Article Overview 🔎
Earl Nightingale and Napoleon Hill are renowned for studying the most successful businessmen in America of their eras. From this, they wrote revolutionary publications on how these people had achieved such great success. Pioneers of the success and achievement space, they are the godfathers to all those that followed a similar path.
Who was Earl Nightingale? 🧠
Earl Nightingale was an American radio speaker, author, and personal development pioneer, often called one of the founders of the modern self-improvement movement; the “Dean of Personal Development”. He is most famous for writing The Strangest Secret, described as “one of the greatest books of all time” and “the religious book of achievement”. Here is an excerpt from Earl Nightingale’s website explaining his story:
‘As a Depression-era child, Earl Nightingale was hungry for knowledge. From the time he was a young boy, he would frequently visit the Long Beach Public Library in California, searching for the answer to the question, ‘How can a person, starting from scratch, who has no particular advantage in the world, reach the goals that he feels are important to him, and by so doing, make a major contribution to others?’ His desire to find an answer, coupled with his natural curiosity about the world and its workings spurred him to become one of the world’s foremost experts on success and what makes people successful.
Earl Nightingale’s early career began when, as a member of the Marine Corps, he volunteered to work at a local radio station as an announcer. Earl managed to be one of the few survivors aboard the battleship Arizona. After five more years in the service, Earl and his wife moved first to Phoenix then Chicago to build what was to be a very fruitful career in network radio. As the host of his own daily commentary program on WGN, Earl Nightingale arranged a deal that also gave him a commission on his own advertising sales. By 1957, he was so successful, he decided to retire at the age of 35.
In the meantime, Earl had bought his own insurance company and had spent many hours motivating its sales force to greater accomplishments. When he decided to go on vacation for an extended period of time, his sales manager begged him to put his inspirational words on record. The result later became the recording entitled ‘The Strangest Secret’ (the first video below), the first spoken word message to win a Gold Record by selling over a million copies. In The ‘Strangest Secret’, Earl had found an answer to the question that had inspired him as a youth and, in turn, found a way to leave a lasting legacy for others
About this time, Earl met a successful businessman by the name of Lloyd Conant and together they began an ‘electronic publishing’ company which eventually grew to become a multi-million dollar giant in the self-improvement field. When Earl Nightingale died on March 28, 1989, Paul Harvey broke the news to the country on his radio program with the words, ‘The sonorous voice of the nightingale was stilled.’ In the words of his good friend and commercial announcer, Steve King, ‘Earl Nightingale never let a day go by that he didn’t learn something new and, in turn, pass it on to others. It was his consuming passion.‘
Earl Nightingale Quotes 📈
Earl Nightingale has a multitude of famous quotes from his array of best-selling books and interviews including:
“Your world is a living expression of how you are using and have used your mind.”
“Our attitude toward life determines life’s attitude towards us.”
“You are now, and you do become, what you think about.”
“People who have goals succeed because they know where they’re going. It’s that simple.”
“All you need is the plan, the road map, and the courage to press on to your destination.”
“We tend to live up to our expectations.”
“No man can get rich himself unless he enriches others.”
“We are all self-made, but only the successful will admit it.”
“Success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal or ideal.”
“Whatever we plant in our subconscious mind and nourish with repetition and emotion will one day become reality.”
“Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.”
“When you judge others, you do not define them, you define yourself.”
Who was Napoleon Hill? 👨💼
Napoleon Hill was an American author in the area of the new thought movement who was one of the earliest producers of the modern genre of personal-success literature. He is widely considered to be one of the great writers on success. His most famous work, Think and Grow Rich. wrote in 1937 (see the full audio in third video below), is one of the best-selling books of all time (at the time of Hill’s death in 1970, ‘Think and Grow Rich’ had sold 20 million copies). Hill’s works examined the power of personal beliefs, and the role they play in personal success. He became an advisor to President Franklin D. Roosevelt from 1933 to 1936. How achievement actually occurs, and a formula for it that puts success in reach of the average person, were the focal points of Hill’s books.
Napoleon Hill’s Self-Confidence Formula 📜
1. I know that I have the ability to achieve the object of my definite purpose in life; therefore, I demand of myself persistent, continuous action toward its attainment, and I here and now promise to render such action.
2. I realize the dominating thoughts of my mind will eventually reproduce themselves in outward, physical action, and gradually transform themselves into physical reality; therefore, I will concentrate my thought, for thirty minutes daily, upon the task of thinking of the person I intend to become, thereby creating in my mind a clear mental picture.
3. I know through the principle of autosuggestion, any desire that I persistently hold in my mind will eventually seek expression through some practical means of attaining the object back of it; therefore, I will devote ten minutes daily to demanding of myself the development of self-confidence.
4. I have clearly written down a description of my definite chief aim in life, and I will never stop trying, until I have developed sufficient self-confidence for its attainment.
5. I fully realize that no wealth or position can long endure, unless built upon truth and justice; therefore, I will engage in no transaction that does not benefit all whom it affects. I will succeed by attracting to myself the forces I wish to use, and the cooperation of other people. I will induce others to serve me, because of my willingness to serve others. 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.
I will sign my name to this formula, commit it to memory, and repeat it aloud once a day, with full faith that it will gradually influence my thoughts and actions so that I will become a self-reliant, and successful, person.
Napoleon Hill Sayings and Quotes💰
He has many famous sayings and quotes from his portfolio of best-selling books and interviews. You can see some of his most famous quotes below, starting with his favorite expression of gratitude:
“I ask not for divine providence or more riches, but for wisdom with which to accept or use wisely the riches I received at birth in the form of the power and control to direct my mind to whatever ends I desire.”
“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.”
“What the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”
“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.”
“Set your mind on a definite goal and observe how quickly the world stands aside to let you pass.”
“The more you give, the more comes back to you.”
“The starting point of all achievement is desire. Keep this constantly in mind. Weak desire brings weak results, just as a small fire makes a small amount of heat.”
“Think twice before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another.”
“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.”
“The path of least resistance makes rivers and most men crooked!”
“Our only limitations are those we set up in our own minds.”
Earl Nightingale and Napoleon Hill Books, Videos and Audiobooks 📚
Here are some Napoleon Hill and Earl Nightingale videos of some of their best work, including The Strangest Secret and Change Your Life in 19 Minutes by Earl Nightingale and Think and Grow Rich, The Law of Success,‘Napoleon Hill’s Keys to Success, and Outwitting the Devil by Napoleon Hill.
Videos 1 & 2 – The Strangest Secret by Earl Nightingale
These are audiobooks of Earl Nightingale’s revolutionary book The Strangest Secret. The key points of the book’s teachings are listed below.
“We become what we think about”; your dominant thoughts determine your results in life, success or failure.
1. Success vs failure
- Success is defined as progressively realizing a worthy goal.
- Most people fail not because of lack of ability, but because they drift without purpose and don’t set clear goals.
2. The problem is people don’t think deliberately
- Most people let life happen to them.
- They don’t consciously choose their thoughts or direction.
- This leads to average or poor results.
3. The power of goals
- Having a clear, definite goal is what separates successful people.
- Writing down your goal and focusing on it daily is crucial.
4. Thought leads to action, which leads to results
- The chain works like this:
- Thoughts shape behavior.
- Behavior creates results.
- Results reinforce beliefs.
- So changing your thinking changes your life direction
5. The “30-day test”
- Choose a clear goal.
- Focus on it for 30 days.
- Control negative thinking.
- Act as if success is already happening.
- This builds discipline and direction.
6. Attitude matters (Law of Attraction)
- Positive mental attitude attracts opportunities and solutions.
- Negative thinking leads to fear, inaction, and poor outcomes.
7. You are responsible for your life
- You can’t control everything externally, but you can control your thoughts, reactions, and focus.
- Your life is shaped by what you consistently think about, so by choosing clear goals and controlling your thoughts, you can direct your success.
Videos 3 & 4 – Think And Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
These are audiobooks of Napoleon Hill’s revolutionary book Think and Grow Rich.. The key points of the book’s teachings are listed below.
Thoughts, belief, and persistence create success (especially financial success). Hill argues that wealth and achievement begin in the mind, and that anyone can succeed by applying specific mental and behavioral principles.
The 13 key principles:
- Desire – A strong, definite goal is the starting point of all achievement.
- Faith – Believe you can achieve your goal; belief influences results.
- Autosuggestion – Reprogram your mind through repetition (affirmations, visualization).
- Specialized Knowledge – Success requires focused, practical knowledge; not just general education.
- Imagination – Use creativity to generate ideas and opportunities.
- Organized Planning – Turn ideas into action through clear plans.
- Decision – Successful people decide quickly and stick to their decisions.
- Persistence – Keep going despite setbacks; most people quit too early.
- Mastermind Alliance – Surround yourself with supportive, knowledgeable people.
- The Mystery of Sex Transmutation – Channel creative/sexual energy into productive pursuits.
- The Subconscious Mind – Your subconscious influences behavior; feed it positive input.
- The Brain – Your brain acts as a transmitter/receiver of thoughts and ideas.
- The Sixth Sense – Intuition develops after mastering the other principles.
Key teachings:
- Mindset creates results – Your beliefs shape your actions and outcomes; poverty and wealth both start as inner mental states (linking to the Law of Correspondence in the Hermetic Principles of the Universe; “As within, so without”).
- Clarity of purpose is critical – Most people fail because they lack a clear goal; a definite purpose drives focus and persistence.
- Persistence separates winners from quitters – Temporary defeat is not failure; success often comes just after the point where people give up
- Environment matters – The people you associate with influence your thinking and success (Kevin Trudeau is a big advocator of this).
Famous takeaway formula:
- Decide exactly how much money you want.
- Set a deadline.
- Create a plan.
- Repeat your goal daily with belief.
- Success comes from having a clear goal, believing in it, and persistently acting on it while shaping your mindset and environment to support it.
Videos 5 – Napoleon Hill Laws of Success
In this video, Napoleon Hill shares his 16 laws of success. He says that success is not luck, it follows specific principles that anyone can learn and apply. He presents success as a system of habits, mindset, and behavior, not just desire or talent.
The 16 Laws of Success
- Definiteness of Purpose – Have a clear, specific goal; this is the foundation of all success.
- Mastermind Alliance – Surround yourself with people who support, challenge, and expand your thinking.
- Self-Confidence – Believe in your ability to succeed (again linking to the Law of Correspondence in the Hermetic Principles of the Universe; “As within, so without”).
- Habit of Saving – Discipline with money builds independence and opportunity.
- Initiative & Leadership – Take action and lead rather than wait for direction.
- Imagination – Use creativity to solve problems and generate ideas.
- Enthusiasm – Energy and passion attract people and opportunities.
- Self-Control – Control emotions and impulses to stay focused.
- Doing More Than Paid For – Go beyond expectations, this creates long-term rewards (Dr. Bob Proctor was an advocator of this and referred to it as the Law of Compensation).
- Pleasing Personality – Develop strong interpersonal skills and likability (Kevin Trudeau and others recommend reading How to Win Friends and Influence People).
- Accurate Thinking – Separate facts from opinions and think clearly.
- Concentration – Focus deeply on one thing at a time.
- Cooperation – Work well with others; success is rarely solo.
- Profiting by Failure – Learn from mistakes instead of quitting.
- Tolerance – Stay open-minded and avoid prejudice.
- The Golden Rule – Treat others as you want to be treated.
Key teachings:
- Success is structured – There are repeatable principles behind achievement and anyone can learn them with discipline.
- Character matters as much as skill – Traits like integrity, cooperation, and persistence are essential.
- Environment and people matter – Your success is heavily influenced by who you associate with (again, Kevin Trudeau is a big advocator of this).
- Action and mindset together – Thinking alone isn’t enough, you must act consistently.
Success comes from developing a clear purpose and consistently applying disciplined habits, strong character, and effective cooperation with others.
Video 6 – Napoleon Hill’s Keys to Success: The 17 Principles of Personal Achievement
This is the audiobook of Napoleon Hill’s highly acclaimed book Napoleon Hill’s Keys to Success: The 17 Principles of Personal Achievement. This book shares similar teachings to Hill’s other work, but presents his philosophy in a more structured and practical 17-step framework. The core idea of the book is that success is achieved by consistently applying a set of mental attitudes, habits, and principles.
The 17 Principles
- Definiteness of Purpose – Have a clear, specific goal that guides your actions.
- Mastermind Alliance – Work with others who support and strengthen your thinking (again, Kevin Trudeau is a big advocator of this).
- Applied Faith – Believe in your goal and act with confidence (again linking to the Law of Correspondence in the Hermetic Principles of the Universe; “As within, so without”).
- Going the Extra Mile – Do more than expected, this builds reputation and opportunity (again, Dr. Bob Proctor was an advocator of this and referred to it as the Law of Compensation).
- Pleasing Personality – Develop positive relationships and strong communication skills (again, Kevin Trudeau and others recommend reading How to Win Friends and Influence People).
- Personal Initiative – Take action without waiting for permission.
- Positive Mental Attitude – Maintain optimism and constructive thinking.
- Enthusiasm – Bring energy and passion to what you do.
- Self-Discipline – Control your habits, emotions, and actions.
- Accurate Thinking – Separate facts from opinions and think clearly.
- Controlled Attention – Focus your mind on what matters most.
- Teamwork – Cooperate effectively with others.
- Adversity & Defeat – Learn from failure and use it as a stepping stone.
- Creative Vision – Use imagination to see opportunities and solutions.
- Maintenance of Sound Health – Take care of your physical and mental well-being.
- Budgeting Time & Money – Manage resources wisely.
- Cosmic Habit Force – Your habits ultimately determine your success or failure.
Key teachings:
- Success is habit-based – Repeated actions (habits) shape outcomes more than one-time effort.
- Mindset and action together – Belief alone isn’t enough, you must act consistently.
- Clear goals drive everything – Without direction, effort is wasted.
- Relationships matter – Cooperation and influence are essential to success.
Success comes from setting a clear goal and consistently applying disciplined habits, positive thinking, and effective action over time.
Video 7 – Napoleon Hill’s Outwitting the Devil: The Secrets to Freedom and Success
This audiobook is of another of Napoleon Hill’s highly acclaimed books Outwitting the Devil: The Secrets to Freedom and Success. The book is written as a fictional interview with “the Devil”, which represents negative forces like fear, doubt, and manipulation. The key message is that most people are controlled by fear, habit, and social conditioning, and true success comes from thinking independently and taking control of your mind. The key points of the book’s teachings are listed below.
1. “Drifting” vs non-drifting
Drifters – Lack clear goals, follow the crowd, and are controlled by habits and external influences.
- Non-drifters – Think for themselves, have purpose and direction, and take control of their thoughts and actions.
2. The Devil’s main tool is fear
- Key fears that control people – Fear of poverty, criticism, ill health, loss of love, old age, and death.
- These fears keep people stuck, passive, and dependent.
3. Habit and conditioning control most people
- People are programmed from a young age by education systems, society, and authority figures.
- This conditioning leads to conformity, lack of independent thinking, and “drifting” through life.
4. True success requires independent thinking (this is freedom)
- Questioning accepted beliefs.
- Thinking for yourself.
- Not blindly following the crowd.
5. Definiteness of purpose
- Having a clear goal protects you from drifting.
- It gives direction and control over your mind.
6. Self-discipline and control
- You must control your thoughts, habits, and emotions.
- Otherwise, external forces will control you.
7. Time is your greatest asset
- Drifters waste time.
- Successful people use time intentionally and purposefully.
8. Environment matters
- The people you associate with influence your thinking.
- Negative environments reinforce fear and drifting.
Most people unconsciously drift through life under the influence of fear and conditioning. Success comes from taking control of your mind, thinking independently, and living with clear purpose.
The basis of the Law of Attraction is primarily focusing on getting your vibe/vibration right (as Neville Goddard and Dr. Bob Proctor taught; the Law of Vibration is the primary to manifesting and a Hermetic Principle of the Universe). Then, circumstances and actions to take will appear/become more clear/be attracted to you. In turn, external reality aligns with the internal thoughts and feelings that emit frequencies/vibrations. When people raise their vibration on an individual level, it positively affects everything/everyone around them. When multiple people do, it affects reality as a whole (again, as humans are “godly” creators) and it only takes a few to change the whole (as shared by Gregg Braden, linking to the Hundredth Monkey effect).
You can learn more about Earl Nightingale here and Napoleon Hill here.
