The Psychology of Wealth (GPS Guides to Life) by Napoleon Hill

Content: 12/10
Tone: 8.8/10
Writing Style: 3/10

One Sentence Summary:

This is like a heavily expanded version of "Think and Grow Rich". This book is BIG on laying out various principles to help you achieve what you want in life.

The book does a great job of continuously reiterating the key concepts and ideas. And it never feels like a nuisance nor is it repetitive. It's like a teacher graciously reminding you of what's going to be on the test because they ACTUALLY want you to succeed.

This book is chock FULL of principles so if you like lists and a set of defined instructions then you will love that aspect of the book.

Part 1 covers the following topics:

Chapter One: The Beginning of All Riches
Chapter Two: The Twelve Riches of Life
Chapter Three: Eight Things to Give Gratitude For
Chapter Four: Definiteness of Purpose
Chapter Five: The Habit of Going the Extra Mile
Chapter Six: Love, the True Emancipator of Mankind!
Chapter Seven: The Master Mind
Chapter Eight: Andrew Carnegie’s Analysis of the Master Mind Principle
Chapter Nine: Applied Faith
Chapter Ten: The Law of Cosmic Habit
Chapter Eleven: Self-Discipline

I don't have much to say on part one as it's largely information I've heard from similar books of this nature (which I list later). It's certainly super beneficial information nonetheless.

Part 2: The Magic Ladder to Success

(Switches from everyday human concepts and ideas you should practice, to understanding how the universe operates. It covers the 17 factors comprising the Law of Success)

The 2nd half of this book takes such a stark turn and starts discussing the nature of the universe (i.e elements that comprise it + how it works). And it's so welcomed! That portion really had me slowing down and making sure I fully understood what I was reading.

Here, things (spiritual aspects of reality that are usually just summed up as "vibrations") are described at a very practical and scientific level. Giving these concepts a sense of tangibility that you can actually hold in your hands and wrap your head around.

Instead of using one term to gloss over a vital concept that explains the whole nature of reality, you get a solid breakdown utilizing concepts you already have a great deal of knowledge and understanding of.

Some key concepts discussed:

How thoughts are transmitted telepathically/as a frequency
How thoughts and life force act similar to electricity*
The immense power of two or more minds working in synergy
The Thirty Most Common Causes of Failure

*By the way this is how Neuralink works. It reads and writes the electrical signals that your brain produces, which then enables you to control things (external devices) solely with you mind.

Yeahhhh...it's crazy how much more valuable the second portion of the book is. The first half is all well and good, but it's largely a refresher/light expansion on Think and Grow Rich and other Napoleon books. On the other hand, the 2nd half is full of ideas and concepts I have not heard before (having read over 200+ self help books this is incredible to see).

I am REALLY pleased and pleasantly surprised by just how much better the book has gotten in the 2nd half. I'm highlighting the pages more than ever now!

Writing Style and Tone

He has a VERY superfluous writing style. Obviously in part because of when the book was written, but even with that, its SO extra. Soooo many unnecessary words are used and ordered in such a way that you can easily mistake one sentence for meaning the exact opposite of what the author intended.

The easiest way to explain it is that it's like someone who constantly speaks in double negatives. So you're often forced to double check whatever you just read to make sure you understood it clearly.

And with the extra fluff, it's like a high schooler with 60% of his essay done staying up late at 3am to stuff the remaining 40% of his assignment with copious amounts of filler words and phrases. Along with that the sentence structure/ordering of the words adds to the convoluted mess!

Apart from that major gripe (convoluted writing style) this book is full of helpful advice and it has a VERY positive UPLIFTING tone! Also, many people can deal with annoying trash like Shakespeare, so I'm sure for a lot of people the writing style won't be an issue to them.

Twelve Great Riches in Life

1. Positive Mental Attitude
2. Physical Health
3. Harmony in Human Relationships
4. Freedom From Fear
5. The Hope Achievement
6. The Capacity for Faith
7. Willingness to Share One’s Blessings
8. Work You Love
9. An Open Mind on All Subjects
10. Self-Discipline
11. The Capacity To Understand People
12. Economic Security

Freedom From Fear: "No man who fears anything is a free man!"

Going The Extra Mile

Is mentioned a lot! It's doing more than you are paid for.

"It is the strange influence which it has on the man who does it. The greatest benefit from this habit does not come to those to whom the service is rendered. It comes to the one who renders the service, in the form of a changed “mental attitude,” which gives him more influence with other people, more self-reliance, greater initiative, more enthusiasm, more vision and definiteness of purpose. All of these are qualities of successful achievement."

It's stressed heavily and for good reason.

Positive Mental Attitude: All riches, of any kind, begin as a state of mind and this is the one and only thing you ALWAYS have complete control of.

The seven basic fears include the fear of:

(1) POVERTY
(2) CRITICISM
(3) BAD HEALTH
(4) LOSING LOVE
(5) LOSING FREEDOM
(6) GROWING OLD
(6) TAXES (Jk jk 🤗)
(7) DEATH

Nine Basic Motives of Life:

- The emotion of LOVE
- The emotion of SEX
- The desire for MATERIAL GAIN
- The desire for SELF-PRESERVATION
- The desire for FREEDOM OF BODY AND MIND
- The desire for SELF-EXPRESSION
- The desire for perpetuation of LIFE AFTER DEATH
- The emotion of ANGER
- The emotion of FEAR

Action Item: Associate your Definite Major Purpose with as many of the nine basic motives, as possible.

Book Pairings:

Think And Grow Rich: The Psychology of Wealth acts as a great successor to this book.
The Game of Life and How to Play It
The Science of Getting Rich
Principles by Ray Dalio: Also heavy on principles, more business focused.

Quotes I Liked:

There are two ways of relating one’s self to Life. One is that of playing horse while Life rides. The other is that of becoming the rider while Life plays horse. The choice as to whether one becomes the horse or the rider is the privilege of every person, but this much is certain: if one does not choose to become the rider of Life, he is sure to be forced to become the horse. Life either rides or is ridden. It never stands still.

The world has thought and spoken of cancer as an incurable disease for so long that Cosmic Habit force has transmuted this thought-pattern into a major fixation which is difficult to break. But the time is at hand when groups of the better-informed people are beginning to set up thought patterns which may serve as an antidote for this disease. When this kind of “mass thinking” becomes sufficiently extensive cancer will go the way of all human ills which have been starved to death because people stopped talking and thinking of them.

When two or more people harmonize their minds and produce the effect known as a “Master Mind,” each person in the group becomes vested with the power to contact with and gather knowledge through the “subconscious” minds of all the other members of the group. This power becomes immediately noticeable, having the effect of stimulating the mind to a higher rate of vibration, and otherwise evidencing itself in the form of a more vivid imagination and the consciousness of what appears to be a sixth sense. It is through this sixth sense that new ideas will “flash” into the mind.

Sexual urge is the highest and most refined form of human emotion. It “steps up” the rate of vibration of the mind as no other emotion can, and causes the imaginative faculties of the brain to function in the form of genius. Far from being something of which one should be ashamed, a highly sexed nature is a blessing of which one should feel proud, and for which no apologies should be offered.

(Funny given that all women do is shame men for their sexual nature while they suppress theirs and endlessly wait for a man to draw it out of them. i.e women never initiate anything with men they like, they just put on makeup then wait and hope and pray that a man is sexually attracted to them)

Sex energy is a highly vitalizing, positive force, when it is in a state of agitation, during the period of sexual contact, and because it is powerful it sweeps over the entire nervous system of the body and unties any “short circuits” which may exist in any of the nerve lines, thus insuring a complete flow of nervous energy to all parts of the body. Sexual emotion is the most powerful of all the human emotions, and when it is actively engaged, it reaches and vitalizes every cell in every organ of the body, thereby causing the organs to function in a normal manner. Total abstinence, sexually, was not one of Nature’s plans, and those who do not understand this truth usually pay for their ignorance out of a trust fund which Nature provided for the maintenance of health. (It's like he's taking shots at all the NoFap guys)

Enthusiasm is simply a high rate of vibration of the mind. Elsewhere in this book may be found a complete list of the mind stimulants which will superinduce the state of mind known as enthusiasm. The urge of sexual desire is the greatest known mind stimulant. People who do not feel a strong desire for sexual contact are seldom, if ever, capable of becoming highly enthusiastic over anything. Transmutation of the great driving force of sex desire is the basis of practically all the works of genius. By “transmutation” is meant the switching of thought from sexual contact to any other form of physical action.

Everywhere, regardless of the form in which it is found, power is developed through concentrated energy. Whatever you are doing as your daily occupation, do it with all of your attention, all your heart and soul focused on that one definite thing.

Enthusiasm, to be of value, must be controlled and directed to definite ends. Uncontrolled enthusiasm may be, and generally is, destructive. The acts of so-called “bad boys” are nothing more nor less than uncontrolled enthusiasm. The wasted energy of uncontrolled enthusiasm expressed through promiscuous sexual contact, and sex desire not expressed through contact, by the majority of young men, is sufficient to lift them to high achievement if this urge were harnessed and transformed into some other form of physical action.

A Pleasing Personality usually may be found in the person who speaks gently and kindly, selecting refined words that do not offend, in a modest tone of voice; who selects clothing of appropriate style and colors which harmonize; who is unselfish and not only willing, but desirous of serving others; who is a friend of all humanity, the rich and the poor alike, regardless of politics, religion, or occupation; who refrains from speaking unkindly of others, either with or without cause; who manages to converse without being drawn into vulgar conversations or useless arguments on such debatable subjects as religion and politics; who sees both the good and the bad in people, but makes due allowance for the latter; who seeks neither to reform nor to reprimand others; who smiles frequently and deeply; who loves music and little children; who sympathizes with all who are in trouble and forgives acts of unkindness; who willingly grants others the right to do as they please as long as no one’s rights are interfered with; who earnestly strives to be constructive in every thought and deed indulged in; who encourages others and spurs them on to greater and better achievement in their chosen line of work.

Thought controls all voluntary movements of the body. Are we in accord on this statement? Very well, if thought controls all voluntary movements of the body, may it not also be made to control, or at least materially influence, all involuntary movements of the body? Thoughts of a negative nature, such as fear, worry, and anxiety, not only inhibit the flow of the digestive juices, but they also “tie knots” in the nerve lines which carry nervous energy to the various organs of the body. Thoughts of a positive nature untie these knots in the nerve lines and permit the nervous energy to pass through. Sex emotion is the most powerful form of positive thought. Sex energy is Nature’s own “medicine,” proof of which is obvious if one will observe the state of mind and the perfectly relaxed condition of the body, following sexual contact.


I hope this helps! ☺️

^{*First posted on my Goodreads}