Self-help · Book club
Think and Grow Rich book club questions
Here are 12 book club questions for Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, ordered to open easily and end somewhere worth arguing about. Copy them, print them, or bring them up one at a time.
Think and Grow Rich, published in 1937, is Napoleon Hill's synthesis of interviews conducted over twenty years with hundreds of successful Americans, including Andrew Carnegie, Henry Ford, and Thomas Edison.
Napoleon Hill · 1937 · 6h 0m
Full summary and key takeaways →The 12 questions
- 1.
Hill argues that a burning desire is the starting point of all achievement. Do you have a goal that genuinely qualifies as burning, or something closer to a vague preference?
- 2.
The Master Mind concept assumes you can build a group of people aligned around your goals. Who in your life currently functions as part of your Master Mind, even informally?
- 3.
Hill's metaphysical claims — vibrations, ether, thought transmission — are scientifically unsupported. Which ideas in the book do you find credible when separated from the cosmology?
- 4.
The book was written in 1937, drawing on interviews with wealthy American men. How does that context shape what Hill counted as success, and what does it leave out?
- 5.
Hill says the majority of people who fail do so within sight of success — they quit just before the breakthrough. Have you experienced something that matches that description?
- 6.
Autosuggestion — reading your goal statement aloud with emotion daily — sounds strange. Have you tried anything like it? What was your experience?
- 7.
Hill identifies six basic fears, with fear of poverty at the top of the list. Which of his six fears has the most influence on your own decisions right now?
- 8.
The book was a product of the Depression era. How does economic context shape what kind of success literature gets written and read?
- 9.
Hill's examples are almost exclusively about accumulating money. Are his principles transferable to goals that aren't financial? What would need to change?
- 10.
How much of Hill's framework maps onto what modern psychology would call goal-setting, implementation intentions, or social capital? What is left over?
- 11.
The book has been used to justify 'manifesting' philosophies. How do you distinguish the psychologically defensible parts of the book from the parts that are simply wishful thinking?
- 12.
Think and Grow Rich has sold over 100 million copies. What does its continued popularity tell us about what people are looking for that more analytical personal finance books don't provide?
How to run the discussion
- Pick six to eight, not all of them. An hour of real discussion covers fewer questions than anyone expects, and racing the list is what makes a book club feel like homework.
- Open with what people noticed, not what they concluded. Asking for a verdict first hardens opinions before anyone has heard each other.
- Let the disagreement run. The questions below that split a room are the ones worth the time; the ones everyone answers the same way can be skipped.
- Ask the quiet person a specific question. A direct, narrow question is far easier to answer than an open invitation to contribute.
Themes worth steering toward
If the conversation stalls, these are the threads that usually restart it.
Common questions
What are good book club questions for Think and Grow Rich?
Here are 12 book club questions for Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, ordered to open easily and end somewhere worth arguing about. The strongest openers ask what each reader noticed rather than what they concluded, and the discussion usually turns on success mindset, goal setting, persistence.
How long should a book club discussion of Think and Grow Rich last?
Most groups run 60 to 90 minutes of actual discussion. That is roughly six to eight questions, not all of them, so pick the ones that suit your group rather than working down the list in order.
What are the main themes in Think and Grow Rich?
Success mindset, Goal setting, Persistence, Wealth building, Personal philosophy. Those are the threads most likely to divide a room, which makes them the useful places to steer a discussion that has gone quiet.
Picking the next one? See books like Think and Grow Rich or questions for other book club picks.
