2019 Reprint of 1944 Edition. Think and Grow Rich is based on Hill's earlier work The Law of Success, and said to be the result of more than twenty years of study of many individuals who had amassed personal fortunes. Hill studied their habits and drew some 16 "laws" to be applied to achieve success. Think and Grow Rich condenses them, providing the reader with 13 principles in the form of a Philosophy of Achievement. The book maintains that desire, faith, and persistence can propel one to great heights if one can suppress negative thoughts and focus on long-term goals. The 13 "steps" listed in the book are:
Desire, Faith, Autosuggestion, Specialized Knowledge, Imagination, Organized Planning, Decision, Persistence, Power of the Master Mind, The Mystery of Sex Transmutation, The Subconscious Mind, The Brain, The Sixth Sense
While the book's title and much of the text concerns increasing income, the author insists that his philosophy can help people succeed in any line of work; to do and be anything they can imagine. First published in 1937 during the Great Depression, the book by Hill's death in 1970 had sold more than 20 million copies. By 2015 more than 100 million copies had been sold worldwide.