"As
a man Thinketh--"
by James Allen
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Foreword
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 One
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.
Thought in the mind hath made us. What we are
By thought we wrought and built. If a man's mind
Hath evil thoughts, pain comes on him as comes
The wheel the ox behind . . . If one endure in purity
of thought joy follows him as his own shadow - sure.
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.
As a being of Power, Intelligence, and Love, and the lord
of his own thoughts, man holds the key to every situation, and contains within
himself that transforming and regenerative agency by which he may make himself
what he wills.
Man is always the master, even in his weakest and most
abandoned state; but in his weakness and degradation he is the foolish master
who misgoverns his "household." When he begins to reflect upon his condition,
and to search diligently for the Law upon which his being is established, he
then becomes the wise master, directing his energies with intelligence, and
fashioning his thoughts to fruitful issues. Such is the conscious
master, and man can only thus become by discovering within himself the
laws of thought; which discovery is totally a matter of application,
self-analysis, and experience.
Only by much searching and mining are gold an diamonds
obtained, and man can find every truth connected with his being if he will dig
deep into the mine of his soul. And that he is the maker of his character, the
molder of his life, and the builder of his destiny, he may unerringly prove:
if he will watch, control, and alter his thoughts, tracing their effects upon
himself, upon others, and upon his life and circumstances; if he will link
cause and effect by patient practice and investigation, utilizing his every
experience, even to the most trivial, as a means of obtaining that knowledge
of himself. In this direction, as in no other, is the law absolute that "He
that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened"; for only
by patience, practice, and ceaseless importunity can a man enter the Door of
the Temple of Knowledge.
Chapter Two
Effect of Thought on Circumstances
A man's mind may be
likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run
wild; but whether cultivated or neglected, it must, and will, bring forth.
If no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless weed
seeds will fall therein, and will continue to produce their kind.
Just as a gardener cultivates his plot, keeping it free
from weeds, and growing the flowers and fruits which he requires, so may a man
tend the garden of his mind, weeding out all the wrong, useless, and impure
thoughts, and cultivating toward perfection the flowers and fruits of right,
useful, and pure thoughts, By pursuing this process, a man sooner or later
discovers that he is the master gardener of his soul, the director of his
life. He also reveals, within himself, the laws of thought, and understands
with ever-increasing accuracy, how the thought forces and mind elements
operate in the shaping of his character, circumstances, and destiny.
Thought and character are one, and as character can only
manifest and discover itself through environment and circumstance, the outer
conditions of a person's life will always be found to be harmoniously related
to his inner state. This does not mean that a man's circumstances at any given
time are an indication of his entire character, but that those
circumstances are so intimately connected with some vital thought element
within himself that, for the time being, they are indispensable to his
development.
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. This is just as true of those who feel "out
of harmony" with their surroundings as of those who are contented with them.
As the progressive and evolving being, man is where he is
that he may learn that he may grow; and as he learns the spiritual lesson
which any circumstance contains for him, it passes away and gives place to
other circumstances.
Man is buffeted by circumstances so long as he believes
himself to be the creature of outside conditions. But when he realizes that he
may command the hidden soil and seeds of his being out of which circumstances
grow, he then becomes the rightful master of himself.
That circumstances grow out of thought every man
knows who has for any length of time practiced self-control and
self-purification, for he will have noticed that the alteration in his
circumstances has been in exact ratio with his altered mental condition. So
true is this that when a man earnestly applies himself to remedy the defects
in his character, and makes swift and marked progress, he passes rapidly
through a succession of vicissitudes.
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.
Every thought seed sown or allowed to fall into the mind,
and to take root there, produces its own, blossoming sooner or later into act,
and bearing its own fruitage of opportunity and circumstance. Good thoughts
bear good fruit, bad thoughts bad fruit.
The outer world of circumstance shapes itself to the inner
world of thought, and both pleasant and unpleasant external conditions are
factors which make for the ultimate good of the individual. As the reaper of
his own harvest, man learns both by suffering and bliss.
A man does not come to the almshouse or the jail by the
tyranny of fate of circumstance, but by the pathway of groveling thoughts and
base desires. Nor does a pure-minded man fall suddenly into crime by stress of
any mere external force; the criminal thought had long been secretly fostered
in the heart, and the hour of opportunity revealed its gathered power.
Circumstance does not make the man; it reveals him to
himself. No such conditions can exist as descending into vice and its
attendant sufferings apart from vicious inclinations, or ascending into virtue
and its pure happiness without the continued cultivation of virtuous
aspirations. And man, therefore, as the Lord and master of thought, is the
maker of himself, the shaper and author of environment. Even at birth the soul
comes to its own, and through every step of its earthly pilgrimage it attracts
those combinations of conditions which reveal itself, which are the
reflections of its own purity and impurity, its strength and weakness.
Men do not attract that which they want, but that
which they are. Their whims, fancies, and ambitions are thwarted at
every step, but their inmost thoughts and desires are fed with their own food,
be it foul or clean. The "divinity that shapes our ends" is in ourselves; it
is our very self. Man is manacled only by himself. Thought and action are the
jailers of Fate - they imprison, being base. They are also the angels of
Freedom - they liberate, being noble. Not what he wishes and prays for does a
man get, but what he justly earns. His wishes and prayers are only gratified
and answered when they harmonize with his thoughts and actions.
In the light of this truth, what, then, is the meaning of
"fighting against circumstances"? It means that a man is continually revolting
against an effect without, while all the time he is nourishing and
preserving its cause in his heart. That cause may take the form of a
conscious vice or an unconscious weakness; but whatever it is, it stubbornly
retards the efforts of its possessor, and thus calls aloud for remedy.
Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are
unwilling to improve themselves. They therefore remain bound. The man who does
not shrink from self-crucifixion can never fail to accomplish the object upon
which his heart is set. This is as true of earthly as of heavenly things. Even
the man whose sole object is to acquire wealth must be prepared to make great
personal sacrifices before he can accomplish his object; and how much more so
he who would realize a strong and well-poised life?
Here is a man who is wretchedly poor. He is extremely
anxious that his surroundings and home comforts should be improved. Yet all
the time he shirks his work, and considers he is justified in trying to
deceive his employer on the ground of the insufficiency of his wages. Such a
man does not understand the simplest rudiments of those principles which are
the basis of true prosperity. He is not only totally unfitted to rise out of
his wretchedness, but is actually attracting to himself a still deeper
wretchedness by dwelling in, and acting out, indolent, deceptive, and unmanly
thoughts.
Here is a rich man who is the victim of a painful and
persistent disease as the result of gluttony. He is willing to give large sums
of money to get rid of it, but he will not sacrifice his gluttonous desires.
He wants to gratify his taste for rich and unnatural foods and have his health
as well. Such a man is totally unfit to have health, because he has not yet
learned the first principles of a healthy life.
Here is an employer of labor who adopts crooked measures to
avoid paying the regulation wage, and, in the hope of making larger profits,
reduces the wages of his workpeople. Such a man is altogether unfitted for
prosperity. And when he finds himself bankrupt, both as regards reputation and
riches, he blames circumstances, not knowing that he is the sole author of his
condition.
I have introduced these three cases merely as illustrative
of the truth that man is the cause (though nearly always unconsciously) of his
circumstances. That, while aiming at the good end, he is continually
frustrating its accomplishment by encouraging thoughts and desires which
cannot possibly harmonize with that end. Such cases could be multiplied and
varied almost indefinitely, but this is not necessary. The reader can, if he
so resolves, trace the action of the laws of thought in his own mind and life,
and until this is done, mere external facts cannot serve as a ground of
reasoning.
Circumstances, however, are so complicated, thought is so
deeply rooted, and the conditions of happiness vary so vastly with
individuals, that a man's entire soul condition (although it may be
known to himself) cannot be judged by another from the external aspect of his
life alone.
A man may be honest in certain directions, yet suffer
privations. A man may be dishonest in certain directions, yet acquire wealth.
But the conclusion usually formed that the one man fails because of his
particular honesty, and that the other prospers because of his
particular dishonesty, is the result of a superficial judgment, which
assumes that the dishonest man is almost totally corrupt, and honest man
almost entirely virtuous. In the light of a deeper knowledge and wider
experience, such judgment is found to be erroneous. The dishonest man may have
some admirable virtues which the other does not possess; and the honest man
obnoxious vices which are absent in the other. The honest man reaps the good
results of his honest thoughts and acts; he also brings upon himself the
sufferings which his vices produce. The dishonest man likewise garners his own
suffering and happiness.
It is pleasing to human vanity to believe that one suffers
because of one's virtue. But not until a man has extirpated every sickly,
bitter, and impure thought from his mind, and washed every sinful stain from
his soul, can he be in a position to know and declare that his sufferings are
the result of his good, and not of his bad qualities. And on the way to that
supreme perfection, he will have found working in his mind and life, the Great
Law which is absolutely just, and which cannot give good for evil, evil for
good. Possessed of such knowledge, he will then know, looking back upon his
past ignorance and blindness, that his life is, and always was, justly
ordered, and that all his past experiences, good and bad, were the equitable
outworking of his evolving, yet unevolved self.
Good thoughts and actions can never produce bad results.
Bad thoughts and actions can never produce good results. This is but saying
that nothing can come from corn but corn, nothing from nettles but nettles.
Men understand this law in the natural world, and work with it. But few
understand it in the mental and moral world (though its operation there is
just as simple and undeviating), and they, therefore, do not cooperate with
it.
Suffering is always the effect of wrong thought in
some direction. It is an indication that the individual is out of harmony with
himself, with the Law of his being. The sole and supreme use of suffering is
to purify, to burn out all that is useless and impure. Suffering ceases for
him who is pure. There could be not object in burning gold after the dross had
been removed, and perfectly pure and enlightened being could not suffer.
The circumstances which a man encounters with suffering are
the result of his own mental inharmony. The circumstances which a man
encounters with blessedness, not material possessions, is the measure of right
thought. Wretchedness, not lack of material possessions, is the measure of
wrong thought. A man may be cursed and rich; he may be blessed and poor.
blessedness and riches are only joined together when the riches are rightly
and wisely used. And the poor man only descends into wretchedness when he
regards his lot as a burden unjustly imposed.
Indigence and indulgence are the two extremes of
wretchedness. They are both equally unnatural and the result of mental
disorder. A man is not rightly conditioned until he is a happy, healthy, and
prosperous being. And happiness, health, and prosperity are the result of a
harmonious adjustment of the inner with the outer, of the man with his
surroundings.
A man only begins to be a man when he ceases to whine and
revile, and commences to search for the hidden justice which regulates his
life. And as he adapts his mind to that regulating factor, he ceases to accuse
others as the cause of his condition, and builds himself up in strong and
noble thoughts. He ceases to kick against circumstances, but begins to use
them as aids to his more rapid progress, and as a means of discovering the
hidden powers and possibilities within himself.
Law, not confusion, is the dominating principle in the
universe. Justice, not injustice, is the soul and substance of life. And
righteousness, not corruption, is the molding and moving force in the
spiritual government of the world. This being so, man has but to right himself
to find that the universe is right; and during the process of putting himself
right, he will find that as he alters his thoughts toward things and other
people, things and other people will alter toward him.
The proof of this truth is in every person, and it
therefore admits of easy investigation by systematic introspection and
self-analysis. Let a man radically alter his thoughts, and he will be
astonished at the rapid transformation it will effect in the material
conditions of his life.
men imagine that thought can be kept secret, but it cannot.
It rapidly crystallizes into habit, and habit solidifies into habits of
drunkenness and sensuality, which solidify into circumstances of destitution
and disease. Impure thoughts of every kind crystallize into enervating and
confusing habits, which solidify into distracting and adverse circumstances.
Thoughts of fear, doubt, and indecision crystallize into weak, unmanly, and
irresolute habits, which solidify into circumstances of failure, indigence,
and slavish dependence.
Lazy thoughts crystallize into habits of uncleanliness and
dishonesty, which solidify into circumstances of foulness and beggary. Hateful
and condemnatory thoughts crystallize into habits of accusation and violence,
which solidify into circumstances of injury and persecution. Selfish thoughts
of all kinds crystallize into habits of self-seeking, which solidify into
circumstances more of less distressing.
On the other hand, beautiful thoughts of all crystallize
into habits of grace and kindliness, which solidify into genial and sunny
circumstances. Pure thoughts crystallize into habits of temperance and
self-control, which solidify into circumstances of repose and peace. Thoughts
of courage, self-reliance, and decision crystallize into manly habits, which
solidify into circumstances of success, plenty, and freedom.
Energetic thoughts crystallize into habits of cleanliness
and industry, which solidify into circumstances of pleasantness. Gentle and
forgiving thoughts crystallize into habits of gentleness, which solidify into
protective and preservative circumstances. Loving and unselfish thoughts
crystallize into habits of self-forgetfulness for others, which solidify into
circumstances of sure and abiding prosperity and true riches.
A particular train of thought persisted in, be it good or
bad, cannot fail to produce its results on the character and circumstances. A
man cannot directly choose his circumstances, but he can choose his
thoughts, and so indirectly, yet surely, shape his circumstances.
Nature helps every man to the gratification of the thoughts
which he most encourages, and opportunities are presented which will most
speedily bring to the surface both the good and evil thoughts.
Let a man cease from his sinful thoughts, and all the world
will soften toward him, and be ready to help him. Let him put away his weakly
and sickly thoughts, and lo! opportunities will spring up on every hand to aid
his strong resolves. Let him encourage good thoughts, and no hard fate shall
bind him down to wretchedness and shame. The world is your kaleidoscope, and
the varying combinations of colors which at every succeeding moment it
presents to you are the exquisitely adjusted pictures of your evermoving
thoughts.
You will be what
you will to be;
Let failure find its false content
In that poor word, "environment,"
But spirit scorns it, and is free.
It masters time, it conquers space;
It cows that boastful trickster, Chance,
And bids the tyrant Circumstance
Uncrown, and fill a servant's place.
The human Will, that force unseen,
The offspring of a deathless Soul,
Can hew a way to any goal,
Though walls of granite intervene.
Be not impatient in delay,
But wait as one who understands;
When spirit rises and commands,
The gods are ready to obey.
Chapter Three
Effect of Thought on Health and the Body
The body is the servant of the
mind. It obeys the operations of the mind, whether they be deliberately chosen
or automatically expressed. At the bidding of unlawful thoughts the body sinks
rapidly into disease and decay; at the command of glad and beautiful thoughts
it becomes clothed with youthfulness and beauty.
Disease and health, like circumstances, are rooted in
thought. Sickly thoughts will express themselves through a sickly body.
Thoughts of fear have been known to kill a man as speedily as a bullet, and
they are continually killing thousands of people just as surely though less
rapidly. The people who live in fear of disease are the people who get it.
Anxiety quickly demoralizes the whole body, and lays it open to the entrance
of disease; while impure thoughts, even if not physically indulged, will soon
shatter the nervous system.
Strong, pure, and happy thoughts build up the body in vigor
and grace. The body is a delicate and plastic instrument, which responds
readily to the thoughts by which it is impressed, and habits of thought will
produce their own effects, good or bad, upon it.
Men will continue to have impure and poisoned blood so long
as they propagate unclean thoughts. Out of a clean heart comes a clean life
and a clean body. Out of a defiled mind proceeds a defiled life and corrupt
body. Thought is the fountain of action, life and manifestation; make the
fountain pure, and all will be pure.
Change of diet will not help a man who will not change his
thoughts. When a man makes his thoughts pure, he no longer desires impure
food.
If you would perfect your body, guard your mind. If you
would renew your body, beautify your mind. Thoughts of malice, envy,
disappointment, despondency, rob the body of its health and grace. A sour face
does not come by chance; it is made by sour thoughts. Wrinkles that mar are
drawn by folly, passion, pride.
I know a woman of ninety-six who has the bright, innocent
face of a girl. I know a man well under middle age whose face is drawn into
inharmonious contours. The one is the result of a sweet and sunny disposition;
the other is the outcome of passion and discontent.
As you cannot have a sweet and wholesome abode unless you
admit the air and sunshine freely into your rooms, so a strong body and a
bright, happy, or serene countenance can only result from the free admittance
into the mind of thoughts of joy and good will and serenity.
On the faces of the aged there are wrinkles made by
sympathy, others by strong and pure thought, others are carved by passion. Who
cannot distinguish them? With those who have lived righteously, age is calm,
peaceful, and softly mellowed, like the setting sun. I have recently seen a
philosopher on his deathbed. He was not old except in years. He died as
sweetly and peacefully as he had lived.
There is no physician like cheerful thought for dissipating
the ills of the body; there is no comforter to compare with good will for
dispersing the shadows of grief and sorrow. To live continually in thoughts of
ill will, cynicism, suspicion, and envy, is to be confined in a self-made
prison hole. But to think well of all, to be cheerful with all, to patiently
learn to find the good in all - such unselfish thoughts are the very portals
of heaven; and to dwell day to day in thoughts of peace toward every creature
will bring abounding peace to their possessor.
Chapter Four
Thought and Purpose
Until thought is linked with purpose there is no
intelligent accomplishment. With the majority the bark of thought is allowed
to "drift" upon the ocean of life. Aimlessness is a vice, and such drifting
must not continue for him who would steer clear of catastrophe and
destruction.
They who have no central purpose in their life fall an easy
prey to worries, fears, troubles, and self-pityings, all of which are
indications of weakness, which lead, just as surely as deliberately planned
sins (though by a different route), to failure, unhappiness, and loss, for
weakness cannot persist in a power-evolving universe.
A man should conceive of a legitimate purpose in his heart,
and set out to accomplish it. He should make this purpose the centralizing
point of his thoughts. It may take the form of a spiritual ideal, or it may be
a worldly object, according to his nature at the time being. But whichever it
is, he should steadily focus his thought forces upon the object which he has
set before him. He should make this purpose his supreme duty, and should
devote himself to its attainment, not allowing his thoughts to wander away
into ephemeral fancies, longings, and imaginings. This is the royal road to
self-control and true concentration of thought. Even if he fails again and
again to accomplish his purpose (as he necessarily must until weakness is
overcome), the strength of character gained will be the measure of his
true success, and this will form a new starting point for future power
and triumph.
Those who are not prepared for the apprehension of a
great purpose, should fix the thoughts upon the faultless performance of
their duty, no matter how insignificant their task may appear. Only in this
way can the thoughts be gathered and focused, and resolution and energy be
developed, which being done, there is nothing which may not be accomplished.
The weakest soul, knowing its own weakness, and believing
this truth - that strength can only be developed by effort and practice,
will at once begin to exert itself, and adding effort to effort, patience to
patience, and strength to strength, will never cease to develop, and will at
last grow divinely strong.
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.
To put away aimlessness and weakness, and to begin to think
with purpose, is to enter the ranks of those strong ones who only recognize
failure as one of the pathways to attainment; who make all conditions serve
them, and who think strongly, attempt fearlessly, and accomplish masterfully.
Having conceived of his purpose, a man should mentally mark
out a straight pathway to its achievement, looking neither to the right
nor to the left. Doubts and fears should be rigorously excluded; they are
disintegrating elements which break up the straight line of effort, rendering
it crooked, ineffectual, useless. Thoughts of doubt and fear never accomplish
anything, and never can. They always lead to failure. Purpose, energy, power
to do, and all strong thoughts cease when doubt and fear creep in.
The will to do springs from the knowledge that we can
do. Doubt and fear are the great enemies of knowledge, and he who encourages
them, who does not slay them, thwarts himself at every step.
He who has conquered doubt and fear has conquered failure.
His every thought is allied with power, and all difficulties are bravely met
and wisely overcome. His purposes are seasonably planted, and they bloom and
bring forth fruit which does not fall prematurely to the ground.
Thought allied fearlessly to purpose becomes creative
force. He who knows this is ready to become something higher and
stronger than a mere bundle of wavering thoughts and fluctuating sensations.
He who does this has become the conscious and intelligent wielder of
his mental powers.
Chapter Five
The Thought-Factor in Achievement
All that a man achieves and
all that he fails to achieve is the direct result of his own thoughts. In a
justly ordered universe, where loss of equipoise would mean total destruction,
individual responsibility must be absolute. A man's weakness and strength,
purity and impurity, are his own, and not another man's. They are brought
about by himself, and not by another; and they can only be altered by himself,
never by another. His condition is also his own, and not another man's. His
suffering and his happiness are evolved from within. As he thinks, so he is;
as he continues to think, so he remains.
A strong man cannot help a weaker unless the weaker is
willing to be helped, and even then the weak man must become strong of
himself. He must, by his own efforts, develop the strength which he admires in
another. None but himself can alter his condition.
It has been usual for men to think and to say, "Many men
are slaves because one is an oppressor; let us hate the oppressor." Now,
however, there is among an increasing few a tendency to reverse this judgment,
and to say, "One man is an oppressor because many are slaves; let us despise
the slaves." The truth is that oppressor and slave are cooperators in
ignorance, and, while seeming to afflict each other, are in reality afflicting
themselves. A perfect Knowledge perceives the action of law in the weakness of
the oppressed and the misapplied power of the oppressor. A perfect Love,
seeing the suffering which both states entail, condemns neither. A perfect
Compassion embraces both oppressor and oppressed.
He who has conquered weakness, and has put away all selfish
thoughts, belongs neither to oppressor nor oppressed. He is free.
A man can only rise, conquer, and achieve by lifting up his
thoughts. He can only remain weak, and abject, and miserable by refusing to
lift up his thoughts.
Before a man can achieve anything, even in worldly things,
he must lift his thoughts above slavish animal indulgence. He may not, in
order to succeed, give up all animality and selfishness, by any means;
but a portion of it must, at least, be sacrificed. A man whose first thought
is bestial indulgence could neither think clearly nor plan methodically. He
could not find and develop his latent resources, and would fail in any
undertaking. Not having commenced manfully to control his thoughts, he is not
in a position to control affairs and to adopt serious responsibilities. He is
not fit to act independently and stand alone, but he is limited only by the
thoughts which he chooses.
There can be no progress, no achievement without sacrifice.
A man's worldly success will be in the measure that he sacrifices his confused
animal thoughts, and fixes his mind on the development of his plans, and the
strengthening of his resolution and self reliance. And the higher he lifts his
thoughts, the more manly, upright, and righteous he becomes, the greater will
be his success, the more blessed an enduring will be his achievements.
The universe does not favor the greedy, the dishonest, the
vicious, although on the mere surface it may sometimes appear to do so; it
helps the honest, the magnanimous, the virtuous. All the great Teachers of the
ages have declared this in varying forms, and to prove and know it a man has
but to persist in making himself more and more virtuous by lifting up his
thoughts.
Intellectual achievements are the result of thought
consecrated to the search for knowledge, or for the beautiful and true in life
and nature. Such achievements may be sometimes connected with vanity and
ambition but they are not the outcome of those characteristics. They are the
natural outgrowth of long an arduous effort, and of pure and unselfish
thoughts.
Spiritual achievements are the consummation of holy
aspirations. He who lives constantly in the conception of noble and lofty
thoughts, who dwells upon all that is pure and unselfish, will, as surely as
the sun reaches its zenith and the moon its full, become wise and noble in
character, and rise into a position of influence and blessedness.
Achievement, of whatever kind, is the crown of effort, the
diadem of thought. By the aid of self-control, resolution, purity,
righteousness, and well-directed thought a man ascends. By the aid of
animality, indolence, impurity, corruption, and confusion of thought a man
descends.
A man may rise to high success in the world, and even to
lofty altitudes in the spiritual realm, and again descend into weakness and
wretchedness by allowing arrogant, selfish, and corrupt thoughts to take
possession of him.
Victories attained by right thought can only be maintained
by watchfulness. Many give way when success is assured, and rapidly fall back
into failure.
All achievements, whether in the business, intellectual, or
spiritual world, are the result of definitely directed thought, are governed
by the same law and are of the same method; the only difference lies in the
object of attainment.
He who would accomplish little must sacrifice little. He
who would achieve much must sacrifice much. He who would attain highly must
sacrifice greatly.
Chapter Six
Visions and Ideals
The dreamers are the saviors
of the world. As the visible world is sustained by the invisible, so men,
through all their trials and sins and sordid vocations, are nourished by the
beautiful visions of their solitary dreamers. Humanity cannot forget its
dreamers. It cannot let their ideals fade and die. It lives in them. It knows
them in the realities which it shall one day see and know.
Composer, sculptor, painter, poet, prophet, sage, these are
the makers of the afterworld, the architects of heaven. The world is beautiful
because they have lived; without them, laboring humanity would perish.
He who cherishes a beautiful vision, a lofty ideal in his
heart, will one day realize it. Columbus cherished a vision of another world,
and he discovered it. Copernicus fostered the vision of a multiplicity of
worlds and a wider universe, and he revealed it. Buddha beheld the vision of a
spiritual world of stainless beauty and perfect peace, and he entered into it.
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.
To desire is to obtain; to aspire is to achieve. Shall
man's basest desires receive the fullest measure of gratification, and his
purest aspirations starve for lack of sustenance? Such is not the Law. Such a
condition of things can never obtain - "Ask and receive."
Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so shall you become.
Your Vision is the promise of what you shall one day be. Your Ideal is the
prophecy of what you shall at last unveil.
The greatest achievement was at first and for a time a
dream. The oak sleeps in the acorn; the bird waits in the egg; and in the
highest vision of the soul a waking angel stirs. Dreams are the seedlings of
realities.
Your circumstances may be uncongenial, but they shall not
long remain so if you but perceive an Ideal and strive to reach it. You cannot
travel within and stand still without. Here is a youth hard
pressed by poverty and labor; confined long hours in an unhealthy workshop;
unschooled, and lacking all the arts of refinement. But he dreams of better
things. He thinks of intelligence, of refinement, of grace and beauty. He
conceives of, mentally builds up, an ideal condition of life. The vision of
the wider liberty and a larger scope takes possession of him; unrest urges him
to action, and he utilizes all his spare time and means, small though they
are, to the development of his latent powers and resources.
Very soon so altered has his mind become that the workshop
can no longer hold him. It has become so out of harmony with his mentality
that it falls out of his life as a garment is cast aside, and with the growth
of opportunities which fit the scope of his expanding powers, he passes out of
it forever.
Years later we see this youth as a full-grown man. We find
him a master of certain forces of the mind which he wields with world-wide
influence and almost unequaled power. In his hands he holds the cords of
gigantic responsibilities. He speaks, and lo! lives are changed. Men and women
hang upon his words and remold their characters, and, sunlike, he becomes the
fixed and luminous center around which innumerable destinies revolve. He has
realized the Vision of his youth. He has become one with his Ideal.
And you, too, youthful reader, will realize the Vision (not
the idle wish) of your heart, be it base or beautiful, or a mixture of both,
for you will always gravitate toward that which you secretly most love. Into
your hands will be placed the exact results of your own thoughts; you will
receive that which you earn, no more, no less. Whatever your present
environment may be, you will fall, remain, or rise with your thoughts, your
Vision, your Ideal. You will become as small as your controlling desire; as
great as your dominant aspiration.
In the beautiful words of Stanton Kirkham Dave, "You may be
keeping accounts, and presently you shall walk out of the door that for so
long has seemed to you the barrier of your ideals, and shall find yourself
before an audience - the pen still behind your ear, the ink stains on your
fingers - and then and there shall pour out the torrent of your inspiration.
You may be driving sheep, and you shall wander to the city - bucolic and open
mouthed; shall wander under the intrepid guidance of the spirit into the
studio of the master, and after a time he shall say, 'I have nothing more to
teach you.' And now you have become the master, who did so recently dream of
great things while driving sheep. You shall lay down the saw and the plane to
take upon yourself the regeneration of the world."
The thoughtless, the ignorant, and the indolent, seeing
only the apparent effects of things and not the things themselves, talk of
luck, of fortune, and chance. See a man grow rich, they say, "How lucky he
is!" Observing another become intellectual, they exclaim, "How highly favored
he is!" And noting the saintly character and wide influence of another, the
remark, "How chance aids him at every turn!"
They do not see the trials and failures and struggles which
these men have voluntarily encountered in order to gain their experience. They
have no knowledge of the sacrifices they have made, of the undaunted efforts
they have put forth, of the faith they have exercised, that they might
overcome the apparently insurmountable, and realize the Vision of their heart.
They do not know the darkness and the heartaches; they only see the light and
joy, and call it "luck"; do not see the long and arduous journey, but only
behold the pleasant goal, and call it "good fortune"; do not understand the
process, but only perceive the result, and call it "chance."
In all human affairs there are efforts, and there
are results, and the strength of the effort is the measure of the
result. Chance is not. "Gifts," powers, material, intellectual, and spiritual
possessions are the fruits of effort. They are thoughts completed, objects
accomplished, visions realized.
The vision that you glorify in your mind, the Ideal that
you enthrone in your heart - this you will build your life by, this you will
become.
Chapter Seven
Serenity
Calmness of mind is one of
the beautiful jewels of wisdom. It is the result of long and patient effort in
self-control. Its presence is an indication of ripened experience, and of a
more than ordinary knowledge of the laws and operations of thought.
A man becomes calm in the measure that he understands
himself as a thought-evolved being, for such knowledge necessitates the
understanding of others as the result of thought. As he develops a right
understanding, and sees more and more clearly the internal relations of things
by the action of cause and effect, he ceases to fuss and fume and worry and
grieve, and remains poised, steadfast, serene.
The calm man, having learned how to govern himself, knows
how to adapt himself to others; and they, in turn, reverence his spiritual
strength, and feel that they can learn of him and rely upon him. The more
tranquil a man becomes, the greater is his success, his influence, his power
for good. Even the ordinary trader will find his business prosperity increase
as he develops a greater self-control and equanimity, for people will always
prefer to deal with a man whose demeanor is strongly equable.
The strong calm man is always loved and revered. He is like
a shade-giving tree in a thirsty land, or a sheltering rock in a storm. Who
does not love a tranquil heart, a sweet-tempered, balanced life? It does not
matter whether it rains or shines, or what changes come to those possessing
these blessings, for they are always sweet, serene, and calm. That exquisite
poise of character which we call serenity is the last lesson culture; it is
the flowering of life, the fruitage of the soul. It is precious as wisdom,
more to be desired than gold - yea, than even fine gold. How insignificant
mere money-seeking looks in comparison with a serene life - a life that dwells
in the ocean of Truth, beneath the waves, beyond the reach of tempests, in the
Eternal Calm!
"How many people we know who sour their lives, who ruin all
that is sweet and beautiful by explosive tempers, who destroy their poise of
character, and make bad blood! It is a question whether the great majority of
people do not ruin their lives and mar their happiness by lack of
self-control. How few people we meet in life who are well-balanced, who have
that exquisite poise which is characteristic of the finished character!"
Yes, humanity surges with uncontrolled passion, is
tumultuous with ungoverned grief, is blown about by anxiety and doubt. Only
the wise man, only he whose thoughts are controlled and purified, makes the
winds and the storms of the soul obey him.
Tempest-tossed souls, wherever ye may be, under whatsoever
conditions ye may live, know this - in the ocean of life the isles of
Blessedness are smiling, and sunny shore of your ideal awaits your coming.
Keep your hand firmly upon the helm of thought. In the bark of your soul
reclines the commanding Master; He does but sleep; wake Him. Self-control is
strength; Right Thought is mastery; Calmness is power.
Say unto your heart, "Peace, be still!"
The End
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