65+ Inspiring Napoleon Hill Quotes on Success

By

Napoleon Hill quotes are going to change the way you look at the world. Napoleon Hill was an American writer, self-help author, and was best known for being the “Father of Personal Success” with his best-selling book, Think and Grow Rich. Although he is one of the earliest self-help producers and the idea that our thoughts can become our reality, he is also considered the most famous conman in history. 

Born and raised in Virginia, Napoleon was a rebel and got in trouble with a pistol once. By the time he was 15-years-old, he was writing and working for a small-town newspaper. His writing was full of imagination, and he mentioned once that when the news was slow, he would make up stories. His big break came when he interviewed Andrew Carnegie, who commissioned him to meet with millionaires and figure out their success formula. He met with Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Woodrow Wilson, John D. Rockefeller, Theodore Roosevelt, and so many more….or so he says. 

Thorough research has been done about Hill, and not only did his claim about Carnegie not come to be until after Carnegie’s death, but Carnegie’s biographer found no evidence that he and Hill ever met. In fact, there is no evidence to support his claims of meeting these successful, wealthy men because his writings of these interviews were conveniently and suspiciously “burned” in a building fire. 

His study of success resulted in The Philosophy of Achievement, in which he emphasized freedom, democracy, capitalism, and harmony. He discussed his belief that fear and selfishness were the reasons for failure. His most influential book, Think and Grow Rich, was a self-help book that promoted the belief that visualizing what you want in life thus, delivers what you want in life. He became a successful person through confidence and the habit and thought of visualization. Still, there was a weakness behind it all, with depression and loneliness. 

His personal life was a bit hasty too. He was married to Edith Whitman for five years and had two young children. Edith filed for divorce after he took their young daughter and threatened to leave Edith alone with their newborn. She also claimed he treated her with disrespect, cruelty, the constant threat of violence, and infidelity with prostitutes. In 1910, he married Florence Elizabeth Horner, a high school student from a wealthy family, and she became the mother of three of his kids. They also divorced, and then in 1936, he met a woman in Tennessee who–Rosa Lee Beeland–and they married in less than 48 hours of knowing each other. She helped him work on his most famous book, Think and Grow Rich. 

Despite his fraudulent behavior and credibility issues with many, the book was a huge success. With that being said, here are some inspirational quotes and ideas from Napoleon Hill and his writing on success, defeat, the power of our mind, and more.

Napoleon Hill quotes on success and defeat

“Some people dream of success, while others wake up and work hard at it.” – Napoleon Hill

“Most great people have achieved their greatest success, just one step beyond their greatest failure.” – Napoleon Hill

“Success comes to those who become success conscious.”  – Napoleon Hill

“Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything.” – Napoleon Hill

“It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others succeed.” – Napoleon Hill

“Success is good at any age, but the sooner you find it, the longer you will enjoy it.”  – Napoleon Hill

“Victory is always possible for the person who refuses to stop fighting.” – Napoleon Hill

“When defeat comes, accept it as a signal that your plans are not sound, rebuild those plans, and set sail once more toward your coveted goal.” – Napoleon Hill

“Opportunity often comes disguised in the form of misfortune or temporary defeat.” – Napoleon Hill

“Every adversity, every failure, every heartbreak, carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.” – Napoleon Hill

“Both success and failure are largely the results of habit!” – Napoleon Hill

“A quitter never wins, and a winner never quits.” – Napoleon Hill

“Cherish your vision and your dreams as they are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.” – Napoleon Hill

“Before success comes in any man’s life, he is sure to meet with much temporary defeat and, perhaps, some failure. When defeat overtakes a man, the easiest and most logical thing to do is to quit. That is exactly what the majority of men do. More than five hundred of the most successful men this country has ever known told the author their greatest success came just one step beyond the point at which defeat had overtaken them.” – Napoleon Hill

“Successful men become successful only because they acquire the habit of thinking in terms of success.” – Napoleon Hill

“When defeat comes, accept it as a signal that your plans are not sound, rebuild those plans, and set sail once again toward your coveted goal.” – Napoleon Hill

“Everyone faces defeat. It may be a stepping-stone or a stumbling block, depending on the mental attitude with which it is faced.” – Napoleon Hill

“The way of success is the way of continuous pursuit of knowledge.” – Napoleon Hill

“Patience, persistence, and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success.” – Napoleon Hill

“Great achievement is usually born of great sacrifice, and never the result of selfishness.” – Napoleon Hill

Napoleon quotes on habits, setting goals, and reaching success in life

“Tell me how you use your spare time and how you spend your money, and I will tell you where and what you will be in ten years from now.” – Napoleon Hill

“A goal is a dream with a deadline.” – Napoleon Hill

“Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle.” – Napoleon Hill

“The ladder of success is never crowded at the top.”  – Napoleon Hill

“The more you give, the more comes back to you.” – Napoleon Hill

“The man who does more than he is paid for will soon be paid for more than he does.” – Napoleon Hill

“Don’t wait. The time will never be just right. Start where you stand, and work whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along.” – Napoleon Hill

“When your desires are strong enough, you will appear to possess superhuman powers to achieve.” – Napoleon Hill

“Action is the real measure of intelligence.” – Napoleon Hill

“Plan your work and work your plan.” – Napoleon Hill

“Procrastination is the bad habit of putting off until the day after tomorrow what should have been done yesterday.” – Napoleon Hill

“If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way.” – Napoleon Hill

“Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire and begin at once, whether you are ready or not, to put this plan into action.” – Napoleon Hill

“An educated man is not, necessarily, one who has an abundance of general or specialized knowledge. An educated man is one who has so developed the faculties of his mind that he may acquire anything he wants, or its equivalent, without violating the rights of others.” – Napoleon Hill

“The starting point of all achievement is desire. Keep this constantly in mind. Weak desires bring weak results, just as a small fire makes a small amount of heat.” – Napoleon Hill

“It takes half your life before you discover life is a do-it-yourself project.”  – Napoleon Hill

“Deliberately seek the company of people who influence you to think and act on building the life you desire.” – Napoleon Hill

“You give before you get.” – Napoleon Hill

“To be a star, you must shine your own light, follow your own path, and don’t worry about darkness, for that is when the stars shine brightest.”  – Napoleon Hill

“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.” – Napoleon Hill

“Persistence is to the character of man as carbon is to steel.” – Napoleon Hill

“The world has the habit of making room for the man whose words and actions show that he knows where he is going.” – Napoleon Hill

“There is very little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative.” – Napoleon Hill

“There is one quality which one must possess to win, and that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to possess it.” – Napoleon Hill

Napoleon quotes on positivity and thoughts

“Any idea, plan, or purpose may be placed in the mind through repetition of thought.” – Napoleon Hill quotes

“Life reflects your own thoughts back to you.” – Napoleon Hill quotes

“Keep your mind fixed on what you want in life: not on what you don’t want.” – Napoleon Hill quotes

“You can think your way into or out of almost any circumstance, good or bad.” – Napoleon Hill quotes

“You are the master of your destiny. You can influence, direct, and control your own environment. You can make your life what you want it to be.” – Napoleon Hill quotes

“A positive mind finds a way it can be done; A negative mind looks for all the ways it can’t be done.” – Napoleon Hill quotes

“If you do not see great riches in your imagination, you will never see them in your bank balance.” – Napoleon Hill quotes

“Remember that your dominating thoughts attract, through a definite law of nature, by the shortest and most convenient route, their physical counterpart. Be careful what your thoughts dwell upon.” – Napoleon Hill

“Any ideas, plan, or purpose may be placed in the mind through repetition of thought.” – Napoleon Hill quotes

“First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination.” – Napoleon Hill quotes

“You become what you think about.” – Napoleon Hill quotes

“Think twice before you speak because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another.”  – Napoleon Hill quotes

“When you have talked yourself into what you want, right there is the place to stop talking and begin saying it with deeds.” – Napoleon Hill quotes

“Whatever your mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” – Napoleon Hill quotes

“Set your mind on a definite goal and observe how quickly the world stands aside to let you pass.” – Napoleon Hill quotes

“No one is ready for a thing until he believes he can acquire it.” – Napoleon Hill quotes

“Hold a picture of yourself long and steadily enough in your mind’s eye, and you will be drawn toward it.” – Napoleon Hill quotes

“You are the master of your destiny. You can influence, direct, and control your own environment. You can make your life what you want it to be.” – Napoleon Hill

“There is a difference between wishing for a thing and being ready to receive it. No one is ready for a thing until he believes he can acquire it. The state of mind must be belief, not mere hope or wish. Open-mindedness is essential for belief.” – Napoleon Hill quotes

“It is your responsibility to make sure that positive emotions constitute the dominating influence of your mind.” – Napoleon Hill quotes

“Man may become the master of himself, and of his environment because he has the power to influence his own subconscious mind, and through it, gain the cooperation of Infinite Intelligence.” – Napoleon Hill quotes

“All the breaks you need in life wait within your imagination. Imagination is the workshop of your mind, capable of turning mind energy into accomplishment and wealth.” – Napoleon Hill quotes

“Man, alone, has the power to transform his thoughts into physical reality; man, alone, can dream and make his dreams come true.” – Napoleon Hill quotes

–

For Further Reading:

Think and Grow Rich: The Landmark Bestseller Now Revised and Updated for the 21st Century

–

More Quotes: