The Strangest Secret - Kindle edition by Nightingale, Earl. Self-Help Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.
American radio speaker and author, dealing mostly with the subjects of human character development, motivation, and meaningful existence
During 1956, he produced a spoken word record, The Strangest Secret, which sold more than a million copies, making it the first spoken-word recording to achieve Gold Record status
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Book Summary: The Strangest Secret by Earl Nightingale
Quotes
“Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal.”“People with goals succeed because they know where they’re going. It’s that simple.”
“We become what we think about.”
“All you have to do is know where you’re going. The answers will come to you of their own accord.”
“The human mind is the last great, unexplored continent on earth.”
“Everything that’s really worthwhile in life came to us free—our minds, our souls, our bodies, our hopes, our dreams, our ambitions, our intelligence, our love of family and children, and friends and country.”
“The architect of the universe didn’t build a stairway leading nowhere.”
“For thirty days, you must take control of your mind. It will think only about what you permit it to think about. All you have to do is know where you’re going. In addition to maintaining a cheerful, positive outlook, give of yourself more than you have ever done before. Do this knowing that your returns in life must be in direct proportion to what you give.”
"Success is not the result of making money; making money is the result of success
—and success is in direct proportion to our service."
"Avoid thinking about what it is you fear. Each time a fearful or negative thought comes to your mind, replace it with a mental picture of your positive and worthwhile goal."
"Your success will always be measured by the quality and quantity of service you render.
You’ve got to be of service before we can expect a return."
“No man can get rich himself unless he enriches others."
AI summary & illustrations
Consider this puzzling reality: We live surrounded by unprecedented opportunity, yet statistics suggest that by age 65, only a small fraction—perhaps 5 out of 100—achieve the success and independence they dreamed of. The vast majority fall short, struggling financially or dependent on others. Why this stark divide? Why, in a world seemingly full of potential, do so many fail? This very phenomenon, this baffling difference between the successful few and the struggling many, is itself the Strangest Secret. What lies behind it?
The answer to this secret, the fundamental law determining our success or failure, is astonishingly simple yet profound: `We become what we think about`.
Our lives are, quite literally, the outward manifestation of our dominant, habitual thoughts. This isn't a new idea; it's a thread running through the wisdom of great thinkers and scriptures throughout history.
This principle directly explains the duality. The vast majority fail because they don't consciously apply this law. They fall into conformity, acting like everyone else in the unsuccessful 95% without questioning why or where they are going. They lack clearly defined goals, allowing external circumstances or the opinions of others to shape their lives. Like a ship without a captain or a destination, they drift aimlessly and inevitably end up on the rocks or as derelicts. They simply don't think purposefully.
The power lies within the human `mind`, which operates like incredibly `fertile` land. This mental ground doesn't care what seeds you plant – seeds of success, a clear goal, or seeds of failure, confusion, fear, and anxiety. It will faithfully return whatever is planted, multiplying it. Just as soil will yield poisonous plants as readily as valuable plants, the mind will materialize the harvest of our dominant thoughts. Sadly, because this incredible power comes free at birth, most people undervalue it and operate far below their true potential, using it for trivial worries instead of great achievements.Those in the successful 5% harness this power through goals. Success isn't merely an endpoint or accumulating wealth; it's defined as the `progressive realization of a worthy ideal`. Anyone who has set a definite goal and is deliberately working towards it – whether becoming a great teacher, a skilled craftsman, a top salesperson, or a loving parent – is a success because they know where they are going. They have planted their goal like a seed in their mind.
Achieving this requires commitment, often described as paying the "price." This includes understanding and internalizing the law of thought, using imagination freely, having the courage to focus on your goal daily despite obstacles, saving at least 10% of earnings, and crucially, taking decisive action. A practical way to implement this is the 30-day test:
- Write your single, most important `goal on a card`.
- Look at it morning, noon, and night, thinking cheerfully about its achievement.
- Crucially, every single time a fearful or negative thought enters your mind, consciously replace it with the mental picture of your positive goal.
- Persist for 30 days without fail (restarting if you lapse), act as though failure is impossible, and go the extra mile in your efforts.
Finally, understand the correct relationship with money and prosperity. You don't pursue money directly; money is earned and is the result of success, which is based on service. Like needing to put wood in the stove before getting heat, you must provide useful service or products first.
Your financial return will be in direct proportion to the quality and quantity of your service to others. Focus on serving, building, creating, and enriching others, and according to the immutable law of mutual exchange, prosperity and abundance will naturally flow back to you. Money simply becomes the yardstick measuring that service.
