David J. Schwartz – Author Biography
David J. Schwartz was the American motivational writer whose 1959 classic The Magic of Thinking Big became one of the bestselling self-help books of all time — the book that taught generations to “think big” before the phrase was a cliché.
Early Life
Schwartz was born in the United States and earned his PhD, going on to become a professor of marketing at Georgia State University in Atlanta. His academic work on consumer behavior and motivation fed directly into his writing.
Career
As a professor, Schwartz studied why some people succeed spectacularly while equally talented others stall — and concluded the difference was the scale of their thinking. The Magic of Thinking Big (1959) distilled his findings into practical principles: believe you can succeed and you will, cure “excusitis,” think in terms of what’s possible rather than what’s limiting. The book sold millions of copies, was translated into dozens of languages, and has never been out of print — a staple of sales organizations, direct-marketing companies, and motivational libraries for over sixty years. Schwartz became a sought-after speaker on motivation and leadership, and he founded his own consulting firm. He died in 1987.
Major Works
The Magic of Thinking Big (1959) is his landmark — chapters on belief, defeating disbelief, thinking creatively, and using goals to grow. Its core message, that success is determined less by intellect than by the size of one’s thinking, made it a foundational text of the positive-thinking movement.
Writing Style and Themes
Schwartz wrote in plain, punchy, mid-century American motivational prose — anecdotes, numbered principles, memorable coinages like “excusitis, the failure disease.” His great theme is that self-imposed limits are the main obstacle to achievement: think big, act big, and results follow. He emphasized action over mere affirmation — belief must be paired with doing.
Legacy
The Magic of Thinking Big is one of the foundational texts of modern self-help, a direct ancestor of everything from Think and Grow Rich‘s legacy to contemporary mindset literature. Its six-decade run in print testifies to an enduring insight: that most people fail not from lack of ability but from thinking too small.
