You have probably read or at least hear about Napoleon Hill's 1937 best seller "Think and Grow Rich" which had sold over 100 million copies by 2015. I think it was a great mini-book filled with enough fluff to make it a 238 page book. the book took real research and the author interviewed many successful legends of his time. But ultimately it was a book an a theory based on the outcomes of actions rather than the actions themselves.

Why we don't have millionaires all over the place if 100 million books were already bought

It's a simple answer. If you have researched about video games you'll notice articles/analysis reports breaking down why certain games, certain monetization plans, certain mechanics and genres work so well. But not all games that attempt at the same thing succeed and not all movies that attempt at the same thing succeed. As I mentioned in a recent post, Context is Paramount. That's why the so called "WoW-Killers" died before taking over World of Warcraft. That's why DCEU failed miserably trying to imitate Marvel.

Just looking at the surface level things isn't enough. on needs to look deep into the core. Ludwig von Mises looked deep into the "Human Actions" and became a behemoth i Austrian Economics which is the only real form of economics that predicted pretty much every single screw up in the land of economics since early 20th century. on the contrary, the delusional Keynesian types didn't even see any of these crashes coming. To them it was all unexpected.

A Far Better Author and A Far Better Book (That makes a lot of sense)

Eric Hoffer was a kid who lost both his parents at young age and he was a dedicated reader who grew up doing odd jobs and dividing his time "between the books and the brothels" (according to his own accounts. In his 40s he began working as a longshoreman on the docks of San Francisco and got into writing books around the same time.

My writing is done in railroad yards while waiting for a freight, in the fields while waiting for a truck, and at noon after lunch. Towns are too distracting.
"my writing grows out of my life just as a branch from a tree."

• Eric Hoffer

He was someone who saw the society at its roots while living in those roots and that is where his insights came from. When a person understand/figure out mathematical/chemical formulas, laws of physics, then that person is capable of drawing an accurate picture of the reality and what could happen and how this 'reality" operate.

The True Believer: Thoughts On The Nature Of Mass Movements

This is the publication that brought Eric Hoffer a fraction of the attention he truly deserved. He was dubbed "longshoreman philosopher." and I can tell you that Eric Hoffer is greater and more wothy of the name "Philosopher" than 99.99% of those who held that name in the known history of mankind and he is easily one of the greatest thinkers of 20th century.

The book has 4 parts and only 176 pages which means it is well summarized and without much fluff to pad the size to pretend intellectual vigor and commitment.

• Part 1. The Appeal of Mass Movements
• Part 2. The Potential Converts
• Part 3. United Action and Self-Sacrifice
• Part 4. Beginning and End

The True Believer is easily one of the most accurate descriptions/breakdowns/deconstructions of mass movements ever made. It's simply genius and despite all his success and fame, Eric Hoffer continued to work as a longshoreman until he retired at age 65. Maybe it was because he was continuously gaining insights through his work.

Here are 10 15 of the best quotes from The True Believer: Thoughts On The Nature Of Mass Movements

"For though ours is a godless age, it is the very opposite of irreligious. The true believer is everywhere on the march, and both by converting and antagonizing he is shaping the world in his own image. And whether we are to line up with him or against him, it is well that we should know all we can concerning his nature and potentialities."

This quote alone covers pretty much half the sutuff that is going on in mass media and mass gatherings. This was only the preface of the book.

"Hatred is the most accessible and comprehensive of all the unifying agents. Mass movements can rise and spread without belief in a god, but never without a belief in a devil."
"The quality of ideas seems to play a minor role in mass movement leadership. What counts is the arrogant gesture, the complete disregard of the opinion of others, the singlehanded defiance of the world."

"The tendency to look for all causes outside ourselves persists even when it is clear that our state of being is the product of personal qualities such as ability, character, appearance, health and so on. “If anything ail a man,” says Thoreau, “so that he does not perform his functions, if he have a pain in his bowels even…he forthwith sets about reforming — the world."

Forget the pain in the bowels. Even fashion is a reason for global mass movements these days.

"people with a sense of fulfillment think it is a good world and would like to conserve it as it is, while the frustrated favor radical change."
"There is no doubt that in exchanging a self-centered for a selfless life we gain enormously in self-esteem. The vanity of the selfless, even those who practice utmost humility, is boundless."

This is why I never trust an altruist. A criminal who'd kill for a million dollars may not kill for half a million. But an Altruist who's worth is gained purely through others would kill you even if it cost 2 millions if it serves the proverbial "greater good"

"The permanent misfits can find salvation only in a complete separation from the self; and they usually find it by losing themselves in the compact collectivity of a mass movement."
"The less justified a man is in claiming excellence for his own self, the more ready he is to claim all excellence for his nation, his religion, his race or his holy cause."
"Faith in a holy cause is to a considerable extent a substitute for the lost faith in ourselves."
"A man is likely to mind his own business when it is worth minding. When it is not, he takes his mind off his own meaningless affairs by minding other people's business"

"When our individual interests and prospects do not seem worth living for, we are in desperate need for something apart from us to live for. All forms of dedication, devotion, loyalty and self-surrender are in essence a desperate clinging to something which might give worth and meaning to our futile, spoiled lives."
"Those who see their lives as spoiled and wasted crave equality and fraternity more than they do freedom. If they clamor for freedom, it is but freedom to establish equality and uniformity. The passion for equality is partly a passion for anonymity: to be one thread of the many which make up a tunic; one thread not distinguishable from the others. No one can then point us out, measure us against others and expose our inferiority."

"There is a tendency to judge a race, a nation, or any distinct group by its least worthy members. Though manifestly unfair, this tendency has some justification. For the character and destiny of a group are often determined by its inferior elements. "
"It is not actual suffering but the taste of better things which excites people to revolt"
"Things which are not" are indeed mightier than "things that are". In all ages men have fought most desperately for beautiful cities yet to be built and gardens yet to be planted."

There is a lot more to add on the topic. But I'll have to type another article for that. Until then, enjoy the following video:

Additional Reading:
How Ayn Rand Became the Greatest Prophet of our time
https://steemit.com/philosophy/@vimukthi/how-ayn-rand-became-the-greatest-prophet-of-our-time-how-her-philosophy-was-born-it-s-use-in-modern-times-and-criticisms-against+Teachings from Dhammapada
The Genius and the Prophecies of Hideo Kojima and Metal Gear + The works of Project Itoh
"Chintana": The socio-psychological force that guide the fate of nations, cultures and all sorts of groups
Memes: The builder of Destiny and Civilizations and The Most Powerful Weapon known to Man