In Think and Grow Rich (1937), Napoleon Hill’s Chapter 11 is titled “The Mystery of Sex Transmutation” (the tenth step toward riches). It is one of the book’s most distinctive and often misunderstood chapters.
Core Idea
Hill defines “transmute” simply as changing or transferring one form of energy into another.
He argues that the emotion/desire of sex is the most powerful of all human desires. When strongly felt, it produces heightened imagination, courage, will-power, persistence, and creative ability. Most people associate this energy only with physical expression. Hill claims it can (and for high achievement should) be deliberately redirected—“transmuted”—into other channels such as creative work, business, art, invention, leadership, or the accumulation of wealth.
In short:
Sex transmutation = switching the mind from thoughts of physical sexual expression to thoughts and efforts of another (constructive) nature.
The Three Constructive Uses of Sex Energy (According to Hill)
Hill lists three potentialities of the sex emotion:
- Perpetuation of the human race.
- Maintenance of health (he calls it an unmatched therapeutic agency).
- Transformation of mediocrity into genius through transmutation.
The third is the focus of the chapter. He does not advocate repression or elimination of sexual desire. He says the desire is natural and inborn; the key is to give it a higher outlet that enriches body, mind, and spirit rather than dissipating it.
How It Works in Practice (Hill’s View)
- When the energy is harnessed and redirected, it retains its intensity (keen imagination, drive, persistence, etc.) but is applied to non-sexual goals.
- This is said to raise the “vibrations” of thought, enabling access to higher levels of creative imagination and insight (what Hill links to genius).
- Practical examples he gives include master salesmen who convert the same intensity into sales enthusiasm and personal magnetism, or artists, inventors, and leaders who channel it into their work.
- He observes that many highly successful men historically had strong sex natures and learned (often unconsciously) to transmute the energy. He also notes the frequent influence of a romantic partner or love as a catalyst that helps elevate and direct the energy.
Hill lists ten major “mind stimuli” that can raise mental intensity; the desire for sex expression ranks first among them. Others include love, a burning desire for money/power/fame, music, friendship, Master Mind alliances, etc.
Additional Points from the Chapter
- The process requires deliberate will-power.
- Hill suggests that many men begin to master this (often accidentally) between roughly ages 30–40, when the emotions of love and sex tend to harmonise more naturally.
- Personal magnetism, persuasive power, and creative drive are presented as downstream effects of successfully transmuted sex energy.
- He illustrates with historical figures (e.g., linking periods of peak performance in certain leaders to supportive romantic influences).
Context and Caveats
The chapter reflects the language, assumptions, and culture of the 1930s (heavily male-centric phrasing). Modern readers often interpret the core psychological point more broadly: intense emotional/drive energy (including sexual energy) can be consciously redirected into focused creative or productive effort rather than being either suppressed or indiscriminately expressed.
Hill is not giving a technical “how-to” of sexual practices; he is describing an energetic and psychological principle of redirection and sublimation for achievement. The idea has parallels in older traditions that treat sexual energy as a potent life force that can be elevated, but Hill frames it strictly within his success philosophy.
In summary, the chapter’s practical message is: recognise sexual desire as an exceptionally powerful motivator, refuse to waste or solely dissipate it, and deliberately channel its intensity into the definite purpose and creative work that lead to riches (in the broad sense Hill uses the word).