As a Man Thinketh | James Allen | Book Review

As a Man Thinketh is a self-help book by James Allen, published in 1903. It was described by Allen as "...dealing with the power of thought, and particularly with the use and application of thought to happy and beautiful issues.

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This short but interesting book takes as its premise that our circumstances are the product of our actions, and that the latter, in turn, derive directly from our thoughts. So, the author proposes that we need to have high thoughts to achieve a happy life.

My friend gave me this book and asked me to read it. It is a completely different format and edition from what I saw on the internet; it's a pocket classic, but it is a few pages long. After reading it, I am left with the following insights:

Firstly, the circumstances under which a person encounters suffering are the result of their own mental disharmony. Secondly, do not get impatient in the process of understanding that your spirit is the one that commands everything; hence, it must obey. Lastly, each of us is the master and lord of our thoughts; we are the authors and writers and the only ones responsible for what exists within our minds. As long as there are good thoughts, they will be reflected in your attitude.

The message of this book is to believe in the power of the mind and to build, over time, a cycle of creation, maintenance, and sharing of what is best for us and what we can transmit to others. Those who do good deeds automatically transmit good energies.

From what I analysed, I can say that it is always necessary to have the willpower to travel a long-distance path, which we believe is ideal.

Words of Wisdom

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“Good thoughts and actions can never produce bad results; bad thoughts and actions can never produce good results. We understand this law in the natural world, and work with it; but few understand it in the mental and moral world—although its operation there is just as simple and undeviating—and they, therefore, do not cooperate with it.”

Concluding thoughts

It is definitely a must-read book. This was a brief and simple reading, but it motivated thoughts and reflections that lingered well beyond the time I spent on these pages.

"As a Man Thinketh" reflects the power of thoughts in our lives and in the path that each one of us individually follows. I particularly liked some of Allen's notes, such as the importance of having a purpose and pursuing it, not blaming others and our circumstances when we go the wrong way. Lastly, the occasion doesn't make the thief; the thief has always been there, just revealed itself at the time.

I saw in his thoughts that those who make an effort are not always valued; often those who are outside see only success and attribute it to luck and destiny.

"As a Man Thinketh" closes with the message of serenity, a balance of character, something that we must aim for. I end this review with a sentence that almost validates the teaching of James Allen: "If we admit that everything that exists was born of thought, then thought can do whatever we desire." #JamesAllen #AsaManThinketh #SelfHelp