This article is an excerpt from the Shortform book guide to "Outwitting the Devil" by Napoleon Hill. Shortform has the world's best summaries and analyses of books you should be reading.
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Do you know how the law of attraction works? Do you believe in it?
Wildly popular, often misunderstood, and sometimes ridiculed, the law of attraction is a feature in much of the self-help literature over the past century. Napoleon Hill, who popularized the law in his books, explains that it’s simply the notion that “like attracts like.” That’s why he stresses the importance of positive thinking.
Keep reading for Hill’s discussion of the law of attraction.
The Law of Attraction
The law of attraction proposes that thinking positive thoughts will attract success while thinking negative thoughts will lead to failure. It suggests that “like attracts like,” and so the first step towards achieving success is to believe that success will come.
In Hill’s discussion of how the law of attraction works, he does not go so far as to say that all failure is the result of negative thinking—he acknowledges that people are born into very different circumstances and with various social advantages or disadvantages. However, he still insists that there is no such thing as luck and that, if you have a clear goal you’re determined to achieve, you fully believe that you’re capable of achieving it, and you insist on thinking positively about what you’re doing, you will eventually find success.
Hill also argues that the law of attraction can act as a guide in prayer. He believes that anyone who prays while doubting that their prayer will be answered has guaranteed that that’s exactly what will happen. Absolute faith in both yourself and in a higher power is necessary for prayers to be effective. You should also pray regularly, and pray to express gratitude as much as you pray to ask for things. Finally, be prepared to take initiative and make sacrifices in order for your prayers to be realized, making the act of praying into more of a request for help or God’s blessing than for a miracle.
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Here's what you'll find in our full Outwitting the Devil summary :
- How failure and bad habits keep people from reaching their potential
- How to escape the Devil’s influence and avoid being turned toward inaction
- How to find your way to professional and financial success
