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This collector’s edition is cleanly formatted for easy reading. 12 point Garamond, 1.25 spacing. “As a Man Thinketh” is a book about the power of thought and its use and application for positive effects in one’s own life. It was first published in 1903 and has since become an inspirational classic, selling millions of copies around the world and bringing guidance and inspiration to all who have read it. Described by Allen as “A pocket companion for thoughtful people,” and “A book on the power and right application of thought,” the book is simple, so that all can easily grasp and follow its teaching, and put into practice its methods. It shows how, in his own thought-world, each man holds the key to every condition, good or bad, that enters into his life, and that, by working patiently and intelligently upon his thoughts, he may remake his life, and transform his circumstances. In Allen’s own words, “As a Man Thinketh” is a book that will help you help yourself. “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.”― Proverbs 23:7
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As a Man Thinketh
JAMESALLEN
AuthorofFromPassiontoPeace
MindistheMasterpowerthatmouldsandmakes,AndManisMind,andevermorehetakesThetoolofThought,and,shapingwhathewills,Bringsforthathousandjoys,athousandills:—Hethinksinsecret,anditcomestopass:Environmentisbuthislooking-glass.
As a ManThinketh
byJames Allen
First Published in 1903
ISBN978-1-77335-048-6
Creative Content Copyright © Magdalene Press
https://archive.org/details/asmanthinketh00alleiala
THIS little volume(theresultofmeditationandexperience)isnotintendedasanexhaustivetreatiseonthemuch-written-uponsubjectofthepowerofthought.Itissuggestiveratherthanexplanatory,itsobjectbeingtostimulatemenandwomentothediscoveryandperceptionofthetruththat—“Theythemselvesaremakersofthemselves.”—byvirtueofthethoughts,whichtheychooseandencourage;thatmindisthemaster-weaver,bothoftheinnergarmentofcharacterandtheoutergarmentofcircumstance,andthat,astheymayhavehithertowoveninignoranceandpaintheymaynowweaveinenlightenmentandhappiness.
JAMESALLEN
BROADPARKAVENUE
ILFRACOMBE
ENGLAND
THEaphorism,“Asamanthinkethinhisheartsoishe,”notonlyembracesthewholeofaman’sbeing,butissocomprehensiveastoreachouttoeveryconditionandcircumstanceofhislife.Amanisliterallywhathethinks,hischaracterbeingthecompletesumofallhisthoughts.
Astheplantspringsfrom,andcouldnotbewithout,theseed,soeveryactofamanspringsfromthehiddenseedsofthought,andcouldnothaveappearedwithoutthem.Thisappliesequallytothoseactscalled“spontaneous”and“unpremeditated”astothose,whicharedeliberatelyexecuted.
Actistheblossomofthought,andjoyandsufferingareitsfruits;thusdoesamangarnerinthesweetandbitterfruitageofhisownhusbandry.
“Thoughtinthemindhathmadeus,Whatweare
Bythoughtwaswroughtandbuilt.Ifaman’smind
Hathevilthoughts,paincomesonhimascomes
Thewheeltheoxbehind...
...Ifoneendure
Inpurityofthought,joyfollowshim
Ashisownshadow—sure.”
Manisagrowthbylaw,andnotacreationbyartifice,andcauseandeffectisasabsoluteandundeviatinginthehiddenrealmofthoughtasintheworldofvisibleandmaterialthings.AnobleandGodlikecharacterisnotathingoffavourorchance,butisthenaturalresultofcontinuedeffortinrightthinking,theeffectoflong-cherishedassociationwithGodlikethoughts.Anignobleandbestialcharacter,bythesameprocess,istheresultofthecontinuedharbouringofgrovellingthoughts.
Manismadeorunmadebyhimself;inthearmouryofthoughtheforgestheweaponsbywhichhedestroyshimself;healsofashionsthetoolswithwhichhebuildsforhimselfheavenlymansionsofjoyandstrengthandpeace.Bytherightchoiceandtrueapplicationofthought,manascendstotheDivinePerfection;bytheabuseandwrongapplicationofthought,hedescendsbelowthelevelofthebeast.Betweenthesetwoextremesareallthegradesofcharacter,andmanistheirmakerandmaster.
Ofallthebeautifultruthspertainingtothesoulwhichhavebeenrestoredandbroughttolightinthisage,noneismoregladdeningorfruitfulofdivinepromiseandconfidencethanthis—thatmanisthemasterofthought,themoulderofcharacter,andthemakerandshaperofcondition,environment,anddestiny.
AsabeingofPower,Intelligence,andLove,andthelordofhisownthoughts,manholdsthekeytoeverysituation,andcontainswithinhimselfthattransformingandregenerativeagencybywhichhemaymakehimselfwhathewills.
Manisalwaysthemaster,eveninhisweakerandmostabandonedstate;butinhisweaknessanddegradationheisthefoolishmasterwhomisgovernshis“household.”Whenhebeginstoreflectuponhiscondition,andtosearchdiligentlyfortheLawuponwhichhisbeingisestablished,hethenbecomesthewisemaster,directinghisenergieswithintelligence,andfashioninghisthoughtstofruitfulissues.Suchistheconsciousmaster,andmancanonlythusbecomebydiscoveringwithinhimselfthelawsofthought;whichdiscoveryistotallyamatterofapplication,selfanalysis,andexperience.
Onlybymuchsearchingandmining,aregoldanddiamondsobtained,andmancanfindeverytruthconnectedwithhisbeing,ifhewilldigdeepintothemineofhissoul;andthatheisthemakerofhischaracter,themoulderofhislife,andthebuilderofhisdestiny,hemayunerringlyprove,ifhewillwatch,control,andalterhisthoughts,tracingtheireffectsuponhimself,uponothers,anduponhislifeandcircumstances,linkingcauseandeffectbypatientpracticeandinvestigation,andutilizinghiseveryexperience,eventothemosttrivial,everydayoccurrence,asameansofobtainingthatknowledgeofhimselfwhichisUnderstanding,Wisdom,Power.Inthisdirection,asinnoother,isthelawabsolutethat“Hethatseekethfindeth;andtohimthatknockethitshallbeopened;”foronlybypatience,practice,andceaselessimportunitycanamanentertheDooroftheTempleofKnowledge.
MAN’Smindmaybelikenedtoagarden,whichmaybeintelligentlycultivatedorallowedtorunwild;butwhethercultivatedorneglected,itmust,andwill,bringforth.Ifnousefulseedsareputintoit,thenanabundanceofuselessweed-seedswillfalltherein,andwillcontinuetoproducetheirkind.
Justasagardenercultivateshisplot,keepingitfreefromweeds,andgrowingtheflowersandfruitswhichherequires,somayamantendthegardenofhismind,weedingoutallthewrong,useless,andimpurethoughts,andcultivatingtowardperfectiontheflowersandfruitsofright,useful,andpurethoughts.Bypursuingthisprocess,amansoonerorlaterdiscoversthatheisthemaster-gardenerofhissoul,thedirectorofhislife.Healsoreveals,withinhimself,thelawsofthought,andunderstands,withever-increasingaccuracy,howthethought-forcesandmindelementsoperateintheshapingofhischaracter,circumstances,anddestiny.
Thoughtandcharacterareone,andascharactercanonlymanifestanddiscoveritselfthroughenvironmentandcircumstance,theouterconditionsofaperson’slifewillalwaysbefoundtobeharmoniouslyrelatedtohisinnerstate.Thisdoesnotmeanthataman’scircumstancesatanygiventimeareanindicationofhisentirecharacter,butthatthosecircumstancesaresointimatelyconnectedwithsomevitalthought-elementwithinhimselfthat,forthetimebeing,theyareindispensabletohisdevelopment.
Everymaniswhereheisbythelawofhisbeing;thethoughtswhichhehasbuiltintohischaracterhavebroughthimthere,andinthearrangementofhislifethereisnoelementofchance,butallistheresultofalawwhichcannoterr.Thisisjustastrueofthosewhofeel“outofharmony”withtheirsurroundingsasofthosewhoarecontentedwiththem.
Asaprogressiveandevolvingbeing,maniswhereheisthathemaylearn,thathemaygrow;andashelearnsthespirituallessonwhichanycircumstancecontainsforhim,itpassesawayandgivesplacetoothercircumstances.
Manisbuffetedbycircumstancessolongashebelieveshimselftobethecreatureofoutsideconditions,butwhenherealizesthatheisacreativepower,andthathemaycommandthehiddensoilandseedsofhisbeingoutofwhichcircumstancesgrow,hethenbecomestherightfulmasterofhimself.
Thatcircumstancesgrowoutofthoughteverymanknowswhohasforanylengthoftimepractisedself-controlandself-purification,forhewillhavenoticedthatthealterationinhiscircumstanceshasbeeninexactratiowithhisalteredmentalcondition.Sotrueisthisthatwhenamanearnestlyapplieshimselftoremedythedefectsinhischaracter,andmakesswiftandmarkedprogress,hepassesrapidlythroughasuccessionofvicissitudes.
Thesoulattractsthatwhichitsecretlyharbours;thatwhichitloves,andalsothatwhichitfears;itreachestheheightofitscherishedaspirations;itfallstothelevelofitsunchasteneddesires,—andcircumstancesarethemeansbywhichthesoulreceivesitsown.
Everythought-seedsownorallowedtofallintothemind,andtotakerootthere,producesitsown,blossomingsoonerorlaterintoact,andbearingitsownfruitageofopportunityandcircumstance.Goodthoughtsbeargoodfruit,badthoughtsbadfruit.
Theouterworldofcircumstanceshapesitselftotheinnerworldofthought,andbothpleasantandunpleasantexternalconditionsarefactors,whichmakefortheultimategoodoftheindividual.Asthereaperofhisownharvest,manlearnsbothbysufferingandbliss.
Followingtheinmostdesires,aspirations,thoughts,bywhichheallowshimselftobedominated,(pursuingthewill-o’-the-wispsofimpureimaginingsorsteadfastlywalkingthehighwayofstrongandhighendeavour),amanatlastarrivesattheirfruitionandfulfilmentintheouterconditionsofhislife.Thelawsofgrowthandadjustmenteverywhereobtains.
Amandoesnotcometothealmshouseorthejailbythetyrannyoffateorcircumstance,butbythepathwayofgrovellingthoughtsandbasedesires.Nordoesapure-mindedmanfallsuddenlyintocrimebystressofanymereexternalforce;thecriminalthoughthadlongbeensecretlyfosteredintheheart,andthehourofopportunityrevealeditsgatheredpower.Circumstancedoesnotmaketheman;itrevealshimtohimselfNosuchconditionscanexistasdescendingintoviceanditsattendantsufferingsapartfromviciousinclinations,orascendingintovirtueanditspurehappinesswithoutthecontinuedcultivationofvirtuousaspirations;andman,therefore,asthelordandmasterofthought,isthemakerofhimself,theshaperandauthorofenvironment.Evenatbirththesoulcomestoitsownandthrougheverystepofitsearthlypilgrimageitattractsthosecombinationsofconditionswhichrevealitself,whicharethereflectionsofitsownpurityand,impurity,itsstrengthandweakness.