Gen Z Men Are Flocking to This 87‑Year‑Old Self‑Help Book for Success Hacks

Why It Matters

The trend signals a shift in how emerging professionals source personal‑development guidance, reshaping the self‑help market and influencing publishing strategies. It also highlights the power of social media to revive and monetize decades‑old content.

Key Takeaways

• Think and Grow Rich trending on TikTok among Gen Z
• Book cited as success blueprint by startup founders
• Classic self-help resonates with gym‑bro, crypto, hustle culture
• Digital influencers revive legacy titles for modern audiences
• Publishing sees renewed sales from millennial and Gen Z readers

Pulse Analysis

The resurgence of *Think and Grow Rich* illustrates a broader cultural appetite among Gen Z for concrete, actionable advice. Unlike traditional academic texts, the book offers simple, repeatable formulas that align with the fast‑paced, results‑driven mindset of today’s young entrepreneurs. Platforms like TikTok amplify these messages, turning a 1930s manuscript into bite‑sized, shareable content that fits the short‑attention‑span consumption patterns of digital natives. This convergence of classic wisdom and modern media creates a feedback loop that fuels both discovery and virality.

At the core of the book’s appeal are its themes of visualization, goal‑setting, and relentless belief—principles that resonate with the gym‑bro, crypto‑enthusiast, and hustle‑culture sub‑communities. Influencers such as Ben Mercer frame Hill’s maxims as "manifestation hacks" for building wealth, fitness, and personal brand equity. By translating abstract concepts into tangible daily rituals—like affirmations before a workout or a disciplined morning routine—these creators make the material feel immediately applicable, reinforcing the perception that success is a formulaic process rather than a stochastic journey.

For publishers, the phenomenon offers a lucrative blueprint: leverage social media influencers to re‑introduce legacy titles to younger demographics. Data shows a measurable uptick in sales and audiobook streams, prompting rights holders to negotiate new licensing deals and develop companion digital products. The ripple effect may extend to other public‑domain works, encouraging a wave of retro‑content revivals that blend timeless insights with contemporary storytelling techniques. Companies that can harness this synergy stand to capture a growing segment of the personal‑development market while reinforcing brand relevance across generations.

Gen Z Men Are Flocking to This 87‑Year‑Old Self‑Help Book for Success Hacks

*Fans of Strava and crypto continue to love Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich. Book influencer Ben Mercer considers why it remains so popular among startup founders* · By Ben Mercer, bestselling author, freelancer, content creator, and former professional athlete · Feb 13, 2026

Illustration: Inc; Photo: Getty Images, Courtesy publisher

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Young men early in their careers are looking everywhere for hacks on how to be successful—and how to get rich. And they’re looking in some seemingly unlikely places. So where do they get ideas?

On TikTok and from the likes of Joe Rogan, certainly. But there are also a few tried‑and‑tested books that have tremendous influence. This is intriguing because, in general, men and boys are reading less than women and girls, yet in the literacy work I do with young men and boys, I often encounter Atomic Habits and a whole host of similar nonfiction success manuals, each with a clear promise: read this and you will become that. Fiction’s promise, by contrast, is much more vague, and young men—high on a combination of crypto coins, peptides, podcasts and gym memberships—are casting about for some certainty.

Is there a book that offers a clearer promise than Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich?

Manifestation for gym bros

One of the reasons these books are comforting is that we recognize the lessons. In Think and Grow Rich, author Napoleon Hill tells us, for example:

“Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”

“Set your mind on a definite goal and observe how quickly the world stands aside to let you pass.”

It’s manifestation for the gym bros.