Think and Grow Rich. By Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow
Rich. Chef said to me, doesn't that
book entitled Intrigue You Think and Grow Rich?
Don't you have to read that book?
Think and Grow Rich. I said, yes, sir.
By Napoleon Hill. I went and found that book in a
used bookstore. That's where I had to start in a
used bookstore. I paid less than 50 cents for
it. I've still got it.
It's one of the rare hardback covers.
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.
Wow, show was right. Get a library started.
It'll change your life. Any home over two hundred
thousand dollars is gotta Library.
Why do you suppose that is? Wouldn't that make you curious?
How come every home over two hundred thousand dollars has got
a library. Does that tell you something?
Does that educates you at all? You say?
Well, I can't afford a two hundred thousand dollar home.
It doesn't matter. What size home.
Take your present apartment, clean out a closet College, your
library and start acting intelligent.
And start this process like I did.
Start developing the library. Here's what your library needs
to show that you're a serious student of health and life,
spirituality culture uniqueness sophistication, economics,
Prosperity productivity, sales management skills values of all
kind. Let your library show.
You're a serious student. Don't be casual and learning.
Don't be lazy and learning. Information is the key.
Okay? Learning is the beginning of
wealth learning is the beginning of Health learning is the
beginning of prosperity. Learning, is the beginning of
democracy, the beginning of Freedom, all values, all virtue
start with the learning process. So don't be lazy and learning.
Don't be lazy. And Gathering the library that
will teach you and instruct you. And I got that book.
Think and Grow Rich. Some of the ideas in that book,
inspired me. No end.
Help me to change my life. Now.
It's got some weird stuff in it. You know, it's got some weird
stuff Napoleon was weird. So you gotta separate out a
little of this weird stuff, but you can do that.
You can separate out the weird stuff.
Okay, unless you're weird. Just do the weird stuff anyway.
Remember, don't be a follower, be a student.
That's the key to all books. Don't be a follower, be a
student. Another bookie recommended.
Help me become financially independent.
We're going to cover that before.
We finish this afternoon. The book was entitled, the
richest man in Babylon, the richest man in Babylon.
By George, clason clas. Oh, n This little book, the
richest man in Babylon. I use that as a textbook
teaching teenagers, how to be rich by 40 Living in America,
35. If you're extra bright much
sooner, if you find unique opportunity, I got rich.
By the time I was 31, didn't wait till 35.
If you find unique opportunity. So we'll get into that after we
come back from our next break. Richest man, in Babylon, get
your library started. Here are some key sections to
put in your library called mental food.
In fact, we call it food for thought.
So important to nourish the mind, not just the body, but
nourish the mind. Key phrase.
Now it needs to be well balanced.
You can't live on mental candy. Some reason why I just read this
positive stuff. That's to second grade.
You got to get out of second grade.
You can't just be inspired. You got to be taught.
You can't just be inspired. You got to be educated.
Key. Here's a good book.
It's called how to read a book. Good title, how to read a book
by Mortimer Adler. In this book, how to read a book
Mortimer, you know, is the is the chief editor of the new
Encyclopedia Britannica? A good set of books, right to
have in your library Encyclopedia Britannica Chief
editor Mortimer. Adler still in, he's in his 80s.
He still active still writing books.
I've got several of his books, the sixth, great ideas.
A lot of books, Mortimer Adler, but he wrote this book, how to
read a book. Now, in this book, how to read a
book, not only does he give you some good suggestions on how to
get the most out of a book. It's one thing to read.
It's another thing to get the best out of it.
You'll give you some techniques on how to get the best out of
the books. Very good.
But here's what's also interesting.
Is book how to read a book. A list of what he calls the best
writings ever written? The best writings ever written.
I've used it as a centerpiece for my library.
So I'm just asking you to take a look, if it suits, you fine, if
it doesn't suit you. Hey, keep looking till you find
something to suit you. But well-balanced.
Let me give you some of that balance.
Number one history. We've all got to have a sense of
History, American history, National History, International
history, family, history, political history.
We all need a sense of History. Shortest history lesson
opportunity mixed with difficulty no matter how far
back you go a thousand years ago, two thousand years ago,
3,000 4,000 years ago, and killing it, all reads the same.
Once you understand the thread that it isn't going to change
and what's going to change for my life answer.
Looks like I'm going to have to change.
History helps us to understand how it is.
What there is to work with seeds oil, Sunshine rain.
And what human beings have done with it in the past.
And how many of them have like I did by age 25?
They have messed up. That's what histories for be a
good student of History. Here's a good book lessons of
History by Durant lessons of History by Durant.
This little book is only 100 pages, but I'm telling you, it's
so well-written, you'll be intrigued.
As I was this little book lessons of History by Durant.
Next is philosophy. Durant also wrote a good book on
philosophy, the story of philosophy.
It's got a good rundown of the key philosophers.
Of the last several hundred years.
What they taught me, some of the lives they lived.
You might find it a little difficult.
But hey, you can't just read the easy stuff.
Key phrase to adhere in parenthesis.
Don't just read the easy stuff. You won't grow.
You won't change. You won't develop tackle.
The more difficult stuff. Next novels novels are good.
Sometimes an intriguing story keeps our attention so that the
author can weave in the philosophy.
He or she is trying to get across and ran was probably
better at that than anybody else.
I could possibly think of Atlas Shrugged, some of those towering
novels, the novel, kept us intrigued.
But guess what? She was doing all the time,
feeding us, our philosophy, feeding us her philosophy.
Now, what do you agreed with her philosophy or not?
You had to admit. She was really Good getting it
out there. Weaving it through the story in
the dialogue and in the speeches in the text fabulous, novels
novels are good. Now, here's a little personal
advice. Skip the trash.
And you don't sometimes. Well, sometimes you can find
something valuable in the Trashy novel.
I wouldn't go through it to find it.
You can find a crust of bread in the garbage can, but I wouldn't
go through it. Number one.
You don't need the reputation. So not enough time to read the
brilliant stuff, the good stuff. Skip the trash, really my
personal advice on personal development becoming more
valuable than you are. Next is biographies and
autobiographies the story of stories of successful people
unsuccessful people. There's some dramatic stuff.
Right. Over the last hundred years.
It's been written biographies and autobiographies.
Here's one of the best, the Bible.
The Bible is a unique book because it's got a list of human
stories on one side of The Ledger, another list of human
stories and the other side of the Ledger once called examples,
notice called warnings. And here's what we've got to
have on biographies and autobiographies both warnings
and examples. In the Bible, the examples Bible
says, look at these people's lives.
Follow them, follow their philosophy, follow their advice.
Then we got the warnings. Don't do what these people did
messed up their life and through their life away vitally
important both sides of the scenario.
Now, if your life story ever gets in one of those books, make
sure they use it as an example. Not a warning.
Also, we need balance. Both sides balance, good.
And evil biographies or autobiographies.
You need a book on Gandhi. You need a book on Hitler.
Want to illustrate how high a human being can go and the other
one to illustrate. What how low and despicable
human being can become. I need both sides of the
scenario. Next accounting got to have a
little at least primary view of accounting.
Kids have got to start learning the difference between a debit
and a credit. Next is law.
We all need right? A little bit.
You don't have to be a lawyer, but you gotta know contracts.
What the sign what? Not to sign backups, good
advice, how to be safe rather than sorry.
All of us need a little law, not a lawyer.
But a little law especially these complicated days.
Everything's in court these days.
I learned this the hard way. Company wanted to borrow money
long time ago. Up in Canada.
Come on. You want to borrow some money?
The bank said, well, yes, we will loan the company.
The money if mr. Rone will sign personally.
And I wanted to play Hero and I knew the company could pay it
back quarter of a million dollars.
So I sign no problem. Sure enough within less than a
year. They paid it all back quarter of
a million dollars. I am now a hero.
Well. About a year later.
This company gets in financial trouble.
They go back to the bank and borrow this quarter of a million
dollars. Again.
I said, I hope my phone doesn't ring because I won't sign the
note this time because I knew they were in trouble.
I knew they were probably going to go bankrupt.
My phone never rang. I'm off the hook sure enough
within less than a year. The company goes bankrupt, can't
pay. But I get this letter from the
bank saying dear. Mr. Rome.
Since the company cannot perform its obligation to pay this
quarter of a million dollars. And since we have here, your
personal guarantee. Would you please send us your
check for a quarter of a million dollars?
I said, hey, hold it, hold it. There must be some mistake here.
I signed that first note and they paid it all back.
I wouldn't have signed. The second note.
I didn't assign the second note. Well, what I didn't know I had
originally signed was a continuing guarantee.
So now I know what the word continuing mean.
I'm asking you to study a little law.
Know what the sign know how to defend yourself.
I say. Hey, we'll get back.
Don't sign too quickly. I mean, there's all kinds of
things here be a student. Don't be lazy and learning how
to defend, as well as nourish. How to grow as well as take care
of your enemies. You got to learn that your
library indicate that you're a serious student about personal
relationships with your family gifts and skills economics.
And all the rest. Here's the next one.
Economics, we're going to study that when we come back from our
break. Economics, we're going to cover
especially for the kids today how to become financially
independent going to let the adults.
Listen. I've been teaching kids for the
last 18, 19 years, how to be rich by 40, 35.
If you're extra bright, most kids think they're extra bright.
They go for 35 or much sooner. If you find a unique
opportunity, we're going to get into that, be a student of
Economics. Next culture sophistication.
Don't leave that out of your life.
Culture sophistication cultures, part of the fabric of the nation
culture, is what makes us different than dogs and animals
culture is what makes us different from The Barbarians
culture sophistication, be a student of the dance in the art
and the music and all the rest of those extraordinary human
values that are possible for us all to participate in as well as
to enjoy. Be a student of culture.
And the last one is spirituality.
Study it from the Bible and all the related books about
spirituality. If you're a Believer study and
practice. Let your library show you're a
serious student.