A Tribute

to

James Allen

Introduction
One day, as I was browsing the local chain bookstore, I came across this small book on the "bargain table".  How ironic to think that the most profound and life changing work I would ever read would be had for $4.99.

Unfortunately, this writer is still relatively unknown. I have seen quotes from this, his greatest work, "As a Man Thinketh" now and then, but I have seen nothing else.

His Life
James Allen was born in Leicester, England on November 28, 1864. When he was fifteen, the family business failed and his father left for America to find work. His father was murdered before he could send for the family and subsequently, James left school and worked for several British manufacturers until 1902. His literary career lasted only nine years until his death in 1912. "As A Man Thinketh" was his second book. In fact, it was only upon his wife's insistence that he published the book.

His Works
I have recently discovered the titles of several other books by James Allen and fortunately for all of us, they are still in print. All of these may be purchased directly from Sun Publishing Company or ordered through your normal book retailer. In addition, there is a "Wisdom of James Allen" collection available from Amazon.Com.

 

Above Life's Turmoil All These Things Added As A Man Thinketh Byways of Blessedness The Divine Companion Eight Pillars of Prosperity Entering the Kingdom Foundation Stones To     Happiness and Success From Passion to Peace From Poverty to Power The Heavenly Life

The Life Triumphant Light on Life's Difficulties Man: King of Mind, Body     and Circumstance Men and Systems The Master of Destiny Meditations, A Year Book Morning and Evening Thoughts Out From the Heart The Shining Gateway Through the Gate of Good The Way of Peace

I am quite excited to find these other titles and to be perfectly honest, very surprised that there are so many other works still in print.

Other Allen Works and Info on the Net
Above Life's Turmoil
Byways of Blessedness
Who was James Allen?
 

In Closing
James Allen, in my opinion, is perhaps one of the greatest writers of this century. He portrays the Truth clearly, eloquently and with no misunderstanding. "As A Man Thinketh" is a timeless piece, one which I wish the entire world could read, hence, the web page. I hope it inspires you as it did me.

So without any further delay, I present to you, in its entirety ...

 

As A Man Thinketh

The logic of the book is unassailable: noble thoughts make a noble person, negative thoughts hammer out a miserable one. To a person mired in negativity, the world looks as if it is made of confusion and fear. On the other hand, Allen noted, when we curtail our negative and destructive thoughts, ‘All the world softens towards us, and is ready to help us.’ We attract not only what we love - but what we fear. His explanation for why this happens is simple: those thoughts which receive our attention, good or bad, go into the unconscious to become the fuel for later events in the real world. As Emerson said, ‘A person is what he thinks about all day long.’

Part of the fame of this book is its contention that ‘Circumstances do not make a person, they reveal him.’ This seems an exceedingly heartless comment, a justification for neglect of those in need and a rationalisation of exploitation and abuse. This, however, would be a knee-jerk reaction to an argument of subtlety. While Allen does not deny that poverty can ‘happen’ to a person or a people, what he tries to make clear is that defensive actions like blaming the perpetrator will only further run the wheels into the rut. What measures us, what reveals us, is how we use those circumstances as an aid or spur to progress. A successful person or community, in short, is that which can process failure with the most efficiency.

Allen observed that: ‘Most of us are anxious to improve our circumstances, but are unwilling to improve ourselves – and we therefore remain bound.’ Prosperity and happiness cannot happen when the old self is still stuck in its old ways. People are nearly always the unconscious cause of their own lack of prosperity.

Almost a hundred years after publication, the book continues to get rave reviews from readers. The plain prose and absence of hype are appealing within a genre that contains sensational claims and personalities, and the fact that we know so little about Allen makes the work somehow more intriguing. In the way it identified universal laws and applied them to the mechanics of desire and prosperity, the book was the 20th century’s first self-help classic.