As a Man Thinketh

by James Allen

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 bitt...

If a man’s mind Has evil thoughts, Vain comes on him As comes the wheel behind the ox... If one endure in purity of thought, Joy follows him As his own shadow—sure.

A noble and God-like character is not a thing of favour or chance, but is the natural result of continued effort in right thinking, the effect of long-cherished association with God-like thoughts. An ignoble and bestial character, by the same process, is the result of the continued harbouring of grovelling thoughts.

man is the master of thought, the moulder of character, and the maker and shaper of condition, environment, and destiny.

Man is always the master, even in his weaker 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.

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.

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.

A man does not come to the almshouse or the jail by the tyranny of fate or circumstance, but by the pathway of grovelling (low) thoughts and base desires. Nor does a pure-minded man falls 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.

Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remain bound.

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.

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 labour who adopts crooked measures to avoid paying the regulation (fair) wage, and, in the hope of making larger profits, reduces the wages of his work people. Such a man is altogether unfitted for prosperity, and when he finds himself bankrupt, both as regards to reputation and riches, he blames circumstances, not knowing that he is the sole author of his condition.

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.

The dishonest man may have some admirable virtues, which the other does not possess; and the honest man may have 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 harvests his own suffering and happiness.

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.

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.

perfectly pure and enlightened being cou...

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.

The Aftermath of Corrupt Thoughts

Men imagine that thought can be kept secret, but it cannot; it rapidly crystallizes into habit, and habit...

Bestial thoughts crystallize 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 (poverty). •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 or less distressing.

The Aftermath of Beautiful Thoughts

On the other hand, beautiful thoughts of all kinds crystallize into habits of grace and kindliness, which solidify into...

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 (strong) 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 and peace. •Gentle and forgiving thoughts crystallize into habits of gentleness, which solidify into protective and preservative (safe and healthy) 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.

Thoughts Shape Your Circumstances