Throughout recorded history, mankind in every culture has always demonstrated the same basic lust for the pursuit of wealth and power. Many have achieved this success longed for by man, and many have crumbled and fallen short of their goals. Napoleon Hill, author of Think and Grow Rich set out to capture the mindsets of all those who have achieved wealth and power and explore what these successful people have in common. Napoleon delivers his results by speaking directly to the reader with step by step instructions on how to grow rich and think like those whose have already achieved riches. Napoleon spent 25 years researching successful people and came up with 13 principles that if followed will help you think and believe in yourself as the …show more content…
Napoleon lists desire as perhaps the most important principle. He is not referring to wishful thinking, but having an intense, burning obsession for success and then pairing this with a plan to achieve any form of success. As examples he lists Edwin Barnes, who had a burning desire to be business partners with the famous Thomas Edison. Barnes couldn’t afford a trip to meet Edison and didn’t possess the fancy clothes for an interview. Failure was not an option for Barnes and he hopped on a freight train to New Jersey and presented himself to Edison as is. Edison recognized the determination this man had and hired him, giving him a chance at a minimum wage job. Barnes later jumped at the opportunity to help sell Edison’s new invention that Edison’s own sales team refused to sell to avoid risking failure. Barnes became so successful that he was given a contract to sell the product all over the nation. His burning desire to work with Edison was not going to let any obstacle stop him, and that is why he achieved his success. It’s not all about how you look or what fancy resume you can bring to the table but how eager you are and your desire to achieve your goals and your plans to reach them. As Napoleon Says “All who succeed in life get off to a bad start and pass through many heart breaking struggles before they arrive.” Only those with a strong desire and plan can persevere through those heartbreaking …show more content…
He listed two types of knowledge, general knowledge and specialized. We our taught in our time at school the general knowledge that gets us through, but if this general knowledge is what makes us rich then professors would be the richest of us all. The thing is professors are abundant with knowledge but they do not know how to use the knowledge. Napoleon reasons that this is the missing link in our educational system that universities do not teach students how to harvest and invest their knowledge to sprout growth after acquiring it. That’s why he stresses the importance of specialized knowledge. To Napoleon, “an educated man is not one with an abundance of knowledge. An educated man is one who has so developed the faculties of his mind that he may acquire anything he wants.” He tells the story of Henry Ford, who only had 6th grade schooling under his belt. The press called him an ignorant pacifist and Ford sued the newspaper company. While in court the attorneys tried to prove that ford without schooling was ignorant and asked him very basic general knowledge questions such as “Who was Benedict Arnold?” and “How many soldiers did the British send to America?” Ford was fed up with the questioning and told the lawyer that there is no need for him to clutter his mind with this general knowledge when he can push a button and summon someone to his aid to answer any question and devote himself to his business. Any
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts”
world. One of Napoleon’s quotes state “” A Leader is a dealer in hope.”” He also stated “” He who
... front of me since the road to success is far away. Facing unknown obstacles is like drowning in water because obstacles are weighted heavily and sometimes I can't lift it. I just have to use my strength and hopefully, I can raise it off me. I learned that sometimes it is better to have a little false hope than to have none. Perseverance doesn’t not come naturally to all people but eventually it will come because they will find it. It helps them find their inner self by going through obstacles so that they can be more of a life challenge. I believe that this can change a person who they are because it is something everyone needs to go through life.
Carnegie’s essay contains explanations of three common methods by which wealth is distributed and his own opinions on the effects of each. After reading the entire essay, readers can see his overall appeals to logos; having wealth does not make anyone rich, but using that wealth for the greater good does. He does not force his opinions onto the reader, but is effectively convincing of why his beliefs make sense. Andrew Carnegie’s simple explanations intertwined with small, but powerful appeals to ethos and pathos become incorporated into his overall appeal to logos in his definition of what it means for one to truly be rich.
Only a year before Napoleon was born, Genoa had been forced to sell Corsica to France. In one of history’s amazing coincidences, this would forever tie Napoleon to France, even going so far as to change his name to a more French sounding name. Had Genoa kept hold of Corsica, Napoleon would have been born an Italian, and the thousands of books since written about him would have ceased to exist. Alas, fate had a role to play, and Napoleon found himself a part of a minor noble family in an island wishing for independence. From a young age Napoleon would wish to be a part of the struggle to regain sovereignty for Corsica. Here is where he would become fascinated with history in an attempt to write a history of his homeland. At that time one could not learn about history without learning about the great empire of Rome. This knowledge of Rome would influence Napoleon’s actions for the rest of his life.
Napoleon was a military general that participated in multiple war victories. His interests included history, law, and mathematics. His strengths as a leader benefitted in planning financial, legal, and military plans. His aspiring attitude made him believe he was destined to be the savior of France (Coffin & Stacey, 494). He favored a republic over a constitutional monarchy. When Napoleon came to power, he immediately consolidated personal power by overthrowing the five-man Directory and created a Republic. Napoleon used his status and power during the Revolution to bring out and surface Revolution ideals and help his people. Napoleon’s role in European history was the savior of the French Revolution due to the fact he accomplished most objectives that the people hoped for. Goals of the French Revolution included overthrowing the old regime of an absolute monarch, write a basic and worthy constitution, and give more rights to the third estate and limit the first and second estates power in the Estates-General.
One of Napoleon’s first areas of concern was in the strengthening of the French government. He created a strong centralized government and pretty much got rid of the hundreds of localized law codes that had existed during under the control of the monarchy. He also created an army of government officials. He had the entire country linked under a rational administration. He also was able to get an easy supply of taxes and soldiers under his new and improved French government. Before he could get very far, however, he had to gain public favor and shape the public opinion. To do this he used reforms of propaganda and thus caused people to think that they were getting the better end of the deal, but were actually, subconsciously giving Napoleon their approval for his actions. Among some of the methods he used for propaganda included getting all of the printers and book sellers to swear an oath to Napoleon and all newspapers fell under state control, so Napoleon gained access to almost everything that the citizens of France were able to read. Many of the gains from the French Revolution were kept, such as equality before the law, and careers open to talent. Some anti-revolution actions that Napoleon took included repressing liberty, restoring absolutism, and ending political liberty. He believed that allowing political freedom would end with a state of anarchy. He believed that he could solve these problems by acting in favor of the people’s interests as an enlightened desp...
Napoleon’s “coup d’etat of 18 brumaire was an insurance against both the Jacobin revolution and the Royalist restoration.” The French people expected Napoleon to bring back peace, order and to consolidate the political and social conquests of the Revolution. Napoleon considered these conquests to be “the sacred rights of property, equality and liberty.” If Napoleon gained power with the promise of upholding the principles of the French Revolution, how did he betray the revolution? Many historians argue that Napoleon was an effective but ambitious leader.
Living in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, our culture has naturally valued prestige and luxuries. We admire fancy items and often judge other individuals by the clothes they wear, the car they drive, and the schools that they attend. The “American Dream” serves as a motivational factor for people; believing that hard work and dedication can bring “success” to ones’ life. Although this is partially true, it is difficult for individuals in the middle class and lower class.
People depicted Napoleon as "a war mad tyrant with the blood of thousands on his hands."(Connolly, pg. 1) Napoleon's overall goal was equality. He studied books on authoritarians and learned the specific subjects of math and science. Napoleon studied people such as Plato, Aristotle, Caesar, Charlemagne, and Voltaire. He trained in artillery and behind recognition of his military service he became a general. The experience and knowledge that he acquired made Napoleon well qualified to realize details and specifications. His love for knowledge and growth of intelligent made him a brilliant innovator. How could a person who researches, reads, and seeks additional knowledge not
For you see, passion by its nature is not governed by intellect or reason. For passion, and beings ruled by it, there is no difference between, need and desire. Napoleon though himself an intellectual possessing a mind of great reason, was not governed by these cerebral qualities. Intellect and reason came second. Instead of acting as primary guiding principles, they were rather secondary, as he used them to bring success to the endeavors to which his overwhelming passion drove him to undertake. This is where the true meaning of Napoleon is
Moreover, this concept of free will and becoming financially self-reliant is still prevalent in modern society. The mid-twentieth (20th) to the early twenty-first (21st) century has become the age of entrepreneurship, where peoples from all nations no longer desire to work “for the man” but create their own legacy of prosperity. Likewise, it is a period in time that has redefined the way in which those from all walks of life can obtain success and wealth. Hence, the evolution of reality TV stars, YouTube sensations and rappers from being ordinary individuals to becoming fashion designers, actors and CEOs. However, our definition of success is not only defined by wealth it also includes having a life of meaning that is similar to that of Dr. Martin Luther king Jr. and Malcolm X. Certainly, I am speaking of a life that encompasses the ability to change our world for the better.
In the book “Think and Grow Rich,” the author, Napoleon Hill, provides a set of principles that he calls the key to financial success. The idea at the center of these principles is that one becomes what he or she frequently thinks about, in this case success (i.e. rich). Hill lays out a method he created to translate one’s thoughts into reality, creating an insatiable hunger and drive within an individual to succeed. Using the examples of his son and some of America’s legendary iconic business leaders, of which Hill studied and interviewed, including Edwin C. Barnes, he demonstrates that anything one puts his or her mind to can be produced and conceived.
Even if someone is struggling at the moment, they have to persevere because it will pass and all the hard work they did will pay
“The Way to Wealth”, written by Benjamin Franklin in 1757, contains proverbs and advice on how one can acquire the same sort of wealth and work ethic that the author himself has. Although, there is much wisdom to be seen from this essay it is my belief that this particular "way to wealth" can not be fully applied to everyone in today's society. When Franklin wrote this essay under the guise of Father Abraham and Poor Richard, he penned a love letter directed towards the idealism of the common (white) man in 1757. But as time goes on, countries evolve and so do its people. The connotation of wealth has changed much since 1757 and today's common man can not adhere to the standards of yesteryear.