Napoleon Hill

1883 – 1970

Success Literature

Last updated: July 7, 2026

The man who smuggled metaphysical principles into corporate America, disguising ancient wisdom as business strategy.

Lived

1883 – 1970

Nationality

American

Tradition

Success Literature

Known For

Think and Grow Rich (1937), The Law of Success (1928)

Tone

Light-Leaning2 / 6

Why Hill Matters

Hill achieved what few esoteric authors managed: he took the core principles of New Thought and made them palatable to mainstream business culture. His work represents the ultimate commercialization of mental science, transforming abstract metaphysical concepts into practical success formulas. While purists might cringe at his popularization, Hill's influence is undeniable: he brought ideas about the creative power of thought to millions who would never have touched a Thomas Troward text. His synthesis of Eastern philosophy, Western psychology, and American pragmatism created a template that success literature still follows today.

Start Here: The Reading Path

Think and Grow Rich
1937
Start with Hill's masterpiece, but read it as applied metaphysics rather than pure business advice. Focus on chapters about the subconscious mind, auto-suggestion, and 'Infinite Intelligence' to see the New Thought foundations.
Skip the stories about industrialists and focus on the mental principles Hill extracts from them
The Law of Success
1928
His earlier, more comprehensive work reveals the full scope of his philosophy before it was condensed for mass appeal. Contains more explicit references to mental science and universal principles.

Core Ideas in 60 Seconds

Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve
The fundamental New Thought principle that focused thought, backed by faith, has creative power in the material world.
Law of Attraction
The subconscious mind connects to Infinite Intelligence
Hill taught that the personal subconscious could tap into a universal source of wisdom and power through proper mental conditioning.
Universal Mind
Desire transmuted through definite purpose creates material success
Hill's formula for converting abstract wanting into concrete achievement through focused mental energy and persistent action.
Transmutation
The Master Mind principle multiplies individual mental power
Two or more minds working in harmony create a third, invisible force greater than the sum of its parts.
Universal Mind

Major Works

Title	Year	What It Teaches	Best For
Think and Grow Rich	1937	Thirteen principles for translating thoughts into material wealth through mental conditioning and strategic action.	Anyone wanting to understand how New Thought principles apply to business and material success
The Law of Success	1928	A comprehensive course in personal achievement covering sixteen fundamental principles of success psychology.	Readers who want Hill's complete philosophy rather than the condensed version

Lineage & Influence

Influenced By

Hill drew heavily from New Thought pioneers like Ralph Waldo Emerson's self-reliance philosophy and Thomas Troward's mental science principles, though he packaged these ideas for a business audience rather than spiritual seekers.

Influenced

His work became the foundation for virtually all modern success literature, directly inspiring Norman Vincent Peale's positive thinking movement and countless contemporary self-help authors who blend metaphysical principles with practical achievement strategies.

Parallel Thinkers

His contemporary Charles F. Haanel was exploring similar territory in 'The Master Key System,' but where Haanel remained more explicitly metaphysical, Hill translated the same principles into business language for mainstream consumption.

The Story

Born into Appalachian poverty, Hill began his career as a journalist tasked with interviewing Andrew Carnegie, the steel magnate who challenged him to spend twenty years studying the success principles of America's wealthiest individuals. What emerged from this investigation was not just business advice but a synthesis of mental science, Eastern philosophy, and practical psychology disguised as entrepreneurial wisdom. Hill claimed to have interviewed over 500 successful people, distilling their common mental habits into teachable principles. Though his biographical claims have been questioned by researchers, his core insight remains valid: he recognized that the metaphysical principles taught by New Thought leaders could be repackaged as success strategies for a materialist culture. His genius lay not in originality but in translation, making ancient wisdom accessible to modern ambition.

In Their Own Words

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

Think and Grow Rich

The starting point of all achievement is desire.

Think and Grow Rich

Your subconscious mind functions voluntarily, whether you make any effort to influence it or not.

Think and Grow Rich

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Napoleon Hill considered New Thought?

While Hill didn't explicitly identify with New Thought, his core principles are directly derived from the movement. His concepts of mental causation, subconscious power, and 'Infinite Intelligence' are classic New Thought teachings repackaged for business audiences.

Did Napoleon Hill really interview Andrew Carnegie?

Historical researchers have found no evidence of Hill's claimed twenty-year study for Carnegie, and many of his biographical claims appear exaggerated or fabricated. However, his synthesis of success principles remains philosophically coherent regardless of its questionable origins.

What's the difference between Think and Grow Rich and The Law of Success?

The Law of Success is Hill's comprehensive sixteen-lesson course, while Think and Grow Rich distills the core principles into thirteen more accessible chapters. The earlier work contains more explicit metaphysical content before Hill streamlined his message for mass appeal.