Outwitting the Devil

(Two selves within every person: fear and faith)

“Most real failures are due to limitations which men set up in their own minds.” A negative mind-set and self-doubt can be the primary obstacle to success.

By working through the low points in your life and persevering, you can gain the insight needed to succeed.

that the discovery usually came as the result of an emergency, when men are forced to change their habits and to think their way out of difficulty.

The instructions were given through the medium of thoughts which presented themselves in my mind with such force that they were readily distinguishable from my ordinary self-created thoughts.

I Receive Strange “Orders” from a Strange Source My instructions began in this fashion: “You are now completely in charge of your ‘other self.’ You are entitled to know that two entities occupy your body, as in fact two similar entities occupy the body of each living person on earth. “One of these entities is motivated by and responds to the impulse of fear. The other is motivated by and responds to the impulse of faith. For more than a year you have been driven, like a slave, by the fear entity. “Night before last the faith entity gained control over your physical body, and you are now motivated by that entity. For the sake of convenience you may call this faith entity your ‘other self.’ It knows no limitations, has no fears, and recognizes no such word as ‘impossible.’

That fear-motivated ‘old self’ is not dead; it has merely been dethroned. And it will follow you around wherever you go, awaiting a favorable opportunity to step in and take charge of you again. It can gain control of you only through your thoughts. Remember this, and keep the doors to your mind tightly closed against all thoughts which seek to limit you in any manner whatsoever, and you will be safe.

“This ‘other self’ will aid you in translating your plans into reality. Moreover, you should know that it begins, always, with your major, or most pronounced desire.

Keep doubt and fear and worry, and all thoughts of limitation, entirely out of your mind.

Despite the fact that I had not as yet been shown how, or from what source, I would be able to secure the necessary funds which I was seeking, I had such absolute faith that the money would be forthcoming that I could see it already in my possession.

The “other self” follows no precedents, recognizes no limitations, and always finds a way to accomplish desired ends! It may meet with temporary defeat, but not with permanent failure.

I have also discovered that there comes with every experience of temporary defeat, and every failure and every form of adversity, the seed of an equivalent benefit.

My “other self” has taught me to concentrate upon my purpose and to forget about the plan by which it is to be attained when I go to prayer. I am not suggesting that material objects may be acquired without plans. What I am saying is that the power which translates one’s thoughts or desires into realities has its source in an Infinite Intelligence which knows more about plans than the one doing the praying.

“Those who do little or no thinking for themselves are drifters. A drifter is one who permits himself to be influenced and controlled by circumstances outside of his own mind.”

(The Devil’s method: drifting, fear, and negative thought as control)

Dominating Thoughts: I cause people to drift into the habit of thinking negative thoughts. This leads to negative acts and involves people in controversies and fills their minds with fears, thus paving the way for me to enter and control their minds. When I move in, I do so by appealing to people through negative thoughts which they believe to be their own.

The actual verse of the Bible talks about the “love of money,” not money itself: “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.” 1 Timothy 6:10

A This is a devilish trick to play on women, but since you demand the information I am helpless to withhold it. Women influence men through a technique consisting, first, of ability to inject soft, cooing baby tones into their voices, and, second, by closing their eyes into a half-closed position which registers hypnotism in connection with the flattery of men.

The type of woman you perhaps have in mind never sells a man herself or anything she can give him. Instead she sells him his own egotism!

A I use many things, all of them pleasant things the individual covets. I use the same sort of bribes that individuals use when they bribe one another. That is, I use for bribes the things people most want. My best bribes are these: • Love • The thirst for sex expression • Covetousness for money • The obsessive desire to gain something for nothing—gambling • Vanity in women, egotism in men

• Desire to be the master of others • Desire for intoxicants and narcotics • Desire for self-expression through words and deeds • Desire to imitate others • Desire for perpetuation of life after death • Desire to be a hero or heroine • Desire for physical food

Q So food and sex are two of your sure-fire baits! Is that correct? A Yes. With these two lures I can take over a majority of my victims, and then there is the desire for money.

Q Now I am beginning to better understand your technique. You bribe your victims through their natural desires and lead them astray while you induce them to become drifters if they respond to your lure. If they refuse to respond, you plant the seed of fear in their minds or trap them through some form of misfortune, and hog-tie them while they are down. Is that your method?

(Ten rules to reclaim the mind from drift and fear)

1. Do your own thinking on all occasions. The fact that human beings are given complete control over nothing save the power to think their own thoughts is laden with significance. 2. Decide definitely what you want from life; then create a plan for attaining it and be willing to sacrifice everything else, if necessary, rather than accept permanent defeat. 3. Analyze temporary defeat, no matter of what nature or cause, and extract from it the seed of an equivalent advantage. 4. Be willing to render useful service equivalent to the value of all material things you demand of life, and render the service first. 5. Recognize that your brain is a receiving set that can be attuned to receive communications from the universal storehouse of Infinite Intelligence, to help you transmute your desires into their physical equivalent. 6. Recognize that your greatest asset is time, the only thing except the power of thought which you own outright, and the one thing which can be shaped into whatever material things you want. Budget your time so none of it is wasted. 7. Recognize the truth that fear generally is a filler with which the Devil occupies the unused portion of your mind. It is only a state of mind which you can control by filling the space it occupies with faith in your ability to make life provide you with whatever you demand of it. 8. When you pray, do not beg! Demand what you want and insist upon getting exactly that, with no substitutes. 9. Recognize that life is a cruel taskmaster and that either you master it or it masters you. There is no half-way or compromising point. Never accept from life anything you do not want. If that which you do not want is temporarily forced upon you, you can refuse, in your own mind, to accept it and it will make way for the thing you do want.

2. Lastly, 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.

Q That list looks imposing. Give me a simple formula, combining all the ten points. If you had to combine all ten in one, what would it be? A Be definite in everything you do and never leave unfinished thoughts in the mind. Form the habit of reaching definite decisions on all subjects.

Be definite in everything you do and never leave unfinished thoughts in the mind. Form the habit of reaching definite decisions on all subjects.

By repetition the melody and rhythm become fixed in the mind. Observe how relentlessly the musician must repeat a tune before he masters it. Through repetition the musical notes blend and then you have music. Any impulse of thought that the mind repeats over and over through habit forms an organized rhythm. Undesirable habits can be broken. They must be broken before they assume the proportions of rhythm. Are you following me?

(Hypnotic rhythm, the fear of death, and how habit becomes destiny)

Oh, that is easy! The thing I like best is to fill the minds of people with fear. Once I fill one’s mind with fear I have little trouble causing him to drift until I have entangled him in the web of hypnotic rhythm. Q What human fear best serves your purpose? A The fear of death. Q Why is the fear of death your favorite weapon? A Because no one knows, and by the very nature of the laws of the universe, no one can prove definitely what happens after death. This uncertainty frightens people out of their wits.

am beginning to understand what was meant by the writer of that passage in the Bible which says substantially, “When two or more meet together and ask for anything in My name, it shall be granted.” It is true, then, that two minds are better than one.

Hill speaks of the great opportunities that arose during the Great Depression and the fortunes that were made by those who seized those opportunities. I believe that Hill would say the same thing in our own day… many opportunities exist today because of the economic turmoil. Will you seize one and create your own opportunity to fit your desires and demands of life?

Q In other words, you control people by making negative thinking and destructive deeds pleasing to them. Is that correct? A That

Q I HAVE OFTEN WONDERED WHY your opposition—what we earthbound call God—does not annihilate you? Can you tell me why? A Because the power is as much mine as his. It is as available to me as to him. That is what I have been trying to get over to you. The highest power in the universe can be used for constructive purposes, through what you call God, or it can be used for negative purposes, through what you call the Devil. And something more important still, it can be used by any human being just as effectively as by God or the Devil.

A Yes, but it would be better if you proved it for yourself. The Devil’s word is not worth much among you earthbound sinners. Neither is God’s word. You fear the Devil and refuse to trust your God; therefore you have but one source available through which you may appropriate the benefit of universal power, and that is by trusting and using your own power of thought. This is the direct road to the universal storehouse of Infinite Intelligence. There is no other road available to any human being.

A Because I have intercepted you and led you off the path by planting in your minds thoughts which destroy your power to use your minds constructively. I have made it attractive to you to use the Power of Infinite Intelligence to attain negative ends, through greed, avarice, lust, envy, and hatred. Remember, your mind attracts that which your mind dwells upon. To divert you away from my opposition, I had only to feed you on thoughts helpful to my cause.

The person who thinks in terms of power, success, opulence, sets up a rhythm which attracts these desirable possessions. The person who thinks in terms of misery, failure, defeat, discouragement, and poverty attracts these undesirable influences. This explains why both success and failure are the result of habit. Habit establishes one’s rhythm of thought, and that rhythm attracts the object of one’s dominating thoughts.

These two facts have been so well established there is no room for any intelligent person to question them. How can hypnotic rhythm change the nature of a physical body which is a combination of thousands of ancestors who have lived and died before one is born? How can hypnotic rhythm change the influence of one’s environment? People who are born in poverty and ignorance have a strong tendency to remain poverty-stricken and ignorant all through life. What, if anything, can hypnotic rhythm do about this? A Hypnotic rhythm cannot change the nature of the physical body one inherits at birth, but it can and it does modify, change, control, and make permanent one’s environmental influences.

(The seven principles of freedom: definiteness as the master key)

Q YOUR MAJESTY WILL NOW PROCEED to unfold the secrets of the seven principles through which human beings may force life to provide them with spiritual, mental, and physical freedom.

the rest of the book, Hill discusses these seven principles to attain spiritual, mental, and physical freedom: 1. Definiteness of purpose 2. Mastery over self 3. Learning from adversity 4. Controlling environmental influence (associations) 5. Time (giving permanency to positive, rather than negative thought-habits and developing wisdom) 6. Harmony (acting with definiteness of purpose to become the dominating influence in your own mental, spiritual, and physical environment) 7. Caution (thinking through your plan before you act)

The interrogator gains some momentum here and goes for the jugular. Do we have the courage, at moments of opportunity, to act as aggressively and with definiteness of purpose?

may as well tell you that any human being who can be definite in his aims and plans can make life hand over whatever is wanted.

When you hear what I now have to say, you will understand why the principle of definiteness is so important. My opposition uses a clever little trick to cheat me of my control over people. The opposition knows that definiteness of purpose closes the door of one’s mind so tightly against me that I cannot break through unless I can induce one to form the habit of drifting.

Q Oh, I see! One takes advantage of the principle of definiteness just as one may build a strong physical body—through constant, systematic use. Is that it? A You have stated the truth clearly and accurately.

Once any person hesitates, procrastinates, or becomes indefinite about anything, he is just one step removed from my control.

The metaphysical and spiritual aspects of the author’s philosophy are on display in these responses by the Devil. What he calls “definiteness” is today often called “intention” or being “goal-driven” or “purpose-driven.”

purpose. The reclamation is made by filling the mind with greed for power and the love of egotistical expression, until the individual falls into the habit of violating the rights of others. Then I step in with the law of compensation and reclaim my victim.

Q So I see from your admission that definiteness of purpose may be dangerous in proportion to its possibility as a power. Is that true? A Yes, and what is more important, every principle of good carries with it the seed of an equivalent danger.

Q Is love for one’s relatives also dangerous? A The love for anything or anyone, save only the love of definiteness of purpose, may become dangerous. Love is a state of mind which beclouds reason, saps will power, and blinds one to facts and truth.

to neglect to develop definiteness in the use of their own minds. Give me control over a person’s fears and tell me what he loves most and you may as well mark that person down as my slave. Both

Q But, Your Majesty, life would not be worth living if people never felt the emotion of love. A Ah! You are right as far as your reasoning goes, but you neglected to add that love should be under one’s definite control at all times. Of course, love

also is a palliative which may be used to limit or destroy reason and will power, both of which rate above love in importance to human beings who want freedom and self-determination.

people who gain power must harden their emotions, master fear, and subdue love. Is that correct? A People who gain and maintain power must become definite in all their thoughts and all their deeds. If that is what you call hard, then they must become hard.

Q You mean that any plan definitely put into continuous action in pursuit of a definite purpose may be successful even if it is not the best plan? A Yes, I mean just that. Definiteness of purpose plus definiteness of plan by which the purpose is to be achieved generally succeeds, no matter how weak the plan may be. The major difference between a sound and an unsound plan is that the sound plan, if definitely applied, may be carried out more quickly than an unsound plan.

That is the idea. People who are definite in both their plans and their purposes never accept temporary defeat as being more than an urge to greater effort. You can see for yourself that this sort of policy is bound to win if it is followed with definiteness.

Q Can a person who moves with definiteness of both plan and purpose be always sure of success? A No. The best of plans sometimes misfire, but the person who moves with definiteness recognizes the difference between temporary defeat and failure. When plans fail he substitutes others but he does not change his purpose. He perseveres. Eventually he finds a plan that succeeds.

“The person who moves with definiteness recognizes the difference between temporary defeat and failure. When plans fail he substitutes others but he does not change his purpose. He perseveres.”

Through the operation of the law of compensation, everyone reaps that which he sows. Plans based on unjust or immoral motives may bring temporary success, but enduring success must take into consideration the fourth dimension, time. Time is the enemy of immorality and injustice. It is the friend of justice and morality. Failure to recognize this fact has been responsible for the crime wave among the youths of the world.

I observe that sometimes people with definiteness of plan and purpose get what they ask from life only to find after they get it that they do not want it. What then? A Generally one can get rid of whatever is not wanted by application of the same principle of definiteness with which the thing was acquired. A life that is lived with fullness of peace of mind, contentment, and happiness always divests itself of everything it does not want. Anyone who submits to annoyance by things he does not want is not definite. He is a drifter.

“A life that is lived with fullness of peace of mind, contentment, and happiness always divests itself of everything it does not want.” How many of us are truly content? In a world where so many people are trying to “keep up with the Joneses,” could we not all learn something here? Is there something in your life that you need to divest yourself of? Make a commitment to catch yourself when you are feeling annoyed… and remember the Devil’s words, “Anyone who submits to annoyance by things he does not want is not definite. He is a drifter.”

A “Duty” is one of the most abused and misunderstood words in existence. The first duty of every human being is to himself. Every person owes himself the duty of finding how to live a full and happy life. Beyond this, if one has time and energy not needed in the fulfillment of his own desires, one may assume responsibility for helping others.

A There is nothing inconsistent about it. The majority of people who pray go to prayer only after everything else fails them. Naturally they go with their minds filled with fear that the prayers will not be answered. Well, their fears are realized. The person who goes to prayer with definiteness of purpose and faith in the attainment of that purpose puts into motion the laws of nature which transmute one’s dominating desires into their physical equivalent. That is all there is to prayer.

Nature’s law is, “Know what you want, adapt yourself to my laws, and you shall have it.”

A Exactly! Anything which teaches people to examine facts and coordinate them into definite plans through accurate thinking is hard on my profession. If this thirst for definite knowledge now spreading over the world keeps up, my business will be shot to pieces within the next few centuries. I thrive on ignorance, superstition, intolerance, and fear, but I cannot stand up under definite knowledge properly organized into definite plans in the minds of people who think for themselves.

Says the Devil: “Children are sent to school to make credits and to learn how to memorize, not to learn what they want of life.”

Teach children there is no problem which does not have an appropriate solution and that the solution often may be found in the circumstance creating the problem.

Teach children that their only real limitations are those which they set up or permit others to establish in their own minds.

Teach children to be true to themselves at all times and, since they cannot please everybody, therefore to do a good job of pleasing themselves.

Q In other words, faith is the absence of all forms of negative thought. Is that the idea? A Yes, that is another way of describing it.

(Mastery over self: food, sex, and the habit of loose opinions)

Q WHAT PREPARATION MUST ONE UNDERGO before being able to move with definiteness of purpose at all times? A One must gain mastery over self. This is the second of the seven principles. The person who is not master of himself can never be master of others. Lack of self-mastery is, of itself, the most destructive form of indefiniteness.

Q Where should one begin when making a start at control over self? A By mastering the three appetites responsible for most of one’s lack of self-discipline. The three appetites are (1) the desire for food, (2) the desire for expression of sex, (3) the desire to express loosely organized opinions.

Q Does man have other appetites which need control? A Yes, many of them, but these three are the ones which should be conquered first. When a man becomes master of these three appetites, he has developed enough self-discipline to conquer easily those of lesser importance.

Q But these are natural appetites. They must be indulged if one is to be healthy and happy. A To be sure they are natural appetites, but they are also dangerous because people who have not mastered themselves overfeed the appetites. Self-mastery contemplates sufficient control over the appetites to enable one to feed them what they need and withhold food not needed.

People who eat wisely and keep their body sewers clean handicap me because a clean body sewer generally means a sound body and a brain that functions properly.

Here again, Napoleon Hill is far ahead of his time. Science eventually caught up with Hill—and even surpassed his intuition about physical processes and how they link to mental and emotional health.

If you want proof of this, select 100 people suffering with headaches and give each of them a thorough washing out of their body sewer systems with a high enema, and observe that no fewer than ninety-five of the headaches will disappear within a few minutes after their sewers have been cleaned.

Q How can one master the emotion of sex? A By the simple process of transmuting that emotion into some form of activity other than copulation. Sex is one of the greatest of all forces which motivate human beings. Because of this fact it is also one of the most dangerous forces. If humans would control their sex desires and transmute them into a driving force with which to carry on their occupation—that is, if they spent on their work one half the time they dissipate in pursuit of sex, they would never know poverty.

The person who has self-discipline understands the emotion of sex, respects it, and learns to control and transmute it into constructive activities.

It is a great antidote for all fear. It gives one immunity against discouragement. It helps to master laziness and procrastination. It gives one physical and mental endurance while undergoing any form of opposition or defeat. It gives one the fighting qualities necessary under all circumstances for self-defense. In brief, it makes winners and not quitters!

Q I gather, from what you say, that the emotion of sex is a virtue, not a fault. A It is a virtue when controlled and directed to the attainment of desirable ends. It is a fault when neglected and permitted to lead to acts of lust.

“The habit of expressing loosely organized opinions is one of the most destructive of habits.”

Q What other disadvantages are there in free expression of opinions? A The person who talks too much informs the world of his aims and plans and gives to others the opportunity to profit by his ideas. Wise men keep their plans to themselves and refrain from expressing uninvited opinions. This prevents others from appropriating their ideas and makes it difficult for others to interfere with their plans.

A The habit is one way of expressing egotism and vanity. The desire for self-expression is inborn in people. The motive behind the habit is to attract the attention of others and to impress them favorably. Actually it has just the opposite effect. When the self-invited speaker attracts attention, it usually is unfavorable.

A The person who insists on talking seldom has an opportunity to learn by listening to others.

No single quality adds more to one’s personality than the ability to speak with emotional feeling, force, and conviction, but the speaker must not impose his speech upon others without being invited to do so. There is an old saying that nothing is worth more than its actual cost.

Q But the writing of uninvited letters is a harmless way of finding pleasure through self-expression, is it not? What damage does one do by the habit? Take a moment to remember that letter-writing was about the only way to communicate in the written form when Napoleon Hill wrote this manuscript. As you read, think about how his thoughts would apply to today’s world of blogging and social networking.

A Habits are contagious. Every habit attracts a flock of its relatives. The habit of doing anything that is useless leads to the formation of other habits that are useless, especially the habit of drifting.

But that is not all the dangers associated with the habit of indulging in uninvited expression of opinions. The habit creates enemies and places in their hands dangerous weapons by which they may do great injury to the one who indulges in it.

Hill distinguishes our right to have independent thoughts from our uninvited expression of those thoughts. How would you apply this principle in today’s world of blogging and social media?

“The only dependable power available to any human being… The power of their own thoughts. The only power they can control and may rely upon.” You may not be able to control other people… but you can control how you react to them and their actions. This is an easy thing to say but much more difficult to do. We tend to want to change other people when we can truly only change ourselves and how we react to others.

(Failure as seed, adversity as forced renewal)

Q IS FAILURE EVER A BENEFIT TO MAN? A Yes. Indeed, learning from adversity is the third of the seven principles. But few people know that every adversity brings with it the seed of an equivalent advantage.

A That is just the point. I take them over after they quit trying. If they knew the difference between temporary defeat and failure, they would not quit when they meet with opposition from life. If they knew that every form of defeat, and all failures, bring with them the seed of unborn opportunity, they would keep on fighting and win. Success usually is but one short step beyond the point where one quits fighting.

Q Is that all one might learn from adversity, defeat, and failure? A No, that is the least of what one might learn. I hate to tell you this, but failure often serves as a blessing in disguise because it breaks the grip of hypnotic rhythm and frees the mind for a fresh start.

A Failure is a man-made circumstance. It is never real until it has been accepted by man as permanent. Stating it another way, failure is a state of mind; therefore, it is something an individual can control until he neglects to exercise this privilege.

A Failure brings a climax in which one has the privilege of clearing his mind of fear and making a new start in another direction. Failure proves conclusively that something is wrong with one’s aims or the plans by which the object of these aims is sought. Failure is the dead end of the habit-path one has been following, and when it is reached it forces one to leave that path and take up another, thereby creating a new rhythm.

Failure also forces people to learn many truths they would never discover without it. Failure often leads an individual to an understanding of the power of self-discipline without which no one could turn back after having once been the victim of hypnotic rhythm.

And she uses failure to break the rhythm of negative thought when an individual becomes improperly related to himself in his own mind.

One is bound by poverty or blessed with abundance because his aims, plans, and desires, or lack of them, have been made permanent and real by hypnotic rhythm.

Men who succeed in business do so entirely because of the way they relate themselves to their associates and to others outside of the business.

Every newly made acquaintanceship between people ripens into friendship and then into spiritual harmony (sometimes called love) or plants a germ of suspicion and doubt which evolves and grows into open rebellion, according to the way in which the participants in the acquaintanceship relate themselves to one another.

“No one can change the law of hypnotic rhythm any more than one can change the law of gravity, but everyone can change himself.” Have you ever tried to change someone else and only been frustrated when you realized you were not in control and therefore not succeeding?

unto himself, that completeness of mind can be attained only by harmony of purpose and deed between two or more minds.

Q How can improper relationships be corrected? A By change of mind of the person causing the improper relationship, or by changing the persons to the relationship. Some minds harmonize naturally while others just as naturally clash. Successful human relationships, to endure as such, must be formed of minds that naturally harmonize, quite aside from the question of having common interests as a means of bringing them into harmony.

When you speak of business leaders who succeed because “they know how to pick men,” you might more correctly say they succeed because they know how to associate minds which harmonize naturally.

Adversity relieves people of vanity and egotism. It discourages selfishness by proving that no one can succeed without the cooperation of others. Adversity forces an individual to test his mental, physical, and spiritual strength; it thus brings him face to face with his weaknesses and gives him the opportunity to bridge them.

A Yes, and something more! Failure is a blessing when it forces one to depend less upon material forces and more upon spiritual forces. Many human beings discover their “other selves,” the forces which operate through the power of thought, only after some catastrophe deprives them of the full and free use of their physical bodies.

A The loss of material things may teach many needed lessons, none greater, however, than the truth that man has control over nothing and has no assurance of the permanent use of anything except his own power of thought.

Life gives no one immunity against adversity, but life gives to everyone the power of positive thought, which is sufficient to master all circumstances of adversity and convert them into benefits.

No, I did not say that. I said there is the seed of an equivalent advantage in every adversity. I did not say there was the full-blown flower of advantage, just the seed. Usually the seed consists of some form of knowledge, some idea or plan, or some opportunity which would not have been available except through the change of thought-habits forced by the adversity.

(Environment, associations, and the Master Mind as chosen influences)

Go ahead and describe the working principle of environmental influences as a determining factor in human destinies. A Environment consists of all the mental, spiritual, and physical forces which affect and influence human beings.

Have you ever felt your attitude or mood become negative just by being in the presence of someone negative? Was it your spouse, child, or business partner? Hill suggests that you need to interject thoughts that are positive, friendly, and harmonious not only to counteract those negative thoughts but also to influence that person into a more positive space. If it is your business partner, evaluate if the relationship is one you want to save… or make the decision to move away from the partner’s negativity.

Q Why does one’s partner in marriage have so great an influence upon one’s mind? A Because the relationship of marriage brings people under the influence of spiritual forces of such weight that they become dominating forces of the mind.

A That is correct. Be careful of all forces which inspire thought; those are the forces which constitute environment and determine the nature of one’s earthly destiny. Q What class of people controls their environmental influences? A The non-drifters. All who are victims of the habit of drifting forfeit their power to choose their own environment. They become the victims of every negative influence of their environment.

A Yes, there is a way out for drifters. They can stop drifting, take possession of their own minds, and choose an environment which inspires positive thought. This they may accomplish through definiteness of purpose.

A The most effective of all environments is that which may be created by a friendly alliance of a group of people who will obligate themselves to assist one another in achieving the object of some definite purpose. This sort of an alliance is known as a Master Mind. Through its operation one may associate himself with carefully chosen individuals each of whom brings to the alliance some knowledge, experience, education, plan, or idea suited to his needs in carrying out the object of his definite purpose.

Outstanding achievement is impossible without the friendly cooperation of others. Stating the truth in another way, successful people must control their environment, thereby insuring themselves against the influence of a negative environment.

Q I deduce from all you have said that those who control the environmental influences out of which their thought habits are built are masters of their earthly destinies and that all others are mastered by earthly destinies. Is that stating the matter correctly? A Perfectly stated.

A All habits are established because of inherent or acquired desires, or motives. That is, habits are begun as the result of some form of definite desire.

A The ten most common motives, those which inspire most of one’s thought-action, are these: • The desire for sex expression and love • The desire for physical food • The desire for spiritual, mental, and physical self-expression • The desire for perpetuation of life after death • The desire for power over others • The desire for material wealth • The desire for knowledge • The desire to imitate others • The desire to excel others • The seven basic fears These are the dominating motives which inspire the majority of all human endeavors.

Q What about the negative desires such as greed, envy, avarice, jealousy, anger? Are these not expressed more often than any of the positive desires? A All negative desires are nothing but frustrations of positive desires. They are inspired by some form of defeat, failure, or neglect by human beings to adapt themselves to nature’s laws in a positive way.

When the individual does not use the brain for the expression of positive, creative thoughts, nature fills the vacuum by forcing the brain to act upon negative thoughts. There can be no idleness in the brain. Understand this principle and you will come into a new and important understanding of the part environmental influences take in the lives of human beings.

Through the law of evolution the human brain is being perfected to communicate at will with Infinite Intelligence. The perfection will come through organized development of the brain, through its adaptation to nature’s laws. Time is the factor which will bring perfection.

“People are not born with wisdom, but they are born with the capacity to think, and they may, through the lapse of time, think their way into wisdom.” I find this one of the most profound statements in this entire book. By using our ability to think and analyzing our experiences in life, whether successes or failures, we can gain wisdom. Can it actually be that simple?

Q If nature forces human beings to take on the nature of the environment in which they live, what means of escape are available to people who find themselves in an environment of poverty and failure but desire to escape? A They must change their environment or remain poverty-stricken. Nature permits no one to escape the influences of his environment.

Q I am beginning to see why successful business leaders are so careful in the choice of their business associates. Men who succeed in any calling usually establish their own environment by surrounding themselves with people who think and act in terms of success. Is that the idea? A That is the idea exactly. Observe, with profit, that the one thing all successful men insist upon is harmony among their business associates. Another trait of successful people is that they move with definiteness of purpose and insist upon their associates doing the same. Understand these two truths and you understand the major difference between a Henry Ford and a day laborer.

“Next to the habit of drifting, the most dangerous human trait is the lack of caution.”

Q It never occurred to me that caution in the selection of friends had so definite a bearing on one’s success or failure. Do all successful people exercise caution in the selection of all their associates, whether in business, social, or professional relationships? A Without the exercise of caution in the choice of all associates, no one may be certain of success in any calling. On the other hand, lack of exercise of caution brings almost certain defeat in whatever one undertakes.

Do you have a hard time saying “no” to people? This chapter makes you realize that using caution in selecting your associates and learning to say “no” more often may speed you on your path to success.

“Most of the difficulties in which people find themselves are of their own making.” Many people today have a victim mentality which they use as an excuse to not take responsibility for their own lives. Samuel Insull did not lose his $4 billion industrial empire as the result of the depression. He began losing it long before the depression when he became the victim of a group of women who flattered him into turning his talents from public utilities to grand opera. If ever a man in a high position in the financial world went down because of the power of drifting, hypnotic rhythm, and time, that man was Samuel Insull.

Ford has the habit of not drifting on any subject. Time is Ford’s friend because he has formed the habit of using it in a positive, constructive manner, with the aid of thoughts of his own making, woven into plans of his own creation.

He replied, “It is not a question of majors and minors; we have but one problem and that is to stop fear and supplant it with faith.”

“One’s dominating desires can be crystallized into their physical equivalents through definiteness of purpose backed by definiteness of plans, with the aid of nature’s law of hypnotic rhythm and time!”

Realize you are carrying in your own pockets the matches with which the fires of adversity are being touched off, and find, too, that the water with which those fires can be finally extinguished is at your own command in great abundance? And then: • Find your definiteness of purpose? • Create a definite plan? • Engage the aid of nature’s law of hypnotic rhythm? • And use the asset of time to assist you in reaching your greatest success?

In fact, he unhesitatingly announces that “any man can avail himself of the benefits of his ‘other self’” as long as he is not “steeped in greed.”

Next to “drifting,” the most dangerous human trait Hill describes is the “lack of caution,” or what we might call a lack of discernment. Discernment is a relative of wisdom, which causes us to think of the repercussions before we take action, as well as to honestly observe the results of our choice-making. Thus we may create our own path to freedom.

But truth be told, he has shared with the world his wisdom of “how-to-live principles,” beginning with one’s interior being, one’s inner state of consciousness, inviting us to give outer expression to our highest potential not only for our own benefit, but for all humankind.

May all Hill’s readers break free from conditional belief systems and live life in all of its richness, its exquisite beauty and joy, freely delivering their gifts, talents, and skills on this planet we all call home. Peace and richest blessings to you!

• Definiteness of purpose • Mastery over self • Learning from adversity • Controlling environmental influence (associations) • Time (giving permanency to positive, rather than negative thought-habits and developing wisdom) • Harmony (acting with definiteness of purpose to become the dominating influence in your own mental, spiritual, and physical environment) • Caution (thinking through your plan before you act) In reviewing these