Book Review: The Magic of Thinking Big

The whole book can be summarized in just one sentence: You are what you think you are – so think big and be successful. There is no other success mantra in the book – if you are feeling low, pessimistic or need some motivation go ahead and read the book.

Quotes

“A wise man will be master of His Mind. A Fool will be Its Slave."

“Look at things not as they are, but as they can be. Visualization adds value to everything. A big thinker always visualizes what can be done in the future. He isn't stuck with the present”

"Remind yourself regularly that you are better than you think you are. Successful people are not superhuman. Success does not require a super-intellect. Nor is there anything mystical about success. And success doesn't based on luck. Successful people are just ordinary folks who have developed belief in themselves and what they do. Never -- yes, never -- sell yourself short."

“Build castles, don't dig graves.”

“If you want something done give it to a busy person” (not a person who has a lot of time. Most likely the person will like to keep that way).

“Hope is a start. But hope needs action to win victories”

“Action cures fear.”

“Look at things as they can be, not as they are.”

“Whether the psychological problem is big or little, the cure comes when one learns to quit drawing negative form one's memory bank and withdraws positive instead”

“Those who believe they can move mountains, do. Those who believe they can't cannot.”

“The thinking that guides your intelligence is much more important than how much intelligence you have”

“Belief triggers the power to do.”

"The test of a successful person is not an ability to eliminate all problems before they arise, but to meet and work out difficulties when they do arise. We must be willing to make an intelligent compromise with perfection lest we wait forever before taking action. It's still good advice to cross bridges as we come to them."

"Believe Big. The size of your success is determined by the size of your belief. Think little goals and expect little achievements. Think big goals and win big success. Remember this, too! Big ideas and big plans are often easier -- certainly no more difficult - than small ideas and small plans."

"How we think shows through in how we act. Attitudes are mirrors of the mind. They reflect thinking." 

“Knowledge is power only when put to use - and then only when the use made of it is constructive.”

“But there's another type of poison perhaps a little more insidious - thought poison - commonly called "gossip." Thought poison differs from body poison in two ways. It affects the mind, not the body, and it is more subtle. The person being poisoned usually doesn't know it. Thought-poison is subtle but it accomplishes "big" things. It reduces the size of our thinking by forcing us to concentrate on petty, unimportant things. It warps and twists our thinking about people because it is based on a distortion of facts, and it creates a guilt feeling in us that shows through when we meet the person we've gossiped about. Thought-poison is 0 percent right thinking: it is 100 percent wrong thinking. And contrary to lots of opinion, women have no exclusive franchise on gossip. Every day many men, too, live in a partially poisoned environment.”

“Get the action habit - you do not need to wait until conditions are perfect.”

“There is no such thing as smooth bump free road to success.”

“3 most common excuses of the “Exucites” disease: I don’t have time, my health is not good and I am not that intelligence.”

“Ability to think is much more important than ability to memorize facts”

“Confidence is built and developed. Nobody is born with confidence.”

“Ideas without action is like a car without engine”

“A fair idea is 100% better than a great idea that dies because it is not followed up”