As A Man Thinketh
The most recent book I read was gifted to me by one of my mentors and video clients, Paul Martinelli. As A Man Thinketh by James Allen is a book about the concept of thought leading to action, leading to outcome of life; a topic I’ve become increasingly familiar with.
Written in 1908, during a height of a popular idea called New Thought that then formed into the New Age movement of the 1960s, James believes that we are the creators of our own lives. This concept gets a lot of flack from the Christian community, often ignored by Christians on the predicated notion that this mindset is AGAINST God. I disagree quite passionately. I believe that Yahweh designed us in His image as creative souls with free will. He creates, so does man. He spoke us into existence, everything man built was once an idea in the mind of that man. I believe used correctly and unselfishly, this concept fits in perfect alinement with the Word of God. Scripture even tells us:
“as a man thinketh in his heart so shall he be” Proverbs 23:7
Here are some of my favorite quotes from this short book (roughly 60 pages):
“act is the blossom of thought, and joy and suffering are its fruits”
“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”
“A man tends to the garden of his mind, weeding out all the wrong, useless, and impure thoughts in cultivating toward perfection the flowers and fruits of right, useful, impure thoughts.”
“Thought and character are one”
“Men do not attract that which they want, but that which they are”
“Suffering is ALWAYS the effect of wrong thought in some direction… suffering ceases for him who is pure.”
“Blessedness and riches are only join together, win the riches or rightly and wisely used”
“The body is a servant of the mind”
“Thoughts of fear have been known to kill a man as speedily as a bullet”
“The people who live in fear of disease, are the people who get it. Anxiety quickly demoralizes the whole body and leave it open to the entrance of disease”
“he who has strengthened and purified his thoughts, does not need to consider the malevolent microbe”
“With those who have lived righteously, age is calm, peaceful, and softly mellowed, like the setting sun”
“He should make this purpose his supreme duty and should devote himself to the attainment, not allowing his thoughts to wander away into ephemeral fantasies, longings, and imaginings”
“strong ones who only recognize failure as one of the pathways to attainment, who make all conditions serve them”
In a justly ordered universe where the loss of equipoise would mean total destruction, individual responsibility must be absolute.”
“He who is conquered weakness, and has put away all selfish thoughts, belongs neither to the oppressor nor the oppressed. He is free.”
“A man who’s first thought is the bestial indulgence could neither think clearly, nor plan methodically.”
“The more manly, upright, and righteous he becomes, the greater will be his success, the more blessed and enduring will be his achievements”
“Humanity cannot forget it’s dreamers; it cannot let their ideals fade and die, for it lives in them; It knows them as the realities which it shall one day see and know.”
“cherish your visions, cherish your ideals; cherish the music that stirs in your heart, and the beauty that forms in your mind, the loveliness that drapes, your purest thoughts, for out of them will grow all delightful conditions”
“Dreams are the seedlings of reality”
“they do not know the darkness and the heartaches; they only see the light and joy and call it luck”
“Calmness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom. It is the result of long and patient effort in self-control”
“the strong, calm man is always loved and revered. He is like a shady giving tree in a thirsty land.”
“self control his strength; right thought is mastery; Calmness is power say onto your heart, “peace, be still”
So many great great quotes, and I only scratched the surface of this book. As A Man Thinketh shall have a place on my bookshelf for the rest of my life. I will encourage my children to read it and I will read it once more. It brings me peace knowing that the majority of my thoughts are ones of love, respect, patience, Godliness, and unselfishness for others! The only part I must work on is the thoughts about my own self. I recognize that my self talk is not as good as it used to be, fortunately I have the power to pivot! Power given to me by the grace of Yahweh! I have very BIG dreams and look forward to making them into a reality with hard work and perseverance. I give credit to God for exactly where I am in life, for I am joyful and at peace. I have moments of drifting, but I do my best to snap it back into alignment with the plans He has for me.
Buy this book! You won’t regret it.
