Secrets for Success and Happiness [Hardcover]

Og Mandino (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 24, 1995

It's safe to say that world-famed speaker and author Og Mandino has as many friends as any man alive, thanks to his inspiring motivational lectures and his bestselling books. This new book is a special gift to all his friends, old and new, a book they may cherish above all the rest. Secrets for Success and Happiness is Og's beautifully written journal, an intimate record of his innermost thoughts and feelings, the heartwarming events of his day-to-day life.
Whether he's writing in his old New Hampshire farmhouse on a snowy winter day or in a hotel room just about anywhere in the country; whether he's refilling the bird feeder, comforting a sick friend, racing to catch a plane, receiving a standing ovation, or planting his tomatoes, Og weaves his secrets of success into the fabric of his life and the pages of his book. He shares anecdotes, both sad and funny, and his feelings about his fan mail and the people he meets. And when trouble comes to him, he shares that, too.
Living with Og and listening to his thoughts as the rich days unfold, we once again find the sheer joy of wondering what tomorrow will bring, and the courage never to look back on yesterday.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

It may surprise Og Mandino's fans to learn that the author of so many best-selling inspirational fables is actually, behind the aphorisms, a flesh-and-blood man. Not only that, but he turns out to be much more interesting than most of the fictional heroes he's created. In this journal, Mandino writes about the things you might expect from a professional optimist--love of family, the beauty of nature, the satisfaction of hard work. But he also acknowledges in a most personal fashion that you can't fix everything by looking on the bright side. For instance, when his doctor informs him he has a nodule on his prostate and some valve problems, his imagination runs away with him as it might for the less-positive thinkers among us, and when bona fide medical emergencies hit, Mandino feels fear and pain in normal doses. As for those secrets of success and happiness in the book's title, they're tucked away in the journal entries, sometimes even between the lines. Not to worry: Mandino's fans will know where to look, though it's even money whether his familiar wisdom will prove more inspirational than his heretofore hidden humanity. Ilene Cooper

From the Inside Flap

It's safe to say that world-famed speaker and author Og Mandino has as many friends as any man alive, thanks to his inspiring motivational lectures and his bestselling books. This new book is a special gift to all his friends, old and new, a book they may cherish above all the rest. Secrets for Success and Happiness is Og's beautifully written journal, an intimate record of his innermost thoughts and feelings, the heartwarming events of his day-to-day life.
Whether he's writing in his old New Hampshire farmhouse on a snowy winter day or in a hotel room just about anywhere in the country; whether he's refilling the bird feeder, comforting a sick friend, racing to catch a plane, receiving a standing ovation, or planting his tomatoes, Og weaves his secrets of success into the fabric of his life and the pages of his book. He shares anecdotes, both sad and funny, and his feelings about his fan mail and the people he meets. And when trouble comes to him, he shares that, too.
Living with Og and listening to his thoughts as the rich days unfold, we once again find the sheer joy of wondering what tomorrow will bring, and the courage never to look back on yesterday.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 339 pages
• Publisher: Fawcett; 1 edition (October 24, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449906914
• ISBN-13: 978-0449906910
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,666,361 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Og Mandino is the most widely read inspirational and self help author in the world. Former president of Success Unlimited magazine, Mandino was the first recipient of the Napoleon Hill Gold Medal for literary achievement. Og Mandino was a member of the International Speakers Hall of Fame and honored with the Masters of Influence by the National Speakers Association. Og Mandino died in 1996 but his books continue to inspire countless thousands all over the world.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring and REAL!!, October 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Secrets for Success and Happiness (Audio Cassette)

I have so enjoyed listening to these tapes as I drive to school each week. Og's attention to the little things in life--the things that makes life worth living--are an example to us all. Money is NOT the ends and even not necessarily the means.

It is also interesting from a writer's point of view as Og gives a bit of the behind the scenes world of publishing and touring.

I highly recommend this book/tape set to anyone who wants to remember what we're here for.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reflective journal of a life well-lived by Augustine Mandino, June 15, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Secrets for Success and Happiness (Mass Market Paperback)

Augustine Mandino is different. From personal failure he evolved into a lighthouse for the depressed and disenchanted.

Did he know that his eager followers would be the poor, only? Get ready, Og, because of you, no matter what our financial statuses, you have helped us change the world!

I discovered Og in 1996. "I've never heard of him," said a public school teacher at our local nationally-acclaimed school. I was educated locally also; my life has changed, thanks to Og, but it would have changed sooner had my school offered Mandino IA,IB&IC.

I am currently reading five of Og's books concurrently because I believe I have already wasted too much time not getting to know the master of (true-life) story telling.

One of these books is "Secrets for Success and Happiness." By reading Og's other books, I have experienced his mastery. While reading this new book, I know I have finally met the master creator of life's maps, personally.

I thank God that og wrote this book. Without it, those who have never meet him personally can finally embrace -- if only in spirit -- one of God's spellbinding gift givers . . .

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Just what I needed, January 29, 2003

By 

John Taber (Elsmere, Delaware) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Secrets for Success and Happiness (Mass Market Paperback)

It was just before 11 Sep 2001, in fact Friday the 7th. It was also the beginning of the end for my job (they cut what was left of our benefits) and I was in the library looking for anything I could get in the 158s and there was this book on the shelf. I'd read Mandino's works for years, even sent him fan mail that he very graciously acknowledged (and I wish I still had eight years and as many moves later), but I'd never seen this book before.

So I checked it out - it was the lift I needed. I'd had no idea of his background, and I realized that at 28, my own lofty goals just might be attainable. It also gave me some insights into his writing process and the philosophy of life that permeates all his writing.

I'm giving it four stars because you have to already be a fan to really appreciate this book, and there is a good bit of overlap between it and some of his other later works (like Return of the Ragpicker). I am very glad he took the time to write it down while he was still with us - and didn't give up on it when his health problems started.

BTW, that job ended in February. In April I moved in with my parents, still looking for work. In July when I was down at the beach with them I found this book on sale so I picked it up. In November I did find a new permanent job and moved into a new apartment Christmas Eve. I'm still (1/29/2003) unpacking but as soon as I find this book again I'm going to scour it again. I could not have made it through the past seventeen months without it, and I have the rest of my life ahead of me.