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As
A Man Thinketh, By James Allen
Chapter 1
Thought
And Character
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 he 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.
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