Thinking About Growing Rich

.

May 28, 2026

I’ve been listening to the audio book of Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, which is not at all the sort of thing that I would normally listen to.

I have come across it namechecked in a couple of other blogs and podcasts recently, and if you have been paying attention you will know that I have been on a roll with coincidences and serendipities lately, so figured I’d tug on the thread and see what unravels. Who knows? Maybe the entire reason that I’m listening to the book is so I write this post. Stranger things really have happened. And recently too!

In case you are unfamiliar, Think & Grow Rich is cited as one of those huge ‘self-help’ books. Released in 1937, the book is based on interviews the author conducted with hundreds of successful business men (yes, men) of the early 20th century, and distilled those learnings into a number of principles that could be, theoretically, applied to anyone’s circumstances.

I should make it clear at this point that I’m only half way through the book. I’m still going, so haven’t really come to any specific conclusions about what he is saying or the techniques proposed in the book itself.

Some of the content, stories and examples that are included are incredibly (and comically) dated. Like the bit where he waxes lyrically about the many business opportunities that are destined to emerge from the brand new radio broadcast industry.

There is another section where, after claiming that America has the greatest education system in the world (lolz) he then goes on to say that schools are not fit for purpose because education focuses on general intelligence where what is really required in the modern world is specialised intelligence.

Contemporary thinking, from probably anyone who has two opinions to rub together, will tell you that due to an uncertain future caused by AI technologies and destabilised political landscapes, it is specialised intelligence that is the dead scene, and what the world needs now is more people with generalised intelligence. Full circle, I guess.

Others parts though, are amazingly astute and relevant even 90 years after they were written. From what I’ve read so far though, these passages are in the minority. I’ve just been through a section on the best way to prepare a post-depression job application. So, ummm, yeah.

There was one section that caused me pause though because, unfortunately, I think it contains a solid nugget of truth.

Still talking about education, but this time throwing in public libraries for good measure, he wrote that because these things are free they are perceived by many as not having any value.

I have rubbed up against this whole cost versus value thing before and it absolutely does my head in. Surely if there is something, anything, that provides a service for free, it is way more valuable than a similar thing that charges their patrons/students/whatever.

If a service, whatever it is, is inexpensive then it stands to reason that it will likely be able to have a bigger impact on the lives of a greater number of people, right? And the larger the impact, I think it would follow, the greater the value. QED.

And if the service is free of charge, then the value is enormous!

I’m not saying everything should be free. I know that things cost money, and wages need to be paid, and all that. What is this? Socialism? And no, I’m not saying that expensive things can’t have value. It’s not like there is a neat little sliding scale that says the higher the cost, the lower the value. Of course there is nuance here.

But I’ve got a point though, don’t I? Sure, one may impact the other, but cost and value are just not the same thing

I fully accept that this may be yet another case of me screaming into the void and the void screaming back. I don’t know. Maybe I’m a dreamer. But I’m not the only one.

In a desperate attempt to bring all this back to something that may be relevant to anything whatsoever, I’ll take this opportunity to remind y’all that all my content on this Substack is available to free subscribers, and absolutely nothing is hidden behind a paywall. However, if you are digging what I’m doing and you want to help me continue to keep doing it, there is a subscription tier available. But know that while any subscriptions are greatly appreciated, they are not expected. I love you anyway.

https://joellambeth.substack.com/subscribe

Choons

My music recommendations on these posts are generally albums that I have been listening to in the studio while I work. But lately, Nicole and I have spent quite a bit of time in the car on long drives, and we have been on a bit of a nostalgia kick. We do not have exactly the same taste in music, but there are bits where our Venn diagram overlaps. When we are in the car together I try and find those albums that keep both of us happy, and perhaps may just result in a bit of a sing-a-long as well.

Here are some choice car picks from the last week or two, and there are some absolute classics in there. I’ve noticed that the 1980s feature prominently in this collection of albums, so I think that has bypassed the need to carbon date either one of us.

Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes (1983)