Napoleon Hill

e reach of all who want it. In addition to the income from the sale of the course (which, please bear in mind, is but the sale of knowledge I have gathered through failure), I am now engaged in writing a series of illustrated editorials that is to be syndicated and published in the newspapers of the 26 country. These editorials are based upon these same fifteen points as outlined in this course. The estimated net income from the sale of the editorials is more than enough to care for my needs. In addition to this I am now engaged in collaboration with a group of scientists, psychologists and business men, in writing a postgraduate course which will soon be available to all students who have mastered this more elementary course, covering not only the fifteen laws here outlined, from a more advanced viewpoint, but including still other laws which have but recently been discovered. I have mentioned these facts only because I know what a common thing it is for all of us to measure success in terms of dollars, and to refuse, as unsound, all philosophy that does not foot up a good bank balance. Practically all the past years of my life I have been poor - exceedingly poor - as far as bank balances were concerned. This condition has been, very largely, a matter of choice with me, because I have been putting the best of my time into the toilsome job of throwing off some of my ignorance and gathering in some of the knowledge of life of which I felt myself in need. From the experiences described in these seven turning points of my life, I have gathered a few golden threads of knowledge that I could have gained in no other way than through defeat! My own experiences have led me to believe that the dumb language of defeat is the plainest and most effective language in the world, once one begins to understand it. I am almost tempted to say that I believe it to be the universal language in which Nature cries out to us when we will listen to no other language. I am glad that I have experienced much defeat! It has had the effect of tempering me with the courage to undertake tasks that I would never have begun had I been surrounded by protecting influences. 27 Defeat is a destructive force only when it is accepted as failure! When accepted as teaching some needed lesson it is always a blessing. I used to hate my enemies! That was before I learned how well they were serving me by keeping me everlastingly on the alert lest some weak spot in my character provide an opening through which they might damage me. In view of what I have learned of the value of enemies, if I had none I would feel it my duty to create a few. They would discover my defects and point them out to me, whereas my friends, if they saw my weaknesses at all, would say nothing about them. Of all Joaquin Miller's poems none ex