Complete Collection

by James Allen

Let us, then, remove all hatred and malice from our hearts. Let us be filled with goodwill toward those who try and test us by their immediate nearness. Let us love them that hate us, and think magnanimously of those who condemn us or our doctrine—in a word, let us take the first step toward universal brotherhood, by practicing brotherhood in the place where it is most needed. And as we succeed in being brotherly in these important particulars, universal brotherhood will be found to be not far distant.

While any vestige of self remains, temptations will assail you; the veil of illusion will cloud your spiritual vision, producing sorrow and unrest.

LET first things be put first ; work before play ; duty before enjoyment; and others before self : this is an excellent rule which cannot lead astray.

It is when impurity turns to suffering that purity is sought.

As man can experience and know all low things, so he can experience and know all high things.

Where temptation is powerful, the greater and more enduring will be the victory.

The time of great temptation is the climax of a conquest that long preparation has made certain and complete.

let a man joyfully bend himself to the faithful performance of all his duties, forgetting himself and his worthless pleasures, and living strong and pure and self- contained ; so shall he surely find the Unfailing Wisdom, the God-like Patience and Strength.

Aiming at greatness, a man arrives at nothingness ; aiming at nothingness he arrives at greatness.

The desire to be great is an indication of littleness, of personal vanity and obtrusiveness.

The willingness to disappear from gaze, the utter absence of self-aggrandisement, is the witness of greatness. Littleness seeks and loves authority. Greatness is never authoritative, and it thereby...

THERE is one right way of doing everything, even the smallest, and a thousand wrong ways. Skill consists in finding the one right way, and adhering to it.

fraud is not confined to the unscrupulous swindler. All who are getting, or trying to get, money without giving an equivalent are practising fraud, whether they know it or not.

Prosperity must be purchased, not only with intelligent labour, but with moral force.

Even in his darkest hour he finds repose in a clear conscience.

Strong men have strong purposes, and strong purposes lead to strong achievements.

Pure and perfect integrity is proof against all attack and injury, enabling its possessor to meet all opposition and persecution with dauntless courage and sublime equanimity. No amount of talent, intellect, or business acumen can give a man that power of mind and peace of heart which come from an enlightened acceptance and observance of lofty moral principles. Moral force is the greatest power.

Sympathy is a deep, inexpressible tenderness which is shown in a consistently self- forgetful, gentle character.

what are the new experiences of good ? They are many and beautiful—such as the joyful knowledge of freedom from sin ; the absence of remorse ; deliverance from all the torments of temptation ; ineffable joy in conditions and circumstances which formerly caused deep affliction ; imperviousness to hurt by the actions of others ; great patience and sweetness of character ; serenity of mind under all circumstances ; emancipation from doubt, fear, and anxiety ; freedom from all dislike, envy, and enmity.

Evil is a state of ignorance, of undevelopment, and as such it recedes and disappears before the light of knowledge.

Seeking to save his personal life, man forfeits the greater impersonal Life of Truth; clinging to the perishable, he is shut out from a knowledge of the Eternal.

Only he who has become so free from self as to be equally content to be annihilated as to live, or to live as to be annihilated, is fit to enter into the Infinite.

Apart from this inward resting-place, this Mount of Vision, there can be no true peace, no knowledge of the Divine, and if you can remain there for one minute, one hour, or one day, it is possible for you to remain there always.

Speaking of human beings, it is plain that the fittest to survive are not the selfish and the cruel, but those who have developed the finest characteristics of kindness, compassion, justice, and love- in a word, the most moral, the purest, and wisest.

not alone poverty, disease, and famine, but even earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods and all such external happenings, would be found, in their original cause, to be intimately related to men’s moral life.

Man’s body, both by chemical and gravitational affinity, is a portion of the earth, as his mind, both spiritually and ethically, is a portion of the Moral Order of the universe. His life and being are interwoven with, and are inseparable from; the very nature and constitution of things; and, being a moral entity, and therefore a reasonable agent, it is within the domain of his power to discover and work with the Divine Law instead of striving against it.

The only external tempters of man are The objects of Sensation. These, however, are powerless in themselves until they are reflected in his mind as desirable objects to possess.

Let us not try to persuade ourselves that our good intentions will wipe out the results of our bad actions;

If a man would know what measure of Truth he possesses, he should ask himself, "What am I ? What are my deeds

A clear and firm head must precede and accompany a clean and gentle heart. Without the first the second is impossible, for the qualities of purity and gentleness can only be reached through a clear perception of right and wrong, and by the exercise of an irresistible will.

He who has not known liberty loves his chains; And he who has not seen the light prefers to remain in darkness.

Disciple. What is of self ? Master. Desire and passion and egotism. From desire and passion and egotism springs self - delusion ; And self-delusion is the obscuration of Truth. Renounce desire ; Overcome passion ; Put away egotism, Then will delusion be dispelled, and all thy doubts will vanish.

Seek no gratification in the things which thou doest ; Look not for reward in the things wherein thou strivest ; Do all thy duties meekly, putting away desire– This is the true renunciation. Do not think of gain or loss to thyself ,– Think not to obtain pleasure and avoid pain in thy acts ; Do all things faithfully that are necessary to be done– This also is the true renunciation. Sever not thyself from the world, But relingnish all love for the world and its pleasures ; Do thy work in the world without thought of personal ends– This, again, is the true renunciation.

From indolence and self - indulgence, From lust and coveteousness, From hatred and pride– From these things only do afflictions spring.

He who quitteth a duty that is irksome, Seeking happiness thereby ; He who fleeth from the scene of temptation. Seeking strength thereby; He who abandoneth his obligations, Seeking bliss thereby,– Such a man, O disciple ! falsely renounces ; He is deluded, and will not attain to purity of heart.

he who renounces truely, remains in his place in the world, Performing all his duties steadfastly, not thinking of self.

Renounce all the tendencies of self; Renounce all the passions and prejudices of self; Renounce all the errors and egotism of self; Such is the true renunciation ; Such is the

Disciple. What, O Master! are the tendencies of the self ? Master. Lust and self-indulgence, Self - seeking and avarice, Hatred and anger, Vanity and pride, Doubt and fear– These are the tendencies...

he that striveth with an uncomplaining heart, is crowned with the Crown of Peace.

The unchaste thought, The impure desire, The selfish inclination, This defileth, and bringeth forth darkness and death. The pure thought, The holy aspiration, The unselfish love, This cleanseth, and bringeth forth Light and Life.

To harbour hateful thoughts, To cherish lustful inclinations. To nurture the seeds of malice in the heart,– This defileth, and leadeth to suffering. To thirst for pleasures and rewards, To dwell upon the sins of others, And to think, " I am better than this man,"– This maketh impure and causeth thee to wander from Truth. To seek for thyself and not to consider others, To depreciate others, and to think highly of thine own Works, And to make proud and stubborn thy heart,– This staineth thy soul, and taketh thee away from thy peace.

Not to be a partisan, Not to practise hatred, Not to engage in strife, Not to practise deception, Not to covet, Not to retaliate, Not to condemn,– Not to do all these is to find Love. To put away prejudice, To rid the mind of pride and vanity, To disperse doubt and fear, To wash from the heart the stains of desire. To purify the mind of every defilement,– To do all these is to know Love. To be always patient, To be supremely calm, To be ceaselessly holy, To be forgiving to the uttermost, And to be equal - minded towards enemies as towards friends,– To be all these is to manifest Love.

Deny thyself ; Subdue thyself ; Conquer thyself.

Five are the waters which wash away sin:– Purity, which washes away all indulgences and lusts; Pity, which washes away all self-seeking and indifference; Humility, which washes away all prejudice and pride ; Joy, which washes away all covetousness and envy ; Love, which washes away all hatred and condemnation.

The Way of Truth is marked by three Great Practices,– The first is Self - Restraint, The second, Self - Examination, The third, Self- Surrender

he who says within himself,– " I will dwell with Abstinence, I will make my abode with Chastity, Integrity shall be my companion, And faith shall light up my darkness, Yea, Virtue shall be my refuge and my stay," He will find the Way which leads to Truth,

the practice of Self - Examination. Searching the inmost recesses of his heart, Following up the intricate threads of thought, Rigorously testing the quality of his motives,

He who practises self - restraint travels well; He who practises self - examination travels better; He who practises self - surrender travels best.

He only can know the Highest who surrenders self, Who makes the inward sacrifice complete, Who holds nothing back, Who calls nothing his own, Who refuses to set his heart upon any earthly thing ; Putting aside all his lusts, Emptying himself of all his vanities, Divesting himself of all his theories and opinions, He will become empty, naked, and without possessions ; And having become empty, he will be filled with Truth ; Having become naked, he will be clothed with Righteousness ; Possessing nothing, he will be lord of all.

Of self - restraint is born Virtue, Of self - examination is born Knowledge, Of self - surrender is born Love.