As a Man Thinketh
Of the nineteen books James Allen wrote, As a Man Thinketh is considered his most widely recognized classic self-help book. It is concise and eloquent, and it best embodies his idea that thought and character are one. This unrewarded literary mystery man influenced millions with his inspirational writings, which underline the principle that noble thoughts make a noble person, while lowly thoughts make a miserable person. I am sure this rich outpouring of ideas will have a great impact on your life.
–Harrison
As A Man Thinketh
by James Allen
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
Chapter 1. Thought and Character
Chapter 2. Effect Of Thought On Circumstances
Chapter 3. Effects Of Thoughts On Health And Body
Chapter 4 Thought And Purpose
Chapter 5 The Thought-Factor In Achievement
Chapter 6 Vision And Ideals
Chapter 7 Serenity
Introduction
Mind is the master-power that molds and makes,
And Man is Mind, and evermore he takes
That tool of Thought, and, shaping what he wills
Bring a forth a thousand joys, a thousand ills:–
He thinks in secret, and it comes to pass:
Environment is but his looking-glass
This little volume (the result of meditation and experience) is not intended as an exhaustive treatise on the much-written upon subject of the power of thought. It is suggestive rather than explanatory, its object being to stimulate men and women to the discovery and perception of the truth that –
“They themselves are makers of themselves”
by virtue of the thoughts which they choose and encourage; that mind is the master weaver, both of the inner garment of character and the outer garment of circumstance, and that, as they may have hitherto woven in ignorance and pain they may now weave in enlightenment and happiness.
James Allen
Chapter 1
Thought And Character
The aphorism, “As a man thinketh in his heart so is he,” not only embraces the whole of a man’s being, but is so comprehensive as to reach out to every condition and circumstance of his life. A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts.
As the plant springs from, and could not be without, the seed, so every act of a man springs from the hidden seeds of thought, and could not have appeared without them. This applies equally to those acts called “spontaneous” and “unpremeditated” as to those which are deliberately executed.
Act is the blossom of thought, and joy and suffering are its fruits; thus does a man garner in the sweet and bitter fruitage of his own husbandry.
Man is a growth by law, and not a creation by artifice, and cause and effect is as absolute and undeviating in the hidden realm of thought as in the world of visible and material things. A noble and Godlike character is not a thing of favor or chance, but is the natural result of continued effort in right thinking, the effect of long-cherished association with Godlike thoughts. An ignoble and bestial character, by the same process, is the result of the continued harboring of groveling thoughts.
Man is made or unmade by himself; in the armory of thought he forges the weapons by which he destroys himself. He also fashions the tools with which he builds for himself heavenly mansions of joy and strength and peace. By the right choice and true application of thought, man ascends to the Divine Perfection; by the abuse and wrong application of thought, he descends below the level of the beast. Between these two extremes are all the grades of character, and man is their maker and master.
Of all the beautiful truths pertaining to the soul which have been restored and brought to light in this age, none is more gladdening or fruitful of divine promise and confidence than this – that man is the master of thought, the molder of character, and maker and shaper of condition, environment, and destiny.