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Home > Mere Mortals Book Reviews > Boy Did I Remember This Wrong | Think And Grow Rich (Napoleon Hill) BOOK REVIEW
Podcast: Mere Mortals Book Reviews
Episode:

Boy Did I Remember This Wrong | Think And Grow Rich (Napoleon Hill) BOOK REVIEW
Category: Arts
Duration: 00:36:09
Publish Date: 2026-05-19 01:13:55
Description: The classic self-help book is a bit different than I remember. 

In Napoleon Hill’s 'Think And Grow Rich' I discover it’s not quite the book I remembered. I walk through what still shines—its optimism, self‑analysis prompts and the motivational push that helped me as a younger bloke to build self‑confidence, set goals and act with intention. I share the quotes and practices that I used to use as inspiration for growth.

Then I dig into the doozies: dated claims, sciencey overreach, baldness-by-hat myths, telepathy talk, name-dropping and a tendency to state opinions as facts. I contrast Hill’s inspiration-first approach with more modern, evidence-based self-help and explain why I’d now recommend reading it with a strong filter. Take the useful 50% and discard the rest. I wrap with some context on Hill himself and why timing likely supercharged the book’s impact post-Depression.

Timeline:
(00:00:00) Intro
(00:02:55) Core promise: riches, goals, and optimism
(00:04:25) Personal history: how the book helped in early 20s
(00:09:16) Turning defeat into advantage: key quotes and reframes
(00:12:35) Persistence, ambition, and study outside work
(00:16:01) Where it falls apart: pseudoscience and bold claims
(00:22:55) Name‑dropping, experts and borrowed authority
(00:25:02) The Wallis Simpson example and selective narratives
(00:28:25) Author profile: grift vibes, success without substance?
(00:32:12) Final verdict and how to read it: keep half, discard half 



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