As a Man Thinketh
James ALLEN (1864 – 1912)
This book is about our thoughts and how they determine our actions and very being. A few quotes will give a good taste of the riches in this book: “A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts.” “Cherish your visions. Cherish your ideals. Cherish the music that stirs in your heart, the beauty that forms in your mind, the loveliness that drapes your purest thoughts, for out of them will grow all delightful conditions, all heavenly environment, of these, if you but remain true to them your world will at last be built.” “The soul attracts that which it secretly harbors, that which it loves, and also that which it fears. It reaches the height of its cherished aspirations. It falls to the level of its unchastened desires – and circumstances are the means by which the soul receives its own.” “Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves, they therefore remain bound.” “Every action and feeling is preceded by a thought.” “Right thinking begins with the words we say to ourselves.” “Circumstance does not make the man, it reveals him to himself.” “You cannot travel within and stand still without.” “As the physically weak man can make himself strong by careful and patient training, so the man of weak thoughts, can make them strong by exercising himself in right thinking.” “Every man is where he is by the law of his being; the thoughts which he has built into his character have brought him there, and in the arrangement of his life there is no element of chance, but all is the result of a law which cannot err.”
Life-changing This book was so amazing. It has changed my life in such a positive way. My thought life is the biggest contributor to my quality of life and up until this book, I had not realized how much control I can have over the direction it takes.
Mind boggling I like how it was kept simple and plain. I mean there is no magic to achieving what you want. People always try to make it seem as if there is some special code that makes you great in every area of your life. James Allen explains how simple it is and the fact that it starts small and has to increase over time. Everything doesn’t just happen in a couple of months or a year. It is an ongoing process and he explains how you can never be relaxed in your thought life. It was very enlightening and…
Well worth reading and rereading This book is my bible. It was given to me by my father when I was 16 years old. I had no idea of the meaning of the book until I was 35 years old although I had tried to read it numerous times over the years. It is a most positve way of living your life. Although it was writen over a hundred years ago it is timeless.