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IN SIXTEEN LESSONS

Teaching, for the First Time in the
History of the World, the True Philos-
ophy upon which all Personal Success
is Built.



BY
NAPOLEON HILL



1 9 2 8

PUBLISHED BY
The RALSTON UNIVERSITY PRESS
MERIDEN, CONN.
Ebook version Minding the Future Ltd, 2003, All Rights Reserved






COPYRIGHT, 1928, BY
NAPOLEON HILL
______
All Rights Reserved
Ebook version Minding the Future Ltd, 2003
All Rights Reserved











Pri nted i n the U. S. A.


- 2 -







Lesson Nine
HABIT OF DOING MORE
THAN PAID FOR



- 3 -



THERE are ten weaknesses
against which most of us
must guard ourselves. One
of these is the habit of
trying to reap before we
have sown, and the other
nine are all wrapped up in
the one practice of creating
alibis to cover every
mistake made.



- 4 -

THE LAW OF SUCCESS
Lesson Nine
HABIT OF DOING MORE THAN
PAID FOR



"You Can Do It i f You Bel i eve You Can!

IT may seem t o be a depart ure from t he subj ect of t hi s
l esson t o st art t he l esson wi t h a di scussi on of l ove,
but , i f you wi l l re serve your opi ni on unt i l you have
compl et ed t he l esson, you may be ready t o agree t hat
t he subj ect of l ove coul d not have been omi t t ed
wi t hout i mpai ri ng t he val ue of t he l esson.
The word "l ove" i s here used i n an al l -embraci ng
sense!
There are many obj ect s, mot i ves and peopl e
whi ch arouse one' s l ove-nat ure. There i s some work
whi ch we do not l i ke, some t hat we do l i ke
moderat el y, and, under cert ai n condi t i ons, t here may
be work t hat we act ual l y LOVE!
Great art i st s, for exampl e, general l y l ove t hei r
work. The day l aborer, on t he ot her hand, usual l y not
onl y di sl i kes hi s work, but may act ual l y hat e i t .
Work whi ch one does merel y for t he sake of
earni ng a l i vi ng i s sel dom l i ked. More oft en i t i s
di sl i ked, or even hat ed.
- 5 -
When engaged i n work whi ch he l oves, a man may
l abor for an unbel i evabl y l ong peri od of hours wi t hout
becomi ng fat i gued. Work t hat a man di sl i kes or hat es
bri ngs on fat i gue very qui ckl y.
A man' s endurance, t herefore, depends very
l argel y on t he ext ent t o whi ch he l i kes, di sl i kes or
l oves t hat whi ch he i s doi ng.
We are here l ayi ng t he foundat i on, as you wi l l of
course observe, for t he st at ement of one of t he most
i mport ant l aws of t hi s phi l osophy, vi z. :
A man i s most ef f i ci ent and wi l l more qui ckl y and
easi l y succeed when engaged i n work t hat he l oves, or
work t hat he perf orms i n behal f o f some person whom
he l oves.
Whenever t he el ement of l ove ent ers i nt o any t ask
t hat one performs, t he qual i t y of t he work becomes
i mmedi at el y i mproved and t he quant i t y i ncreased,
wi t hout a correspondi ng i ncrease i n t he fat i gue caused
by t he work.
Some years ago a group of soci al i st s, or perhaps
t hey cal l ed t hemsel ves "co-operat ors, " organi zed a
col ony i n Loui si ana, purchased several hundred acres
of farm l and, and st art ed t o work out an i deal whi ch
t hey bel i eved woul d gi ve t hem great er happi ness i n
l i fe and fewer of t he worri es t hrough a syst em t hat
provi ded each person wi t h work at t he sort of l abor he
l i ked best .
Thei r i dea was t o pay no wages t o anyone. Each
person di d t he work he l i ked best , or t hat for whi ch he
mi ght be best equi pped, and t he product s of t hei r
combi ned l abors became t he propert y of al l . They had
t hei r own dai ry, t hei r own bri ck-maki ng pl ant , t hei r
own cat t l e, poul t ry, et c. They had t hei r own school s
- 6 -
and a pri nt i ng pl ant t hrough whi ch t hey publ i shed a
paper
A Swedi sh gent l eman from Mi nnesot a j oi ned t he
col ony, and at hi s own request he was pl aced at work
i n t he pri nt i ng pl ant . Very soon he compl ai ned t hat he
di d not l i ke t he work, so he was changed and put t o
work on t he farm, operat i ng a t ract or. Two days of
t hi s was al l he coul d st and, so he agai n appl i ed for a
t ransfer, and was assi gned t o t he dai ry. He coul d not
get al ong wi t h t he cows, so he was once more
changed, t o t he l aundry, where he l ast ed but one day.
One by one he t ri ed every j ob on t he works, but l i ked
none of t hem. It had begun t o l ook as i f he di d not fi t
i n wi t h t he co-operat i ve i dea of l i vi ng, and he was
about t o wi t hdraw when someone happened t o t hi nk of
one j ob he had not yet t ri ed - i n t he bri ck pl ant , so he
was gi ven a wheel barrow and put t o work wheel i ng
bri cks from t he ki l ns and st acki ng t hem i n pi l es, i n t he
bri ck yard. A week' s t i me went by and no compl ai nt
was regi st ered by hi m. When asked i f he l i ked hi s j ob
he repl i ed, "Thi s ban chust t he j ob I l i ke. "
Imagi ne anyone preferri ng a j ob wheel i ng bri cks!
However, t hat j ob sui t ed t he Swede' s nat ure, he
worked al one, at a t ask whi ch cal l ed for no t hought ,
and pl aced upon hi m no responsi bi l i t y, whi ch was j ust
what he want ed.
He remai ned at t he j ob unt i l al l t he bri cks had
been wheel ed out and st acked, t hen wi t hdrew from t he
col ony because t here was no more bri ck work t o be
done. "The ni ce qui et j ob ban fi ni shed, so I yank I ban
go back t o Mi nney-so-t i e, " and back t o "Mi nney-so-
t i e" he went !
- 7 -
When a man i s engaged i n work t hat he l oves i t i s
no hardshi p for hi m t o do more work and bet t er work
t han t hat for whi ch he i s pai d, and for t hi s very reason
every man owes i t t o hi msel f t o do hi s best t o fi nd t he
sort of work he l i kes best .
I have a perfect ri ght t o offer t hi s advi ce t o t he
st udent s of t hi s phi l osophy for t he reason t hat I have
fol l owed i t , mysel f, wi t hout reason t o regret havi ng
done so.
Thi s seems t o be an appropri at e pl ace t o i nj ect a
l i t t l e personal hi st ory concerni ng bot h t he aut hor and
t he Law of Success phi l osophy, t he purpose of whi ch
i s t o show t hat l abor performed i n a spi ri t of l ove for
t he sake of t he l abor, i t sel f, never has been and never
wi l l be l ost .
Thi s ent i re l esson i s devot ed t o t he offeri ng of
evi dence t hat i t real l y pays t o render more servi ce and
bet t er servi ce t han one i s pai d t o render. What an
empt y and usel ess effort t hi s woul d be i f t he aut hor
had not , hi msel f, pract i ced t hi s rul e l ong enough t o be
abl e t o say j ust how i t works out .
For over a quart er of a cent ury I have been
engaged i n t he l abor of l ove out of whi ch t hi s
phi l osophy has been devel oped, and I am perfect l y
si ncere when I repeat t hat whi ch I have st at ed
el sewhere i n t hi s course, t hat I have been ampl y pai d
for my l abors, by t he pl easure I have had as I went
al ong, even i f I recei ved not hi ng more.
My l abors on t hi s phi l osophy made i t necessary,
many years ago, for me t o choose bet ween i mmedi at e
monet ary ret urns, whi ch I mi ght have enj oyed by
di rect i ng my effort s al ong purel y commerci al l i nes,
and remunerat i on t hat comes i n l at er years, and whi ch
- 8 -
i s represent ed by bot h t he usual fi nanci al st andards
and ot her forms of pay whi ch can be measured onl y i n
t erms of accumul at ed knowl edge t hat enabl es one t o
enj oy t he worl d about hi m more keenl y.
The man who engages i n work t hat he l oves best
does not al ways have t he support , i n hi s choi ce, of hi s
cl osest fri ends and rel at i ves.
Combat i ng negat i ve suggest i ons from fri ends and
rel at i ves has requi red an al armi ng proport i on of my
energi es, duri ng t he years t hat I have been engaged i n
research work for t he purpose of gat heri ng,
organi zi ng, cl assi fyi ng and t est i ng t he mat eri al whi ch
has gone i nt o t hi s course.
These personal references are made sol el y for t he
purpose of showi ng t he st udent s of t hi s phi l osophy
t hat sel dom, i f ever, can one hope t o engage i n t he
work one l oves best wi t hout meet i ng wi t h obst acl es of
some nat ure. General l y, t he chi ef obst acl es i n t he way
of one engagi ng i n t he sort of work one l oves best i s
t hat i t may not be t he work whi ch bri ngs t he great est
remunerat i on at t he st art .
To offset t hi s di sadvant age, however, t he one who
engages i n t he sort of work he l oves i s general l y
rewarded wi t h t wo very deci ded benefi t s, namel y;
fi rst , he usual l y fi nds i n such work t he great est of al l
rewards, HAPPINESS, whi ch i s pri cel ess, and
secondl y, hi s act ual reward i n money, when averaged
over a l i fe-t i me of effort , i s general l y much great er,
for t he reason t hat l abor whi ch i s performed i n a spi ri t
of l ove i s usual l y great er i n quant i t y and fi ner i n
qual i t y t han t hat whi ch i s performed sol el y for money.
The most embarrassi ng and, I mi ght wi t hout any
i nt ent i on of di srespect say, t he most di sast rous oppo-
- 9 -

THERE is no more
dangerous person -
dangerous to himself
and to others - than
the person who passes
judgment without pre-
tending to know the
facts.

- 10 -
si t i on t o my choi ce of a l i fe-work came from my wi fe.
Thi s, perhaps, wi l l expl ai n why I have made frequent
references, i n many of t he l essons of t hi s course, t o
t he fact t hat a man' s wi fe may ei t her "make" or
"break" hi m, accordi ng t o t he ext ent t o whi ch she
gi ves or wi t hhol ds co-operat i on and encouragement i n
connect i on wi t h hi s chosen work.
My wi fe' s i dea was t hat I shoul d accept a sal ari ed
posi t i on t hat woul d i nsure a regul ar mont hl y i ncome,
because I had shown, by t he few sal ari ed posi t i ons I
had hel d, t hat I had market abl e abi l i t y whi ch shoul d
command an i ncome of from $6, 000. 00 t o $10, 000. 00
a year wi t hout any very great effort on my part .
In a way I saw my wi fe' s vi ewpoi nt and was i n
sympat hy wi t h i t , because we had young growi ng
chi l dren comi ng on who needed cl ot hes and educat i on,
and a regul ar sal ary, even t hough i t were not l arge,
seemed t o be a necessi t y.
Despi t e t hi s l ogi cal argument , however, I chose t o
overri de my wi fe' s counsel . Came, t hen, t o her rescue,
t he combi ned forces of her fami l y and mi ne, and
col l ect i vel y t hey charged me, head-on, wi t h what
amount ed t o a command t o ri ght -about -face and set t l e
down on a sal ary basi s.
St udyi ng ot her peopl e mi ght be al l ri ght for a man
who had t he t i me t o spend i n t hi s "unprofi t abl e"
manner, t hey reasoned, but for a young marri ed man
wi t h a growi ng fami l y t hi s seemed hardl y t he t hi ng t o
do.
But I remai ned adamant ! I had made my choi ce
and I was det ermi ned t o st and by i t .
The opposi t i on di d not yi el d t o my vi ewpoi nt , but
gradual l y, of course, i t mel t ed away. Meanwhi l e, t he
knowl edge t hat my choi ce had worked at l east a t em-
- 11 -
porary hardshi p on my fami l y, combi ned wi t h t he
t hought t hat my dearest fri ends and rel at i ves were not
i n harmony wi t h me, great l y i ncreased my l abors.
Fort unat el y, not al l of my fri ends bel i eved my
choi ce unwi se!
There were a few fri ends who not onl y bel i eved I
was fol l owi ng a course t hat woul d ul t i mat el y bri ng me
out somewhere near t he t op of t he mount ai n of useful
achi evement , but , i n addi t i on t o bel i evi ng i n my pl ans,
t hey act ual l y went out of t hei r way t o encourage me
not t o be whi pped by ei t her adversi t y or t he
opposi t i on of rel at i ves.
Of t hi s smal l group of fai t hful ones who gave me
encouragement at a t i me when i t was badl y needed,
perhaps one man shoul d have t he ful l est credi t , and
t hi s man i s Edwi n C. Barnes, a busi ness associ at e of
Thomas A. Edi son.
Mr. Barnes became i nt erest ed i n my chosen work
nearl y t went y years ago, and I owe i t t o hi m t o st at e
here t hat had i t not been for hi s unwaveri ng fai t h i n
t he soundness of t he Law of Success phi l osophy I
woul d have yi el ded t o t he persuasi on of my fri ends
and sought t he way of l east resi st ance vi a t he sal ary
rout e.
Thi s woul d have saved me much gri ef and an
al most endl ess amount of cri t i ci sm, but i t woul d have
wrecked t he hopes of a l i fe-t i me, and i n t he end I
woul d i n al l probabi l i t y have l ost , al so, t he fi nest and
most desi rabl e of al l t hi ngs, HAPPINESS! for I have
been ext remel y happy i n my work, even duri ng t he
peri ods when t he remunerat i on i t brought me coul d be
measured by not hi ng but a mount ai n of debt s whi ch I
coul d not for t he moment pay.
- 12 -
Perhaps t hi s may expl ai n, t o some ext ent , why t he
subj ect of sl avery t hrough debt was so ext ensi vel y
emphasi zed i n Lesson Four, on t he Habi t of Savi ng.
We want t hat l esson t o "si nk i n. "
Edwi n Barnes not onl y bel i eved i n t he soundness
of t he Law of Success phi l osophy, but hi s own
fi nanci al success had demonst rat ed, as had al so hi s
cl ose busi ness rel at i onshi p wi t h t he great est i nvent or
on eart h, t hat he had t he ri ght t o speak wi t h aut hori t y
on t he subj ect of t he l aws t hrough whi ch success may
be achi eved.
I began my work of research wi t h t he bel i ef t hat
success coul d be at t ai ned, by anyone wi t h reasonabl e
i nt el l i gence and a real desi re t o succeed, by fol l owi ng
cert ai n (t hen by me unknown) rul es of procedure. I
want ed t o know what t hese rul es were and how t hey
coul d be appl i ed.
Mr. Barnes bel i eved as I di d. Moreover, he was i n
a posi t i on t o know t hat t he ast oundi ng achi evement s
of hi s busi ness associ at e, Mr. Edi son, came about
ent i rel y t hrough t he appl i cat i on of some of t he
pri nci pl es whi ch l at er were t est ed and i ncl uded as a
part of t hi s phi l osophy. From hi s way of t hi nki ng i t
seemed t hat t he accumul at i on of money, enj oyi ng
peace of mi nd and fi ndi ng happi ness coul d be brought
about by t he appl i cat i on of never-varyi ng l aws whi ch
anyone mi ght mast er and appl y.
That was my bel i ef, al so. That bel i ef has now
been t ransformed i nt o not merel y a provabl e, but a
PROVED real i t y, as I hope every st udent of t hi s
course wi l l have reason t o underst and when t he course
shal l have been mast ered.
Pl ease keep i n mi nd t hat duri ng al l t hese years of
- 13 -
research I was not onl y appl yi ng t he l aw covered by
t hi s l esson, by DOING MORE THAN PAID FOR, but ,
I was goi ng much furt her t han t hi s by doi ng work for
whi ch I di d not , at t he t i me I was doi ng i t , hope ever
t o recei ve pay.
Thus, out of years of chaos, adversi t y and
opposi t i on t hi s phi l osophy was fi nal l y compl et ed and
reduced t o manuscri pt s, ready for publ i cat i on.
For a t i me not hi ng happened!
I was rest i ng on my oars, so t o speak, before
t aki ng t he next st ep t oward pl aci ng t he phi l osophy i n
t he hands of peopl e who I had reason t o bel i eve woul d
wel come i t .
"God moves i n a myst eri ous way, Hi s wonders t o
perform!"
Duri ng t he earl i er years of my experi ence I
t hought t hese words t o be empt y and meani ngl ess, but
I have si nce modi fi ed my bel i ef consi derabl y.
I was i nvi t ed t o del i ver an address i n Cant on,
Ohi o. My comi ng had been wel l advert i sed and t here
was reason t o expect t hat I woul d have a l arge
audi ence. To t he cont rary, confl i ct i ng meet i ngs bei ng
hel d by t wo l arge groups of busi ness men reduced my
audi ence t o t he l ucky number of "t hi rt een. "
It has al ways been my bel i ef t hat a man shoul d do
hi s best , regardl ess of how much he recei ves for hi s
servi ces, or t he number of peopl e he may be servi ng
or t he cl ass of peopl e served. I went at my subj ect as
t hough t he hal l were fi l l ed. Somehow t here arose i n
me a sort of feel i ng of resent ment on account of t he
way t he "wheel of fat e" had t urned agai nst me, and i f
I ever made a convi nci ng speech I made i t t hat ni ght .
- 14 -
Down deep i n my heart , however, I t hought I had
fai l ed!
I di d not know unt i l t he next day t hat I was
maki ng hi st ory t he ni ght before t hat was dest i ned t o
gi ve t he Law of Success phi l osophy i t s fi rst real
i mpet us.
One of t he men who sat i n my audi ence, as one of
t he "t hi rt een, " was t he l at e Don R. Mel l et t , who was
t hen t he publ i sher of t he Cant on Dai l y News, bri ef
reference t o whom I made i n t he Int roduct ory Lesson
of t hi s course.
Aft er I had fi ni shed speaki ng I sl i pped out at t he
back door and ret urned t o my hot el , not want i ng t o
face any of my "t hi rt een" vi ct i ms on t he way out .
The next day I was i nvi t ed t o Mr. Mel l et t ' s offi ce.
Inasmuch as i t was he who had t aken t he
i ni t i at i ve by i nvi t i ng me i n t o see hi m I l eft i t t o hi m
t o do most of t he t al ki ng. He began i n somet hi ng l i ke
t hi s fashi on:
"Woul d you mi nd t el l i ng me your ent i re l i fe-
st ory, from t he days of your earl y chi l dhood on up t o
t he present ?"
I t ol d hi m I woul d do so i f he coul d st and t he
burden of l i st eni ng t o so l ong a narrat i ve. He sai d he
coul d, but before I began he caut i oned me not t o omi t
t he unfavorabl e si de.
"What I wi sh you t o do, " sai d he, "i s t o mi x t he
fat wi t h t he l ean and l et me t ake a l ook at your very
soul , not from i t s most favorabl e si de, but from al l
si des. "
For t hree hours I t al ked whi l e Mel l et t l i st ened!
I omi t t ed not hi ng. I t ol d hi m of my st ruggl es, of
my mi st akes, of my i mpul ses t o be di shonest when t he
t i des of fort une swept agai nst me t oo swi ft l y, and of
- 15 -



AMONG the other
things you intend to
"cut out" in your New
Year's resolution,
include the word
"Impossible!"


- 16 -
my bet t er j udgment whi ch prevai l ed i n t he end, but
onl y aft er my consci ence and I had engaged i n
prol onged combat . I t ol d hi m how I concei ved t he i dea
of organi zi ng t he Law of Success phi l osophy, how I
had gone about gat heri ng t he dat a t hat had gone i nt o
t he phi l osophy, of t he t est s I had made whi ch resul t ed
i n t he el i mi nat i on of some of t he dat a and t he
ret ent i on of ot her part s of i t .
Aft er I had fi ni shed Mel l et t sai d: "I wi sh t o ask
you a very personal quest i on, and I hope you wi l l
answer i t as frankl y as you have t ol d t he remai nder of
your st ory. Have you accumul at ed any money from
your effort s, and, i f not , do you know why you have
not ?"
"No!" I repl i ed. "I have accumul at ed not hi ng but
experi ence and knowl edge and a few debt s, and t he
reason, whi l e i t may not be sound, i s easi l y expl ai ned.
The t rut h i s t hat I have been so busy al l t hese years i n
t ryi ng t o el i mi nat e some of my own i gnorance so I
coul d i nt el l i gent l y gat her and organi ze t he dat a t hat
have gone i nt o t he Law of Success phi l osophy, t hat I
have had nei t her t he opport uni t y nor t he i ncl i nat i on t o
t urn my effort s t o maki ng money. "
The seri ous l ook on Don Mel l et t ' s face, much t o
my surpri se, soft ened i nt o a smi l e as he l ai d hi s hand
on my shoul der and sai d:
"I knew t he answer before you st at ed i t , but I
wondered i f you knew i t . You probabl y know t hat you
are not t he onl y man who has had t o sacri fi ce
i mmedi at e monet ary remunerat i on for t he sake of
gat heri ng knowl edge, for i n t rut h your experi ence has
been t hat of every phi l osopher from t he t i me of
Socrat es down t o t he present . "
- 17 -
Those words fel l as t he sound of musi c upon my
ears!
I had made one of t he most embarrassi ng
admi ssi ons of my l i fe; I had l ai d my soul bare,
admi t t i ng t emporary defeat at al most every cross-road
whi ch I had passed i n my st ruggl es, and I had capped
al l t hi s off by admi t t i ng t hat an exponent of t he Law
of Success was, hi msel f, a t emporary fai l ure!
How i ncongruous i t seemed! I fel t st upi d,
humi l i at ed and embarrassed as I sat i n front of t he
most searchi ng pai r of eyes and t he most i nqui si t i ve
man I had ever met .
The absurdi t y of i t al l came over me l i ke a fl ash -
THE PHILOSOPHY OF SUCCESS, CREATED AND
BROADCASTED BY A MAN WHO WAS
OBVIOUSLY A FAILURE!
Thi s t hought st ruck me so forci bl y t hat I
expressed i t i n words.
"What ?" Mel l et t excl ai med, "a fai l ure?
"Surel y you know t he di fference bet ween fai l ure
and t emporary defeat , " he cont i nued. "No man i s a
fai l ure who creat es a si ngl e i dea, much l ess an ent i re
phi l osophy, t hat serves t o soft en t he di sappoi nt ment s
and mi ni mi ze t he hardshi ps of generat i ons yet
unborn. "
I wondered what was t he obj ect of t hi s i nt ervi ew.
My fi rst conj ect ure was t hat Mel l et t want ed some
fact s on whi ch t o base an at t ack, i n hi s newspaper, on
t he Law of Success phi l osophy. Perhaps t hi s t hought
grew out of some of my previ ous experi ences wi t h
newspaper men, a few of whom had been ant agoni st i c
t oward me. At any rat e, I deci ded at t he out set of t he
i nt ervi ew t o gi ve hi m t he fact s, wi t hout embel l i shment
- 18 -
come from i t what woul d.
Before I l eft Mel l et t ' s offi ce we had become
busi ness part ners, wi t h t he underst andi ng t hat he
woul d resi gn as publ i sher of t he Cant on Dai l y News
and t ake over t he management of al l my affai rs, as
soon as t hi s coul d be arranged.
Meanwhi l e, I began wri t i ng a seri es of Sunday
feat ure-page edi t ori al s whi ch were publ i shed i n t he
Cant on Dai l y News, based upon t he Law of Success
phi l osophy.
One of t hese edi t ori al s (t he one ent i t l ed
"Fai l ure, " whi ch appears i n t he back of one of t he
l essons of t hi s course) came t o t he at t ent i on of j udge
El bert H. Gary, who was at t hat t i me t he Chai rman of
t he Board of t he Uni t ed St at es St eel Corporat i on. Thi s
resul t ed i n t he openi ng of communi cat i on bet ween
Mel l et t and Judge Gary, whi ch, i n t urn, l ed t o j udge
Gary' s offer t o purchase t he Law of Success course for
t he use of t he empl oyees of t he St eel Corporat i on, i n
t he manner descri bed i n t he Int roduct ory Lesson.
The t i des of fort une had begun t o t urn i n my
favor!
The seeds of servi ce whi ch I had been sowi ng
over a l ong peri od of t oi l some years, by DOING
MORE THAN PAID FOR, were begi nni ng t o
germi nat e at l ast !
Despi t e t he fact t hat my part ner was assassi nat ed
before our pl ans had much more t han st art ed, and
Judge Gary di ed before t he Law of Success phi l osophy
coul d be re-wri t t en so i t conformed t o hi s
requi rement s, t he "l ove' s l abor l ost " on t hat fat eful
ni ght , when I spoke t o an audi ence of t hi rt een i n
Cant on, Ohi o, st art ed a chai n of event s whi ch now
move rapi dl y wi t hout t hought or effort on my part .
- 19 -
It i s no abuse of confi dences t o enumerat e here a
few of t he event s whi ch show t hat no l abor of l ove i s
ever performed at a t ot al l oss, and t hat t hose who
render more servi ce and bet t er servi ce t han t hat for
whi ch t hey are pai d sooner or l at er recei ve pay for
much more t han t hey act ual l y do.
As t hi s l esson i s ready t o go t o t he publ i sher
some of t he fol l owi ng wel l known concerns are
consi deri ng favorabl y t he purchase of t he Law of
Success course for al l t hei r empl oyees, whi l e ot hers
have act ual l y arranged for t he purchase of t he course:
Mr. Dani el Wi l l ard, Presi dent of t he Bal t i more &
Ohi o Rai l road Co.
Indi an Refi ni ng Company
St andard Oi l Company
New York Li fe Insurance Company
The Post al Tel egraph Commerci al -Cabl e Company
The Pi erce-Arrow Mot or Car Company
The Cadi l l ac Mot or Car Company
And some fi ft y ot her concerns of a si mi l ar si ze.
In addi t i on t o t hi s, a newl y organi zed cl ub for
boys, si mi l ar i n nat ure t o t he Y. M. C. A. , has
cont ract ed for t he use of t he Law of Success course as
t he basi s of i t s educat i onal program, and est i mat es
t hat i t wi l l di st ri but e more t han 100, 000 courses of t he
phi l osophy wi t hi n t he next t wo years.
Qui t e asi de from t hese sources of di st ri but i on, t he
Ral st on Uni versi t y Press, of Meri den, Conn. , has
cont ract ed t o publ i sh and di st ri but e t he course t o
i ndi vi dual s t hroughout t he Uni t ed St at es, and perhaps
i n some forei gn count ri es. How many courses t hey
wi l l di st ri but e cannot be accurat el y est i mat ed, but
when one st ops t o consi der t he fact t hat t hey have a
- 20 -
mai l i ng l i st of approxi mat el y 800, 000 peopl e who
have fai t h i n anyt hi ng t hey offer for sal e, i t seems
very reasonabl e t o suppose t hat t hei r di st ri but i on wi l l
pl ace t ens of t housands of courses i n t he hands of men
and women who are earnest l y searchi ng for t he
knowl edge conveyed by t he Law of Success
phi l osophy.
Perhaps i t i s unnecessary, but I wi sh t o expl ai n
t hat my onl y obj ect i n here rel at i ng t he st ory of how
t he Law of Success phi l osophy has gai ned t he
recogni t i on descri bed i s t o show how t he l aw upon
whi ch t hi s l esson i s based act ual l y works out i n t he
pract i cal affai rs of l i fe.
If I coul d have made t hi s anal ysi s wi t hout t he use
of t he personal pronoun I woul d have done so.

Wi t h t hi s background of hi st ory concerni ng t he
Law of Success phi l osophy as a whol e, and t hi s l esson
i n part i cul ar, you are bet t er prepared t o accept as
sound t he l aw on whi ch t hi s l esson i s based.
There are more t han a score of sound reasons why
you shoul d devel op t he habi t of performi ng more
servi ce and bet t er servi ce t han t hat for whi ch you are
pai d, despi t e t he fact t hat a l arge maj ori t y of t he
peopl e are not renderi ng such servi ce.
There are t wo reasons, however, for renderi ng
such servi ce, whi ch t ranscend, i n i mport ance, al l t he
ot hers; namel y,
Fi rst : By est abl i shi ng a reput at i on as bei ng a
person who al ways renders more servi ce and bet t er
servi ce t han t hat for whi ch you are pai d, you wi l l
benefi t by compari son wi t h t hose around you who do
not render such servi ce, and t he cont rast wi l l be so
- 21 -

IF ye have faith as a
grain of mustard seed,
ye shall say unto this
mountain, Remove
hence to yonder place;
and it shall remove;
and nothing shall be
impossible unto you."

- 22 -
not i ceabl e t hat t here wi l l be keen compet i t i on f or your
servi ces, no mat t er what your l i f e-work may be.
It woul d be an i nsul t t o your i nt el l i gence t o offer
proof of t he soundness of t hi s st at ement , because i t i s
obvi ousl y sound. Whet her you are preachi ng sermons,
pract i ci ng l aw, wri t i ng books, t eachi ng school , or
di ggi ng di t ches, you wi l l become more val uabl e and
you wi l l be abl e t o command great er pay t he mi nut e
you gai n recogni t i on as a person who does more t han
t hat for whi ch he i s pai d.
Second: By far t he most i mport ant reason why
you shoul d render more servi ce t han t hat for whi ch
you are pai d; a reason t hat i s basi c and fundament al i n
nat ure; may be descri bed i n t hi s way: Suppose t hat
you wi shed t o devel op a st rong ri ght arm, and suppose
t hat you t ri ed t o do so by t yi ng t he arm t o your si de
wi t h a rope, t hus t aki ng i t out of use and gi vi ng i t a
l ong rest . Woul d di suse bri ng st rengt h, or woul d i t
bri ng at rophy and weakness, resul t i ng, fi nal l y, i n your
bei ng compel l ed t o have t he arm removed?
You know t hat i f you wi shed a st rong ri ght arm
you coul d devel op such an arm onl y by gi vi ng i t t he
hardest sort of use. Take a l ook at t he arm of a
bl acksmi t h i f you wi sh t o know how an arm may be
made st rong. Out of resi st ance comes st rengt h. The
st rongest oak t ree of t he forest i s not t he one t hat i s
prot ect ed from t he st orm and hi dden from t he sun, but
i t i s t he one t hat st ands i n t he open, where i t i s
compel l ed t o st ruggl e for i t s exi st ence agai nst t he
wi nds and rai ns and t he scorchi ng sun.
It i s t hrough t he operat i on of one of Nat ure' s
unvaryi ng l aws t hat st ruggl e and resi st ance devel op
st rengt h, and t he purpose of t hi s l esson i s t o show you
- 23 -
how t o harness t hi s l aw and so use i t t hat i t wi l l ai d
you i n your st ruggl e for success. By performi ng more
servi ce and bet t er servi ce t han t hat for whi ch you are
pai d, you not onl y exerci se your servi ce-renderi ng
qual i t i es, and t hereby devel op ski l l and abi l i t y of an
ext raordi nary sort , but you bui l d reput at i on t hat i s
val uabl e. If you form t he habi t of renderi ng such
servi ce you wi l l become so adept i n your work t hat
you can command great er remunerat i on t han t hose who
do not perform such servi ce. You wi l l event ual l y
devel op suffi ci ent st rengt h t o enabl e you t o remove
yoursel f from any undesi rabl e st at i on i n l i fe, and no
one can or wi l l desi re t o st op you.
If you are an empl oyee you can make yoursel f so
val uabl e, t hrough t hi s habi t of performi ng more
servi ce t han t hat for whi ch you are pai d, t hat you can
pract i cal l y set your own wages and no sensi bl e
empl oyer wi l l t ry t o st op you. If your empl oyer shoul d
be so unfort unat e as t o t ry t o wi t hhol d from you t he
compensat i on t o whi ch you are ent i t l ed, t hi s wi l l not
l ong remai n as a handi cap because ot her empl oyers
wi l l di scover t hi s unusual qual i t y and offer you
empl oyment .
The very fact t hat most peopl e are renderi ng as
l i t t l e servi ce as t hey can possi bl y get by wi t h serves
as an advant age t o al l who are renderi ng more servi ce
t han t hat for whi ch t hey are pai d, because i t enabl es
al l who do t hi s t o profi t by compari son. You can "get
by" i f you render as l i t t l e servi ce as possi bl e, but t hat
i s al l you wi l l get ; and when work i s sl ack and
ret renchment set s i n, you wi l l be one of t he fi rst t o be
di smi ssed.
For more t han t went y-fi ve years I have careful l y
- 24 -
st udi ed men wi t h t he obj ect of ascert ai ni ng why some
achi eve not ewort hy success whi l e ot hers wi t h j ust as
much abi l i t y do not get ahead; and i t seems si gni fi cant
t hat every person whom I have observed appl yi ng t hi s
pri nci pl e of renderi ng more servi ce t han t hat for
whi ch he was pai d, was hol di ng a bet t er posi t i on and
recei vi ng more pay t han t hose who merel y performed
suffi ci ent servi ce t o "get by" wi t h.
Personal l y I never recei ved a promot i on i n my
l i f e t hat I coul d not t race di rect l y t o recogni t i on t hat I
had gai ned by renderi ng more servi ce and bet t er
servi ce t han t hat f or whi ch I was pai d.
I am st ressi ng t he i mport ance of maki ng t hi s
pri nci pl e a habi t as a means of enabl i ng an empl oyee
t o promot e hi msel f t o a hi gher posi t i on, wi t h great er
pay, for t he reason t hat t hi s course wi l l be st udi ed by
t housands of young men and young women who work
for ot hers. However, t he pri nci pl e appl i es t o t he
empl oyer or t o t he professi onal man or woman j ust t he
same as t o t he empl oyee.
Observance of t hi s pri nci pl e bri ngs a t wo-fol d
reward. Fi rst , i t bri ngs t he reward of great er mat eri al
gai n t han t hat enj oyed by t hose who do not observe i t ;
and, second, i t bri ngs t hat reward of happi ness and
sat i sfact i on whi ch come onl y t o t hose who render such
servi ce. If you recei ve no pay except t hat whi ch comes
i n your pay envel ope, you are underpai d, no mat t er
how much money t hat envel ope cont ai ns.

My wi fe has j ust ret urned from t he Publ i c Li brary
wi t h a book for me t o read. The book i s ent i t l ed
- 25 -
"Observat i on; Every Man Hi s Own Uni versi t y, " by
Russel l H. Conwel l .
By chance I opened t hi s book at t he begi nni ng of
t he chapt er ent i t l ed Every Man' s Uni versi t y, and, as I
read i t t hrough, my fi rst i mpul se was t o recommend
t hat you go t o t he Publ i c Li brary and read t he ent i re
book; but , upon second t hought , I wi l l not do t hi s;
i nst ead, I wi l l recommend t hat you purchase t he book
and read i t , not once but a hundred t i mes, because i t
covers t he subj ect of t hi s l esson as t hough i t had been
wri t t en for t hat purpose; covers i t i n a far more
i mpressi ve manner t han I coul d do i t .
The fol l owi ng quot at i on from t he chapt er ent i t l ed
Every Man' s Uni versi t y wi l l gi ve you an i dea of t he
gol den nugget of t rut h t o be found t hroughout t he
book:
"The i nt el l ect can be made t o l ook far beyond t he
range of what men and women ordi nari l y see, but not
al l t he col l eges i n t he worl d can al one confer t hi s
power - t hi s i s t he reward of sel f -cul t ure; each must
acqui re i t for hi msel f; and perhaps t hi s i s why t he
power of observi ng deepl y and wi del y i s so much
oft ener found i n t hose men and t hose women who have
never crossed t he t hreshol d of any col l ege but t he
Uni versi t y of Hard Knocks. "
Read t hat book as a part of t hi s l esson, because i t
wi l l prepare you t o profi t by t he phi l osophy and
psychol ogy upon whi ch t he l esson i s bui l t .

We wi l l now anal yze t he l aw upon whi ch t hi s
ent i re l esson i s founded, namel y -
- 26 -
THE LAW OF INCREASING RETURNS!

Let us begi n our anal ysi s by showi ng how Nat ure
empl oys t hi s l aw i n behal f of t he t i l l ers of t he soi l .
The farmer careful l y prepares t he ground, t hen sows
hi s wheat and wai t s whi l e t he Law of Increasi ng
Ret urns bri ngs back t he seed he has sown, pl us a
many-f ol d i ncrease.
But for t hi s Law of Increasi ng Ret urns, man
woul d peri sh, because he coul d not make t he soi l
produce suffi ci ent food for hi s exi st ence. There woul d
be no advant age t o be gai ned by sowi ng a fi el d of
wheat i f t he harvest yi el d di d not ret urn more t han
was sown.
Wi t h t hi s vi t al "t i p" from Nat ure, whi ch we may
gat her from t he wheat fi el ds, l et us proceed t o
appropri at e t hi s Law of Increasi ng Ret urns and l earn
how t o appl y i t t o t he servi ce we render, t o t he end
t hat i t may yi el d ret urns i n excess of and out of
proport i on t o t he ef f ort put f ort h.
Fi rst of al l , l et us emphasi ze t he fact t hat t here i s
no t ri ckery or chi canery connect ed wi t h t hi s Law,
al t hough qui t e a few seem not t o have l earned t hi s
great t rut h, j udgi ng by t he number who spend al l of
t hei r effort s ei t her t ryi ng t o get somet hi ng for
not hi ng, or somet hi ng for l ess t han i t s t rue val ue.
It i s t o no such end t hat we recommend t he use of
t he Law of Increasi ng Ret urns, for no such end i s
possi bl e, wi t hi n t he broad meani ng of t he word
success.
Anot her remarkabl e and not ewort hy feat ure of t he
Law of Increasi ng Ret urns i s t he fact t hat i t may be
used by t hose who purchase servi ce wi t h as great
ret urns as i t can be by t hose who render servi ce, for
Proof of whi ch we have but t o st udy t he effect s of
- 27 -


ULTIMATELY nothing
matters very much. The
defeat that seems to break
your heart today will be
but a ripple among the
waves of other ex-
periences in the ocean of
your life further ahead.


- 28 -
Henry Ford' s famous Fi ve-Dol l ar-a-day mi ni mum
wage scal e whi ch he i naugurat ed some years ago.
Those who are fami l i ar wi t h t he fact s say t hat Mr.
Ford was not pl ayi ng t he part of a phi l ant hropi st when
he i naugurat ed t hi s mi ni mum wage scal e; but , t o t he
cont rary, he was merel y t aki ng advant age of a sound
busi ness pri nci pl e whi ch has probabl y yi el ded hi m
great er ret urns, i n bot h dol l ars and good-wi l l , t han
any ot her si ngl e pol i cy ever i naugurat ed at t he Ford
pl ant .
By payi ng more wages t han t he average, he
recei ved more servi ce and bet t er servi ce t han t he
average!
At a si ngl e st roke, t hrough t he i naugurat i on of
t hat mi ni mum wage pol i cy, Ford at t ract ed t he best
l abor on t he market and pl aced a premi um upon t he
pri vi l ege of worki ng i n hi s pl ant .
I have no aut hent i c fi gures at hand beari ng on t he
subj ect , but I have sound reason t o conj ect ure t hat for
every fi ve dol l ars Ford spent , under t hi s pol i cy, he
recei ved at l east seven dol l ars and fi ft y cent s' wort h
of servi ce. I have, al so, sound reason t o bel i eve t hat
t hi s pol i cy enabl ed Ford t o reduce t he cost of
supervi si on, because empl oyment i n hi s pl ant became
so desi rabl e t hat no worker woul d care t o run t he ri sk
of l osi ng hi s posi t i on by "sol di eri ng" on t he j ob or
renderi ng poor servi ce.
Where ot her empl oyers were forced t o depend
upon cost l y supervi si on i n order t o get t he servi ce t o
whi ch t hey were ent i t l ed, and for whi ch t hey were
payi ng, Ford got t he same or bet t er servi ce by t he l ess
expensi ve met hod of pl aci ng a premi um upon
empl oyment i n hi s pl ant .
Marshal l Fi el d was probabl y t he l eadi ng merchant
- 29 -
of hi s t i me, and t he great Fi el d st ore, i n Chi cago,
st ands t oday as a monument t o hi s abi l i t y t o appl y t he
Law of Increasi ng Ret urns.
A cust omer purchased an expensi ve l ace wai st at
t he Fi el d st ore, but di d not wear i t . Two years l at er
she gave i t t o her ni ece as a weddi ng present . The
ni ece qui et l y ret urned t he wai st t o t he Fi el d st ore and
exchanged i t for ot her merchandi se, despi t e t he fact
t hat i t had been out for more t han t wo years and was
t hen out of st yl e.
Not onl y di d t he Fi el d st ore t ake back t he wai st ,
but , what i s of more i mport ance i t di d so wi t hout
argument !
Of course t here was no obl i gat i on, moral or l egal ,
on t he part of t he st ore t o accept t he ret urn of t he
wai st at t hat l at e dat e, whi ch makes t he t ransact i on al l
t he more si gni fi cant .
The wai st was ori gi nal l y pri ced at fi ft y dol l ars,
and of course i t had t o be t hrown on t he bargai n
count er and sol d for what ever i t woul d bri ng, but t he
keen st udent of human nat ure wi l l underst and t hat t he
Fi el d st ore not onl y di d not l ose anyt hi ng on t he
wai st , but i t act ual l y profi t ed by t he t ransact i on t o an
ext ent t hat cannot be measured i n mere dol l ars.
The woman who ret urned t he wai st knew t hat she
was not ent i t l ed t o a rebat e; t herefore, when t he st ore
gave her t hat t o whi ch she was not ent i t l ed t he
t ransact i on won her as a permanent cust omer. But t he
effect of t he t ransact i on di d not end here; i t onl y
began; for t hi s woman spread t he news of t he "fai r
t reat ment " she had recei ved at t he Fi el d st ore, far and
near. It was t he t al k of t he women of her set for many
days, and t he Fi el d st ore recei ved more advert i si ng
- 30 -
from t he t ransact i on t han i t coul d have purchased i n
any ot her way wi t h t en t i mes t he val ue of t he wai st .
The success of t he Fi el d st ore was bui l t l argel y
upon Marshal l Fi el d' s underst andi ng of t he Law of
Increasi ng Ret urns, whi ch prompt ed hi m t o adopt , as a
part of hi s busi ness pol i cy, t he sl ogan, "The cust omer
i s al ways ri ght . "
When you do onl y t hat for whi ch you are pai d,
t here i s not hi ng out of t he ordi nary t o at t ract
f avorabl e comment about t he t ransact i on; but , when
you wi l l i ngl y do more t han t hat for whi ch you are
pai d, your act i on at t ract s t he favorabl e at t ent i on of al l
who are affect ed by t he t ransact i on, and goes anot her
st ep t oward est abl i shi ng a reput at i on t hat wi l l
event ual l y set t he Law of Increasi ng Ret urns t o work
i n your behal f, for t hi s reput at i on wi l l creat e a
demand for your servi ces, far and wi de.
Carol Downes went t o work for W. C. Durant , t he
aut omobi l e manufact urer, i n a mi nor posi t i on. He i s
now Mr. Durant ' s ri ght -hand man, and t he presi dent of
one of hi s aut omobi l e di st ri but i ng compani es. He
promot ed hi msel f i nt o t hi s profi t abl e posi t i on sol el y
t hrough t he ai d of t he Law of Increasi ng Ret urns,
whi ch he put i nt o operat i on by renderi ng more servi ce
and bet t er servi ce t han t hat for whi ch he was pai d.
In a recent vi si t wi t h Mr. Downes I asked hi m t o
t el l me how he managed t o gai n promot i on so rapi dl y.
In a few bri ef sent ences he t ol d t he whol e st ory.
"When I fi rst went t o work wi t h Mr. Durant , " sai d
he, "I not i ced t hat he al ways remai ned at t he offi ce
l ong aft er al l t he ot hers had gone home for t he day,
and I made i t my busi ness t o st ay t here, al so. No one
- 31 -


TO love praise, but not
worship it, and fear
condemnation, but not
go down under it, is
evidence of a well
balanced personality.



- 32 -
asked me t o st ay, but I t hought someone shoul d be
t here t o gi ve Mr. Durant any assi st ance he mi ght need.
Oft en he woul d l ook around for someone t o bri ng hi m
a l et t er fi l e, or render some ot her t ri vi al servi ce, and
al ways he f ound me t here ready t o serve hi m. He got
i nt o t he habi t of cal l i ng on me; t hat i s about al l t here
i s t o t he st ory. "
"He got i nt o t he habi t of cal l i ng on me!"
Read t hat sent ence agai n, for i t i s ful l of meani ng
of t he ri chest sort .
Why di d Mr. Durant get i nt o t he habi t of cal l i ng
on Mr. Downes? Because Mr. Downes made i t hi s
busi ness t o be on hand where he woul d be seen. He
del i berat el y pl aced hi msel f i n Mr. Durant ' s way i n
order t hat he mi ght render servi ce t hat woul d pl ace t he
Law of Increasi ng Ret urns back of hi m.
Was he t ol d t o do t hi s? No!
Was he pai d t o do i t ? Yes! He was pai d by t he
opport uni t y i t offered for hi m t o bri ng hi msel f t o t he
at t ent i on of t he man who had i t wi t hi n hi s power t o
promot e hi m.
We are now approachi ng t he most i mport ant part
of t hi s l esson, because t hi s i s an appropri at e pl ace at
whi ch t o suggest t hat you have t he same opport uni t y
t o make use of t he Law of Increasi ng Ret urns t hat Mr.
Downes had, and you can go about t he appl i cat i on of
t he Law i n exact l y t he same way t hat he di d, by bei ng
on hand and ready t o vol unt eer your servi ces i n t he
perf ormance of work whi ch ot hers may shi rk because
t hey are not pai d t o do i t .
St op! Don' t say i t -don' t even t hi nk i t i f you have
t he sl i ght est i nt ent i on of spri ngi ng t hat ol d t i meworn
phrase ent i t l ed, "But my empl oyer i s di f f erent . "
- 33 -
Of course he i s di fferent . Al l men are di fferent i n
most respect s, but t hey are very much al i ke i n t hi s -
t hey are somewhat sel f i sh; i n fact t hey are sel fi sh
enough not t o want a man such as Carol Downes t o
cast hi s l ot wi t h t hei r compet i t or, and t hi s very
sel fi shness may be made t o serve you as an asset and
not as a l i abi l i t y i f -
You have t he good j udgment t o make yoursel f so
usef ul t hat t he person t o whom you sel l your servi ces
cannot get al ong wi t hout you.
One of t he most advant ageous promot i ons I ever
recei ved came about t hrough an i nci dent whi ch
seemed so i nsi gni fi cant t hat i t appeared t o be
uni mport ant . One Sat urday aft ernoon, a l awyer, whose
offi ce was on t he same fl oor as t hat of my empl oyer,
came i n and asked i f I knew where he coul d get a
st enographer t o do some work whi ch he was compel l ed
t o fi ni sh t hat day.
I t ol d hi m t hat al l of our st enographers had gone
t o t he bal l game, and t hat I woul d have been gone had
he cal l ed fi ve mi nut es l at er, but t hat I woul d be very
gl ad t o st ay and do hi s work as I coul d go t o a bal l
game any day and hi s work had t o be done t hen.
I di d t he work for hi m, and when he asked how
much he owed me I repl i ed, "Oh, about a t housand
dol l ars, as l ong as i t i s you; i f i t were for anyone el se,
I woul dn' t charge anyt hi ng. " He smi l ed, and t hanked
me.
Li t t l e di d I t hi nk, when I made t hat remark, t hat
he woul d ever pay me a t housand dol l ars for t hat
aft ernoon' s work, but he di d) Si x mont hs l at er, aft er I
had ent i rel y forgot t en t he i nci dent , he cal l ed on me
agai n, and asked how much sal ary I was recei vi ng.
- 34 -
When I t ol d hi m he i nformed me t hat he was ready t o
pay me t hat t housand dol l ars whi ch I had l aughi ngl y
sai d I woul d charge hi m for t he work I had performed
for hi m and he di d pay i t by gi vi ng me a posi t i on at a
t housand dol l ars a year i ncrease i n sal ary.
Unconsci ousl y, I had put t he Law of Increasi ng
Ret urns t o work i n my behal f t hat aft ernoon, by gi vi ng
up t he bal l game and renderi ng a servi ce whi ch was
obvi ousl y rendered out of a desi re t o be hel pful and
not for t he sake of a monet ary consi derat i on.
It was not my dut y t o gi ve up my Sat urday
aft ernoon, but -
It was my pri vi l ege!
Furt hermore, i t was a profi t abl e pri vi l ege,
because i t yi el ded me a t housand dol l ars i n cash and a
much more responsi bl e posi t i on t han t he one I had
formerl y occupi ed.
It was Carol Downes' dut y t o be on hand unt i l t he
usual qui t t i ng t i me, but i t was hi s pri vi l ege t o remai n
at hi s post aft er t he ot her workers had gone, and t hat
pri vi l ege properl y exerci sed brought hi m great er
responsi bi l i t i es and a sal ary t hat yi el ds hi m more i n a
year t han he woul d have made i n a l i fe-t i me i n t he
posi t i on he occupi ed before he exerci sed t he pri vi l ege.
I have been t hi nki ng for more t han t went y-fi ve
years of t hi s pri vi l ege of performi ng more servi ce and
bet t er servi ce t han t hat for whi ch we are pai d, and my
t hought s have l ed me t o t he concl usi on t hat a si ngl e
hour devot ed each day t o renderi ng servi ce for whi ch
we are not pai d, can be made t o yi el d bi gger ret urns
t han we recei ved from t he ent i re remai nder of t he day
- 35 -

THE educated man is the
man who has learned how
to get everything he
needs without violating
the rights of his fellow
men. Education comes
from within; you get it by
struggle and effort and
thought.
- 36 -
t he day duri ng whi ch we are merel y performi ng our
dut y.
(We are st i l l i n t he nei ghborhood of t he most
i mport ant part of t hi s l esson, t herefore, t hi nk and
assi mi l at e as you pass over t hese pages. )
The Law of Increasi ng Ret urns i s no i nvent i on of
mi ne, nor do I l ay cl ai m t o t he di scovery of t he
pri nci pl e of renderi ng more servi ce and bet t er servi ce
t han pai d for, as a means of ut i l i zi ng t hi s Law. I
merel y appropri at ed t hem, aft er many years of careful
observat i on of t hose forces whi ch ent er i nt o t he
at t ai nment of success, j ust as you wi l l appropri at e
t hem aft er you underst and t hei r si gni fi cance.
You mi ght begi n t hi s appropri at i on process now
by t ryi ng an experi ment whi ch may easi l y open your
eyes and pl ace back of your effort s powers t hat you
di d not know you possessed.
Let me caut i on you, however, not t o at t empt t hi s
experi ment i n t he same spi ri t i n whi ch a cert ai n
woman experi ment ed wi t h t hat Bi bl i cal passage whi ch
says somet hi ng t o t he effect t hat i f you have f ai t h t he
si ze of a grai n of must ard, and say t o yonder mount ai n
be removed t o some ot her pl ace, i t wi l l be removed.
Thi s woman l i ved near a hi gh mount ai n t hat she coul d
see from her front door; t herefore, as she ret i red t hat
ni ght she commanded t he mount ai n t o remove i t sel f t o
some ot her pl ace.
Next morni ng she j umped out of bed, rushed t o
t he door and l ooked out , but l o! t he mount ai n was st i l l
t here. Then she sai d:
"Just as I had expect ed! I knew i t woul d be
t here. "
I am goi ng t o ask you t o approach t hi s experi ment
- 37 -
wi t h ful l f ai t h t hat i t wi l l mark one of t he most
i mport ant t urni ng-poi nt s of your ent i re l i fe. I am
goi ng t o ask you t o make t he obj ect of t hi s experi ment
t he removal of a mount ai n t hat i s st andi ng where your
t empl e of success shoul d st and, but where i t never can
st and unt i l you have removed t he mount ai n.
You may never have not i ced t he mount ai n t o
whi ch I refer, but i t i s st andi ng t here i n your way j ust
t he same, unl ess you have al ready di scovered and
removed i t .
"And what i s t hi s mount ai n?" you ask!
It i s t he f eel i ng t hat you have been cheat ed unl ess
you recei ve mat eri al pay f or al l t he servi ce you
render.
That feel i ng may be unconsci ousl y expressi ng
i t sel f and dest royi ng t he very foundat i on of your
t empl e of success i n scores of ways t hat you have not
observed.
In t he very l owl y bred t ype of humani t y, t hi s
feel i ng usual l y seeks out ward expressi on i n t erms
somet hi ng l i ke t hi s:
"I am not pai d t o do t hi s and I' l l be bl anket y-
bl anket y-bl ank i f I' l l do i t !"
You know t he t ype t o whi ch reference i s made;
you have met wi t h i t many t i mes, but you have never
found a si ngl e person of t hi s t ype who was successful ,
and you never wi l l .
Success must be at t ract ed t hrough underst andi ng
and appl i cat i on of l aws whi ch are as i mmut abl e as i s
t he l aw of gravi t at i on. It cannot be dri ven i nt o t he
corner and capt ured as one woul d capt ure a wi l d st eer.
For t hi s reason you are request ed t o ent er i nt o t he
fol l owi ng experi ment wi t h t he obj ect of fami l i ari zi ng
yoursel f wi t h one of t he most i mport ant of t hese l aws;
namel y, t he Law of Increasi ng Ret urns.
- 38 -
The experi ment :
Duri ng t he next si x mont hs make i t your busi ness
t o render useful servi ce t o at l east one person every
day, for whi ch you nei t her expect nor accept monet ary
pay.
Go at t hi s experi ment wi t h fai t h t hat i t wi l l
uncover for your use one of t he most powerful l aws
t hat ent er i nt o t he achi evement of enduri ng success,
and you wi l l not be di sappoi nt ed.
The renderi ng of t hi s servi ce may t ake on any one
of more t han a score of forms. For exampl e, i t may be
rendered personal l y t o one or more speci fi c persons;
or i t may be rendered t o your empl oyer, i n t he nat ure
of work t hat you perform aft er hours.
Agai n, i t may be rendered t o ent i re st rangers
whom you never expect t o see agai n. It mat t ers not t o
whom you render t hi s servi ce so l ong as you render i t
wi t h wi l l i ngness, and sol el y for t he purpose of
benefi t i ng ot hers.
If you carry out t hi s experi ment i n t he proper
at t i t ude of mi nd, you wi l l di scover t hat whi ch al l
ot hers who have become fami l i ar wi t h t he l aw upon
whi ch i t i s based have di scovered; namel y, t hat -
You can no more render servi ce wi t hout recei vi ng
compensat i on t han you can wi t hhol d t he renderi ng of
i t wi t hout suf f eri ng t he l oss of reward.
"Cause and effect , means and ends, seed and
frui t , cannot be severed, " says Emerson; "for t he
effect al ready bl ooms i n t he cause, t he end pre-exi st s
i n t he means, t he frui t i n t he seed. "

"If you serve an ungrat eful mast er, serve hi m t he
more. Put God i n your debt . Every st roke shal l be
- 39 -



THE person who sows a
single beautiful thought
in the mind of another,
renders the world a
greater service than that
rendered by all the
faultfinders combined.



- 40 -
repai d. The l onger t he payment i s wi t hhol den, t he
bet t er for you; for compound i nt erest on compound
i nt erest i s t he rat e and usage of t hi s exchequer. "

"The l aw of Nat ure i s, Do t he t hi ng and you shal l
have t he power; but t hey who do not t he t hi ng have
not t he power. "

"Men suffer al l t hei r l i fe l ong, under t he fool i sh
superst i t i on t hat t hey can be cheat ed. But i t i s as
i mpossi bl e for a man t o be cheat ed by anyone but
hi msel f, as for a t hi ng t o be, and not t o be, at t he same
t i me. There i s a t hi rd si l ent part y t o al l our bargai ns.
The nat ure and soul of t hi ngs t akes on i t sel f t he
guarant y of ful fi l l ment of every cont ract , so t hat
honest servi ce cannot come t o l oss. "
Before you begi n t he experi ment t hat you have
been request ed t o undert ake, read Emerson' s essay on
Compensat i on, for i t wi l l go a very l ong way t oward
hel pi ng you t o underst and why you are maki ng t he
experi ment .
Perhaps you have read Compensat i on before.
Read i t agai n! One of t he st range phenomena t hat you
wi l l observe about t hi s essay may be found i n t he fact
t hat every t i me you read i t you wi l l di scover new
t rut hs t hat you di d not not i ce duri ng previ ous
readi ngs.
A few years ago I was i nvi t ed t o del i ver t he
graduat i on address before t he st udent s of an east ern
col l ege. Duri ng my address I dwel t at l engt h, and wi t h
al l t he emphasi s at my command, on t he i mport ance of
renderi ng more servi ce and bet t er servi ce t han t hat for
whi ch one i s pai d.
- 41 -
Aft er t he address was del i vered, t he presi dent and
t he secret ary of t he col l ege i nvi t ed me t o l uncheon.
Whi l e we were eat i ng, t he secret ary t urned t o t he
presi dent and sai d:
"I have j ust f ound out what t hi s man i s doi ng. He
i s put t i ng hi msel f ahead i n t he worl d by f i rst hel pi ng
ot hers t o get ahead. "
In t hat bri ef st at ement he had epi t omi zed t he most
i mport ant part of my phi l osophy on t he subj ect of
success.
It i s l i t eral l y t rue t hat you can succeed best and
qui ckest by hel pi ng ot hers t o succeed.
Some t en years ago, when I was engaged i n t he
advert i si ng busi ness, I bui l t my ent i re cl i ent el e by t he
appl i cat i on of t he fundament al s upon whi ch t hi s
l esson i s founded. By havi ng my name pl aced on t he
fol l ow-up l i st s of vari ous mai l order houses I recei ved
t hei r sal es l i t erat ure. When I recei ved a sal es l et t er or
a bookl et or a fol der whi ch I bel i eved I coul d i mprove
I went ri ght t o work on i t and made t he i mprovement ,
t hen sent i t back t o t he fi rm t hat had sent i t t o me,
wi t h a l et t er st at i ng t hat t hi s was but a t ri fl i ng sampl e
of what I coul d do - t hat t here were pl ent y of ot her
good i deas where t hat one came from - and, t hat I
woul d be gl ad t o render regul ar servi ce for a mont hl y
fee.
Invari abl y t hi s brought an order for my servi ces.
On one occasi on I remember t hat t he fi rm was
di shonest enough t o appropri at e my i dea and use i t
wi t hout payi ng me for i t , but t hi s t urned out t o be an
advant age t o me, i n t hi s way: A member of t he fi rm
who was fami l i ar wi t h t he t ransact i on st art ed anot her
busi ness and as a resul t of t he work I had done for hi s
- 42 -
former associ at es, for whi ch I was not pai d, he
engaged me t o serve hi m, on a basi s t hat pai d me more
t han doubl e t he amount I woul d have real i zed from hi s
ori gi nal fi rm.
Thus t he Law of Compensat i on gave back t o me,
and wi t h compound i nt erest added, t hat whi ch I had
l ost by renderi ng servi ce t o t hose who were di shonest .
If I were l ooki ng for a profi t abl e fi el d of
empl oyment t oday, I coul d fi nd i t by agai n put t i ng
i nt o act i on t hi s pl an of re-wri t i ng sal es l i t erat ure as a
means of creat i ng a market for my servi ces. Perhaps I
woul d fi nd ot hers who woul d appropri at e my i deas
wi t hout payi ng for t hem, but by and l arge peopl e
woul d not do t hi s for t he si mpl e reason t hat i t woul d
be more profi t abl e t o t hem t o deal fai rl y wi t h me and
t hereby avai l t hemsel ves of my cont i nued servi ces.
Several years ago I was i nvi t ed t o del i ver a
l ect ure before t he st udent s of t he Pal mer School , at
Davenport , Iowa. My manager compl et ed
arrangement s for me t o accept t he i nvi t at i on under t he
regul ar t erms i n effect at t hat t i me, whi ch were
$100. 00 for t he l ect ure and my t ravel i ng expenses.
When I arri ved at Davenport , I found a recept i on
commi t t ee awai t i ng me at t he depot and t hat eveni ng I
was gi ven one of t he warmest wel comes I had ever
recei ved duri ng my publ i c career, up t o t hat t i me. I
met many del i ght ful peopl e from whom I gat hered
many val uabl e fact s t hat were of benefi t t o me;
t herefore, when I was asked t o make out my expense
account so t he school coul d gi ve me a check, I t ol d
t hem t hat I had recei ved my pay, many t i mes over, by
t hat whi ch I had l earned whi l e I was t here. I refused
- 43 -
my fee and ret urned t o my offi ce, i n Chi cago, feel i ng
wel l repai d for t he t ri p.
The fol l owi ng morni ng Dr. Pal mer went before
t he t wo t housand st udent s of hi s school and announced
what I had sai d about feel i ng repai d by what I had
l earned, and added:
"In t he t went y years t hat I have been conduct i ng
t hi s school I have had scores of speakers address t he
st udent body, but t hi s i s t he fi rst t i me I ever knew a
man t o refuse hi s fee because he fel t t hat he had been
repai d for hi s servi ces i n ot her ways. Thi s man i s t he
edi t or of a nat i onal magazi ne and I advi se every one
of you t o subscri be for t hat magazi ne, because such a
man as t hi s must have much t hat each of you wi l l need
when you go i nt o t he fi el d and offer your servi ces. "
By t he mi ddl e of t hat week I had recei ved more
t han $6, 000. 00 for subscri pt i ons t o t he magazi ne of
whi ch I was edi t or, and duri ng t he fol l owi ng t wo years
t hese same t wo t housand student s and t hei r fri ends
sent i n more t han $50, 000. 00 for subscri pt i ons.
Tel l me, i f you can, how or where I coul d have
i nvest ed $100. 00 as profi t abl y as t hi s, by refusi ng t o
accept my $100. 00 fee and t hereby set t i ng t he Law of
Increasi ng Ret urns t o work i n my behal f?
We go t hrough t wo i mport ant peri ods i n t hi s l i fe;
one i s t hat peri od duri ng whi ch we are gat heri ng,
cl assi fyi ng and organi zi ng knowl edge, and t he ot her i s
t hat peri od duri ng whi ch we are st ruggl i ng for
recogni t i on. We must fi rst l earn somet hi ng, whi ch
requi res more effort t han most of us are wi l l i ng t o put
i nt o t he j ob; but , aft er we have l earned much t hat can
be of useful servi ce t o ot hers, we are st i l l confront ed
- 44 -
wi t h t he probl em of convi ncing t hem t hat we can serve
t hem.
One of t he most i mport ant reasons why we shoul d
al ways be not onl y ready but wi l l i ng t o render servi ce,
i s t he fact t hat every t i me we do so, we gai n t hereby
anot her opport uni t y t o prove t o someone t hat we have
abi l i t y; we go j ust one more st ep t oward gai ni ng t he
necessary recogni t i on t hat we must al l have.
Inst ead of sayi ng t o t he worl d, "Show me t he
col or of your money and I wi l l show you what I can
do, " reverse t he rul e and say, "Let me show you t he
col or of my servi ce so t hat I may t ake a l ook at t he
col or of your money i f you l i ke my servi ce. "
In 1917 a cert ai n woman who was t hen neari ng
t he fi ft y-year mi l epost of l i fe, was worki ng as a
st enographer, at fi ft een dol l ars a week. Judgi ng by t he
sal ary she must have been none t oo compet ent i n t hat
work.
Now not e t hi s change:
Last year, t hi s same woman cl eared a l i t t l e over
$100, 000. 00 on t he l ect ure pl at form.
What bri dged t hat mi ght y chasm bet ween t hese
t wo earni ng capaci t i es? you ask, and I answer:
The habi t of perf ormi ng more servi ce and bet t er
servi ce t han t hat f or whi ch she was pai d, t hereby
t aki ng advant age of t he Law of Increasi ng Ret urns.
Thi s woman i s wel l known t hroughout t he
count ry, as she i s now a promi nent l ect urer on t he
subj ect of Appl i ed Psychol ogy.
Let me show you how she harnessed t he Law of
Increasi ng Ret urns. Fi rst , she goes i nt o a ci t y and
del i vers a seri es of fi ft een free l ect ures. Al l may
at t end who wi l l , wi t hout money and wi t hout pri ce.
- 45 -


NO man can rise to
fame and fortune
without carrying
others along with him.
It simply cannot be
done.



- 46 -
Duri ng t he del i very of t hese fi ft een l ect ures she has
t he opport uni t y of "sel l i ng hersel f" t o her audi ence,
and at t he end of t he seri es she announces t he
format i on of a cl ass for whi ch she charges t went y-fi ve
dol l ars per st udent .
That ' s al l t here i s t o her pl an!
Where she i s commandi ng a smal l fort une for a
year' s work t here are scores of much more profi ci ent
l ect urers who are barel y get t i ng enough from t hei r
work t o pay t hei r expenses, si mpl y because t hey have
not yet fami l i ari zed t hemsel ves wi t h t he fundament al s
upon whi ch t hi s l esson i s based, as she has done.
Now, I woul d l i ke t o have you st op ri ght here and
answer t hi s quest i on:
If a fi ft y-year-ol d woman, who has no
ext raordi nary qual i fi cat i ons, can harness t he Law of
Increasi ng Ret urns and make i t rai se her from t he
posi t i on as st enographer at fi ft een dol l ars a week t o
t hat of l ect urer at over $100, 000. 00 a year - why
cannot you appl y t hi s same l aw so t hat i t wi l l gi ve you
advant ages t hat you do not now possess?
Never mi nd what i s t o come i n t he remai nder of
t hi s l esson unt i l you have answered t hi s quest i on and -
answered i t AS IT SHOULD BE ANSWERED!
You are st ruggl i ng, ei t her meekl y or earnest l y, t o
make a pl ace for yoursel f i n t he worl d. Perhaps you
are exert i ng enough effort t o bri ng you success of t he
hi ghest order, i f t hat effort were coupl ed wi t h and
support ed by t he Law of Increasi ng Ret urns.
For t hi s reason, you owe i t t o yoursel f t o fi nd out
j ust how you can appl y t hi s l aw t o best advant age.
Now go back t o t hat quest i on, agai n; for I am
det ermi ned t hat you shal l not pass i t by l i ght l y,
- 47 -
wi t hout gi vi ng yoursel f t he benefi t of at l east t ryi ng
t o answer i t .
In ot her words, t here i s no mi st aki ng t he fact t hat
you are bei ng brought face t o face wi t h a quest i on t hat
vi t al l y affect s your fut ure, and, i f you evade i t , t he
faul t wi l l be wi t h you.
You may l ay t hi s l esson asi de aft er you have read
i t , and i t i s your pri vi l ege t o do so, wi t hout maki ng
any at t empt t o profi t by i t ; but , i f you do so, you wi l l
never agai n be abl e t o l ook at yoursel f i n a mi rror
wi t hout bei ng haunt ed by t he feel i ng t hat -
YOU HAVE DELIBERATELY CHEATED
YOURSELF!
Perhaps t hi s i s t el l i ng t he t rut h i n an
undi pl omat i c way; but , when you purchased t hi s
course on t he Law of Success, you di d so because you
want ed fact s, and you are get t i ng t hem, wi t hout t he
embel l i shment of apol ogy.
Aft er you have fi ni shed t hi s l esson, i f you wi l l go
back and revi ew t he l essons on Ini t i at i ve and
Leadershi p and Ent husi asm, you wi l l bet t er
underst and t hose l essons.
Those l essons and t hi s one cl earl y est abl i sh t he
necessi t y of t aki ng t he i ni t i at i ve, f ol l owi ng i t wi t h
aggressi ve act i on and doi ng more t han you are pai d t o
do. If you wi l l burn t he fundament al s of t hese t hree
l essons i nt o your consci ousness you wi l l be a changed
person, and I make t hi s st at ement regardl ess of who
you are or what your cal l i ng may be.
If t hi s pl ai n l anguage has made you angry, I am
gl ad; for i t i ndi cat es t hat you can be moved! Now, i f
you woul d profi t by t he counsel of one who has made
many more mi st akes t han you ever made, and for t hat
- 48 -
reason l earned a few of t he fundament al t rut hs of l i fe,
harness t hi s anger and focus i t on yoursel f unt i l i t
dri ves you fort h t o render t he servi ce of whi ch you are
capabl e.
If you wi l l do t hi s you can col l ect a ki ng' s ransom
as your reward.

Now l et us t urn our at t ent i on t o st i l l anot her
i mport ant feat ure of t hi s habi t of performi ng more
servi ce and bet t er servi ce t han t hat for whi ch we are
pai d; namel y, t he fact t hat we can devel op t hi s habi t
wi t hout aski ng for permi ssi on t o do so.
Such servi ce may be rendered t hrough your own
i ni t i at i ve, wi t hout t he consent of any person. You do
not have t o consul t t hose t o whom you render t he
servi ce, for i t i s a pri vi l ege over whi ch you have
ent i re cont rol .
There are many t hi ngs you coul d do t hat woul d
t end t o promot e your i nt erest s, but most of t hem
requi re t he co-operat i on or t he consent of ot hers. If
you render l ess servi ce t han t hat for whi ch you are
pai d you must do so by l eave of t he purchaser of t he
servi ce, or t he market for your servi ce wi l l soon
cease.
I want you t o get t he ful l si gni fi cance of t hi s
ri ght of prerogat i ve, whi ch you have, t o render more
servi ce and bet t er servi ce t han t hat for whi ch you are
pai d, for t hi s pl aces squarel y upon your shoul ders t he
responsi bi l i t y of renderi ng such servi ce, and i f you
fai l t o do so, you haven' t a pl ausi bl e excuse t o offer or
an "al i bi upon whi ch t o fal l back, i f you fai l i n t he
achi evement of your def i ni t e chi ef ai m i n l i fe.
One of t he most essent i al yet t he hardest t rut hs
- 49 -
t hat I have had t o l earn, i s t hat every person shoul d be
hi s own hardest t ask-mast er.
We are al l fi ne bui l ders of "al i bi s" and creat ors of
"excuses" i n support of our short -comi ngs.
We are not seeki ng f act s and t rut hs as t hey are,
but , as we wi sh t hem t o be. We prefer honeyed words
of fl at t ery t o t hose of col d, unbi ased t rut h, wherei n
l i es t he weakest spot of t he man-ani mal .
Furt hermore, we are up i n arms agai nst t hose who
dare t o uncover t he t rut h for our benefi t .
One of t he most severe shocks I recei ved i n t he
earl y part of my publ i c career was t he knowl edge t hat
men are st i l l bei ng cruci fi ed for t he hi gh cri me of
t el l i ng t he t rut h. I recal l an experi ence I had some t en
years ago, wi t h a man who had wri t t en a book
advert i si ng hi s busi ness school . He submi t t ed t hi s
book t o me and pai d me t o revi ew i t and gi ve hi m my
candi d opi ni on of i t . I revi ewed t he book wi t h
pai nst aki ng care, t hen di d my dut y by showi ng hi m
wherei n I bel i eved t he book was weak.
Here I l earned a great l esson, for t hat man
became so angry t hat he has never forgi ven me for
al l owi ng hi m t o l ook at hi s book t hrough my eyes.
When he asked me t o t el l hi m frankl y what "cri t i ci sm"
I had t o offer of t he book, what he real l y meant was
t hat I shoul d t el l hi m what I saw i n t he book t hat I
coul d "compl i ment . "
That ' s human nat ure f or you!
We court fl at t ery more t han we do t he t rut h. I
know, because I am human.
Al l of whi ch i s i n preparat i on for t he "unki ndest
cut of al l " t hat I am dut y-bound t o i nfl i ct upon you;
namel y, t o suggest t hat you have not done as wel l as
- 50 -
you mi ght have done for t he reason t hat you have not
appl i ed a suffi ci ent amount of t rut h set out i n Lesson
Ei ght , on Sel f -cont rol , t o charge yoursel f wi t h your
own mi st akes and short -comi ngs.
To do t hi s t akes sel f -cont rol and pl ent y of i t .
If you pai d some person who had t he abi l i t y and
t he courage t o do i t , a hundred dol l ars t o st ri p you of
your vani t y and concei t and l ove for fl at t ery, so t hat
you mi ght see t he weakest part of your make-up, t he
pri ce woul d be reasonabl e enough.
We go t hrough l i fe st umbl i ng and fal l i ng and
st ruggl i ng t o our knees, and st ruggl i ng and fal l i ng
some more, maki ng asses of oursel ves, and goi ng
down, fi nal l y, i n defeat , l argel y because we ei t her
negl ect or f l at l y ref use t o l earn t he t rut h about
oursel ves.
Si nce I have come t o di scover some of my own
weaknesses t hrough my work of hel pi ng ot hers
di scover t hei rs, I bl ush wi t h shame when I t ake a
ret rospect i ve vi ew of l i fe and t hi nk how ri di cul ous I
must have seemed i n t he eyes of t hose who coul d see
me as I woul dn' t see mysel f.
We parade before t he enl arged shadows of our
own vani t y and i magi ne t hat t hose shadows are our
real sel ves, whi l e t he few knowi ng soul s wi t h whom
we meet st and i n t he background and l ook at us wi t h
pi t y or wi t h scorn.
Hol d on a mi nut e 1 I am not t hrough wi t h you yet .
You have pai d me t o del ve i nt o t he dept hs of your
real sel f and gi ve you an i nt rospect i ve i nvent ory of
what i s t here, and I am goi ng t o do t he j ob ri ght , as
nearl y as I can.
Not onl y have you been fool i ng yoursel f as t o t he
real cause of your fai l ures of t he past , but you have
- 51 -




ALL salesmen will profit
by remembering that none
of us want anything that
someone else wishes to
"get rid of."




- 52 -
t ri ed t o hang t hese causes on t he door of someone
el se.
When t hi ngs di d not go t o sui t you, i nst ead of
accept i ng ful l responsi bi l i t y for t he cause, you have
sai d, "Oh, hang t hi s j ob! - I don' t l i ke t he way ' t hey'
are t reat i ng me, so I' m goi ng t o qui t !"
Don' t deny i t !
Now l et me whi sper a l i t t l e secret i n your ear - a
secret whi ch I have had t o gat her from gri ef and
heart aches and unnecessary puni shment of t he hardest
sort -
Inst ead of "qui t t i ng" t he j ob because t here were
obst acl es t o mast er and di f f i cul t i es t o be overcome,
you shoul d have f aced t he f act s and t hen you woul d
have known t hat l i f e, i t sel f , i s j ust one l ong seri es of
mast ery of di f f i cul t i es and obst acl es.
The measure of a man may be t aken very
accurat el y by t he ext ent t o whi ch he adapt s hi msel f t o
hi s envi ronment and makes i t hi s busi ness t o accept
responsi bi l i t y for every adversi t y wi t h whi ch he
meet s, whet her t he adversi t y grows out of a cause
wi t hi n hi s cont rol or not .
Now, i f you feel t hat I have "panned" you rat her
severel y, have pi t y on me, O Fel l ow-Wayfarer, for you
surel y must know t hat I have had t o puni sh mysel f
more sorel y t han I have puni shed you bef ore I l earned
t he t rut h t hat I am here passi ng on t o you f or your use
and gui dance.
I have a few enemi es - t hank God f or t hem! - for
t hey have been vul gar and merci l ess enough t o say
some t hi ngs about me t hat forced me t o ri d mysel f of
some of my most seri ous short -comi ngs; mai nl y t hose
whi ch I di d not know I possessed. I have profi t ed by
t he cri t i ci sm of t hese enemi es wi t hout havi ng t o pay
- 53 -
t hem for t hei r servi ces i n dol l ars, al t hough I have pai d
i n ot her ways.
However, i t was not unt i l some years ago t hat I
caught si ght of some of my most gl ari ng faul t s whi ch
were brought t o my at t ent i on as I st udi ed Emerson' s
essay on Compensat i on, part i cul arl y t he fol l owi ng
part of i t :
"Our st rengt h grows out of our weakness.
"Not unt i l we are pri cked, and st ung, and sorel y
shot at , awakens t he i ndi gnat i on whi ch arms i t sel f
wi t h secret forces. A great man i s al ways wi l l i ng t o be
l i t t l e. Whi l e he si t s on t he cushi on of advant age he
goes t o sl eep. When he i s pushed, t orment ed, defeat ed,
he has a chance t o l earn somet hi ng; he has been put on
hi s wi t s, on hi s manhood; he has gai ned f act s; l earned
hi s i gnorance; i s cured of t he i nsani t y of concei t ; has
got moderat i on and real ski l l . The wi se man al ways
t hrows hi msel f on t he si de of hi s assai l ant s. It i s more
hi s i nt erest t han i t i s t hei rs t o fi nd hi s weak poi nt .
Bl ame i s safer t han prai se. I hat e t o be defended i n a
newspaper. As l ong as al l t hat i s sai d i s sai d agai nst
me, I feel a cert ai n assurance of success. But as soon
as honeyed words of prai se are spoken of me, I feel as
one t hat l i es unprot ect ed before hi s enemi es. "
St udy t hi s, t he phi l osophy of t he i mmort al
Emerson, for i t may serve as a modi fyi ng force t hat
wi l l t emper your met al and prepare you for t he bat t l es
of l i fe, as carbon t empers t he st eel .
If you are a very young person, you need t o st udy
i t al l t he more, for i t oft en requi res t he st ern real i t i es
of many years of experi ence t o prepare one t o
assi mi l at e and appl y t hi s phi l osophy.
- 54 -
Bet t er t hat you shoul d underst and t hese great
t rut hs as a resul t of my undi pl omat i c present at i on of
t hem t han t o be forced t o gat her t hem from t he l ess
sympat het i c sources of col d experi ence. Experi ence i s
a t eacher t hat knows no favori t es. When I permi t you
t o profi t by t he t rut hs I have gat hered from t he
t eachi ngs of t hi s col d and unsympat het i c t eacher
cal l ed "experi ence, " I am doi ng my best t o show you
favori t i sm, whi ch remi nds me, somewhat , of t he t i mes
when my fat her used t o "do hi s dut y" by me, i n t he
woodshed, al ways st art i ng wi t h t hi s bi t of encouragi ng
phi l osophy:
"Son, t hi s hurt s me worse t han i t does you. "

Thus we approach t he cl ose of t hi s l esson wi t hout
havi ng exhaust ed t he possi bil i t i es of t he subj ect ; nay,
wi t hout havi ng more t han scrat ched t he surface of i t .
There comes t o my mi nd t he st ory of a romance
of l ong ago t hrough whi ch I can l eave i n your mi nd
t he mai n i mport of t hi s l esson. Thi s st ory had i t s
set t i ng i n t he ci t y of Ant i och, i n anci ent Rome, t wo
t housand Years ago, when t he great ci t y of Jerusal em
and al l t he l and of Judea were under t he oppressi ve
heel of Rome.
The st ar fi gure of t he st ory was a young Jew by
t he name of Ben Hur, who was fal sel y accused of
cri me and sent enced t o hard l abor, at t he gal l ey' s oar.
Chai ned t o a bench i n t he gal l ey, and bei ng forced t o
t ug weari l y at t he oars, Ben Hur devel oped a powerful
body. Li t t l e di d hi s t orment ors know t hat out of hi s
puni shment woul d grow t he st rengt h wi t h whi ch he
woul d one day gai n hi s freedom. Perhaps Ben Hur,
hi msel f, had no such hopes.
- 55 -
Then came t he day of t he chari ot races: t he day
t hat was dest i ned t o break t he chai ns t hat bound Ben
Hur t o t he oars of t he gal l ey and gi ve hi m hi s
freedom.
One span of horses was wi t hout a dri ver. In
desperat i on t he owner sought t he ai d of t he young
sl ave because of hi s mi ght y arms, and begged hi m t o
t ake t he pl ace of t he mi ssi ng dri ver.
As Ben Hur pi cked up t he rei ns, a mi ght y cry
went up from t he onl ookers.
"Look! Look! Those arms! - where di d you get
t hem?" t hey howl ed, and Ben Hur answered:
"At t he gal l ey' s oar!"
The race was on. Wi t h t hose mi ght y arms Ben Hur
cal ml y drove t hat chargi ng span of horses on t o
vi ct ory; vi ct ory t hat won for hi m hi s freedom.
Li fe, i t sel f, i s a great chari ot race, and t he
vi ct ory goes onl y t o t hose who have devel oped t he
st rengt h of charact er and det ermi nat i on and wi l l -
power t o wi n.
What mat t ers i t t hat we devel op t hi s st rengt h
t hrough cruel confi nement at t he gal l ey' s oar, as l ong
as we use i t so t hat i t bri ngs us, fi nal l y, t o vi ct ory and
freedom.
It i s an unvaryi ng l aw t hat st rengt h grows out of
resi st ance. If we pi t y t he poor bl acksmi t h who swi ngs
a fi ve pound hammer al l day l ong, we must al so
admi re t he wonderful arm t hat he devel ops i n doi ng i t .
"Because of t he dual const i t ut i on of al l t hi ngs, i n
l abor as i n l i fe, t here can be no cheat i ng, " says
Emerson. "The t hi ef st eal s from hi msel f. The swi ndl er
swi ndl es hi msel f. For t he real pri ce of l abor i s
knowl edge and vi rt ue, whereof weal t h and credi t
- 56 -
are si gns. The si gns, l i ke paper money, may be
count erfei t ed or st ol en, but t hat whi ch t hey represent ;
namel y, knowl edge and vi rt ue, cannot be count erfei t ed
or st ol en. "
Henry Ford recei ves fi ft een t housand l et t ers a
week from peopl e who are beggi ng for a part of hi s
weal t h; yet how few of t hese poor i gnorant soul s
underst and t hat Ford' s real weal t h i s not measured by
t he dol l ars he has i n t he bank, nor t he fact ori es he
owns, but by t he reput at i on he has gai ned t hrough t he
renderi ng of useful servi ce at a reasonabl e pri ce.
And how di d he gai n t hat reput at i on?
Cert ai nl y not by renderi ng as l i t t l e servi ce as
possi bl e and col l ect i ng for i t al l he coul d f i l ch f rom
t he purchasers.
The very warp and woof of Ford' s busi ness
phi l osophy i s t hi s:
"Gi ve t he peopl e t he best product at t he l owest
pri ce possi bl e. "
When ot her aut omobi l e manufact urers rai se t hei r
pri ces, Ford l owers hi s. When ot her empl oyers l ower
wages, Ford i ncreases t hem. What has happened? Thi s
pol i cy has pl aced t he Law of Increasi ng Ret urns back
of Ford so effect i vel y t hat he has become t he ri chest
and most powerful man i n t he worl d.
Oh, you fool i sh and short -si ght ed seekers aft er
weal t h, who are ret urni ng from t he dai l y chase empt y-
handed, - why do you not t ake a l esson from men l i ke
Ford? Why do you not reverse your phi l osophy and
gi ve i n order t hat you may get ?
I am fi ni shi ng t hi s l esson on Chri st mas Eve!
In t he room next t o my st udy our chi l dren are
decorat i ng t hei r Chri st mas t ree, and t he rhyt hm of
- 57 -


THERE are no lazy men.
What may appear to be
a lazy man is only an
unfortunate person who
has not found the work
for which he is best
suited.


- 58 -
t hei r voi ces fal l s as musi c upon my ears. They are
happy, not al one because t hey expect t o recei ve, but
for t he deeper reason t hat t hey have present s hi dden
away whi ch t hey expect t o gi ve.
From t he wi ndow of my st udy, I can see t he
nei ghbor' s chi l dren as t hey, t oo, are gl eeful l y engaged
i n prepari ng for t hi s wonderful event .
Throughout t he ci vi l i zed worl d, mi l l i ons of
peopl e are prepari ng t o cel ebrat e t he bi rt h of t hi s
Pri nce of Peace who, more t han any ot her man, set
fort h t he reasons why i t i s more bl essed t o gi ve t han
t o recei ve, and why enduri ng happi ness comes not
from possessi ng mat eri al weal t h, but from renderi ng
servi ce t o humani t y.
It seems a queer co-i nci dence t hat t he compl et i on
of t hi s part i cul ar l esson shoul d have happened on
Chri st mas Eve, yet I am gl ad t hat i t has, for t hi s has
provi ded me wi t h suffi ci ent j ust i fi cat i on for
remi ndi ng you t hat nowhere i n t he ent i re hi st ory of
ci vi l i zat i on coul d I have found st ronger support of t he
fundament al s of t hi s l esson t han may be found i n t he
Sermon on t he Mount , i n t he book of Mat t hew.
Chri st i ani t y i s one of t he great est and most
farreachi ng i nfl uences i n t he worl d t oday, and I hardl y
need apol ogi ze for remi ndi ng you t hat t he t enet s of
Chri st ' s phi l osophy are i n absol ut e harmony wi t h t he
fundament al s upon whi ch t hi s l esson, i n t he mai n, i s
founded.
As I see t he happy faces of t he chi l dren and
wat ch t he hurryi ng crowds of bel at ed Chri st mas
shoppers, al l radi ant wi t h t he spl endor of t he spi ri t of
gi vi ng, I cannot hel p wi shi ng t hat every eve was
Chri st mas Eve, for t hen t hi s woul d be a bet t er worl d
- 59 -
i n whi ch t he st ruggl e for exi st ence woul d be reduced
t o a mi ni mum, and hat red and st ri fe out l awed.
Li fe i s but a short span of years at best . Li ke a
candl e we are l i ght ed, fl i cker for a moment , and t hen
go out ! If we were pl aced here for t he purpose of
l ayi ng up t reasures for use i n a l i fe t hat l i es beyond
t he dark shadow of Deat h, may i t not be possi bl e t hat
we can best col l ect t hese t reasures by renderi ng al l t he
servi ce we can, t o al l t he peopl e we can, i n a l ovi ng
spi ri t of ki ndness and sympat hy?
I hope you agree wi t h t hi s phi l osophy.
Here t hi s l esson must end, but i t i s by no means
compl et ed. Where I l ay down t he chai n of t hought i t i s
now your dut y t o t ake i t up and devel op i t , i n your
own way, and t o your own benefi t .
By t he very nat ure of t he subj ect of t hi s l esson i t
can never be fi ni shed, for i t l eads i nt o t he heart of al l
human act i vi t i es. It s purpose i s t o cause you t o t ake
t he fundament al s upon whi ch i t i s based and use t hem
as a st i mul us t hat wi l l cause your mi nd t o unfol d,
t hereby rel easi ng t he l at ent forces t hat are yours.
Thi s l esson was not wri t t en for t he purpose of
t eachi ng you, but i t was i nt ended as a means of
causi ng you t o t each yoursel f one of t he great t rut hs
of l i fe. It was i nt ended as a source of educat i on, i n t he
t rue sense of educi ng, drawi ng out , devel opi ng from
wi t hi n, t hose forces of mi nd whi ch are avai l abl e for
your use.
When you del i ver t he best servi ce of whi ch you
are capabl e, st ri vi ng each t i me t o excel al l your
previ ous effort s, you are maki ng use of t he hi ghest
form of educat i on. Therefore, when you render more
servi ce and bet t er servi ce t han t hat for whi ch you are
pai d, you, more t han anyone el se, are profi t i ng by t he
effort .
- 60 -
It i s onl y t hrough t he del i very of such servi ce
t hat mast ery i n your chosen fi el d of endeavor can be
at t ai ned. For t hi s reason you shoul d make i t a part of
your def i ni t e chi ef ai m t o endeavor t o surpass al l
previ ous records i n al l t hat you do. Let t hi s become a
part of your dai l y habi t s, and fol l ow i t wi t h t he same
regul ari t y wi t h whi ch you eat your meal s.
Make i t your busi ness t o render more servi ce and
bet t er servi ce t han t hat for whi ch you are pai d, and l o!
before you real i ze what has happened, you wi l l
fi nd t hat THE WORLD I S WI LLI NGLY PAYI NG YOU FOR
MORE THAN YOU DO!
Compound i nt erest upon compound i nt erest i s t he
rat e t hat you wi l l be pai d for such servi ce. Just how
t hi s pyrami di ng of gai ns t akes pl ace i s l eft ent i rel y t o
you t o det ermi ne.
Now, what are you goi ng t o do wi t h t hat whi ch
you have l earned from t hi s l esson? and when? and
how? and why? Thi s l esson can be of no val ue t o you
unl ess i t moves you t o adopt and use t he knowl edge i t
has brought you.
Knowl edge becomes POWER onl y t hrough
organi zat i on and USE! Do not forget t hi s.
You can never become a Leader wi t hout doi ng
more t han you are pai d for, and you cannot become
successful wi t hout devel opi ng l eadershi p i n your
chosen occupat i on.
- 61 -


THERE is always room
for the man who can
be relied upon to
deliver the goods
when he said he
would.


- 62 -
THE MASTER MIND

An Af t er- t he- Lesson Vi si t Wi t h t he Aut hor



A Power That Can Bri ng You What ever You
Want On Thi s Eart h

SUCCESS i s achi eved t hrough t he appl i cat i on of
power.
In t he pi ct ure at t he t op of t hi s page you see t wo
forms of POWER!
At t he l eft you see physi cal power, produced by
Nat ure, wi t h t he ai d of organi zed rai ndrops pouri ng
over Ni agara Fal l s. Man has harnessed t hi s form of
power.
At t he ri ght you see anot her, and a much more
i nt ensi ve form of power, produced t hrough t he
harmoni ous co-ordi nat i on of THOUGHT i n t he mi nds
of men. Observe t hat t he word "harmoni ous" has been
emphasi zed. In t hi s pi ct ure you see a group of men
seat ed at t he Di rect ors' Tabl e i n a modem busi ness
offi ce. The powerful fi gure ri si ng above t he group
represent s t he "Mast er Mi nd" whi ch may be creat ed
wherever men bl end t hei r mi nds i n a spi ri t of perfect
harmony, wi t h some DEFINITE obj ect i ve i n vi ew.
- 63 -
St udy t hi s pi ct ure! It i nt erpret s t he great est
POWER known t o man.

Wi t h t he ai d of t he MIND man has di scovered
many i nt erest i ng fact s about t he eart h on whi ch he
l i ves, t he ai r and t he et her t hat fi l l t he endl ess space
about hi m, and t he mi l l i ons of ot her pl anet s and
heavenl y bodi es t hat fl oat t hrough space.
Wi t h t he ai d of a l i t t l e mechani cal cont ri vance
(whi ch hi s MIND concei ved) cal l ed a "spect roscope, "
man has di scovered, at a di st ance of 93, 000, 000 mi l es,
t he nat ure of t he subst ances of whi ch t he sun i s made.
We have l i ved t hrough t he st one age, t he i ron age,
t he copper age, t he rel i gi ous fanat i c age, t he sci ent i fi c
research age, t he i ndust ri al age and we ent er, now, t he
age of THOUGHT.
Out of t he spoi l s of t he dark ages t hrough whi ch
man has passed he has saved much mat eri al t hat i s
sound food for THOUGHT. Whi l e for more t han t en
t housand years t he bat t l e bet ween IGNORANCE,
SUPERSTITION and FEAR on t he one si de, and
INTELLIGENCE on t he ot her, has raged, man has
pi cked up some useful knowl edge.
Among ot her fragment s of useful knowl edge
gat hered by man, he has di scovered and cl assi fi ed t he
83 el ement s of whi ch al l physi cal mat t er consi st s. By
st udy and anal ysi s and compari son man has di scovered
t he "bi gness" of t he mat eri al t hi ngs i n t he uni verse as
t hey are represent ed by t he suns and st ars, some of
t hem over t en mi l l i on t i mes as l arge as t he eart h on
whi ch he l i ves. On t he ot her hand, man has di scovered
t he "l i t t l eness" of t hi ngs by reduci ng mat t er t o
- 64 -
mol ecul es, at oms, and fi nal l y, t o t he smal l est known
part i cl e, t he el ect ron. An at om i s so i nconcei vabl y
smal l t hat a grai n of sand cont ai ns mi l l i ons of t hem.
The mol ecul e i s made up of at oms, whi ch are sai d
t o be l i t t l e part i cl es of mat t er t hat revol ve around
each ot her i n one cont i nuous ci rcui t , at l i ght ni ng
speed, very much as t he eart h and ot her pl anet s whi rl
around t he sun i n an endl ess ci rcui t .
The at om, i n t urn, i s made up of el ect rons whi ch
are const ant l y i n rapi d mot i on; t hus i t i s sai d t hat i n
every drop of wat er and every grai n of sand t he ent i re
pri nci pl e upon whi ch t he whol e uni verse operat es, i s
dupl i cat ed.
How marvel ous! How st upendous! How do we
know t hese t hi ngs t o be t rue? Through t he ai d of t he
MIND.
You may gat her some sl i ght i dea of t he magni t ude
of i t al l t he next t i me you eat a beef-st eak, by
rememberi ng t hat t he st eak on your pl at e, t he pl at e
i t sel f, and t he t abl e on whi ch you are eat i ng and t he
si l verware wi t h whi ch you are eat i ng are al l , i n fi nal
anal ysi s, made of exact l y t he same mat eri al , el ect rons.
In t he physi cal or mat eri al worl d, whet her one i s
l ooki ng at t he l argest st ar t hat fl oat s t hrough t he
heavens or t he smal l est grai n of sand t o be found on
eart h, t he obj ect under observat i on i s but an organi zed
col l ect i on of mol ecul es, at oms and el ect rons. (An
el ect ron i s an i nseparabl e form of power, made up of a
posi t i ve and a negat i ve pol e. )
Man knows much about t he physi cal fact s of t he
uni verse!
The next great sci ent i fi c di scovery wi l l be t he
fact , whi ch al ready exi st s, t hat every human brai n i s
- 65 -
bot h a broadcast i ng and a receivi ng st at i on; t hat every
t hought vi brat i on rel eased by t he brai n may be pi cked
up and i nt erpret ed by al l ot her brai ns t hat are i n
harmony, or i n "t une" wi t h t he rat e of vi brat i on of t he
broadcast i ng brai n.

How di d man acqui re t he knowl edge t hat he
possesses concerni ng t he physi cal l aws of t hi s eart h?
How di d he l earn what has t aken pl ace before hi s
t i me, and duri ng hi s unci vi l i zed peri od? He gat hered
t hi s knowl edge by t urni ng back t he pages of Nat ure' s
Bi bl e and t here vi ewi ng t he uni mpeachabl e evi dence
of mi l l i ons of years of st ruggl e among ani mal s of a
l ower i nt el l i gence. By t urni ng back t he great st one
pages man has uncovered t he bones, skel et ons,
foot pri nt s and ot her unmi st akabl e evi dence whi ch
Mot her Nat ure has hel d for hi s i nspect i on t hroughout
unbel i evabl e peri ods of t i me.
Now man i s about t o t urn hi s at t ent i on t o anot her
sect i on of Nat ure' s Bi bl e - t he one wherei n has been
wri t t en a hi st ory of t he great ment al st ruggl e t hat has
t aken pl ace i n t he real m of THOUGHT. Thi s page i s
represent ed by t he boundl ess et her whi ch has pi cked
up and st i l l carri es every t hought vi brat i on t hat was
ever rel eased from t he mi nd of man.
Thi s great page i n Nat ure' s Bi bl e i s one t hat no
human bei ng has been abl e t o t amper wi t h. It s records
are posi t i ve, and soon t hey may be cl earl y i nt erpret ed.
No i nt erpol at i ons by man have been permi t t ed. Of t he
aut hent i ci t y of t he st ory wri t t en on t hi s page t here can
be no doubt .
Thanks t o EDUCATION (meani ng t he unfol di ng,
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educi ng, drawi ng out , devel opi ng from wi t hi n of t he
human mi nd) Nat ure' s Bi bl e i s now bei ng i nt erpret ed.
The st ory of man' s l ong, peri l ous st ruggl e upward
has been wri t t en on t he pages of t hi s, t he great est of
al l Bi bl es.
Al l who have part l y conquered t he Si x Basi c
Fears descri bed i n anot her "aut hor' s vi si t " i n t hi s
seri es, and who have succesful l y conquered
SUPERSTITION and IGNORANCE, may read t he
records t hat have been wri t t en i n Nat ure' s Bi bl e. To
al l ot hers t hi s pri vi l ege i s deni ed. For t hi s reason
t here are probabl y fewer t han one t housand peopl e i n
t he ent i re worl d at t hi s t i me who are i n, even t he
pri mary grade as far as t he readi ng of t hi s Bi bl e i s
concerned.
In t he ent i re worl d t here are probabl y fewer t han
one hundred peopl e, t oday, who know anyt hi ng about
or have ever heard of t he chemi st ry of t he mi nd,
t hrough whi ch t wo or more mi nds -
- MAY BE BLENDED, IN A SPIRIT OF
PERFECT HARMONY, IN SUCH A MANNER THAT
THERE IS BORN A THIRD MIND POSSESSING THE
SUPERHUMAN POWER TO READ THE STORY OF
THE VIBRATION OF THOUGHT AS IT HAS BEEN
WRITTEN AND NOW EXISTS IN THE
IMPERISHABLE RECORDS OF THE ETHER.
The newl y-di scovered radi o pri nci pl e has shut t he
mout hs of t he Doubt i ng Thomases and sent t he
sci ent i st scurryi ng i nt o new fi el ds of experi ment at i on.
When t hey emerge from t hi s fi el d of research t hey
wi l l show us t hat t he mi nd as we underst and i t t oday,
as compared t o t he mi nd of t omorrow, i s about t he
same as compari ng t he i nt el l i gence of a pol l i wog t o
- 67 -
t hat of a professor of bi ol ogy who has read t he ent i re
l i fe-l i ne of ani mal l i fe, from t he amoeba on up t o man.

Come for a short vi si t wi t h a few of t he
POWERFUL men now l i vi ng who are maki ng use of
power creat ed t hrough t he bl endi ng, i n a spi ri t of
harmony, of t wo or more mi nds.
We wi l l begi n wi t h t hree wel l known men, who
are known t o be men of great achi evement i n t hei r
respect i ve fi el ds of endeavor. Thei r names are Henry
Ford, Thomas A. Edi son and Harvey Fi rest one.
Of t he t hree Henry Ford i s t he most POWERFUL,
havi ng reference t o economi c power. Mr. Ford i s t he
most powerful man now l i vi ng on eart h, and i s
bel i eved t o be t he most powerful who ever l i ved. So
great i s hi s power t hat he may have anyt hi ng of a
physi cal nat ure t hat he desi res, or i t s equi val ent .
Mi l l i ons of dol l ars, t o hi m, are but pl ayt hi ngs, no
harder t o acqui re t han t he grai ns of sand wi t h whi ch
t he chi l d bui l ds sand-t unnel s.
Mr. Edi son has such a keen i nsi ght i nt o Mot her
Nat ure' s Bi bl e t hat he has harnessed and combi ned for
t he good of man, more of Nat ure' s l aws t han any ot her
man who ever l i ved. It was he who brought t oget her
t he poi nt of a needl e and a pi ece of wax i n such a way
t hat t hey record and preserve t he human voi ce. It was
he who fi rst made t he l i ght ni ng serve t o l i ght our
houses and st reet s, t hrough t he ai d of t he i ncandescent
l i ght . It was he who made t he camera record and
produce al l sort s of mot i on, t hrough t he modem
movi ng pi ct ure apparat us.
Mr. Fi rest one' s i ndust ri al achi evement i s so wel l
- 68 -
known t hat i t needs no comment . He has made dol l ars
mul t i pl y t hemsel ves so rapi dl y t hat hi s name has
become a by-word wherever aut omobi l es are operat ed.
Al l t hree men began t hei r busi ness and
professi onal careers wi t h no capi t al and but l i t t l e
school i ng of t he nat ure usual l y referred t o as
"educat i on. "
Perhaps Mr. Ford' s begi nni ng was, by far, t he
most humbl e of t he t hree. Cursed wi t h povert y,
ret arded by l ack of even t he most el ement ary form of
school i ng, and handi capped by i gnorance i n many
forms, he has mast ered al l of t hese i n t he
i nconcei vabl y short peri od of t went y-fi ve years.
Thus mi ght we bri efl y descri be t he achi evement s
of t hree wel l known, successful men of POWER!
But , we have been deal i ng wi t h EFFECT onl y!
The t rue phi l osopher wi shes t o know somet hi ng
of t he cause whi ch produced t hese desi rabl e
EFFECTS.
It i s a mat t er of publ i c knowl edge t hat Mr. Ford,
Mr. Edi son and Mr. Fi rest one are cl ose personal
fri ends; t hat t hey go away t o t he woods once a year
for a peri od of recuperat i on and rest .
But , i t i s not general l y known - i t i s doubt ful i f
t hese t hree men, t hemsel ves, even know i t -
- THAT THERE EXISTS BETWEEN THE THREE
MEN A BOND OF HARMONY OUT OF WHICH HAS
GROWN A MASTER MIND THAT IS BEING USED
BY EACH OF THE THREE. A MIND OF
SUPERHUMAN ABILITY, THAT HAS IRE
CAPACITY TO "TUNE IN" ON FORCES WITH
WHICH MOST MEN ARE TO NO EXTENT
FAMILIAR.
Let us repeat t he st at ement t hat out of t he
bl endi ng and harmoni zi ng of t wo or more mi nds
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(t wel ve or t hi rt een mi nds appear t o be t he most
favorabl e number) may be produced a mi nd whi ch has
t he capaci t y t o "t une i n" on t he vi brat i ons of t he et her
and pi ck up, from t hat source, ki ndred t hought s, on
any subj ect .

Through t he pri nci pl e of harmony of mi nds, Ford,
Edi son and Fi rest one have creat ed a Mast er Mi nd t hat
now suppl ement s t he effort s of each of t he t hree, and
WHETHER CONSCIOUSLY OR UNCONSCIOUSLY,
THIS "MASTER MIND" IS THE CAUSE OF THE
SUCCESS OF EACH OF THE THREE.
There i s no ot her answer t o t hei r at t ai nment of
great power, and t hei r far-reachi ng success i n t hei r
respect i ve fi el ds of endeavor, and t hi s i s t rue despi t e
t he fact t hat nei t her of t hem may be consci ous of t he
power t hey have creat ed, or t he manner i n whi ch t hey
have done so.
In t he ci t y of Chi cago l i ve si x powerful men
known as t he Bi g Si x. These si x men are sai d t o be t he
most powerful group of men i n t he mi ddl e west . It i s
sai d t hat t hei r combi ned i ncome t ot al s more t han
t went y-fi ve mi l l i on dol l ars a year.
Every man i n t he group began i n t he most humbl e
of ci rcumst ances.
Thei r names are:
Wm. Wri gl ey, Jr. , who owns t he Wri gl ey Chewi ng
Gum busi ness, and whose i ncome i s sai d t o be over
fi ft een mi l l i on dol l ars a year. John R. Thompson, who
owns t he chai n of Thompson sel f-hel p l unch rooms
t hroughout t he count ry. Mr. Lasker, who owns t he
Lord & Thomas Advert i si ng Agency. Mr. McCul l ough,
- 70 -
who owns t he l argest express busi ness i n t he worl d.
And, Mr. Ri t chi e and Mr. Hert z, who own t he Yel l ow
Taxi cab busi ness of t he count ry.
There i s not hi ng st art l i ng about a man who does
not hi ng more t han become a mi l l i onai re, as a rul e.
However, t here i s somet hi ng connect ed wi t h t he
fi nanci al success of t hese part i cul ar mi l l i onai res t hat
i s more t han st art l i ng, for i t i s wel l known t hat t here
exi st s bet ween t hem a bond of fri endshi p out of whi ch
has grown t he condi t i on of harmony t hat produces a
Mast er Mi nd.
These si x men, whet her by acci dent or desi gn,
have bl ended t hei r mi nds i n such a way t hat t he mi nd
of each has been suppl ement ed by a superhuman
power known as a "Mast er Mi nd, " and ' t hat mi nd has
brought each of t hem more worl dl y gai n t han any
person coul d possi bl y use t o advant age. .
The l aw upon whi ch t he pri nci pl e of a Mast er
Mi nd operat es was di scovered by Chri st , when he
surrounded hi msel f wi t h t wel ve di sci pl es and creat ed
t he fi rst Thi rt een Cl ub of t he worl d.
Despi t e t he fact t hat one of t he t hi rt een (Judas)
broke t he chai n of harmony, suffi ci ent seed was sown
duri ng t he peri od of harmony t hat ori gi nal l y exi st ed
bet ween t hese t hi rt een peopl e, t o i nsure t he
cont i nuat i on of THE GREATEST AND MOST
FARREACHING PHILOSOPHY KNOWN TO THE
INHABITANTS OF THIS EARTH.
Many mi l l i ons of peopl e bel i eve t hemsel ves t o
possess WISDOM. Many of t hese do possess wi sdom,
i n cert ai n el ement ary st ages, but no man may possess
real wi sdom wi t hout t he ai d of t he power known as a
Mast er Mi nd, and such a mi nd cannot be creat ed ex-
- 71 -
cept t hrough t he pri nci pl e of bl endi ng, i n harmony, of
t wo or more mi nds.
Through many years of pract i cal experi ment at i on
i t has been found t hat t hi rt een mi nds, when bl ended i n
a spi ri t of perfect harmony, produce t he most pract i cal
resul t s.
Upon t hi s pri nci pl e, whet her consci ousl y or
unconsci ousl y, i s founded al l of t he great i ndust ri al
and commerci al successes t hat are so abundant i n t hi s
age.
The word "merger" i s becomi ng one of t he most
popul ar words i n newspaper parl ance, because hardl y
a day goes by t hat one may not read of some bi g
i ndust ri al , commerci al , fi nanci al or rai l road merger.
Sl owl y t he worl d i s begi nni ng t o l earn (i n a very few
mi nds onl y) t hat t hrough fri endl y al l i ance and
cooperat i on great POWER may be devel oped.

The successful busi ness and i ndust ri al and
fi nanci al ent erpri ses are t hose managed by l eaders
who ei t her consci ousl y or unconsci ousl y appl y t he
pri nci pl e of co-ordi nat ed effort descri bed i n t hi s
art i cl e. If you woul d be a great l eader i n any
undert aki ng, surround yoursel f wi t h ot her mi nds t hat
can be bl ended i n a spi ri t of co-operat i on so t hat t hey
act and funct i on as one.
If you can grasp t hi s pri nci pl e and appl y i t you
may have, for your effort s, what ever you want on t hi s
eart h!
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I LIKE to see a man
proud of his country,
and I like to see him
so live that his country
is proud of him.
-Lincoln.