Old Man Procrastination” stands within the shadow of every human being, waiting his opportunity to spoil one’s chances of success. Most of us go through life as failures, because we are waiting for the “time to be right” to start doing something worthwhile. Do not wait. The time will never be “just right.” Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along.”
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Napoleon Hill
“If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way.”
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Napoleon Hill
“Persistence is a state of mind, therefore it can be cultivated. Like all states of mind, persistence is based upon definite causes,”
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Napoleon Hill
“A long while ago, a great warrior faced a situation which made it necessary for him to make a decision which insured his success on the battlefield. He was about to send his armies against a powerful foe, whose men outnumbered his own. He loaded his soldiers into boats, sailed to the enemy’s country, unloaded soldiers and equipment, then gave the order to burn the ships that had carried them. Addressing his men before the first battle, he said, “You see the boats going up in smoke. That means that we cannot leave these shores alive unless we win! We now have no choice—we win, or we perish! They won.”
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Napoleon Hill
“Each of us is what we are because of the DOMINATING THOUGHTS which we permit to occupy our mind.
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Napoleon Hill
“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.”
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Napoleon Hill
“If you know your own mind, you know enough to keep it always positive.”
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Napoleon Hill
“Opinions” are the cheapest commodities on earth.”
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Napoleon Hill
“When you are able to maintain your own highest standards of integrity - regardless of what others may do - you are destined for greatness.”
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Napoleon Hill
“This is a capitalistic country, it was developed through the use of capital, and we who claim the right to partake of the blessings of freedom and opportunity, we who seek to accumulate riches here, may as well know that neither riches nor opportunity would be available to us if organized capital had not provided these benefits. For more than twenty years it has been a somewhat popular and growing pastime for radicals, self-seeking politicians, racketeers, crooked labor leaders, and on occasion religious leaders, to take pot-shots at “Wall Street, the money changers, and big business.” The practice became so general that we witnessed during the business depression, the unbelievable sight of high government officials lining up with the cheap politicians, and labor leaders, with the openly avowed purpose of throttling the system which has made Industrial America the richest country on earth. The line-up was so general and so well organized that it prolonged the worst depression America has ever known. It cost millions of men their jobs, because those jobs were inseparably a part of the industrial and capitalistic system which form the very backbone of the nation.
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Napoleon Hill