Like Napoleon Hill, Dale Carnegie is credited with being one of the grandfathers of the self-help movement. A salesman who began instructing others in public speaking, Carnegie learned techniques that he said enabled him to win affection and inspire confidence in others. In 1936 he published his magnum opus, "How to Win Friends and Influence People," which urges readers to practice kindness, avoid criticism, remember and use the names of others, and to listen closely to whoever is talking. By the time of Carnegie's death, the book had sold five million copies in 31 languages and has been a massive bestseller ever since. Carnegie never claimed to have invented anything. When asked about his philosophy, he said, "The ideas I stand for are not mine. I borrowed them from Socrates. I swiped them from Chesterfield. I stole them from Jesus."
