Page 3 - Napoleon Hill Think and Grow Rich Full Book | Success Learned

Chapter 15 — How to Outwit the Six Ghosts of Fear p. 203

NAPOLEON HILL THINK AND GROW RICH

Author's Preface

IN EVERY chapter of this book, mention has been made of the money-making
secret which has made fortunes for more than five hundred exceedingly wealthy
men whom I have carefully analyzed over a long period of years.

The secret was brought to my attention by Andrew Carnegie, more than a quarter
of a century ago. The canny, lovable old Scotsman carelessly tossed it into my
mind, when I was but a boy. Then he sat back in his chair, with a merry twinkle
in his eyes, and watched carefully to see if I had brains enough to understand the
full significance of what he had said to me.

When he saw that I had grasped the idea, he asked if I would be willing to spend
twenty years or more, preparing myself to take it to the world, to men and women
who, without the secret, might go through life as failures. I said I would, and with
Mr. Carnegie's cooperation, I have kept my promise.

This book contains the secret, after having been put to a practical test by thou-
sands of people, in almost every walk of life. It was Mr. Carnegie's idea that the
magic formula, which gave him a stupendous fortune, ought to be placed within
reach of people who do not have time to investigate how men make money, and
it was his hope that I might test and demonstrate the soundness of the formula
through the experience of men and women in every calling.

He believed the formula should be taught in all public schools and colleges, and
expressed the opinion that if it were properly taught it would so revolutionize the
entire educational system that the time spent in school could be reduced to less
than half.

His experience with Charles M. Schwab, and other young men of Mr. Schwab's
type, convinced Mr. Carnegie that much of that which is taught in the schools is
of no value whatsoever in connection with the business of earning a living or ac-
cumulating riches. He had arrived at this decision, because he had taken into his
business one young man after another, many of them with but little schooling,
and by coaching them in the use of this formula, developed in them rare leader-
ship. Moreover, his coaching made fortunes for everyone of them who followed
his instructions. In the chapter on Faith, you will read the astounding story of
the organization of the giant United States Steel Corporation, as it was conceived
and carried out by one of the young men through whom Mr. Carnegie proved that