The Thirteen Principles of Success
A complete system of thirteen interdependent principles distilled from the study of over 500 of America's wealthiest people across 20 years.
Hill's complete philosophy consists of thirteen interdependent principles gathered from the life experiences of more than 500 men who accumulated riches in huge amounts. The principles are: Desire (the starting point of all achievement), Faith (visualization of and belief in attainment), Autosuggestion (the medium for influencing the subconscious), Specialized Knowledge (personal experiences and observations organized for use), Imagination (the workshop of the mind), Organized Planning (crystallization of desire into action), Decision (the mastery of procrastination), Persistence (the sustained effort necessary to induce faith), Power of the Master Mind (the driving force through cooperative alliance), The Mystery of Sex Transmutation (redirecting creative energy), The Subconscious Mind (the connecting link between finite mind and Infinite Intelligence), The Brain (a broadcasting and receiving station for thought), and The Sixth Sense (the door to the temple of wisdom). These principles work as an integrated system — applying some while neglecting others produces failure. The entire purpose of the thirteen principles is to enable one to take the four steps of persistence as a matter of habit.
- All achievement and all earned riches have their beginning in an idea
- The principles were gathered from over 500 people who began in poverty with little education and no influence
- You must apply all of the rules until their application becomes a fixed habit — partial application produces partial results
- Success comes to those who become success conscious; failure comes to those who become failure conscious
- When riches begin to come they come so quickly and in such great abundance that one wonders where they have been hiding
- Desire — The Starting Point of All AchievementFix a definite, burning desire for a specific goal. Not a hope or a wish, but a keen pulsating desire that transcends everything else. Apply the six steps for transmuting desire into its monetary equivalent.Pro tipDesire must be so intense that you are willing to stake your entire future on a single turn of the wheel to get it. Anything less is a wish.
- Faith — Visualization and Belief in AttainmentDevelop the state of mind called faith by repeated instruction to the subconscious mind through autosuggestion. Faith is a state of mind which may be induced through affirmation and repeated instruction. It is the element that transforms ordinary thought vibration into its spiritual equivalent.Pro tipFaith is not hoping something will happen. It is knowing it will happen because you have programmed your subconscious to accept it as reality.
- Autosuggestion — Influencing the SubconsciousUse the medium of autosuggestion to feed your subconscious mind with clear, emotionally charged instructions about your definite purpose. This is the bridge between conscious thought and subconscious action.
- Specialized Knowledge — Organized for UseAcquire specialized knowledge relevant to your definite purpose. General knowledge is of little use in accumulation of money. Knowledge is only potential power — it becomes power only when organized into definite plans of action.Pro tipYou do not need to possess all knowledge personally. Organize a Master Mind group to cover knowledge gaps. The person who knows where to get knowledge is as educated as the person who has it.
- Imagination — The Workshop of the MindUse both synthetic imagination (arranging old concepts into new combinations) and creative imagination (receiving new ideas through flashes of inspiration). All fortunes begin with an idea, and ideas are products of imagination.
- Organized Planning — Crystallizing Desire into ActionCreate definite, practical plans for carrying out your desire. Ally yourself with a Master Mind group. If your plan fails, replace it immediately. Temporary defeat is not permanent failure.WarningNo one is ever defeated until defeat has been accepted as a reality. The most intelligent person cannot succeed without practical, workable plans.
- Decision — Mastery of ProcrastinationReach decisions promptly and change them slowly, if at all. Procrastination is the opposite of decision. Analysis of over 25,000 people who experienced failure revealed that lack of decision was near the head of the list of causes.Pro tipLeaders in every walk of life decide quickly and firmly. The world makes room for the person whose words and actions show they know where they are going.
- Persistence — Sustained Effort Necessary to Induce FaithApply the four steps of persistence: definite purpose backed by burning desire, definite plans in continuous action, a mind closed against negativity, and a friendly alliance for encouragement.
- Power of the Master Mind — The Driving ForceCoordinate knowledge and effort with others in a spirit of harmony. No individual may have great power alone. The Master Mind creates both economic advantages and a psychic amplification of mental energy.
- Sex Transmutation — Redirecting Creative EnergyRedirect the powerful emotion of sexual energy into creative channels. This energy, when harnessed and redirected, becomes the driving force behind genius and achievement.
- The Subconscious Mind — The Connecting LinkUnderstand that the subconscious acts first on dominating desires mixed with emotional feeling such as faith. It works continuously, day and night, on whatever thoughts you allow to dominate.
- The Brain — Broadcasting and Receiving StationRecognize that the brain is capable of picking up thought vibrations from other brains. Through the Master Mind principle and the subconscious mind, you can tap into Infinite Intelligence.
- The Sixth Sense — The Door to the Temple of WisdomDevelop the sixth sense through meditation and inner development. It is the portion of the subconscious mind referred to as creative imagination, through which ideas, plans, and thoughts flash into the mind.Pro tipThis principle is best understood and applied only after mastering the other twelve. It develops naturally as the other principles are practiced.
Andrew Carnegie challenged Hill to spend twenty years organizing a philosophy of individual achievement by studying the most successful people in America. Hill accepted the challenge and analyzed over 500 wealthy individuals including Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, John D. Rockefeller, Theodore Roosevelt, and Alexander Graham Bell. The thirteen principles emerged from this research as the common factors underlying their success. Hill tested the principles with over 100,000 people before publishing Think and Grow Rich in 1937.