As a Man Thinketh Book Review by James Allen

 

I recently came across As a Man Thinketh is one of the best self-help book so, I had to give it a go.

As a Man Thinketh by James Allen, talking about James Allen, he was a pioneer of the self-help movement, and his books From Poverty to power, As a Man Thinketh is his amazing works. this great philosophical piece in published in 1903

As a Man Thinketh, was one of his best selling pieces.

The book is particularly thin but trust me the contents are great and amazing!

 

The book is simple and easy to understand, Allen paid attention to the excerpt making the book simple in language so that everyone could understand his points and yes he has paid attention to the length as well, making it short and concise.

Truth to be told, every word, every sentence holds its weight.

He starts this book with,

Mind is the Master power that molds and makes, And Man is Mind, and evermore he takes The tool of Thought, and, shaping what he wills, Brings forth a thousand joys, a thousand ills:-

He thinks in secret, and it comes to pass: Environment is but his looking-glass.

 ( You square Book Review by Price Pritchett Ph.D)

I have learned many great lessons; let me share some with you😊

1. Men do not attract that which they want, but that which they are.

Man’s ambitions, fantasies are prevented but their innermost thoughts are fed with their own food, may it be foul or clean. He has quoted ‘divinity that shapes our ends is in us, our very selves. Our thoughts and actions restrict us if we lead that way but it also leads us to freedom if we shape our thoughts and ideas in freedom seeking way. 

“A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts.”

 

2. As the reaper of his own harvest, man learns both by suffering and bliss.

Whatever the seed of thoughts that a man has sown produces its own flower sooner or later into the act and bears its own fruit. That is why there’s a popular saying, ‘what you sow shall you reap’ it comes in action of our mind as well. Therefore, good thoughts bear good fruit and bad thought bears bad fruit.

 “A person is limited only by the thoughts that he chooses.”

3. He who has strengthened and purified his thoughts does not need to consider the malevolent microbe.

It is our thought that invites diseases and health like circumstances. Who are anxious? The people who live in fear of disease are anxious, and anxiety quickly demoralizes the whole body and makes an entrance for diseases, talking about impure thoughts, it may not harm our physical body but harms our nervous system as a whole.

                            

 

4. A man should conceive of a legitimate purpose in his heart, and set out to accomplish it.

To have intelligent accomplishment, one should link his thought with action, if one is aimless or has no purpose of life fall easy prêt to fears worries self pity which is a symbol  of weakness and further leads to failure, unhappiness and loss as weakness cannot persist in power evolving universe.

Making your purpose is your supreme duty, one should devote himself to its attainment and retrieve your thoughts to wander away into ephemeral fancies and imaginations.

Here Allen talks about strength of character,

Well strength of character gained will be the measure of his true success and forms a new starting point for future power and triumph.

And that strength can be developed by continuous efforts and practice only.

 

5. Thoughts of doubt and fear never accomplished anything, and never can.

When our thoughts fearlessly allies with a purpose it becomes a creative force, the one who knows this is ready to achieve higher and become stronger, and becomes conscious wielder of his mental power.

ALL that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is the direct result of his own thoughts.

 

A man’s weakness, impurity, failure are his own, not of anybody else but him and him alone, they are not brought by any external forces or factors but by himself, and can only be altered by himself only. His sufferings and his happiness are caused by himself.

A strong man cannot help the weaker unless the weaker wants to be helped and for the weak man to be strong, it requires his own efforts. 

“Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves.”

 

Victories attained by right thought can only be maintained by watchfulness.

He who would accomplish little must sacrifice little; he who would achieve much must sacrifice much; he who would attain highly must sacrifice greatly.

You might wonder what that sacrifice is right? Well that’s our primitive opinion which we make without any knowledge, you know ‘little knowledge is dangerous’…

THE dreamers are the saviors of the world.

The dreamers who dream big and chase it with positive thoughts are great contributors to humanity. He says, Humanity cannot forget its dreamers; it cannot let their ideals fade and die; it lives in them; it knows them as they realities which it shall one day see and know

 

Well As A Man Thinketh is a very short book and words might be sort of new. At first, I thought of completing the book in one go but savoring the chapters was more of a luxury. I wrote this summary as a guideline so that you can grasp it well as the book might be a little complicated as its old :P

Well this book is something that you should definitely read. 

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