Quotes from Think and Grow Rich

Napoleon Hill's 1937 bestseller, distilled from two decades of interviewing the era's most successful men, set out thirteen principles of achievement. Whatever one thinks of its philosophy, its sentences — desire as the starting point, the mind conceiving and believing — became the template for a century of motivational writing. Below: the 22 quotes in the QuotePlace collection that are verifiably from this work, each marked 'Source verified' on its own page.

Ideas are the beginning points of all fortunes.

Don't wait. The time will never be just right.

Fears are nothing more than a state of mind.

When your desires are strong enough you will appear to possess superhuman powers to achieve.

If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way.

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

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

Opportunity often comes disguised in the form of misfortune, or temporary defeat.

There are no limitations to the mind except those we acknowledge.

Here is one quality that one must possess to win, and that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to possess it.

Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve. Thoughts are things! — Napoleon Hill

Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve. Thoughts are things!

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. — Napoleon Hill

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.

The starting point of all achievement is desire. — Napoleon Hill

The starting point of all achievement is desire.

Success requires no explanations. Failure permits no alibis. — Napoleon Hill

Success requires no explanations. Failure permits no alibis.

It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed. — Napoleon Hill

It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed.

Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve. — Napoleon Hill

Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.

Do not wait. The time will never be just right. — Napoleon Hill

Do not wait. The time will never be just right.

A quitter never wins and a winner never quits. — Napoleon Hill

A quitter never wins and a winner never quits.

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. — Napoleon Hill

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.

Every man is what he is because of the dominating thoughts which he permits to occupy his mind. — Napoleon Hill

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

Great achievement is usually born of great sacrifice, and is never the result of selfishness. — Napoleon Hill

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

Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything. — Napoleon Hill

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

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