Chapter One: Thought And Character
by James Allen
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 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 fruit; thus does a man garner in
the sweet and bitter fruitage of his own
husbandry.
Man is a growth by law,
and not a creation by artifice, and cause and effect are as absolute and
undeviating in the hidden realm of thought as in the world of visible and
material things. A noble and God-like 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 God-like 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 the 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 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 foolish master who misgoverns his "household." When he
begins to reflect upon his condition and 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. This discovery
is totally a matter of application, self-analysis and
experience.
Only by much searching
and mining are gold and diamonds obtained, and man can find every truth
connected with his being, if he will dig deep into the mine of his soul.
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, linking cause and effect by
patient practice and investigation. And utilizing his every experience,
even the most trivial, everyday occurrence, as a means of obtaining that
knowledge of himself which is understanding, wisdom, power. In this
direction is the law of 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.
Preface
Chapter Two