AUTHOR OF “THINK AND GROW RICH” An Official Publication of the NAPOLEON HILL FOUNDATION Napoleon Hill I fear nothing except the earthly “hell” called poverty. I am devoting my life to helping millions of people to conquer this foe. THE MAGIC LADDER TO SUCCESS by Napoleon Hill Author of the “Law of Success” A more extensive work in eight volumes INTERNATIONAL SUCCESS UNIVERSITY International Building WASHINGTON, D.C. TO CLAIM YOUR ADDITIONAL FREE RESOURCES PLEASE VISIT SOUNDWISDOM.COM/NAPHILL © Copyright 2018—The Napoleon Hill Foundation Original Edition Copyright 1930 Napoleon Hill All rights reserved. This book is protected by the copyright laws of the United States of America. This book may not be copied or reprinted for commercial gain or profit. The use of short quotations or occasional page copying for personal or group study is permitted and encouraged. Permission will be granted upon request. For permissions requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below. SOUND WISDOM P.O. Box 310 Shippensburg, PA 17257-0310 For more information on publishing and distribution rights, call 717-530-2122 or info@ soundwisdom.com Quantity Sales. Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the Sales Department at Sound Wisdom. International rights inquiries please contact The Napoleon Hill Foundation at 276-328- 6700 or email [email protected] Reach us on the Internet: www.soundwisdom.com. ISBN HC: 978-1-64095-055-9 ISBN TP: 978-1-64095-068-9 ISBN Ebook: 978-1-64095-056-6 For Worldwide Distribution, Printed in the U.S.A. Publisher’s Notes: Not all references to economy and conditions have been updated from original writing. We think you’ll agree that the messages contained in this book are timeless. While efforts have been made to verify information contained in this publication, nei- ther the author nor the publisher assumes any responsibility for errors, inaccuracies, or omissions. While this publication is chock-full of useful, practical information; it is not intended to be legal or accounting advice. All readers are advised to seek competent lawyers and accountants to follow laws and regulations that may apply to specific situations. The reader of this publication assumes responsibility for the use of the information. The author and publisher assume no responsibility or liability whatsoever on the behalf of the reader of this publication. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 / 21 20 19 18 Jacket design by Eileen Rockwell Interior design by Terry Clifton This book is affectionately dedicated to that great army of unseen students and friends of the author, through- out the world, who have found their places in the world’s work through the Law of Success philosophy which is briefly presented in these pages. The author wishes espe- cially to express here his thanks to those faithful students who offered him encouragement during the years of pov- erty and struggle through which he had to pass while the Law of Success philosophy was in the making. Finally, the author wishes to pay tribute to all who, during his lean years, tried to destroy him with ridicule and to his enemies who resorted to more violent methods, for they armed him with the determination and the persistence to see his labors completed. CONTENTS A reading course based upon the seventeen factors of the Law of Success INTRODUCTION .................................................xi INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT by Napoleon Hill ...................xiii LESSON 1. THE MASTER MIND ................................ 1 The eight basic motivating forces which underlie all human action. The rela- tionship between sexual urge and genius. The value of transmutation of sex energy. The ten major sources of mind stimulation. Power—what it is and how to organize and use it. Cooperation—the psychology of cooperative effort.Henry Ford, Thomas A. Edison, and Harvey Firestone—how they acquired power through the Master Mind principle. The big six—how they made the Master Mind principle yield them more than $25,000,000 a year. How to stimulate the imaginative faculty. Telepathy—how thought vibra- tions pass from one mind to another, through the agency of the ether. How salesmen and public speakers may “tune in” on the thoughts their audi- ences. Vibration—described by Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the long distance telephone. Air and ether—how they carry vibrations. How and why ideas flash into the mind. Andrew Carnegie responsible for organization of Law of Success. Elbert H. Gary approves the Law of Success One million dollars earned by students of Law of Success. Spiritualism—what it is and how it works. Why some people antagonize others at sight, without knowing it. Why Henry Ford is the most pow- erful man living. What we have learned from “Nature’s Bible.” Chemistry of the mind— how it will make or destroy you. What is meant by the Psychological moment in salesmanship. The mind becomes devitalized—how to “recharge” it. The value and meaning of harmony in all cooperative efforts. Of what does Henry Ford’s assets consist? The answer. Education—what it is and what it is not! the secret of all financial success, as gathered from the study of 100 successful men and 20,000 failures, The relationship between vibration (or energy) and matter. LESSON 2. A DEFINITE CHIEF AIM ............................ 67 This lesson teaches how to accumulate power through singleness of purpose. LESSON 3. SELF-CONFIDENCE. 73 This lesson describes the six basic fears and explains how they may be eliminated. LESSON 4. THE HABIT OF SAVING ............................. 79 How to save money. How the “habit” of saving develops power and character. LESSON 5. INITIATIVE AND LEADERSHIP .....................83 Instructions on attaining leadership in any calling. LESSON 6. IMAGINATION .......................................89 What it is and how to use it in the creation of new plans and ideas that can be converted into money. LESSON 7. ENTHUSIASM ....................................... 97 How to stimulate it at will. What part it plays in accumulation of power. LESSON 8. SELF-CONTROL ....................................101 The “balance wheel” for Enthusiasm. Tells how to control and direct all the emotions. LESSON 9. THE HABIT OF DOING MORE THAN PAID FOR .....105 This lesson shows how to attract favorable attention, and how to market personal services to best advantage. LESSON 10. A PLEASING PERSONALITY ....................... 109 The thirteen major factors which are the basis of all personality. LESSON 11. ACCURATE THINKING ............................117 How to reach decisions. How to get the facts, and how to use facts in the building of plans that cannot be defeated. LESSON 12. CONCENTRATION .................................121 How to “step up” the mind through singleness of purpose and organiza- tion of effort. LESSON 13. COOPERATION ................................... 127 How to accumulate power through coordination of effort. The meaning of “mergers,” alliances, consolidations, interlocking directorates, etc. LESSON 14. PROFITING BY FAILURE ...........................135 How to turn all past failures and mistakes into capital. LESSON 15. TOLERANCE. 143 The part it plays in accurate thinking. How it determines whether power is constructive or destructive. How lack of it destroys opportunity. LESSON 16. PRACTICING THE GOLDEN RULE .................145 The scientific law on which it is based. How it may be used to gain har- monious cooperation from others. LESSON 17. THE HABIT OF HEALTH ...........................149 Describing the four simple fundamentals on which health is based. THE THIRTY MOST COMMON CAUSES OF FAILURE ............153 What the analysis of 20,000 “failures” disclosed about the causes of failure. FORTY UNIQUE IDEAS FOR MAKING MONEY ..................161 How the Master Mind principle may be applied. A MESSAGE TO THOSE WHO HAVE TRIED AND FAILED!. ......171 Describing how Lester Park, moving picture producer, made the Law of Success philosophy convert “failure” into “success,” and why he values the service rendered him by the philosophy at $1,000,000. xi INTRODUCTION The Magic Ladder to Success was first released in 1930. However, during this period in American History, also known as the Great Depression, people were more concerned about surviving then spending money on luxury items, such as books. As a result, The Magic Ladder to Success did not reach the masses with the same level of success as other Napoleon Hill titles. During my career as Executive Director of the Napoleon Hill Foundation, I have tried to build a collection of first-edition Napoleon Hill books. It is relatively easy to find copies of Think and Grow Rich, the book that Hill is most famous for. Yet, it wasn’t easy to find copies of the Magic Ladder to Success simply because there were not that many original copies printed. In spite of this, I have been able to come across three original copies, which are being reproduced by Sound Wisdom for this production. Now, you can also own a copy of this excellent book, and I think you will truly enjoy reading it. Don Green Executive Director of the Napoleon Hill Foundation xiii INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT By The Author For almost a quarter of a century I have been engaged in writing this book. The task could not have been completed in less time for several reasons, not the least important of which is the fact that I had to inform myself, through years of research, as to what other men had discovered in connection with the causes of failure and success. Another important reason why my labors have covered nearly a quarter of a century is the fact that I felt it necessary to prove that I could make the Law of Success philosophy work for myself before offering it to others. I was born in the mountains of the South, in the midst of poverty and illiteracy. For three generations preceding me, my ancestors, on both sides of the house, were contented to live in poverty and igno- rance, and I would have followed in their footsteps had not my stepmother planted in my mind the seed of desire to whip poverty and illiteracy.