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As a Man Thinketh — James Allen | Audiobook — Transcript

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0:00[music]
0:01>> James Allen, As a Man Thinketh.
0:08Before the book begins, a few words from
0:11[music] our channel.
0:14It is late and you are still awake.
0:17One thought keeps going [music] round
0:19and round.
0:22Something you said today and cannot take
0:24[music] back.
0:25Someone who stopped answering.
0:27A number in your bank app.
0:30You turn the phone face down.
0:32The thought stays.
0:36More than a hundred years ago, a man
0:38chose to be awake in these dark hours.
0:41Every morning before sunrise, [music]
0:43he climbed a hill above the sea
0:45and sat there in silence along with his
0:48thoughts.
0:49Then he came down and wrote.
0:53In the next hour, you will hear what he
0:55brought down [music] from that hill.
0:58He was not a monk. He was an office
1:01clerk and he had worked since he was 15.
1:05That was the year his father was robbed
1:06[music] and murdered in America.
1:11So, what did he think about up there
1:14alone in the dark morning after morning?
1:17Whatever it was, he put it into this
1:18short book. And in the whole book, he
1:21never [music] once mentions his father.
1:24Why would he leave that out?
1:28He died at 47 and hardly anyone knew his
1:31name.
1:32Later, the men who taught millions how
1:34to get ahead, Napoleon Hill, Dale
1:37Carnegie, Norman Vincent Peale, all drew
1:40on this book. Earl Nightingale, a famous
1:43voice on American radio, recorded
1:45[music] it himself.
1:49By the end of the hour, you will know
1:51what he did with his dark.
1:53Then you will have to decide what to do
1:55with yours.
1:58He begins with an old saying and a seed.
2:03If it makes you think of something, tell
2:05us in the comments. Enjoy listening.
2:11>> [music]
2:13>> Forward.
2:17This little volume, the result of
2:19meditation and experience, is not
2:22intended as an exhaustive treatise on
2:24the much written upon subject of the
2:26power of thought.
2:28It is suggestive rather than
2:29explanatory, its object being to
2:31stimulate men and women to the discovery
2:33and perception of the truth that they
2:36themselves are makers of themselves by
2:39virtue of the thoughts which they choose
2:41and encourage.
2:42That mind is the master weaver both of
2:45the inner garment of character and the
2:47outer garment of circumstance.
2:49And that
2:50as they may have hitherto woven in
2:52ignorance and pain,
2:54they may now weave in enlightenment and
2:56happiness.
2:57James Allen.
3:02>> [music]
3:04>> Chapter 1.
3:05Thought and character.
3:09The aphorism, as a man thinketh in his
3:12heart, so is he,
3:14not only embraces the whole of a man's
3:16being, but is so comprehensive as to
3:19reach out to every condition and
3:20circumstance of his life.
3:23A man is literally what he thinks.
3:25His character being the complete sum of
3:27all his thoughts.
3:31As the plant springs from and could not
3:33be without the seed, so every act of a
3:36man springs from the hidden seeds of
3:38thought and could not have appeared
3:40without them.
3:41This applies equally to those acts
3:43called spontaneous and unpremeditated as
3:46to those which are deliberately
3:48executed.
3:51Act is the blossom of thought
3:54and joy and suffering are its fruits.
3:57Thus does a man garner in the sweet and
4:00bitter fruitage of his own husbandry.
4:03>> [music]
4:05>> Thought in the mind hath made us.
4:07What we are by thought was wrought and
4:10built.
4:11If a man's mind hath evil thoughts, pain
4:14comes on him as comes the wheel the ox
4:17behind.
4:20If one endure impurity of thought joy
4:24follows him as his own shadow.
4:26Sure.
4:30Man is a growth by law and not a
4:32creation by artifice and cause and
4:35effect is as absolute and undeviating in
4:38the hidden realm of thought as in the
4:40world of visible and material things.
4:43A noble and god-like character is not a
4:45thing of favor or chance but is the
4:48natural result of continued effort in
4:51right thinking. The effect of long
4:53cherished association with god-like
4:55thoughts.
4:56An ignoble and bestial character by the
4:59same process is the result of the
5:01continued harboring of groveling
5:03thoughts.
5:06Man is made or unmade by himself.
5:11In the armory of thought he forgives the
5:13weapons by which he destroys himself.
5:16He also fashions the tools with which he
5:18builds for himself heavenly mansions of
5:20joy and strength and peace.
5:23By the right choice and true application
5:25of thought man ascends to the divine
5:27perfection.
5:29By the abuse and wrong application of
5:31thought he descends below the level of
5:33the beast.
5:35Between these two extremes are all the
5:36grades of character and man is their
5:39maker and master.
5:43Of all the beautiful truths pertaining
5:45to the soul which have been restored and
5:48brought to light in this age, none is
5:50more gladdening or fruitful of divine
5:52promise and confidence than this:
5:54that man is the master of thought, the
5:57molder of character, and the maker and
5:59shaper of condition, environment, and
6:02destiny.
6:05As a being of power, intelligence, and
6:08love, and the lord of his own thoughts,
6:10man holds the key to every situation,
6:13and contains within himself that
6:15transforming and regenerative agency by
6:18which he may make himself what he wills.
6:22Man is always the master,
6:25even in his weaker and most abandoned
6:27state.
6:28But in his weakness and degradation, he
6:30is the foolish master who misgoverns his
6:32household.
6:34When he begins to reflect upon his
6:36condition, and to search diligently for
6:38the law upon which his being is
6:40established, he then becomes the wise
6:42master, directing his energies with
6:44intelligence, and fashioning his
6:46thoughts to fruitful issues.
6:49Such is the conscious master, and man
6:51can only thus become by discovering
6:53within himself the laws of thought,
6:56which discovery is totally a matter of
6:58application, self-analysis, and
7:00experience.
7:08Only by much searching and mining are
7:10gold and diamonds obtained, and man can
7:12find every truth connected with his
7:14being if he will dig deep into the mine
7:17of his soul.
7:18And that he is the maker of his
7:20character, the molder of his life, and
7:22the builder of his destiny, he may
7:24unerringly prove if he will watch,
7:27control, and alter his thoughts,
7:30tracing their effects upon himself, upon
7:32others, and upon his life and
7:34circumstances,
7:36linking cause and effect by patient
7:38practice and investigation,
7:40and utilizing his every experience, even
7:43to the most trivial everyday occurrence,
7:45as a means of obtaining that knowledge
7:47of himself, which is understanding,
7:50wisdom, power.
7:53In this direction, as in no other, is
7:55the law absolute that he that seeketh
7:58findeth. And to him that knocketh, it
8:00shall be opened.
8:02For only by patience, practice, and
8:05ceaseless importunity can a man enter
8:07the door of the temple of knowledge.
8:17>> [music]
8:18>> Chapter 2.
8:20Effect of thought on circumstances.
8:25Man's mind may be likened to a garden,
8:28which may be intelligently cultivated or
8:30allowed to run wild. But whether
8:33cultivated or neglected, it must and
8:36will bring forth.
8:38If no useful seeds are put into it, then
8:40an abundance of useless weed seeds will
8:42fall therein, and will continue to
8:45produce their kind.
8:48>> [music]
8:49>> Just as a gardener cultivates his plot,
8:51keeping it free from weeds and growing
8:53the flowers and fruits which he
8:55requires, so may a man tend the garden
8:57of his mind, weeding out all the wrong,
9:00useless, and impure thoughts, and
9:02cultivating toward perfection the
9:03flowers and fruits of right, useful, and
9:06pure thoughts.
9:08By pursuing this process, a man sooner
9:10or later discovers that he is the master
9:13gardener of his soul, the director of
9:14his life.
9:16He also reveals within himself the laws
9:18of thought, and understands with
9:20ever-increasing accuracy how the thought
9:22forces and mind elements operate in the
9:24shaping of his character, circumstances,
9:26and destiny.
9:31Thought and character are one. And as
9:33character can only manifest and discover
9:36itself through environment and
9:37circumstance. The outer conditions of a
9:39person's life will always be found to be
9:42harmoniously related to his inner state.
9:45This does not mean that a man's
9:46circumstances at any given time are an
9:48indication of his entire character, but
9:51that those circumstances are so
9:52intimately connected with some vital
9:54thought element within himself that, for
9:57the time being, they are indispensable
9:59to his development.
10:03Every man is where he is by the law of
10:06his being.
10:07The thoughts which he has built into his
10:09character have brought him there. And in
10:11the arrangement of his life, there is no
10:13element of chance, but all is the result
10:16of a law which cannot err.
10:18This is just as true of those who feel
10:20out of harmony with their surroundings
10:22as of those who are contented with them.
10:27As a progressive and evolving being, man
10:30is where he is that he may learn, that
10:33he may grow.
10:34And as he learns the spiritual lesson
10:36which any circumstance contains for him,
10:38it passes away and gives place to other
10:41circumstances.
10:45Man is buffeted by circumstances so long
10:48as he believes himself to be the
10:49creature of outside conditions.
10:52But when he realizes that he is a
10:54creative power, and that he may command
10:56the hidden soil and seeds of his being
10:59out of which circumstances grow, he then
11:01becomes the rightful master of himself.
11:07That circumstances grow out of thought,
11:09every man knows who has for any length
11:12of time practiced self-control and
11:14self-purification.
11:16For he will have noticed that the
11:18alteration in his circumstances has been
11:20an exact ratio with his altered mental
11:23condition.
11:24So true is this
11:25that when a man earnestly applies
11:27himself to remedy the defects in his
11:29character and make swift and marked
11:31progress, he passes rapidly through a
11:34succession of vicissitudes.
11:39The soul attracts that which it secretly
11:41harbors. That which it loves and also
11:44that which it fears.
11:46It reaches the height of his cherished
11:48aspirations.
11:49It falls to the level of its unchaste
11:51desires.
11:53And circumstances are the means by which
11:55the soul receives its own.
12:00Every thought seed sown or allowed to
12:02fall into the mind and to take root
12:05there produces its own, blossoming
12:08sooner or later into act and bearing its
12:10own fruitage of opportunity and
12:12circumstance.
12:14Good thoughts bear good fruit. Bad
12:16thoughts, bad fruit.
12:21The outer world of circumstance shapes
12:23itself to the inner world of thought.
12:25And both pleasant and unpleasant
12:27external conditions are factors which
12:30make for the ultimate good of the
12:31individual.
12:33As the reaper of his own harvest, man
12:35learns both by suffering and bliss.
12:41Following the inmost desires,
12:43aspirations, thoughts by which he allows
12:46himself to be dominated, pursuing the
12:48will-o'-the-wisps of impure imaginings,
12:51or steadfastly walking the highway of
12:53strong and high endeavor,
12:55a man at last arrives at their fruition
12:58and fulfillment in the outer conditions
13:01of his life.
13:02The laws of growth and adjustment
13:04everywhere obtains.
13:09A man does not come to the almshouse or
13:11the jail by the tyranny of fate or
13:14circumstance,
13:15but by the pathway of groveling thoughts
13:17and base desires.
13:19Nor does a pure-minded man fall suddenly
13:22into crime by stress of any mere
13:24external force.
13:26The criminal thought had long been
13:27secretly fostered in the heart, and the
13:30hour of opportunity revealed its
13:32gathered power.
13:33Circumstance does not make the man. It
13:36reveals him to himself.
13:39No such conditions can exist as
13:41descending into vice and its attendant
13:43sufferings apart from vicious
13:45inclinations or ascending into virtue
13:48and its pure happiness without the
13:50continued cultivation of virtuous
13:52aspirations.
13:54And man, therefore, as the lord and
13:56master of thought, is the maker of
13:58himself,
13:59the shaper and author of environment.
14:02Even at birth, the soul comes to its
14:04own, and through every step of its
14:06earthly pilgrimage, it attracts those
14:08combinations of conditions which reveal
14:11itself, which are the reflections of its
14:13own purity and impurity, its strength
14:16and weakness.
14:20Men do not attract that which they want,
14:23but that which they are.
14:25Their whims, fancies, and ambitions are
14:27thwarted at every step, but their inmost
14:30thoughts and desires are fed with their
14:32own food, be it foul or clean.
14:35The divinity that shapes our ends is in
14:38ourselves.
14:39It is our very self.
14:42Only himself manacles man.
14:44Thought and action are the jailers of
14:46fate. They imprison being base. They are
14:49also the angels of freedom. They
14:52liberate being noble.
14:54Not what he wishes and prays for does a
14:56man get, but what he justly earns.
14:59His wishes and prayers are only
15:01gratified and answered when they
15:03harmonize with his thoughts and actions.
15:08In the light of this truth, what then is
15:11the meaning of fighting against
15:13circumstances?
15:14It means that a man is continually
15:16revolting against an effect without,
15:19while all the time he is nourishing and
15:21preserving his cause in his heart.
15:23That cause may take the form of a
15:25conscious vice or an unconscious
15:27weakness,
15:28but whatever it is, it stubbornly
15:30retards the efforts of its possessor
15:33and thus calls aloud for remedy.
15:38Men are anxious to improve their
15:41circumstances, but are unwilling to
15:43improve themselves.
15:45They therefore remain bound.
15:48The man who does not shrink from
15:49self-crucifixion can never fail to
15:52accomplish the object upon which his
15:54heart is set.
15:55This is as true of earthly as of
15:57heavenly things.
15:59Even the man whose sole object is to
16:01acquire wealth must be prepared to make
16:04great personal sacrifices before he can
16:06accomplish his object.
16:08And how much more so he who would
16:10realize a strong and well-poised life.
16:16Here is a man who is wretchedly poor. He
16:19is extremely anxious that his
16:20surroundings and home comforts should be
16:22improved, yet all the time he shirks his
16:25work and considers he is justified in
16:27trying to deceive his employer on the
16:29ground of the insufficiency of his
16:31wages.
16:32Such a man does not understand the
16:34simplest rudiments of those principles
16:36which are the basis of true prosperity
16:38and is not only totally unfitted to rise
16:41out of his wretchedness, but is actually
16:43attracting to himself a still deeper
16:45wretchedness by dwelling in and acting
16:47out indolent, deceptive, and unmanly
16:50thoughts.
16:54Here is a rich man who is the victim of
16:56a painful and persistent disease as the
16:59result of gluttony.
17:01He is willing to give large sums of
17:02money to get rid of it, but he will not
17:04sacrifice his gluttonous desires.
17:07He wants to gratify his taste for rich
17:09and unnatural viands and have his health
17:11as well.
17:13Such a man is totally unfit to have
17:15health because he has not yet learned
17:17the first principles of a healthy life.
17:22Here is an employer of labor who adopts
17:25crooked measures to avoid paying the
17:26regulation wage, and in the hope of
17:29making larger profits reduces the wages
17:31of his work people.
17:33Such a man is altogether unfitted for
17:35prosperity, and when he finds himself
17:37bankrupt both as regards reputation and
17:40riches, he blames circumstances, not
17:43knowing that he is the sole author of
17:45his condition.
17:49I have introduced these three cases
17:50merely as illustrative of the truth that
17:52man is the causer, though nearly always
17:55is unconsciously, of his circumstances.
17:58And that whilst aiming at a good end, he
18:00is continually frustrating its
18:01accomplishment by encouraging thoughts
18:03and desires which cannot possibly
18:05harmonize with that end. Such cases
18:07could be multiplied and varied almost
18:09indefinitely, but this is not necessary,
18:12as the reader can, if he so resolves,
18:14trace the action of the laws of thought
18:16in his own mind and life.
18:18And until this is done, mere external
18:20facts cannot serve as a ground of
18:21reasoning.
18:25Circumstances, however, are so
18:27complicated, thought is so deeply
18:29rooted, and the conditions of happiness
18:31vary so vastly with individuals, that a
18:34man's entire soul condition, although it
18:36may be known to himself, cannot be
18:38judged by another from the external
18:40aspect of his life alone.
18:42A man may be honest in certain
18:43directions, yet suffer privations.
18:46A man may be dishonest in certain
18:48directions, yet acquire wealth.
18:50But the conclusion usually formed, that
18:52the one man fails because of his
18:54particular honesty, and that the other
18:56prospers because of his particular
18:57dishonesty, is the result of a
18:59superficial judgment, which assumes that
19:02the dishonest man is almost totally
19:03corrupt, and the honest man almost
19:05entirely virtuous.
19:07In the light of a deeper knowledge and
19:09wider experience, such judgment is found
19:12to be erroneous.
19:14The dishonest man may have some
19:15admirable virtues which the other does
19:18not possess.
19:19And the honest man obnoxious vices which
19:22are absent in the other.
19:24The honest man reaps the good results of
19:26his honest thoughts and acts. He also
19:29brings upon himself the sufferings which
19:31his vices produce.
19:33The dishonest man likewise garners his
19:35own suffering and happiness.
19:39It is pleasing to human vanity to
19:41believe that one suffers because of
19:43one's virtue.
19:45But not until a man has extirpated every
19:47sickly, bitter, and impure thought from
19:49his mind and washed every sinful stain
19:52from his soul can he be in a position to
19:55know and declare that his sufferings are
19:57the result of his good and not of his
19:59bad qualities.
20:01And on the way to, yet long before he
20:03has reached that supreme perfection, he
20:06will have found working in his mind and
20:08life the great law which is absolutely
20:10just and which cannot therefore give
20:13good for evil, evil for good.
20:16Possessed of such knowledge, he will
20:18then know, looking back upon his past
20:20ignorance and blindness, that his life
20:22is and always was justly ordered.
20:26And that all his past experiences, good
20:28and bad,
20:29were the equitable outworking of his
20:31evolving, yet unevolved self.
20:36Good thoughts and actions can never
20:38produce bad results.
20:40Bad thoughts and actions can never
20:42produce good results.
20:44This is but saying that nothing can come
20:47from corn but corn.
20:49Nothing from nettles but nettles.
20:52Men understand this law in the natural
20:54world and work with it.
20:56But few understand it in the mental and
20:58moral world. Though its operation there
21:00is just as simple and undeviating.
21:04And they therefore do not cooperate with
21:06it.
21:09Suffering is always the effect of wrong
21:11thought in some direction.
21:13It is an indication that the individual
21:15is out of harmony with himself,
21:18with the law of his being.
21:20The sole and supreme use of suffering is
21:22to purify,
21:24to burn out all that is useless and
21:26impure.
21:27Suffering ceases for him who is pure.
21:31There could be no object in burning gold
21:33after the dross had been removed.
21:36And a perfectly pure and enlightened
21:37being could not suffer.
21:42The circumstances which a man encounters
21:43with suffering are the result of his own
21:46mental inharmony.
21:47The circumstances which a man encounters
21:49with blessedness are the result of his
21:51own mental harmony.
21:53Blessedness, not material possessions,
21:55is the measure of right thought.
21:57Wretchedness, not lack of material
21:59possessions, is the measure of wrong
22:01thought. A man may be cursed and rich.
22:04He may be blessed and poor.
22:06Blessedness and riches are only joined
22:07together when the riches are rightly and
22:09wisely used. And the poor man only
22:12descends into wretchedness when he
22:13regards his lot as a burden unjustly
22:16imposed.
22:19Indigence and indulgence are the two
22:21extremes of wretchedness.
22:23They are both equally unnatural and the
22:25result of mental disorder.
22:27A man is not rightly conditioned until
22:29he is a happy, healthy, and prosperous
22:32being. And happiness, health, and
22:34prosperity are the result of a
22:35harmonious adjustment of the inner with
22:38the outer, of the man with his
22:40surroundings.
22:43A man only begins to be a man when he
22:46ceases to whine and revile, and
22:48commences to search for the hidden
22:50justice which regulates his life.
22:53And as he adapts his mind to that
22:55regulating factor, he ceases to accuse
22:57others as the cause of his condition,
22:59and builds himself up in strong and
23:01noble thoughts.
23:03Ceases to kick against circumstances,
23:05but begins to use them as aids to his
23:07more rapid progress, and as a means of
23:10discovering the hidden powers and
23:11possibilities within himself.
23:16Law, not confusion, is the dominating
23:18principle in the universe.
23:20Justice, not injustice, is the soul and
23:24substance of life.
23:26And righteousness, not corruption, is
23:28the molding and moving force in the
23:30spiritual government of the world.
23:33This being so,
23:34man has but to right himself to find
23:37that the universe is right.
23:39And during the process of putting
23:40himself right, he will find that as he
23:43alters his thoughts towards things and
23:45other people,
23:46things and other people will alter
23:48towards him.
23:51The proof of this truth is in every
23:53person, and it therefore admits of easy
23:56investigation by systematic
23:57introspection and self-analysis.
24:00Let a man radically alter his thoughts,
24:03and he will be astonished at the rapid
24:05transformation it will affect in the
24:06material conditions of his life.
24:09Men imagine that thought can be kept
24:11secret, but it cannot. It rapidly
24:14crystallizes into habit, and habit
24:16solidifies into circumstance.
24:19Bestial thoughts crystallize into habits
24:21of drunkenness and sensuality, which
24:24solidify into circumstances of
24:26destitution and disease.
24:28Impure thoughts of every kind
24:30crystallize into enervating and
24:32confusing habits, which solidify into
24:35distracting and adverse circumstances.
24:38Thoughts of fear, doubt, and indecision
24:40crystallize into weak, unmanly, and
24:43irresolute habits, which solidify into
24:45circumstances of failure, indigence, and
24:48slavish dependence.
24:50Lazy thoughts crystallize into habits of
24:52uncleanliness and dishonesty, which
24:55solidify into circumstances of vileness
24:58and beggary.
24:59Hateful and condemnatory thoughts
25:01crystallize into habits of accusation
25:03and violence, which solidify into
25:05circumstances of injury and persecution.
25:09Selfish thoughts of all kinds
25:11crystallize into habits of self-seeking,
25:14which solidify into circumstances more
25:16or less distressing.
25:18On the other hand, beautiful thoughts of
25:20all kinds crystallize into habits of
25:22grace and kindliness, which solidify
25:25into genial and sunny circumstances.
25:28Pure thoughts crystallize into habits of
25:30temperance and self-control, which
25:32solidify into circumstances of repose
25:35and peace.
25:37Thoughts of courage, self-reliance, and
25:39decision crystallize into manly habits,
25:42which solidify into circumstances of
25:44success, plenty, and freedom.
25:47Energetic thoughts crystallize into
25:49habits of cleanliness and industry,
25:51which solidify into circumstances of
25:53pleasantness.
25:55Gentle and forgiving thoughts
25:57crystallize into habits of gentleness,
25:59which solidify into protective and
26:01preservative circumstances.
26:04Loving and unselfish thoughts
26:06crystallize into habits of
26:07self-forgetfulness for others, which
26:10solidify into circumstances of sure and
26:12abiding prosperity and true riches.
26:18A particular train of thought persisted
26:20in, be it good or bad, cannot fail to
26:23produce its results on the character and
26:25circumstances.
26:27A man cannot directly choose his
26:29circumstances, but he can choose his
26:32thoughts, and so indirectly, yet surely,
26:35shape his circumstances.
26:39Nature helps every man to the
26:41gratification of the thoughts which he
26:43most encourages,
26:45and opportunities are presented which
26:47will most speedily bring to the surface
26:49both the good and evil thoughts.
26:53Let a man cease from his sinful thoughts
26:56and all the world will soften towards
26:58him and be ready to help him.
27:01Let him put away his weekly and sickly
27:03thoughts and lo, opportunities will
27:06spring up on every hand to aid his
27:08strong resolves.
27:10Let him encourage good thoughts and no
27:13hard fate shall bind him down to
27:15wretchedness and shame.
27:17The world is your kaleidoscope and the
27:20varying combinations of colors which at
27:22every succeeding moment it presents to
27:24you are the exquisitely adjusted
27:27pictures of your ever moving thoughts.
27:31So, you will be what you will to be.
27:34Let failure find its false content
27:37in that poor word environment,
27:41but spirit scorns it
27:43and is free.
27:45It masters time, it conquers space.
27:49It cows that boastful trickster chance
27:52and bids the tyrant circumstance
27:55uncrowned and fill a servant's place.
27:59The human will, that force unseen,
28:03the offspring of a deathless soul,
28:06can hew a way to any goal
28:08the walls of granite intervene.
28:12Be not impatient in delays, but wait as
28:16one who understands.
28:18When spirit rises and commands, the gods
28:21are ready to obey.
28:27Chapter 3
28:28Effect of thought on health and the
28:30body.
28:33The body is the servant of the mind.
28:36It obeys the operations of the mind
28:38whether they be deliberately chosen or
28:41automatically expressed.
28:43At the bidding of unlawful thoughts, the
28:45body sinks rapidly into disease and
28:47decay.
28:49At the command of glad and beautiful
28:51thoughts, it becomes clothed with
28:53youthfulness and beauty.
28:57Disease and health, like circumstances,
28:59are rooted in thought.
29:01Sickly thoughts will express themselves
29:03through a sickly body.
29:05Thoughts of fear have been known to kill
29:06a man as speedily as a bullet.
29:09And they are continually killing
29:10thousands of people just as surely,
29:13though less rapidly.
29:15The people who live in fear of disease
29:17are the people who get it.
29:19Anxiety quickly demoralizes the whole
29:21body and lays it open to the entrance of
29:23disease.
29:24While impure thoughts, even if not
29:26physically indulged, will soon shatter
29:28the nervous system.
29:32Strong, pure, and happy thoughts build
29:35up the body in vigor and grace.
29:38The body is a delicate and plastic
29:41instrument which responds readily to the
29:43thoughts by which it is impressed. And
29:46habits of thought will produce their own
29:48effects, good or bad, upon it.
29:52Men will continue to have impure and
29:55poisoned blood so long as they propagate
29:57unclean thoughts.
29:59Out of a clean heart comes a clean life
30:01and a clean body.
30:03Out of a defiled mind proceeds a defiled
30:05life and a corrupt body.
30:07Thought is the fount of action, life,
30:09and manifestation.
30:11Make the fountain pure
30:13and all will be pure.
30:17Change of diet will not help a man who
30:19will not change his thoughts.
30:21When a man makes his thoughts pure, he
30:23no longer desires impure food.
30:28Clean thoughts make clean habits. The
30:30so-called saint who does not wash his
30:32body is not a saint.
30:34He who has strengthened and purified his
30:36thoughts does not need to consider the
30:38malevolent microbe.
30:41If you would protect your body, guard
30:44your mind. If you would renew your body,
30:46beautify your mind.
30:49Thoughts of malice, envy,
30:51disappointment, despondency rob the body
30:55of its health and grace.
30:57A sour face does not come by chance. It
30:59is made by sour thoughts.
31:02Wrinkles that mar are drawn by folly,
31:05passion, and pride.
31:09I know a woman of 96 who has the bright,
31:12innocent face of a girl.
31:14I know a man well under middle age whose
31:17face is drawn into inharmonious
31:19contours.
31:21The one is the result of a sweet and
31:23sunny disposition.
31:25The other is the outcome of passion and
31:27discontent.
31:30As you cannot have a sweet and wholesome
31:33abode unless you admit the air and
31:35sunshine freely into your rooms, so a
31:38strong body and a bright, happy, or
31:40serene countenance can only result from
31:43the free admittance into the mind of
31:45thoughts of joy and goodwill and
31:47serenity.
31:50On the faces of the aged, there are
31:52wrinkles made by sympathy. Others by
31:54strong and pure thought, and others are
31:57carved by passion. Who cannot
31:59distinguish them?
32:01With those who have lived righteously,
32:03age is calm, peaceful, and softly
32:05mellowed, like the setting sun.
32:08I have recently seen a philosopher on
32:10his deathbed. He was not old except in
32:12years.
32:14He died as sweetly and peacefully as he
32:16had lived.
32:19There is no physician like cheerful
32:21thought for dissipating the ills of the
32:23body.
32:24There is no comforter to compare with
32:26goodwill for dispersing the shadows of
32:29grief and sorrow.
32:31To live continually in thoughts of ill
32:34will, cynicism, suspicion, and envy is
32:37to be confined in a self-made prison
32:40hole.
32:41But to think well of all, to be cheerful
32:44with all,
32:45to patiently learn to find the good in
32:47all,
32:48such unselfish thoughts are the very
32:50portals of heaven.
32:53And to dwell day by day in thoughts of
32:55peace toward every creature will bring a
32:57bounding peace to their possessor.
33:05Chapter 4
33:06Thought and Purpose
33:10Until thought is linked with purpose,
33:12there is no intelligent accomplishment.
33:15With the majority, the bark of thought
33:17is allowed to drift upon the ocean of
33:19life.
33:20Aimlessness is a vice, and such drifting
33:23must not continue for him who would
33:25steer clear of catastrophe and
33:27destruction.
33:30They who have no central purpose in
33:32their life fall an easy prey to petty
33:34worries, fears, troubles, and
33:37self-pityings.
33:38All of which are indications of
33:39weakness, which lead, just as surely as
33:42deliberately planned sins, though by a
33:44different route, to failure,
33:46unhappiness, and loss.
33:49For weakness cannot persist in a
33:50power-evolving universe.
33:54A man should conceive of a legitimate
33:56purpose in his heart and set out to
33:58accomplish it.
33:59He should make this purpose the
34:01centralizing point of his thoughts.
34:04It may take the form of a spiritual
34:05ideal, or it may be a worldly object,
34:08according to his nature at the time
34:10being. But whichever it is, he should
34:12steadily focus his thought forces upon
34:15the object which he has set before him.
34:17He should make this purpose his supreme
34:20duty, and should devote himself to its
34:22attainment, not allowing his thoughts to
34:24wander away into ephemeral fancies,
34:27longings, and imaginings.
34:29This is the royal road to self-control
34:32and true concentration of thought. Even
34:35if he fails again and again to
34:37accomplish his purpose, as he
34:39necessarily must until weakness is
34:41overcome,
34:42the strength of character gained will be
34:44the measure of his true success.
34:47And this will form a new starting point
34:49for future power and triumph.
34:53Those who are not prepared for the
34:54apprehension of a great purpose should
34:56fix their thoughts upon the faultless
34:58performance of their duty, no matter how
35:00insignificant their task may appear.
35:03Only in this way can the thoughts be
35:04gathered and focused, and resolution and
35:06energy be developed, which being done,
35:09there is nothing which may not be
35:10accomplished.
35:13The weakest soul, knowing its own
35:15weakness and believing this truth that
35:18strength can only be developed by effort
35:21and practice,
35:22will, thus believing, at once begin to
35:25exert itself, and adding effort to
35:28effort, patience to patience, and
35:30strength to strength, will never cease
35:32to develop, and will at last grow
35:35divinely strong.
35:38As the physically weak man can make
35:40himself strong by careful and patient
35:43training, so the man of weak thoughts
35:46can make them strong by exercising
35:48himself in right thinking.
35:52To put away aimlessness and weakness,
35:55and to begin to think with purpose, is
35:57to enter the ranks of those strong ones
35:59who only recognize failure as one of the
36:02pathways to attainment, who make all
36:04conditions serve them, and who think
36:06strongly, attempt fearlessly, and
36:09accomplish masterfully.
36:13Having conceived of his purpose, a man
36:15should mentally mark out a straight
36:17pathway to its achievement, looking
36:20neither to the right nor the left.
36:22Doubts and fears should be rigorously
36:25excluded. They are disintegrating
36:27elements which break up the straight
36:29line of effort, rendering it crooked,
36:32ineffectual, useless.
36:35Thoughts of doubt and fear never
36:36accomplished anything and never can.
36:39They always lead to failure.
36:42Purpose, energy, power to do, and all
36:45strong thoughts cease when doubt and
36:47fear creep in.
36:50The will to do springs from the
36:52knowledge that we can do.
36:55Doubt and fear are the great enemies of
36:57knowledge, and he who encourages them,
37:00who does not slay them, thwarts himself
37:02at every step.
37:05He who has conquered doubt and fear has
37:08conquered failure. His every thought is
37:10allied with power, and all difficulties
37:13are bravely met and wisely overcome.
37:16His purposes are seasonably planted, and
37:19they balloon and bring forth fruit which
37:21does not fall prematurely to the ground.
37:26>> [music]
37:26>> Thought allied fearlessly to purpose
37:29becomes creative force.
37:31He who knows this is ready to become
37:34something higher and stronger than a
37:36mere bundle of wavering thoughts and
37:38fluctuating sensations.
37:40He who does this has become the
37:42conscious and intelligent wielder of his
37:45mental powers.
37:52Chapter 5
37:53The thought factor in achievement.
37:58All that a man achieves and all that he
38:01fails to achieve is the direct result of
38:03his own thoughts.
38:05In a justly ordered universe where loss
38:08of equipoise would mean total
38:09destruction,
38:11individual responsibility must be
38:12absolute.
38:14A man's weakness and strength, purity
38:17and impurity are his own and not another
38:19man's.
38:21They are brought about by himself and
38:23not by another.
38:24And they can only be altered by himself,
38:26never by another.
38:28His condition is also his own and not
38:31another man's. His suffering and his
38:33happiness are evolved from within.
38:36As he thinks, so he is.
38:38As he continues to think, so he remains.
38:44A strong man cannot help a weaker unless
38:47that weaker is willing to be helped. And
38:49even then, the weak man must become
38:51strong of himself. He must, by his own
38:54efforts, develop the strength which he
38:56admires in another.
38:58None but himself can alter his
38:59condition.
39:03It has been usual for men to think and
39:05to say,
39:06"Many men are slaves because one is an
39:08oppressor. Let us hate the oppressor."
39:11Now, however, there is amongst an
39:13increasing few a tendency to reverse
39:16this judgment and to say, "One man is an
39:18oppressor because many are slaves. Let
39:21us despise the slaves."
39:26The truth is that oppressor and slave
39:28are cooperators in ignorance. And while
39:31seeming to afflict each other, are in
39:33reality afflicting themselves.
39:37A perfect knowledge perceives the action
39:39of law in the weakness of the oppressed
39:42and the misapplied power of the
39:43oppressor.
39:45A perfect love, seeing the suffering
39:48which both states entail, condemns
39:50neither.
39:51A perfect compassion embraces both
39:54oppressor and oppressed.
39:58He who has conquered weakness and has
40:01put away all selfish thoughts belongs
40:03neither to oppressor nor oppressed.
40:06He is free.
40:10>> [music]
40:11>> A man can only rise, conquer, and
40:14achieve by lifting up his thoughts.
40:16He can only remain weak and abject and
40:19miserable by refusing to lift up his
40:21thoughts.
40:22>> [music]
40:24>> Before a man can achieve anything, even
40:26in worldly things, he must lift his
40:28thoughts above slavish animal
40:30indulgence. He may not, in order to
40:32succeed, give up all animality and
40:34selfishness by any means, but a portion
40:37of it must at least be sacrificed.
40:40A man whose first thought is bestial
40:41indulgence could neither think clearly
40:44nor plan methodically. He could not find
40:46and develop his latent resources and
40:48would fail in any undertaking.
40:51Not having commenced to manfully control
40:53his thoughts, he is not in a position to
40:54control affairs and to adopt serious
40:56responsibilities.
40:58He is not fit to act independently and
41:00stand alone.
41:01But he is limited only by the thoughts
41:03which he chooses.
41:07There can be no progress, no achievement
41:10without sacrifice.
41:12And a man's worldly success will be in
41:14the measure that he sacrifices his
41:16confused animal thoughts and fixes his
41:18mind on the development of his plans and
41:21the strengthening of his resolution and
41:23self-reliance.
41:24And the higher he lifts his thoughts,
41:27the more manly, upright, and righteous
41:29he becomes,
41:30the greater will be his success, the
41:32more blessed and enduring will be his
41:35achievements.
41:38The universe does not favor the greedy,
41:41the dishonest, the vicious,
41:43although on the mere surface it may
41:45sometimes appear to do so.
41:47It helps the honest, the magnanimous,
41:50the virtuous.
41:51All the great teachers of the ages have
41:53declared this in varying forms,
41:55and to prove and know it, a man has but
41:58to persist in making himself more and
42:00more virtuous by lifting up his
42:02thoughts.
42:05Intellectual achievements are the result
42:07of thought consecrated to the search for
42:10knowledge or for the beautiful and true
42:12in life and nature.
42:14Such achievements may be sometimes
42:16connected with vanity and ambition, but
42:18they are not the outcome of those
42:20characteristics.
42:21They are the natural outgrowth of long
42:23and arduous effort, and of pure and
42:25unselfish thoughts.
42:29Spiritual achievements are the
42:31consummation of holy aspirations.
42:34He who lives constantly in the
42:36conception of noble and lofty thoughts,
42:39who dwells upon all that is pure and
42:41unselfish, will, as surely as the sun
42:44reaches its zenith and the moon its
42:47full, become wise and noble in
42:49character, and rise into a position of
42:52influence and blessedness.
42:56Achievement, of whatever kind, is the
42:58crown of effort, the diadem of thought.
43:01By the aid of self-control, resolution,
43:04purity, righteousness, and well-directed
43:07thought, a man ascends.
43:09By the aid of animality, indolence,
43:11impurity, corruption, and confusion of
43:14thought, a man descends.
43:18A man may rise to high success in the
43:21world, and even to lofty altitudes in
43:23the spiritual realm, and again, descend
43:26into weakness and wretchedness by
43:28allowing arrogant, selfish, and corrupt
43:30thoughts to take possession of him.
43:34Victories attained by right thought can
43:37only be maintained by watchfulness.
43:40Many give way when success is assured,
43:42and rapidly fall back into failure.
43:47All achievements, whether in the
43:48business, intellectual, or spiritual
43:51world, are the result of definitely
43:53directed thought, are governed by the
43:55same law, and are of the same method.
43:58The only difference lies in the object
44:01of attainment.
44:04He who would accomplish little must
44:06sacrifice little.
44:08He who would achieve much, must
44:10sacrifice much.
44:12He who would attain highly, must
44:14sacrifice greatly.
44:21Chapter 6, Visions and Ideals.
44:25The dreamers are the saviors of the
44:27world.
44:28As the visible world is sustained by the
44:30invisible, so men, through all their
44:33trials and sordid vocations, are
44:36nourished by the beautiful visions of
44:38their solitary dreamers.
44:40Humanity cannot forget its dreamers. It
44:42cannot let their ideals fade and die.
44:45It lives in them.
44:47It knows them as the realities which it
44:49shall one day see and know.
44:52Composer, sculptor, painter, poet,
44:55prophet, sage,
44:57these are the makers of the afterworld,
45:00the architects of heaven.
45:02The world is beautiful because they have
45:03lived.
45:05Without them, laboring humanity would
45:07perish.
45:09He who cherishes a beautiful vision, a
45:12lofty ideal in his heart, will one day
45:14realize it.
45:15Columbus cherished a vision of another
45:17world,
45:18and he discovered it.
45:20Copernicus fostered the vision of a
45:22multiplicity of worlds and a wider
45:24universe, and he revealed it.
45:27Buddha beheld the vision of a spiritual
45:29world of stainless beauty and perfect
45:31peace,
45:32and he entered into it.
45:34Cherish your visions.
45:37Cherish your ideals.
45:39Cherish the music that stirs in your
45:41heart, the beauty that forms in your
45:45mind, the loveliness that drapes your
45:48purest thoughts.
45:50For out of them will grow all delightful
45:52conditions,
45:54all
45:55heavenly environment.
45:58Of these, if you but remain true to
46:00them,
46:02your world will at last be built.
46:05To desire is to obtain.
46:08To aspire is to achieve.
46:12Shall man's basest desires receive the
46:14fullest measure of gratification and his
46:17purest aspirations starve for lack of
46:19sustenance?
46:21Such is not the law.
46:23Such a condition of things can never
46:25obtain.
46:26Ask and receive.
46:29Dream lofty dreams.
46:31And as you dream, so shall you become.
46:35Your vision is the promise of what you
46:37shall one day be.
46:39Your ideal is the prophecy of what you
46:41shall at last unveil.
46:44The greatest achievement was at first,
46:47and for a time, a dream.
46:51The oak sleeps in the acorn.
46:53The bird waits in the egg.
46:57And in the highest vision of the soul, a
46:59waking angel stirs.
47:02Dreams
47:04are the seedlings of realities.
47:07Your circumstances may be uncongenial,
47:09but they shall not long remain so if you
47:12but perceive an ideal and strive to
47:14reach it.
47:16You could not travel within and stand
47:17still without.
47:19Here is a youth hard pressed by poverty
47:22and labor, confined long hours in an
47:24unhealthy workshop, unschooled, and
47:27lacking all the arts of refinement. But
47:29he dreams of better things. He thinks of
47:32intelligence, of refinement, of grace
47:35and beauty.
47:36He conceives of, mentally builds up, an
47:39ideal condition of life.
47:41The vision of a wider liberty and a
47:43larger scope takes possession of him.
47:45Unrest urges him to action, and he
47:48utilizes all his spare time and means,
47:50small though they are, to the
47:52development of his latent powers and
47:53resources.
47:55Very soon, so altered has his mind
47:57become that the workshop can no longer
47:59hold him.
48:01It has become so out of harmony with his
48:03mentality that it falls out of his life
48:05as a garment is cast aside.
48:07And with the growth of opportunities
48:09which fit the scope of his expanding
48:11powers,
48:12he passes out of it forever. Years
48:14later, we see this youth as a full-grown
48:17man. We find him a master of certain
48:19forces of the mind which he wields with
48:21worldwide influence and almost unequaled
48:24power. In his hands, he holds the cords
48:27of gigantic responsibilities. He speaks
48:30and lo, lives are changed. Men and women
48:33hang upon his words and remodel their
48:35characters, and sun-like, he becomes the
48:37fixed and luminous center around which
48:39innumerable destinies revolve. He has
48:42realized the vision of his youth. He has
48:44become one with his ideal.
48:47And you, too, youthful reader, will
48:49realize the vision, not the idle wish,
48:51of your heart.
48:53Be it base or beautiful, or a mixture of
48:55both, for you will always gravitate
48:57toward that which you secretly most
49:00love.
49:01Into your hands will be placed the exact
49:03results of your own thoughts.
49:05You will receive that which you earn,
49:07no more,
49:08no less.
49:10Whatever your present environment may
49:11be, you will fall, remain, or rise with
49:14your thoughts, your vision,
49:16your ideal.
49:18You will become as small as your
49:20controlling desire,
49:21as great as your dominant aspiration.
49:25In the beautiful words of Stanton
49:27Kirkham Davis,
49:28you may be keeping accounts,
49:30and presently, you shall walk out of the
49:32door that for so long has seemed to you
49:35the barrier of your ideals,
49:37and shall find yourself before an
49:38audience,
49:40the pen still behind your ear,
49:42the ink stains on your fingers,
49:45and then and there shall pour out the
49:47torrent of your inspiration. You may be
49:50driving sheep, and you shall wander to
49:52the city. Bucolic and open-mouthed shall
49:55wander under the intrepid guidance of
49:57the spirit into the studio of the
49:59master. And after a time, he shall say,
50:02"I have nothing more to teach you.
50:04And now, you have become the master.
50:08Who did so recently dream of great
50:09things while driving sheep?
50:12You shall lay down the saw and the plane
50:14to take upon yourself the regeneration
50:17of the world.
50:18The thoughtless, the ignorant, and the
50:20indolent, seeing only the apparent
50:22effects of things and not the things
50:24themselves, talk of luck, of fortune,
50:27and chance.
50:28Seeing a man grow rich, they say, "How
50:30lucky he is."
50:32Observing another become intellectual,
50:34they exclaim, "How highly favored he
50:36is."
50:37And noting the saintly character and
50:39wide influence of another, they remark,
50:41"How chance aids him at every turn."
50:44They do not see the trials and failures
50:47and struggles which these men have
50:48voluntarily encountered in order to gain
50:51their experience,
50:52have no knowledge of the sacrifices they
50:54have made, of the undaunted efforts they
50:57have put forth,
50:58of the faith they have exercised that
51:01they might overcome the apparently
51:02insurmountable and realize the vision of
51:05their heart.
51:07They do not know the darkness and the
51:08heartaches. They only see the light and
51:10joy and call it luck.
51:13They do not see the long and arduous
51:15journey, but only behold the pleasant
51:17goal and call it good fortune.
51:20Do not understand the process,
51:22but only perceive the result,
51:24and call it chance.
51:28In all human affairs, there are efforts
51:30and there are results. And the strength
51:33of the effort is the measure of the
51:34result.
51:35Chance is not.
51:37Gifts, powers, material, intellectual,
51:41and spiritual possessions are the fruits
51:43of effort.
51:44They are thoughts completed, objects
51:46accomplished, visions realized.
51:51The vision that you glorify in your
51:53mind,
51:54the ideal that you enthrone in your
51:56heart,
51:57this you will build your life by.
52:00This you will become.
52:06Chapter 7
52:08Serenity
52:11Calmness of mind is one of the beautiful
52:13jewels of wisdom.
52:15It is the result of long and patient
52:18effort in self-control.
52:20Its presence is an indication of ripened
52:23experience and of a more than ordinary
52:26knowledge of the laws and operations of
52:29thought.
52:31A man becomes calm in the measure that
52:34he understands himself as a
52:35thought-evolved being.
52:38For such knowledge necessitates the
52:39understanding of others as the result of
52:42thought.
52:43And as he develops a right understanding
52:46and sees more and more clearly the
52:48internal relations of things by the
52:50action of cause and effect, he ceases to
52:52fuss and fume and worry and grieve and
52:55remains poised, steadfast, serene.
53:00The calm man, having learned how to
53:02govern himself, knows how to adapt
53:05himself to others.
53:07And they in turn reverence his spiritual
53:09strength and feel that they can learn of
53:12him and rely upon him.
53:14The more tranquil a man becomes, the
53:16greater is his success, his influence,
53:19his power for good.
53:21Even the ordinary trader will find his
53:24business prosperity increase as he
53:26develops a greater self-control and
53:28equanimity.
53:30For people will always prefer to deal
53:32with a man whose demeanor is strongly
53:34equable.
53:36The strong, calm man is always loved and
53:40revered.
53:41He is like a shade-giving tree in a
53:43thirsty land or a sheltering rock in a
53:46storm.
53:47Who does not love a tranquil heart, a
53:49sweet-tempered, balanced life?
53:52It does not matter whether it rains or
53:54shines or what changes come to those
53:56possessing these blessings. For they are
53:59always sweet, serene, and calm.
54:02That exquisite poise of character, which
54:04we call serenity, is the last lesson of
54:07culture,
54:08the fruitage of the soul.
54:10It is precious as wisdom, more to be
54:12desired than gold, yea, than even fine
54:15gold.
54:17How insignificant mere money-seeking
54:19looks in comparison with a serene life,
54:22a life that dwells in the ocean of
54:24truth, beneath the waves,
54:26beyond the reach of tempests, in the
54:29eternal calm.
54:32How many people we know who sour their
54:34lives, who ruin all that is sweet and
54:37beautiful by explosive tempers, who
54:39destroy their poise of character and
54:41make bad blood?
54:43It is a question whether the great
54:45majority of people do not ruin their
54:47lives and mar their happiness by lack of
54:49self-control.
54:51How few people we meet in life who are
54:53well-balanced, who have that exquisite
54:55poise which is characteristic of the
54:57finished character?
55:00Yes,
55:01humanity surges with uncontrolled
55:04passion, is tumultuous with ungoverned
55:07grief,
55:08is blown about by anxiety and doubt.
55:11Only the wise man, only he whose
55:13thoughts are controlled and purified,
55:16makes the winds and the storms of the
55:17soul obey him.
55:20>> [music]
55:21>> Tempest-tossed souls, wherever ye may
55:24be, under whatsoever conditions ye may
55:26live, know this, in the ocean of life,
55:30the isles of blessedness are smiling,
55:32and the sunny shore of your ideal awaits
55:34your coming. Keep your hand firmly upon
55:37the helm of thought. In the bark of your
55:40soul reclines the commanding master. He
55:42does but sleep. Wake him.
55:45Self-control is strength. Right thought
55:47is mastery. Calmness is power. Say unto
55:51your heart, "Peace. Be still."
55:57>> [music]
55:58>> Thank you for listening to the end.
56:03If you liked this book, please press
56:05like.
56:08And tell us in the comments which book
56:09we should read next.
56:15>> [music]

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