No Man Has A Chance To Enjoy Permanent Success

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“No man has a chance to enjoy permanent success until he begins to look in a mirror for the real cause of all his mistakes.” – Napoleon Hill

Napoleon Hill (1883 – 1970) was an American author who was one of the first producers of personal success books. His best work “Think and Grow Rich” has sold twenty million copies—one of the bestselling books of all time.

While working as a journalist, he had the chance to interview Andrew Carnegie, a successful and well-known industrialist. His meeting with him was said to be the inspiration of his books about success featuring the lives of the most powerful and successful men and women in various fields.

Hill’s life itself was a success story. He started as a reported for a small town newspaper to help him pay for his education. Unfortunately, his earnings were not enough and he had to withdraw from law school. Following that fateful meeting with Carnegie, he had the opportunity to be introduced to Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Alexander Graham Bell, and other influential names. After the success of his books, he was appointed as advisor to President Franklin Roosevelt.

Through Hill’s study of the lives of successful people, he learned that personal responsibility, rather than waiting for someone else to “save you” is one of the cornerstones of success. This quote is not about finding someone to blame but about being the one to make the change as opposed to requiring it from others.