Literary Insights

Unfortunately I was unable to find a summary of “the lost writings” by Napoleon Hill. Without more context about what specifically you are looking for I can’t provide a useful summary.

• Auto-suggestion means deliberately making suggestions to yourself. Through auto-suggestion, you can reprogram your mind and habits.

• Your thoughts determine your character and life circumstances. You can change your life by changing your thoughts.

• Every movement and action is preceded by a thought. Your thoughts control your behavior.

• The mind has two sections: the conscious mind and the subconscious mind. The conscious mind is rational and logical. The subconscious mind is emotional and imaginative. It controls your habits and behaviors.

• The subconscious mind accepts any belief, thought, or idea that the conscious mind accepts with strong emotion or repetition. It does not judge whether ideas are rational or truthful.

• You can reprogram your subconscious mind through auto-suggestion using strong emotion and repetition. Repeat positive messages about yourself and your goals.

• What you suggest to your subconscious mind, it will accept and act upon. Be careful what ideas you expose yourself to and accept as true.

• Use auto-suggestion to build confidence, self-esteem, positive habits, and desirable qualities. It can help you achieve any goal or objective.

The key now is to apply this knowledge by practicing auto-suggestion. Repeat positive affirmations, read inspiring stories, listen to motivating audios, visualize your success, and avoid negative influences. Through auto-suggestion, you have the power to transform yourself and accomplish amazing things.

The mind has two main divisions: the conscious mind and the subconscious mind. The conscious mind directs our waking activities while the subconscious mind controls our bodily functions during sleep.
Any idea or thought held in the conscious mind produces an associated feeling and prompts action to translate that thought into reality. This is known as auto-suggestion. Auto-suggestion can be used to develop positive qualities like courage and self-confidence by repeating positive statements.
The law of attraction causes like things to be drawn together. Our thoughts and ideals attract people and circumstances that harmonize with them. By controlling our thoughts, we can shape our mind into a magnet that attracts what we want.
Auto-suggestion is the only known way to consciously transform oneself. The author used auto-suggestion over five years to develop desired qualities in himself by visualizing historical figures who possessed those qualities before going to sleep. This instructed his subconscious mind and provided a blueprint for development.
Many once-impossible things like electric lights, telephones, automobiles, and airplanes have become reality. We should keep an open mind to new possibilities instead of scoffing at them. The author provides several examples of prominent people who dismissed new ideas that later became successful, like Napoleon dismissing Robert Fulton’s steam engine and Congress denying funds to Samuel Langley for aviation experiments.

The author describes conducting imaginary meetings with influential historical figures around an imaginary counsel table. The purpose of these meetings was to develop desirable qualities that these influential figures possessed. For example, the author wanted to develop Lincoln’s qualities of fairness, justice, and commitment to helping common people. The author wanted to develop Napoleon’s qualities of persistence, strategic thinking, self-confidence, and leadership. The author wanted to develop Emerson’s qualities of insight, ability to interpret nature and human emotions, and ability to reason logically.

By visualizing these influential figures and focusing on the desired qualities, the author was able to develop those qualities in himself through the power of autosuggestion. Shortly after beginning these visualization exercises, the author became a successful public speaker and writer. The author provides specific examples, including becoming a sought-after speaker, receiving an award from the Associated Advertising Clubs of the World, and developing a writing style compared favorably to Elbert Hubbard’s.

The author acknowledges that discussing one’s own accomplishments risks seeming egotistical. However, the author aims to provide authentic examples to illustrate the power of autosuggestion. The author argues that using hypothetical examples or writing in the third person would reduce the value of the work.

Finally, the author discusses the importance of having a definite aim in life. The author revised his own written statement of purpose to specify an income of $100,000 per year in order to fund an educational program. Within six months, the author was offered a position paying $105,200 per year, demonstrating the power of definiteness of purpose.

Here is a summary of the key points related to having a definite aim:

• The author earned $100,000 in less than 5 months by focusing on a definite aim, even though he did not actually receive the full amount due to his employer defrauding him. This shows the power of a definite aim.

• There may be a difference between declaring you will “earn” a certain amount versus declaring you will “earn and receive” that amount. The author is unsure if the wording would have made a difference in his results.

• It is nearly impossible to defeat someone who develops a definite plan or aim and diligently works to achieve it. Service, sacrifice, confidence, and persistence are required.

• The author has seen principles at work in his own life that have produced miraculous results, though he can’t always trace the cause. He knows that his actions correspond to his dominating thoughts.

• Character can be built deliberately according to a plan, just like a house. The author rebuilt his own character in a short time through determination and desire.

• The author’s experience with returning part of the insurance settlement for damage to his coat shows how important it is to maintain character and integrity. He kept only what he felt was fair and returned the rest, even though legally the full amount belonged to him.

• Power comes from organized knowledge directed toward justice and equity. There are two types of power: that which comes from organizing your individual faculties, and that which comes from organizing groups of people working together. Either requires intelligence and deliberate direction.

• You can only organize your faculties through autosuggestion—the mind grows whatever thoughts dominate it, whether deliberately chosen or random. Your thoughts control your life. You must choose thoughts of success and optimism.

That covers the main highlights related to having a definite aim, according to the passages. The key elements are: developing a plan, confidence and determination to achieve it, integrity and fair dealing, controlling your thoughts, and diligent effort and organization. With all these, nearly any aim can be achieved.

Suggestion is a principle of psychology used to influence, direct, and control the minds of others. It is used heavily in advertising and salesmanship.
Suggestion differs from auto-suggestion in that auto-suggestion is self-suggestion used to influence your own mind, while suggestion is used to influence the minds of others.
Suggestion is a subtle and powerful principle. It has been shown that suggestion can be used to extinguish life or eliminate disease.
The author demonstrated the power of suggestion through an experiment where he convinced a class that a bottle of water was peppermint oil, causing many students to report smelling the peppermint.
The author described an old woman who constantly feared she would die of cancer, and she did eventually die of cancer in the exact spot she always imagined it would appear. This demonstrates the power of suggestion.
Experiments have shown that suggestion can be used to produce death. A criminal was made to believe he was being executed, and he died as a result.
Mental healing and hypnotism work through the principle of suggestion. Hypnotism requires the subject’s consent and works by neutralizing the conscious mind so that suggestions can be planted in the subconscious mind.
A hypnotist described the process of putting a subject in a hypnotic state through soothing conversation, asking the subject to stare blankly at an object, and helping them relax their eyes and mind so that sleepiness sets in. The goal is to get the conscious mind out of the way so that suggestions can be made to the subconscious mind.

That covers the key highlights and main takeaways from the lesson on suggestion. Please let me know if you would like me to explain anything in the summary in more detail.

Here are Napoleon Hill’s “Golden Rules” summarized:

Develop definiteness of purpose. Have a clear vision of what you want to accomplish and stick to it.
Establish a mastermind alliance. Surround yourself with like-minded people who share your vision and goals. Collaboration achieves more than individual effort.
Adopt a positive mental attitude. Your mindset and thoughts determine your outcomes in life. Think positive and confidently pursue your goals.
Develop the habit of saving. Put aside a portion of your earnings regularly to accumulate wealth and achieve financial freedom.
Initiative and leadership. Don’t be a follower. Develop the ability to lead and take action to achieve your goals. Success comes from acting, not waiting.
Imagination and vision. Develop the ability to envision new possibilities and opportunities. Your imagination fuels creativity and innovation.
Decision making. Learn to make prompt decisions and stand by them. Indecision and vacillation lead to lost opportunities and regret.
Enthusiasm. Your enthusiasm communicates your vision and purpose to others. It inspires action and commitment to the cause. Lack of enthusiasm results in lack of achievement.
Self-discipline. Develop the willpower and self-control to stay focused on your goals in the face of difficulties and distractions. Success comes from perseverance.
Accurate thinking. Learn to think logically and accurately analyze situations. Your thoughts guide your actions, so think straight and make the right choices.

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Controlled attention. Pay attention to the important things that matter for achieving your purpose. Don’t get distracted by unimportant things. Your attention is your most precious resource.
Teamwork. Master the ability to work with others in a cooperative and supportive manner. Your ability to lead and motivate people to work together determines your success and happiness in life.
Learn from adversity and defeat. View failures and mistakes as learning opportunities. Learn from them and then put them behind you. Success comes from persisting in spite of defeat.
Apply the golden rule. Treat others the way you would like to be treated. Develop friendships, cooperation, and mutually beneficial relationships through kindness, empathy, and goodwill.
Continuous self-improvement. Commit to constant learning and developing new skills. Continuous self-improvement is the only way to achieve your full potential and success. There is always more to learn.
A pleasing personality. Develop a positive, charismatic, and pleasing personality that wins people over and attracts opportunities. Your personality opens doors.
Good health habits. Take good care of your physical health and wellbeing. Success requires energy, stamina, and endurance. Your health habits have a significant impact on your outcomes in life.
Applied faith. Have faith in yourself and your abilities. Believe in the attainability of your purpose and vision. Faith inspires persistence and fuels enthusiasm and action. Success comes from faith, not doubt.

The mind can be influenced through the principle of suggestion. However, a person’s mind cannot be influenced if they are antagonistic or do not have faith in the influencer.
To influence someone’s mind, you must first gain their confidence. This is illustrated in Marc Antony’s speech after Caesar’s death, where he first gained the confidence of the hostile crowd before turning them to his side.
A successful trial lawyer also employs this strategy, first acknowledging the weak points of his case and the strengths of the opponent’s case. Only after gaining the jury’s confidence does he present his own case. This “Marc Antony psychology” of first neutralizing the mind before planting suggestions is key.
The mind records and associates impressions and experiences. Recalling one memory tends to bring related memories to the conscious mind as well. This can work for or against an influencer. Bringing up doubts or fears, for example, will recall many other doubt-inducing experiences. Successful influencers avoid arousing such negative associative chains.
It is easier to influence a child’s mind through suggestion because there are fewer opposing influences already established and children are more credulous. Establishing ambitions and desires in a child’s mind through suggestion can help shape their development.
Managers can effectively use suggestion to influence their employees. Criticism should be avoided. Instead, compliments and praise, even if exaggerated, can suggest improvement to employees and actually inspire better performance. One manager achieved a 25% increase in an employee’s work through a single suggestive compliment.
While wonders can be achieved through the principle of suggestion, it requires thorough study and understanding to wield effectively. An influencer must gain confidence, avoid arousing negative associations, and carefully plant the seeds of suggestion.
The principle of suggestion is constantly at work, influencing people and causing them to absorb the spirit of those around them.
Disgruntled, pessimistic people can negatively impact the morale and productivity of those around them through suggestion. In contrast, optimistic, enthusiastic people can positively influence organizations and groups.
We are constantly influencing others through our thoughts and emotions, often unconsciously. The principle of suggestion can be consciously harnessed to influence people.
Two steps are required to manipulate the principle of suggestion: 1) neutralize the subject’s mind to make them open to suggestion, and 2) convey thoughts and ideas you wish them to absorb. Expressing ideas without reminding people of the source (using “as you know”) helps make suggestions more effective.
Faith, confidence, and suggestion can have powerful impacts on health and recovery. The mind has the ability to turn the tide in difficult medical situations. Instilling faith and confidence in a patient, and suggesting they will recover, can help tip the scales towards health. While not a cure for serious diseases like cancer, the mind can aid recovery for many conditions.
Imagination and auto-suggestion are very powerful. Believing you cannot get sick from a disease can help prevent illness. But imagination can also cause harm, even death in extreme cases where a person is convinced they are mortally wounded when they are not. Constant suggestions from others that you look ill can also negatively impact health.
In summary, the principle of suggestion should be consciously harnessed to spread optimism, confidence, and enthusiasm. It can be a powerful tool for influencing groups and aiding health and well-being. But its negative impacts, through spreading pessimism, fear, and the power of imagination, must also be recognized and avoided.

Here is a summary of the key points from the lesson:

• The law of retaliation states that the mind will reciprocate in kind the impressions it receives. In other words, like attracts like.

• This principle operates whether through suggestion or autosuggestion. The mind will direct actions that align with the sensory input it receives.

• If you injure or displease someone, their mind will instinctively direct a retaliatory action.

• The law of retaliation is not fully scientifically understood but is a known principle that can be leveraged in practical ways.

• Many modern writers are exploring the law of retaliation, though they may refer to it by different names. There is general agreement on the core idea that like attracts like.

• Examples of the law of retaliation in action include:

› Encountering a new word repeatedly after first learning it

› Collecting many articles on a topic of intense interest and study

› Experiencing a higher incidence of a medical condition after learning about it › Hearing from or encountering someone after thinking about them persistently

› Attracting grievances, sorrow, poverty, etc. by dwelling on such things

• In summary, the preponderance of the mind is to reciprocate the kinds of thoughts, sensory input, and actions it experiences and dwells upon. By understanding this law, we can better control our experiences and environment.

Here is a summary of Napoleon Hill’s key ideas:

• Luck is largely the result of one’s mental attitude and optimism. Optimists who expect good things to happen tend to be luckier. Pessimists who expect the worst tend to encounter more bad luck.

• Prayer and faith can work wonders through unknown means. Hill cited examples of achieving seemingly impossible results through persistent prayer and visualization. While the mechanism is not fully understood, prayer seems to be able to overcome obstacles and accomplish what seems unattainable through normal means.

•There are many strange phenomena that science cannot yet explain, such as mental telepathy. Hill shared examples of people experiencing visions or intuitions of events happening to loved ones from a distance. These suggest the possibility of thought transmission between minds, even over long distances.

•The law of retaliation states that people will respond to you in kind based on how you treat them. If you injure or insult someone, they will retaliate. If you do them a favor, they will reciprocate. By understanding this law, you can get people to respond the way you want through the impressions you make on them.

•Suggestion is the means by which we plant ideas in other people’s minds that then take root and grow. By making the right suggestions, we can influence how people think and act.

•There are great possibilities for achieving success through understanding and harnessing the power of the mind and mental phenomena we do not currently understand fully. Studying and experimenting with the mental forces can lead to improved results.

That covers some of the key points around unknown phenomena, the power of mind and belief, and influencing others that Hill emphasized. Let me know if you would like me to explain anything in the summary in more detail.

The law of retaliation states that like attracts like. How you treat others is how they will treat you in return. If you want respect, friendship and cooperation from others, extend those qualities to them first. People are like mirrors that reflect back your own mental attitude.

To master the law of retaliation, cultivate self-control and composure. Do not retaliate in kind when others direct anger or abuse at you. Remain calm and you will gain the upper hand. Retaliating with kindness and compassion is the most effective strategy. It can turn enemies into friends by making them feel defensive for their harmful actions.

Examples of the law of retaliation:

•If someone gives you a gift, you feel compelled to give one in return. •If someone speaks well of you, you think more highly of them. •A clergyman diffused a dangerous situation by telling an armed guerrilla that he opposed slavery. Instead of violence, they ended up talking for 20 minutes until the guerrilla left apologetically. The clergyman’s moral courage made the guerrilla defend himself. •Financial success attracts more success and opportunities because people are drawn to those who have achieved it. Failure, lack of confidence and other negative qualities also accumulate in those who have them.

The law of retaliation illustrates the principle that you reap what you sow. How you treat the world is what you will receive in turn. While force may sometimes be necessary, meeting aggression with compassion and turning enemies into allies is the ideal.

The human mind has many qualities like likes, dislikes, optimism, pessimism, hate, love, kindness, cruelty, etc. The mind is a blend of these qualities and the dominant ones are shaped by environment, training, associates and one’s own thoughts.
Thoughts that are constantly held in the mind attract qualities in the mind similar to them. Thoughts are like seeds that multiply and grow into action. Through auto-suggestion, thoughts held in the mind and concentrated upon lead to action.
Auto-suggestion can help remove destructive tendencies in the mind by constantly focusing on constructive thoughts. The qualities of the mind need to be nourished and used to stay alive. Disuse starves the evil tendencies of the mind. Auto-suggestion is a fundamental law of applied psychology and can direct the mind toward constructive effort.
Individuals can benefit from understanding and applying auto-suggestion. It can help overcome worries and financial struggles by harnessing the power of the mind. Evidence shows how people transformed from failure to success in a short time by understanding principles of applied psychology.
The mind functions according to physical and economic laws and principles, not occultism. One can control and manipulate their own mind. Understanding the powers of the mind can free one from fear and inspire courage.
Achieving fame and fortune requires cooperation from others. One’s position and wealth depends on the goodwill of others. It is impossible to keep a position of honor or wealth without consent of others. The law of retaliation means thoughts and actions toward others attract similar thoughts and actions from others. One should attract others through goodwill, kindness and justice to achieve lasting success.

Here is a summary in 74 words:

Napoleon Hill emphasizes focusing your mind on constructive goals rather than wasting time and energy on retaliation or hatred. He says returning kindness for cruelty is the best revenge. Hill highlights Andrew Carnegie as an example, who accumulated wealth by organizing and managing talented people. Hill believes we are in an age of progress, where experimenting with tools like electricity can yield great advances, if we use our imagination. Letting go of fear and doubt will allow humanity to achieve more.

• Self-confidence is essential for happiness and success. Without it, you cannot achieve your goals or live happily.

• The only person who can make you happy or help you succeed is yourself. When you realize this, you will tap into inner strength and ability you didn’t know you had.

• Emerson’s essay “Self-Reliance” can inspire you to believe in yourself. His essay “Compensation” also shares helpful insights.

• Overcoming fear and developing courage are key to building self-confidence. Fear is the main obstacle standing in the way of self-confidence.

• Success depends more on you than on others. With self-confidence, you can achieve anything.

• Once you believe in yourself, you will accomplish more because you will try more. You will tap into energy and power you didn’t realize you had.

• The story of the tramp illustrates how gaining self-confidence can transform someone. By seeing his true self, the tramp changed his life completely.

• The principles for developing self-confidence have helped millions of people find success and happiness. They have a proven track record of effectiveness.

• An attractive, appealing personality comes from kindness, compassion, and goodwill toward others.

That covers the essence and main highlights from the selection on how to build self-confidence. Let me know if you would like me to clarify or expand on any of the points.

There is a sleeping genius within you that can be awakened through self-confidence and bold action. Once awakened, you will be able to accomplish amazing things and overcome all obstacles.
Analysis of successful people shows that self-confidence was the key to their success.
Through auto-suggestion and concentration, you can place any thought in your conscious mind and turn it into reality. The principles in the self-confidence building chart have been proven scientifically.
Repeat and memorize the self-confidence building chart, especially the second paragraph describing your chief aim. This uses auto-suggestion and concentration to turn your thoughts into reality.
Your mind creates mental pictures that direct your actions. The chief aim in the chart creates a clear picture that will guide you to achieving it.
Keep fear from your mind, as it is the only barrier between you and self-confidence.
Criticism can only be avoided by doing nothing. Ambition must be killed. Your mind is like a camera - the chief aim is the object you want to capture clearly.
Express your thoughts through words and writing to speed their transformation into reality. Repeat the chart aloud and write it out. Speaking and writing affirm your thoughts.
Look at yourself in a mirror as you repeat the chart. Speak with passion. Watch your expression change to one of strength and confidence. Others will notice the change in you.
You can modify or replace the chart with your own words that clearly define what you want. The chart is a blueprint for the person you want to become.
If religious, use the chart as a daily prayer. Faith and prayer are powerful for achieving desires. The chart develops self-confidence, which benefits you and is in line with religious teachings.
The phenomenon of prayer may be unexplained but can still be used legitimately. Using prayer to transform the chart into reality is legitimate because the chart’s purpose is self-development, which benefits humanity.
The chart aims to eliminate fear, the greatest curse of the human mind. Self-confidence is the remedy.

Our environment influences our habits and thoughts. We tend to adopt the behaviors and ways of thinking of those around us and the places we inhabit. Our mind absorbs the influences of our environment.

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Habits are formed through repetition. Repeating actions, thoughts, or behaviors over and over crystallizes them into habits. Habits become ingrained in our subconscious mind and are hard to break once formed.
We should carefully choose our environment and habits. Because they shape our mind and character, we must be selective about the environments we expose ourselves to and the habits we form. Poor environments and habits can have negative impacts, while positive environments and habits can improve our lives.
The current penal system often does more harm than good by exposing criminals to poor environments. Prisons should reform criminals through positive environments and psychological treatment rather than simply punishing them. Rehabilitation should be the goal, not retaliation.
Habit is a powerful force that can dominate us or be harnessed by us. Although habit easily becomes a “tyrant” that controls our behavior, habit can also be mastered and used to our advantage if we make the effort to form good habits and break bad ones. We must actively choose which habits will shape our character.
Habits follow the path of least resistance. We tend to repeat whatever actions and thoughts we have engaged in the most in the past. To form new habits, we must make a conscious effort to wear new “mental paths.” Passively going with the flow will simply strengthen our existing habits, whether good or bad.
Habits can be consciously formed through willpower and repetition. While habit often feels outside our control, we have the ability to deliberately cultivate new habits to improve ourselves by choosing new mental paths and traveling them persistently. We have more control over habit than we often realize.

In summary, environment and habit are highly influential forces that shape our lives, but they are also within our ability to choose and direct. With conscious effort and determination, we can select positive environments, break bad habits, form good habits, and take control of behaviors that would otherwise control us. We have the power to master habit and environment rather than be mastered by them.

Habit and auto-suggestion are closely related. Through habit, repeatedly performing an act in the same way causes it to become automatic and done without much thought. Through auto-suggestion, persistently holding a thought or desire in your mind can lead to action and physical reality. You can use auto-suggestion to form or break habits.

To form or eliminate a habit, you must persistently hold the thought of your desired behavior in your mind through auto-suggestion. A fleeting wish is not enough. You need steady, determined focus on your goal. Persistence and sticking to something is key. Even people with strong wills fail without persistence. Many great thinkers emphasize that persistence and determination are what separate the great from the insignificant. Persistence can overcome almost any obstacle or difficulty.

If you lack persistence, train yourself by focusing your mind on your daily tasks and resisting distractions. Hold your attention firmly on what you want to accomplish. This will help make persistence a habit and develop the necessary brain connections. Fix your mind on your goals and persistently work toward them through concentration and by resisting distractions.

So in summary, to form good habits and break bad ones:

Use auto-suggestion by persistently holding the thought of your desired behavior in your mind.
Develop persistence and stick-to-it-iveness. Resist distractions and don’t give up easily.
Focus your mind on your goals and tasks through concentration.
Practice and reinforce the behavior you want to make into a habit.
Resist the temptation to revert to old bad habits. Fight the urge and forge a new path.
Start with determination and force to establish the new habit strongly right from the beginning.
Review your progress and the benefits of the new habit to stay motivated.
Make a plan to maximize opportunities to practice the new habit.

That covers the key highlights and recommendations from the selection on forming and eliminating habits. Let me know if you would like me to clarify or expand on any part of the summary.

• Success is the result of practice, persistence, and habit. Persistence is the most important factor and is what separates those who succeed from those who fail.

• Persistence wears down all obstacles and resistance over time. It is like drops of water that eventually erode even the hardest stone. Talent and ability alone are not enough without persistence.

• Persistence is built on self-confidence and autosuggestion. Repeat messages of persistence to yourself regularly until your mind adopts them.

• The environment you construct around yourself is crucial. It includes the people you associate with, the books you read, the work you do, the community you live in, and your thoughts and actions. Create an environment that will help you achieve your goals.

• Associate with people who share your aims and ideals. Avoid negative and complaining people. The environment influences you through the impressions you absorb from it.

• Control your environment and the inputs into your mind as much as possible. Read books and associate with people that keep you focused on your goals.

• Every word, sight, and impression you absorb influences your thoughts and actions. Constant exposure to “evil” minds will make you absorb their ideas and ways of thinking. Associate with people who lift you up.

• We are products of the environments we have lived in. But we can choose to change our environments to suit our needs and desires. The environment that took nature millions of years to evolve can be reshaped by our own efforts in a short time.

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evolution has required for developing a human being out of protoplasmic germ cells into homo sapiens, while environment can transform a human being from ignorance to knowledge, from poverty to economic independence, and change an entire civilization from one stage to another, within a few decades!

Stupendous! This important fact constitutes one of the most important reasons why we should give deliberate attention to the selection and the control of the influences that constitute our environment. Nature has covered her part in providing us with the physical body and the brain we now possess. The development of these, from this point forward, is a matter of our own direction and is controlled by the environment in which we choose to place ourselves. The person who selects an environment which maintains a healthy body and a keen, alert, active brain, through which the evolutionary processes may continue to operate indefinitely, is thereby choosing mastership and freedom!

It took nature thousands of years of evolution to develop human beings. But a person’s environment can influence them profoundly in just one generation.
A “savage” baby raised by savage parents will remain savage, but the same baby raised by a civilized, refined family will adopt civilized behaviors and lose most savage instincts.
Conversely, civilized people exposed to a “savage” environment (like war) can descend into savage behavior like killing very quickly.
A person’s clothes are part of their environment and influence their psychology. Clean, proper, modest clothes increase confidence, pride, and mental courage. Soiled or shabby clothes have the opposite effect.
An experience being inappropriately dressed in front of others demonstrates how strongly clothes affect psychology and confidence. Good clothes impart confidence and make good impressions on others.
A person’s workplace environment also strongly influences their psychology and productivity. A clean, orderly, harmonious work environment increases enthusiasm, interest, and efficiency. A disorganized, chaotic environment has the opposite effect.
Some employers provide amenities like recreation facilities, comfortable break rooms, music, etc. to improve employee psychology and productivity. Experiments show these environmental improvements can increase productivity 10-50% without increased fatigue.
Music in particular can make work seem effortless by altering a person’s perception of time and fatigue. The effect of music is evident in dancers and skaters who can continue for hours without tiring. Employers could harness this effect to greatly increase productivity.
In summary, human psychology and efficiency is profoundly shaped by environment and surroundings. Managing environments strategically can produce major improvements in human performance and productivity.
The three principles of memory are:

Retention: Recording a sensory experience in the subconscious mind. This is like taking a mental photograph.
Recall: Retrieving the recorded sensory information from the subconscious and bringing it into conscious awareness. This is like searching through an index and pulling out a card with information on it.
Recognition: Identifying a current sensory experience as matching a previous one that has been retained and recalled. This allows us to distinguish memory from imagination.

To make effective use of these principles:

Make the initial impression vivid by focusing your attention on all the details. Like a photographer, concentrate to capture a sharp mental image.
Repeat the impression, either by re-experiencing the sensation or by describing it aloud or in writing. Repetition strengthens the memory.
Associate the new impression with something familiar by linking the unfamiliar to the familiar. This creates connections that make recall easier.
Classify and organize the impressions to give them a logical relationship. Group them by subject, time, location or in some other system. An organized mind can remember more.
Practice recalling impressions frequently after recording them. This habit of active recollection enables the mind to retrieve memories with greater ease and efficiency over time.
Be an active listener and observe details carefully. Pay close attention to the world around you to lay a strong foundation of memory impressions to build upon.
Maintain an optimistic, energetic mental attitude. Your state of mind has a significant influence over your memory’s performance. Doubt and low energy inhibit recall.
Use memory systems like mnemonics, maps, music or visualization to give impressions more hooks for hanging onto. Such techniques can boost the power and reach of your memory.

That covers the key points on how to make effective use of the principles of retention, recall, and recognition to strengthen and improve your memory. Please let me know if you have any other questions!

Here are the main points about Napoleon Hill:

• Napoleon Hill was an American author who is famous for his motivational book Think and Grow Rich published in 1937.

• Hill’s works focused on the importance of personal beliefs, and the power of the mind in achieving success. He believed that people’s thoughts translate into reality and action.

• Hill outlined 13 principles of success in Think and Grow Rich. Some of the key principles are: having a burning desire, faith and persistence, going the extra mile, planning and decisiveness, learning from failures and defeats.

• Hill advocated developing a positive mental attitude through autosuggestion and perseverance. He believed that one can achieve prosperity by focusing one’s thoughts.

• Hill interviewed and studied the habits of successful business leaders like Andrew Carnegie, Henry Ford, and Thomas Edison. He then shared their strategies and secrets in his books.

• Some of Hill’s other well-known works include The Law of Success, Napoleon Hill’s Keys to Success, and Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude.

• Hill has influenced many modern authors and success coaches. His books continue to impact millions of readers worldwide.

The testimony of James A. Farrell, president of the United States Steel Corporation, in 1910 and 1912 showed his remarkable memory. In 1910, the tin plate company contributed 11% of US Steel’s revenue, the American Steel & Wire Company 17%, the Lorain Steel Company 30%, the American Bridge Company 6%, and the Illinois Steel Company 1.2%. In 1912, the percentages were tin plate 20%, American Steel & Wire 20%, Lorain Steel 30%, American Bridge 8.5%, and Illinois Steel 2.4%.

Farrell had an uncanny memory due to years of experience in the steel industry. He increased his company’s export sales from under $3 million to over $100 million in a dozen years. To cultivate a good memory, Farrell recommended concentrating on and retaining information in your areas of interest, while forgetting unimportant details. He said the mind grows on what it feeds, so youth is the best time to train your memory. Paying attention to details and working hard contribute to a good memory.

Farrell knew the ins and outs of his business and all its details. He said not knowing details would be humiliating and prevent effectively running the company. Managers and executives should know details to properly consider communications from subordinates and understand problems. Farrell gave subordinates’ input proper attention to maintain their enthusiasm.

The story aims to inspire readers to cultivate an exceptional memory, strong work ethic, mastery of details, and ambition to achieve. Readers can find motivation and ideas to accomplish their goals.

Here is a summary in 6 sentences:

We remember things through association.
Cramming information does not lead to long-term recall.
To improve your memory, increase the number and variety of your mental associations.
Use your senses fully to observe details and make associations.
Practice systematically recalling information through mental exercises.
Plan your daily activities and thoughts to strengthen your memory and ability to achieve results.

Here are the main points from the story:

The author received a phone call congratulating him on being elected to the Press Club and was asked to sign a membership application.
Initially, the author felt honored and flattered to be asked to join such a prestigious club. His vanity overcame his better judgment.
However, after some hesitation and further questioning, the author started to become suspicious about the situation. The $150 membership fee seemed excessive, and no one could confirm who had nominated him.
The next day, the author’s friend revealed the Club was desperately seeking new members and membership was actually only $50.
The author felt foolish for being so easily manipulated and for allowing his ego and vanity to cloud his judgment.
The story illustrates how susceptible people can be to suggestion and flattery and how emotions can overwhelm logical reasoning. Mark Antony used a similar strategy in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar to manipulate the Roman public.
The key lesson is not to allow emotions, vanity, or ego to override facts and critical thinking. Question things that seem too good to be true and look for hidden motivations. Don’t be a willing victim of manipulation or suggestion. Maintain a balanced and objective perspective.

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to find myself. It was a humiliating experience, and there was but one redeeming feature—I caught myself before it was too late. But that was due solely to my having sobered up from the effects of the subtle flattery contained in that telephone call and had run my eye over those figures $150.

As I look back over the experience, I can see more clearly than I did before just how easily men’s emotions may be manipulated through suggestion and flattery. I can understand why Mark Antony was able to sway that Roman mob to his way of thinking in his famous oration after Caesar’s death. He began by subtle suggestion, concealed in praise of Brutus, Cassius, and the other assassins of Caesar.

His emotional eloquence, his subtle blame of Brutus and Cassius, swayed the mob’s emotions from one extreme to the other. But I caution you not to confuse emotion with reason. They are not the same. Reason coldly weighs and analyzes facts and forms judgments based solely upon facts. Emotion, nine times out of ten, merely sways opinions and judgments, often to one’s own disadvantage. The prudent person avoids emotion and acts with reason.

The author wants to share a valuable lesson he learned in salesmanship through a humbling experience. He went to a cigar store intending to buy some cigars as a gift for a friend. However, the salesperson did not make a sale in the proper way. Instead of recommending cigars and highlighting why certain options would suit the author’s needs, the salesperson simply waited for the author to choose and make a purchase. The author ended up choosing cigars that did not meet his standards.

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Realizing the mistake, the author then bought his friend a box of high-quality cigars to make up for it. He told his friend that the expensive gift was to teach him a lesson in effective salesmanship. The author said a good salesperson should not just wait for a customer to buy something, but should actively recommend options, highlight benefits, and help the customer make the right choice. Simply waiting for customers to choose and make purchases is poor salesmanship.

The author then says this experience hurt his pride but taught him an invaluable lesson in psychology that applies to sales. He goes on to analyze Mark Antony’s famous speech in Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar to illustrate examples of effective persuasion and psychology.

In summary, the key message is that salespeople should not be passive but should actively sell to customers by recommending options, highlighting benefits and helping them make good choices. Merely waiting for customers to buy is poor salesmanship. The author learned this through his humbling experience at the cigar store and seeing examples of persuasion in Mark Antony’s speech.

I apologize, but I do not have enough context to generate a useful summary for the prompt: “and you, than I will wrong such honorable men.’’

The human mind cannot be controlled by force. The mind can only be influenced through a person’s own free will and choice.
Most people do not exercise control over their own minds and think in a habitual, uncritical manner. Geniuses are those who have discovered how to actively stimulate and control their thinking in a constructive way.
The mind can be stimulated through intense interest, desire, enthusiasm, and other mental means. Physical stimulants will only temporarily arouse the mind and eventually ruin it.
A person’s mental environment and conditioning creates their thought patterns. By choosing to cultivate certain thoughts, a person can transform their mindset and behavior. Many notable examples show how both “good” and “bad” people have reformed their thinking and character.
The story of Alva York illustrates how a person’s mindset can be changed by appealing to their own interests and values. York was originally a rough squirrel hunter who refused to serve in World War 1 due to his religious beliefs. By convincing him that the war was a fight against evil and for Christian ideals, York became eager to join and ended up becoming a celebrated war hero. His mother remained perplexed by his fame, showing how radically York’s thinking had shifted.
The key idea is that to positively influence someone’s mind, you must understand their mental state and interest and motivate them through their own personal interests and values - not through force. An appeal to higher ideals and purposes can be particularly effective. But any such influence must be by consent and through the free choice of the individual.
The editor of a Nashville newspaper proposed awarding Sergeant Alvin York a substantial gift for his heroism in World War 1. He suggested giving York a farm.
Fred T. Wilson, who was from the same area as York, felt proud of York’s accomplishments. He expected to attend York’s homecoming reception and thought York would be elected to political office if he chose to run.
York could have easily resisted the draft and become embittered against the country. However, those who recruited him knew how to appeal to him in a way that overcame his resistance. Many others in similar circumstances were wrongly labeled as criminals when they could have been productive citizens if approached properly.
Crowd psychology shows how people’s minds can blend together under the influence of strong emotions, vivid imagery, and imitation. This is seen in religious revivals where people can become almost intoxicated and act in extreme ways. Many see little difference between revival meetings and hypnosis shows.
The mind of a crowd takes on traits of suggestibility, strong emotion, vivid imagination, and imitation - resembling a primitive or adolescent mindset. People’s critical thinking and personal identity seem to disappear in crowds. This makes crowds easily deceived or prone to panic and lawlessness.
In crowds, the emotions and ideas of all members align in one direction, and individuals seem to lose their conscious personalities. A kind of temporary “collective mind” with its own character traits emerges from the crowd.

• Individuals in crowds are subject to a kind of “collective mind” that makes them think and act differently than they would individually. In crowds, intelligence is reduced and emotions are heightened.

• People in crowds enter a state similar to hypnosis, losing conscious personality and will. They are highly suggestible and prone to extreme emotion and impulsive action.

• The crowd mind is primitive, thinking in images and acting on emotion rather than reason. Emotions are intensified in crowds, and imagination is unleashed, which increases suggestibility.

• In crowds, authority and social pressure exert a strong influence. Individuals are intimidated by the crowd and want to act the way the crowd does. Imitation is a powerful force.

• Revivals employ many of the same tactics as hypnosis to increase suggestibility, including exhaustion, rhythm, mystery, and emotional arousal. Song, preaching, and social pressure are used to break down resistance and elicit conversion.

• Fear, symbolic images, and limiting of outside ideas are also used to increase suggestibility and encourage impulsive action in revival crowds. Some individuals respond primarily to social pressure rather than deep conviction.

• In summary, crowds are highly subject to manipulation through hypnotic tactics that work by arousing emotion, limiting reason, and employing suggestibility. Revivals are able to use these mechanisms effectively to produce responses and shape beliefs.

Revivals often employ hypnotic and persuasive methods to influence people and gain converts. These methods can produce an abnormal or hypnotic effect on some individuals.
Revivalists urge people to surrender their will and give themselves to God or Jesus. They use emotional and persuasive techniques to get people to convert.
Accounts from converts show that the experience was primarily emotional and irrational, not intellectual. Some people experienced a period of ecstasy followed by a relapse from religion.
Critics argue that the hypnotic methods used in revivals produce a counterfeit religious experience, not a genuine spiritual one. These methods are primitive and more akin to animal magnetism. They can be psychologically and morally harmful, especially to children and highly suggestible individuals.
While revivals have led some to lead moral lives, for many the effect is temporary. There is a high rate of “backsliding,” and some become more open to suggestion and prone to join cults or follow “messiahs.” Repeated conversions and backslidings show a susceptibility to emotional manipulation.
Revivals can be particularly harmful during adolescence, when individuals are undergoing psychological and sexual development. The shock and fear tactics used can strengthen tendencies toward hysteria and doubt. There is also a close link between religious excitement and arousal of sexuality at this age.
Critics argue that the revival of the future should rely less on coercive, manipulative, and overwhelming techniques. There should be more focus on gradual education and instruction to produce real and lasting change. Hypnotic methods will be discarded for more rational and ethical forms of influence and suggestion.

In summary, critics argue that while revivals aim for positive goals like conversion, the hypnotic and manipulative techniques they employ are psychologically and morally problematic, especially for suggestible individuals and youth. More ethical methods will be needed for revivals to have a genuinely beneficial influence.

• The law of compensation is immutable and balances the scales of justice. It ensures there are no voids and replaces what is taken away.

• The law of compensation works for or against anyone regardless of their status. It exacts penalties and rewards over both short and long periods of time. What it takes from one generation, it gives to the next. It is precise and does not tolerate cheating.

• The world war provided examples of the law of compensation in action. It showed the folly of imposing rule without consent and the benefits of tolerance. It also showed we can find reward in virtue during our lives, not just in the afterlife.

• The law of compensation rewards and punishes in all ways, including through our conscience. The story of the bank clerk shows how we can punish ourselves for years due to an imagined injustice.

• No human law can overcome the law of compensation. The more we try to avoid it, the less chance we have of escaping its consequences. We must study and conform to its principles.

• History shows many great leaders suffered, sacrificed, and endured failure but persevered without bitterness. Knut Hamsun is a modern example of someone rewarded after much struggle.

• Ultimately, only truth prevails while all else passes. The law of compensation is inescapable.

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That’s the essence of the key points around the law of compensation according to the editorial. Let me know if you would like me to clarify or expand on any part of the summary.

• Knut Hamsun, a once homeless tramp, won the Nobel Prize in Literature and $50,000. He had worked many odd jobs, including as a trolley conductor, longshoreman, and dishwasher.

• The author knew a banker in Washington, D.C., who loaned him money but later took over his prosperous school. Though a blow, it forced the author into more meaningful work. The banker later lost everything due to the “law of compensation.”

• The author says we should help people turn failures and mistakes into success. Excess causes defect; every faculty with pleasure has an equal penalty. Nature takes from the hoarder and gives to the spender. The fortunate end up the same as others.

• The author split from his associate who cared more about money than principle or humanity. Though it meant losing two years of work, the author gained more in three months from supporters. He says to support principle over money and humanity over the individual. Temporary sacrifice leads to reward.

• Experience shows that explaining why something is dangerous is less effective for children than letting them experience it in a controlled fashion. The same applies to “children grown tall.” Hardships teach more than easy explanations.

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have need of the same system of education, for we also need the school of experience to teach many important lessons which cannot be learned through explanations alone.

The key to health, success and prosperity is harmony and cooperation.
What affects one person affects others and the whole.
Lack of harmony and cooperation leads to suffering for all.
The remedy is applying the Golden Rule - doing unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Schools should teach the Golden Rule as it leads to success in all areas of life.
The Golden Rule is the panacea for the world’s problems.
An example is a dog being acquitted after licking the hand of a boy it bit, showing forgiveness and cooperation.

The summary captures the main ideas from the passage, including the potential of the Golden Rule philosophy to create positive outcomes in all spheres of life, as well as specific examples given to illustrate this.

Here is a summary of 2008:

• The global financial crisis intensified in 2008, triggered by the subprime mortgage crisis in the U.S. Several major investment banks collapsed, and the stock market experienced huge losses.

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• Barack Obama was elected as the first African American president of the United States.

• The Summer Olympics were held in Beijing, China. Michael Phelps won 8 gold medals in swimming.

• The Large Hadron Collider became operational in Switzerland, providing new insights into physics and the universe.

• The global economic downturn led to a major recession in the U.S. and many other countries. Home prices declined substantially.

• The terrorist group Al Qaeda carried out several major attacks, including the Mumbai attacks in India that killed over 160 people.

• The popular music service Spotify was launched, paving the way for streaming music services.

• The Catholic Church apologized for its role in separating Aboriginal children from their families in Canada.

• Israel and Hamas fought a 22-day war in Gaza. Over 1,000 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed.

• Somali pirates hijacked dozens of ships off the coast of Africa, including a Ukrainian ship carrying tanks and other weapons.

• The summer blockbuster movie The Dark Knight, starring Heath Ledger, smashed box office records. Tragically, Ledger died earlier in the year.

• Usain Bolt of Jamaica won 3 gold medals in world record times at the Beijing Olympics, cementing his status as the fastest man in history.

• The final book in Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series, Breaking Dawn, was published and sold over 1.3 million copies in its first day.

That covers some of the major highlights from around the world in 2008. Let me know if you would like me to elaborate on any of these events.

Here is a summary of the key ideas in the book:

•Your social and physical heredity, including your environment and habits, shape who you become. You can overcome negative influences through deliberate effort and persistence.

•Auto-suggestion and controlling your self-talk is key to developing positive habits and character. Defining your life’s purpose or a definite aim provides direction and motivation.

•The laws of suggestion, retaliation, and attraction govern human relationships and interactions. How you view others and treat them has consequences. Adopting a positive mindset attracts positive relationships and opportunities.

•Your mind is powerful and you can harness it through imagination, belief, and persistence. Great achievement requires vision, faith in your abilities, and action. Success leaves clues—study the habits and mindsets of highly successful people.

•Building self-confidence comes from having a definite purpose, taking action, achieving small wins, facing fears, and stepping outside your comfort zone. Self-confidence attracts success.

•Your environment and habits shape you for better or worse. Choose environments and form habits that support your goals and priorities. Break bad habits and limiting beliefs through awareness and deliberate effort.

•Memory can be improved through interest, repetition, visualization, association, and mnemonics like rhymes, acronyms, and alliteration. Review information regularly to keep it fresh in your mind.

•Persuasion is more powerful than force. Appeal to emotions and basic human needs. Frame your message in a way that motivates action. Tell stories and use rhetorical devices to win people over to your way of thinking.

•The laws of compensation and cause and effect ensure that what goes around comes around, for better or worse. Your thoughts, words, and deeds have consequences, so choose wisely. Treat others the way you want to be treated.

•Applying the Golden Rule by treating others the way you want to be treated leads to success, happiness, peace, and prosperity. Make the Golden Rule the guiding principle in all your interactions and transactions.

#book-summary

Napoleon Hills Golden Rules The Lost Writi - Hill, Napoleon_