Page 64 - Napoleon Hill Think and Grow Rich Full Book | Success Learned

During the world war, a Chicago newspaper published certain editorials in which,
among other statements, Henry Ford was called "an ignorant pacifist." Mr. Ford
objected to the statements, and brought suit against the paper for libeling him.
When the suit was tried in the Courts, the attorneys for the paper pleaded justi-
fication, and placed Mr. Ford, himself, on the witness stand, for the purpose of
proving to the jury that he was ignorant. The attorneys asked Mr. Ford a great va-
riety of questions, all of them intended to prove, by his own evidence, that, while
he might possess considerable specialized knowledge pertaining to the manufac-
ture of automobiles, he was, in the main, ignorant.

Mr. Ford was plied with such questions as the following:

"Who was Benedict Arnold?" and "How many soldiers did the British send over to
America to put down the Rebellion of 1776?" In answer to the last question, Mr.
Ford replied, "I do not know the exact number of soldiers the British sent over,
but I have heard that it was a considerably larger number than ever went back."

Finally, Mr. Ford became tired of this line of questioning, and in reply to a par-
ticularly offensive question, he leaned over, pointed his finger at the lawyer who
had asked the question, and said, "If I should really WANT to answer the foolish
question you have just asked, or any of the other questions you have been asking
me, let me remind you that I have a row of electric push-buttons on my desk, and
by pushing the right button, I can summon to my aid men who can answer ANY
question I desire to ask concerning the business to which I am devoting most of
my efforts. Now, will you kindly tell me, WHY I should clutter up my mind with
general knowledge, for the purpose of being able to answer questions, when I
have men around me who can supply any knowledge I require?"

There certainly was good logic to that reply. That answer floored the lawyer. Every
person in the courtroom realized it was the answer, not of an ignorant man, but of
a man of EDUCATION. Any man is educated who knows where to get knowledge
when he needs it, and how to organize that knowledge into definite plans of ac-
tion. Through the assistance of his "Master Mind" group, Henry Ford had at his
command all the specialized knowledge he needed to enable him to become one
of the wealthiest men in America. It was not essential that he have this knowledge
in his own mind. Surely no person who has sufficient inclination and intelligence
to read a book of this nature can possibly miss the significance of this illustra-
tion.

Before you can be sure of your ability to transmute DESIRE into its monetary
equivalent, you will require SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE of the service, mer-
chandise, or profession which you intend to offer in return for fortune. Perhaps

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NAPOLEON HILL THINK AND GROW RICH