Think and Grow Rich
the intangible thought impulse of DESIRE into its physical counterpart,
money. By following the instructions laid down in the chapters on
autosuggestion, and the subconscious mind, as summarized in the chapter on
auto-suggestion, you may CONVINCE the subconscious mind that you
believe you will receive that for which you ask, and it will act upon that
belief, which your subconscious mind passes back to you in the form of
"FAITH," followed by definite plans for procuring that which you desire.
The method by which one develops FAITH, where it does not already exist,
is extremely difficult to describe, almost as difficult, in fact, as it would be to
describe the color of red to a blind man who has never seen color, and has
nothing with which to compare what you describe to him. Faith is a state of
mind which you may develop at will, after you have mastered the thirteen
principles, because it is a state of mind which develops voluntarily, through
application and use of these principles.
Repetition of affirmation of orders to your subconscious mind is the only
known method of voluntary development of the emotion of faith.
Perhaps the meaning may be made clearer through the following explanation
as to the way men sometimes become criminals. Stated in the words of a
famous criminologist, "When men first come into contact with crime, they
abhor it. If they remain in contact with crime for a time, they become
accustomed to it, and endure it. If they remain in contact with it long enough,
they finally embrace it, and become influenced by it."
This is the equivalent of saying that any impulse of thought which is
repeatedly passed on to the subconscious mind is, finally, accepted and acted
upon by the subconscious mind, which proceeds to translate that impulse into
its physical equivalent, by the most practical procedure available.
In connection with this, consider again the statement, ALL THOUGHTS
WHICH HAVE BEEN EMOTIONALIZED, (given feeling) AND MIXED
WITH FAITH, begin immediately to translate themselves into their physical
equivalent or counterpart.
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The emotions, or the "feeling" portion of thoughts, are the factors which give
thoughts vitality, life, and action. The emotions of Faith, Love, and Sex,
when mixed with any thought impulse, give it greater action than any of these
emotions can do singly.
Not only thought impulses which have been mixed with FAITH, but those
which have been mixed with any of the positive emotions, or any of the
negative emotions, may reach, and influence the subconscious mind.
From this statement, you will understand that the subconscious mind will
translate into its physical equivalent, a thought impulse of a negative or
destructive nature, just as readily as it will act upon thought impulses of a
positive or constructive nature. This accounts for the strange phenomenon
which so many millions of people experience, referred to as "misfortune," or
"bad luck."
There are millions of people who BELIEVE themselves "doomed" to poverty
and failure, because of some strange force over which they BELIEVE they
have no control. They are the creators of their own "misfortunes," because of
this negative BELIEF, which is picked up by the subconscious mind, and
translated into its physical equivalent.
This is an appropriate place at which to suggest again that you may benefit,
by passing on to your subconscious mind, any DESIRE which you wish
translated into its physical, or monetary equivalent, in a state of expectancy
or BELIEF that the transmutation will actually take place. Your BELIEF, or
FAITH, is the element which determines the action of your subconscious
mind. There is nothing to hinder you from "deceiving" your subconscious
mind when giving it instructions through autosuggestion, as I deceived my
son's subconscious mind.
To make this "deceit" more realistic, conduct yourself just as you would, if
you were ALREADY IN POSSESSION OF THE MATERIAL THING
WHICH YOU ARE DEMANDING, when you call upon your subconscious
mind.
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The subconscious mind will transmute into its physical equivalent, by the
most direct and physical media available, any order which is given to it in a
state of BELIEF, or FAITH that the order will be carried out.
Surely, enough has been stated to give a starting point from which one may,
through experiment and practice, acquire the ability to mix FAITH with any
order given to the subconscious mind. Perfection will come through practice.
It cannot come by merely reading instructions.
If it be true that one may become a criminal by association with crime, (and
this is a known fact), it is equally true that one may develop faith by
voluntarily suggesting to the subconscious mind that one has faith. The mind
comes, finally, to take on the nature of the influences which dominate it.
Understand this truth, and you will know why it is essential for you to
encourage the positive emotions as dominating forces of your mind, and
discourage — and eliminate negative emotions.
A mind dominated by positive emotions, becomes a favorable abode for the
state of mind known as faith. A mind so dominated may, at will, give the
subconscious mind instructions, which it will accept and act upon
immediately.
FAITH IS A STATE OF MIND WHICH MAY BE INDUCED BY
AUTOSUGGESTION
All down the ages, the religionists have admonished struggling humanity to
"have faith" in this, that, and the other dogma or creed, but they have failed to
tell people HOW to have faith. They have not stated that "faith is a state of
mind, and that it may be induced by self-suggestion."
In language which any normal human being can understand, we will describe
all that is known about the principle through which FAITH may be
developed, where it does not already exist.
Have Faith in yourself; Faith in the Infinite.
Before we begin, you should be reminded again that:
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FAITH is the "eternal elixir" which gives life, power, and action to the
impulse of thought!
The foregoing sentence is worth reading a second time, and a third, and a
fourth. It is worth reading aloud!
FAITH is the starting point of all accumulation of riches!
FAITH is the basis of all "miracles," and all mysteries which cannot be
analyzed by the rules of science!
FAITH is the only known antidote for FAILURE!
FAITH is the element, the "chemical" which, when mixed with prayer,
gives one direct communication with Infinite Intelligence.
FAITH is the element which transforms the ordinary vibration of
thought, created by the finite mind of man, into the spiritual equivalent.
FAITH is the only agency through which the cosmic force of Infinite
Intelligence can be harnessed and used by man.
EVERY ONE OF THE FOREGOING STATEMENTS IS CAPABLE OF
PROOF!
The proof is simple and easily demonstrated. It is wrapped up in the principle
of auto-suggestion. Let us center our attention, therefore, upon the subject of
self-suggestion, and find out what it is, and what it is capable of achieving.
It is a well known fact that one comes, finally, to BELIEVE whatever one
repeats to one's self, whether the statement be true or false. If a man repeats a
lie over and over, he will eventually accept the lie as truth. Moreover, he will
BELIEVE it to be the truth. Every man is what he is, because of the
DOMINATING THOUGHTS which he permits to occupy his mind.
Thoughts which a man deliberately places in his own mind, and encourages
with sympathy, and with which he mixes any one or more of the emotions,
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constitute the motivating forces, which direct and control his every
movement, act, and deed!
Comes, now, a very significant statement of truth: THOUGHTS WHICH
ARE MIXED WITH ANY OF THE FEELINGS OF EMOTIONS,
CONSTITUTE A "MAGNETIC" FORCE WHICH ATTRACTS, FROM
THE VIBRATIONS OF THE ETHER, OTHER SIMILAR, OR RELATED
THOUGHTS. A thought thus "magnetized" with emotion may be compared
to a seed which, when planted in fertile soil, germinates, grows, and
multiplies itself over and over again, until that which was originally one
small seed, becomes countless millions of seeds of the SAME BRAND!
The ether is a great cosmic mass of eternal forces of vibration. It is made up
of both destructive vibrations and constructive vibrations. It carries, at all
times, vibrations of fear, poverty, disease, failure, misery; and vibrations of
prosperity, health, success, and happiness, just as surely as it carries the
sound of hundreds of orchestrations of music, and hundreds of human voices,
all of which maintain their own individuality, and means of identification,
through the medium of radio.
From the great storehouse of the ether, the human mind is constantly
attracting vibrations which harmonize with that which DOMINATES the
human mind. Any thought, idea, plan, or purpose which one holds in one's
mind attracts, from the vibrations of the ether, a host of its relatives, adds
these "relatives" to its own force, and grows until it becomes the dominating,
MOTIVATING MASTER of the individual in whose mind it has been
housed.
Now, let us go back to the starting point, and become informed as to how the
original seed of an idea, plan, or purpose may be planted in the mind. The
information is easily conveyed: any idea, plan, or purpose may be placed in
the mind through repetition of thought. This is why you are asked to write
out a statement of your major purpose, or Definite Chief Aim, commit it to
memory, and repeat it, in audible words, day after day, until these vibrations
of sound have reached your subconscious mind.
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We are what we are, because of the vibrations of thought which we pick up
and register, through the stimuli of our daily environment.
Resolve to throw off the influences of any unfortunate environment, and to
build your own life to ORDER. Taking inventory of mental assets and
liabilities, you will discover that your greatest weakness is lack of self-
confidence. This handicap can be surmounted, and timidity translated into
courage, through the aid of the principle of autosuggestion. The application
of this principle may be made through a simple arrangement of positive
thought impulses stated in writing, memorized, and repeated, until they
become a part of the working equipment of the subconscious faculty of your
mind.
SELF-CONFIDENCE FORMULA
First. I know that I have the ability to achieve the object of my Definite
Purpose in life, therefore, I DEMAND of myself persistent, continuous action
toward its attainment, and I here and now promise to render such action.
Second. I realize the dominating thoughts of my mind will eventually
reproduce themselves in outward, physical action, and gradually transform
themselves into physical reality, therefore, I will concentrate my thoughts for
thirty minutes daily, upon the task of thinking of the person I intend to
become, thereby creating in my mind a clear mental picture of that person.
Third. I know through the principle of auto-suggestion, any desire that I
persistently hold in my mind will eventually seek expression through some
practical means of attaining the object back of it, therefore, I will devote ten
minutes daily to demanding of myself the development of
SELFCONFIDENCE.
Fourth. I have clearly written down a description of my DEFINITE CHIEF
AIM in life, and I will never stop trying, until I shall have developed
sufficient self-confidence for its attainment.
Fifth. I fully realize that no wealth or position can long endure, unless built
upon truth and justice, therefore, I will engage in no transaction which does
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not benefit all whom it affects. I will succeed by attracting to myself the
forces I wish to use, and the cooperation of other people. I will induce others
to serve me, because of my willingness to serve others. I will eliminate
hatred, envy, jealousy, selfishness, and cynicism, by developing love for all
humanity, because I know that a negative attitude toward others can never
bring me success. I will cause others to believe in me, because I will believe
in them, and in myself.
I will sign my name to this formula, commit it to memory, and repeat it aloud
once a day, with full FAITH that it will gradually influence my THOUGHTS
and ACTIONS so that I will become a self-reliant, and successful person.
Back of this formula is a law of Nature which no man has yet been able to
explain. It has baffled the scientists of all ages. The psychologists have
named this law "auto-suggestion,' and let it go at that.
The name by which one calls this law is of little importance. The important
fact about it is—it WORKS for the glow and success of mankind, IF it is
used constructively. On the other hand, if used destructively, it will destroy
just as readily. In this statement may be found a very significant truth,
namely; that those who go down in defeat, and end their lives in poverty,
misery, and distress, do so because of negative application of the principle of
auto-suggestion. The cause may be found in the fact that ALL IMPULSES
OF THOUGHT HAVE A TENDENCY TO CLOTHE THEMSELVES IN
THEIR PHYSICAL EQUIVALENT.
The subconscious mind, (the chemical laboratory in which all thought
impulses are combined, and made ready for translation into physical reality),
makes no distinction between constructive and destructive thought impulses.
It works with the material we feed it, through our thought impulses. The
subconscious mind will translate into reality a thought driven by FEAR just
as readily as it will translate into reality a thought driven by COURAGE, or
FAITH.
The pages of medical history are rich with illustrations of cases of
"suggestive suicide." A man may commit suicide through negative
suggestion, just as effectively as by any other means. In a mid-western city, a
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man by the name of Joseph Grant, a bank official, "borrowed" a large sum of
the bank's money, without the consent of the directors. He lost the money
through gambling. One afternoon, the Bank Examiner came and began to
check the accounts. Grant left the bank, took a room in a local hotel, and
when they found him, three days later, he was lying in bed, wailing and
moaning, repeating over and over these words, "My God, this will kill me! I
cannot stand the disgrace." In a short time he was dead. The doctors
pronounced the case one of "mental suicide."
Just as electricity will turn the wheels of industry, and render useful service if
used constructively; or snuff out life if wrongly used, so will the law of
autosuggestion lead you to peace and prosperity, or down into the valley of
misery, failure, and death, according to your degree of understanding and
application of it.
If you fill your mind with FEAR, doubt and unbelief in your ability to
connect with, and use the forces of Infinite Intelligence, the law of
autosuggestion will take this spirit of unbelief and use it as a pattern by which
your subconscious mind will translate it into its physical equivalent.
THIS STATEMENT IS AS TRUE AS THE STATEMENT THAT TWO
AND TWO ARE FOUR!
Like the wind which carries one ship East, and another West, the law of auto-
suggestion will lift you up or pull you down, according to the way you set
your sails of THOUGHT.
The law of auto-suggestion, through which any person may rise to altitudes
of achievement which stagger the
imagination, is well described in the following verse:
If you think you are beaten, you are,
If you think you dare not, you don't
If you like to win, but you think you can't,
It is almost certain you won't.
If you think you'll lose, you're lost
Think and Grow Rich
Four men pondered over these figures all night. The chief, of course, was
Morgan, steadfast in his belief in the Divine Right of Money. With him was
his aristocratic partner, Robert Bacon, a scholar and a gentleman. The third
was John W. Gates whom Morgan scorned as a gambler and used as a tool.
The fourth was Schwab, who knew more about the processes of making and
selling steel than any whole group of men then living. Throughout that
conference, the Pittsburgher's figures were never questioned. If he said a
company was worth so much, then it was worth that much and no more. He
was insistent, too, upon including in the combination only those concerns he
nominated. He had conceived a corporation in which there would be no
duplication, not even to satisfy the greed of friends who wanted to unload
their companies upon the broad Morgan shoulders. Thus he left out, by
design, a number of the larger concerns upon which the Walruses and
Carpenters of Wall Street had cast hungry eyes.
"When dawn came, Morgan rose and straightened his back. Only one
question remained.
‘Do you think you can persuade Andrew Carnegie to sell?' he asked.
'I can try,' said Schwab.
'If you can get him to sell, I will undertake the matter,' said Morgan.
So far so good. But would Carnegie sell? How much would he demand?
(Schwab thought about $320,000,000). What would he take payment in?
Common or preferred stocks? Bonds? Cash? Nobody could raise a third of a
billion dollars in cash.
There was a golf game in January on the frost cracking heath of the St.
Andrews links in Westchester, with Andrew bundled up in sweaters against
the cold, and Charlie talking volubly, as usual, to keep his spirits up. But no
word of business was mentioned until the pair sat down in the cozy warmth of
the Carnegie cottage hard by. Then, with the same persuasiveness that had
hypnotized eighty millionaires at the University Club, Schwab poured out the
glittering promises of retirement in comfort, of untold millions to satisfy the old man's social caprices. Carnegie capitulated, wrote a figure on a slip of
paper, handed it to Schwab and said, 'all right, that's what we'll sell for.'
The figure was approximately $400,000,000, and was reached by taking the
$320,000,000 mentioned by Schwab as a basic figure, and adding to it
$80,000,000 to represent the increased capital value over the previous two
years.
Later, on the deck of a trans-Atlantic liner, the Scotsman said ruefully to
Morgan, 'I wish I had asked you for $100,000,000 more.'
'If you had asked for it, you'd have gotten it,' Morgan told him cheerfully.
There was an uproar, of course. A British correspondent cabled that the
foreign steel world was 'appalled' by the gigantic combination. President
Hadley, of Yale, declared that unless trusts were regulated the country might
expect 'an emperor in Washington within the next twenty-five years.' But that
able stock manipulator, Keene, went at his work of shoving the new stock at
the public so vigorously that all the excess water—estimated by some at
nearly $600,000,000—was absorbed in a twinkling. So Carnegie had his
millions, and the Morgan syndicate had $62,000,000 for all its 'trouble,' and
all the 'boys,' from Gates to Gary, had their millions.
The thirty-eight-year-old Schwab had his reward. He was made president of
the new corporation and remained in control until 1930.
The dramatic story of "Big Business" which you have just finished, was
included in this book, because it is a perfect illustration of the method by
which DESIRE CAN BE TRANSMUTED INTO ITS PHYSICAL
EQUIVALENT!
I imagine some readers will question the statement that a mere, intangible
DESIRE can be converted into its physical equivalent. Doubtless some will
say, "You cannot convert NOTHING into SOMETHING! The answer is in
the story of United States Steel.
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That giant organization was created in the mind of one man. The plan by
which the organization was provided with the steel mills that gave it financial
stability was created in the mind of the same man. His FAITH, his DESIRE,
his IMAGINATION, his PERSISTENCE were the real ingredients that went
into United States Steel. The steel mills and mechanical equipment acquired
by the corporation, AFTER IT HAD BEEN BROUGHT INTO LEGAL
EXISTENCE, were incidental, but careful analysis will disclose the fact that
the appraised value of the properties acquired by the corporation increased in
value by an estimated SIX HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS, by the mere
transaction which consolidated them under one management.
In other words, Charles M. Schwab's IDEA, plus the FAITH with which he
conveyed it to the minds of J. P. Morgan and the others, was marketed for a
profit of approximately $600,000,000. Not an insignificant sum for a single
IDEA!
What happened to some of the men who took their share of the millions of
dollars of profit made by this transaction, is a matter with which we are not
now concerned. The important feature of the astounding achievement is that
it serves as unquestionable evidence of the soundness of the philosophy
described in this book, because this philosophy was the warp and the woof of
the entire transaction. Moreover, the practicability of the philosophy has been
established by the fact that the United States Steel Corporation prospered,
and became one of the richest and most powerful corporations in America,
employing thousands of people, developing new uses for steel, and opening
new markets; thus proving that the $600,000,000 in profit which the Schwab
IDEA produced was earned.
RICHES begin in the form of THOUGHT!
The amount is limited only by the person in whose mind the THOUGHT is
put into motion. FAITH removes limitations! Remember this when you are
ready to bargain with Life for whatever it is that you ask as your price for
having passed this way.
Remember, also, that the man who created the United States Steel
Corporation was practically unknown at the time. He was merely Andrew
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Carnegie's "Man Friday" until he gave birth to his famous IDEA. After that
he quickly rose to a position of power, fame, and riches.
THERE ARE NO LIMITATIONS TO THE MIND EXCEPT THOSE
WE ACKNOWLEDGE BOTH POVERTY AND RICHES ARE THE
OFFSPRING OF THOUGHT
