BOOK REVIEW

As a man thinketh

Who is the author?

Born in Leicester, England, into a working-class family, Allen was the elder of two brothers. His mother could neither read nor write while his father, William, was a factory knitter. In 1879 following a downturn in the textile trade of central England, Allen's father travelled alone to America to find work and establish a new home for the family. Within two days of arriving his father was pronounced dead at New York City Hospital, believed to be a case of robbery and murder. At age fifteen, with the family now facing economic disaster, Allen was forced to leave school and find work. For much of the 1890s, Allen worked as a private secretary and stationer in several British manufacturing firms. In 1893 Allen moved to London where he met lily oram who he then wed in 1895. In 1898 Allen found an occupation in which he could showcase his spiritual and social interests as a writer for the magazine the herald of the golden age. At this time, Allen entered a creative period where he then published his first book of many books, from poverty to power (1901). In 1902 Allen began to publish his own spiritual magazine, The Light of Reason, later retitled The Epoch. In 1902 Allen published his third and most famous book as a man thinketh. Loosely based on the biblical proverb, "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he," the small work eventually became read around the world and brought Allen posthumous fame as one of the pioneering figures of modern inspirational thought. The book's minor audience allowed Allen to quit his secretarial work and pursue his writing and editing career. In 1903, the Allen family retired to the town of llfracombe where Allen would spend the rest of his life. Continuing to publish the Epoch, Allen produced more than one book per year until his death in 1912. There he wrote for nine years, producing 19 works.

What is the main theme of the book? How does it compare with the real world you know? In its theme that mind is the master weaver, creating our inner character and outer circumstances, As A Man Thinketh is an in-depth exploration of the central idea of selfempowerment writing.

James Allen's contribution was to take an assumption we all share - that because we are not robots we therefore control our thoughts - and reveal its fallacy. Because most of us believe that mind is separate from matter, we think that thoughts can be hidden and made powerless - this allows us to think one way and act another. But Allen believed that the unconscious mind generates as much action as the conscious mind, and while we may be able to sustain the illusion of control through the conscious mind alone, in actuality we are continually faced with a question, 'Why cannot I make myself do this or achieve that?' In noting that desire and will are sabotaged by the presence of thoughts that do not accord with the desire, Allen was led to the startling conclusion that, 'We do not attract what we want, but what we are.' Achievement happens because you as a person embody the external achievement; you don't 'get' success but become it. There is no gap between mind and matter.

In real world we believed that it is our instinct that tell us what is right and what is wrong this book shows the real nature of a man and how we actually perceive things around us and how our conscious and subconscious mind contributes in it.

What is the subject of the book? does the author cover the subject adequately? Does the author cover all the subjects in a balanced fashion? What is the approach to the subject? We are the sum of our thoughts 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. Our circumstances are us 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; of the superiority of those at the top of the pile, and the inferiority of those at the bottom. 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. Each set of circumstances, however bad, offers a unique opportunity for growth. If circumstances always determined the life and prospects of people, then humanity would never have progressed. In actuality, circumstances seem to be designed to bring out the best in us, and if we make the decision that we have been 'wronged' then we are unlikely to begin a conscious effort to escape from our situation. It all seems too hopeless. But as any biographer knows, a person's early life and its conditions are often the greatest gift to an individual. Gold does not emerge from jewellers' shops but from mud and rock. One self-help author influenced by Allen is wayne dyer. Dyer observed that '...being broke is a temporary state of affairs that afflicts almost everyone at one time or another, but being poor is an attitude, a set of beliefs that gets reinforced when we shift to blaming life circumstances for the condition of our poverty'. The tragedy of poverty is that children born into it begin to accept it as part of their culture. Allen talks about those who feel that it is all right to do shoddy work because they are being paid so little. Yet this attitude - superficially justifiable - keeps them in the very situation they despise. Tranquility = success The influence of Buddhism on Allen's thought is obvious in the emphasis on 'right thinking', but it is also apparent in his suggestion that the best path to success is calmness of mind. People who are calm, relaxed and purposeful appear to look like that is their natural state, but nearly always it is the fruit of self-control. These people have an advanced knowledge of how thought works, coming from years of literally 'thinking about thought'. According to

Allen, they have a magnet-like attraction because they are not swept up by every little wind of happenstance. We turn to them because they are masters of themselves. 'Tempest-tossed' souls battle to get success, but success avoids the unstable Yes author covers the subject adequately and in a balanced manner. He approaches the subject in a descriptive manner. How does the author supports the argument?

Thought and Character Allan writes that "A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all of his thoughts. And since "...cause and effect are as absolute and undeviating in the hidden realm of thought as in the world of visible and material things," we determine (or at least heavily influence) our situation in life... essentially sleeping in the bed we have made. Effect of Thought on Circumstances Essentially, we are where we are based on our thoughts and our actions. Our thoughts just culminate in the circumstances that come upon us. Effects of Thoughts on Health and Body The Body just reacts to what we are feeling from inside. A clean mind is a pre-requisite for a clean body to lead a clean life. Thought and Purpose Thought and Purpose define ones goals. A person without any thought or purpose would end up nowhere. As such it becomes doubly important to have a clear cut view of what we want to achieve in our life. The Thought-Factor in Achievement Allen says that all that a man achieves or fails to achieve is the result of his own thoughts. And his achievement is just a mere manifestation of his thoughts. Visions and Ideals "To desire is to obtain; to aspire is to achieve. Your vision is the promise of what you shall one day be. We need dreams to fuel us to achieve our success. Serenity A calm man, having learned how to govern himself, knows how to adapt himself to others. The more serene he becomes the more is his influence and success.

Structure of the argument

Thought and Character Allan writes that "A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all of his thoughts. And since "...cause and effect are as absolute and undeviating in the hidden realm of thought as in the world of visible and material things," we determine (or at least heavily influence) our situation in life... essentially sleeping in the bed we have made. Effect of Thought on Circumstances Essentially, we are where we are based on our thoughts and our actions. Our thoughts just culminate in the circumstances that come upon us. Effects of Thoughts on Health and Body The Body just reacts to what we are feeling from inside. A clean mind is a pre-requisite for a clean body to lead a clean life. Thought and Purpose Thought and Purpose define ones goals. A person without any thought or purpose would end up nowhere. As such it becomes doubly important to have a clear cut view of what we want to achieve in our life. The Thought-Factor in Achievement Allen says that all that a man achieves or fails to achieve is the result of his own thoughts. And his achievement is just a mere manifestation of his thoughts. Visions and Ideals "To desire is to obtain; to aspire is to achieve. Your vision is the promise of what you shall one day be. We need dreams to fuel us to achieve our success. Serenity A calm man, having learned how to govern himself, knows how to adapt himself to others. The more serene he becomes the more is his influence and success.

How does the book helped you understand the subject? Would you recommend the book to your friend? The logics and the instances and explanations are all very well balanced and it made very easy for me to understand the book. Yes I would definitely recommend it to my friends as it shows a different way to think towards life.

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