First published during the Great Depression, Napoleon Hill s Think and Grow Rich continues to be a bestselling self-help book. It has also been listed in John C. Maxwell's A Lifetime "Must Read" Books List . Based on Hill s earlier work, The Law of Success, the text represents the wisdom of highly successful men. The book offers ideas on how these successful men, including Andrew Carnegie, mastered the secret of growing and lasting success. Hill closely studied their practices and habits and formulated fourteen principles in the form of Philosophy of Achievement . However, the book is much more than about earning money, and its teachings hold true for everyone, irrespective of their line of work. The book motivates readers to overcome and suppress any negative thoughts hindering their path to success by persisting towards their long-term goals, having faith, and by maintaining their desire to achieve them. The book asserts that an intense passion for one s goal is the primary key to success.