James Allen
1864-1912, British-born American Essayist
Author of ''As a Man Thinketh''

Cherish your visions; cherish your ideals; cherish the music that stirs in your heart, the beauty that forms in your mind, the loveliness that drapes your purest thoughts, for out of them will grow delightful conditions, all heavenly environment; of these if you but remain true to them, your world will at last be built.

Let there be nothing within thee that is not very beautiful and very gentle, and there will be nothing without thee that is not beautiful and softened by the spell of thy presence.

The will to do springs from the knowledge that we can do.

Man is made or unmade by himself. By the right choice he ascends. As a being of power, intelligence, and love, and the lord of his own thoughts, he holds the key to every situation.

Circumstances do not make the man, they reveal him.

Whether you be man or woman you will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor.

To desire is to obtain; to aspire is to achieve.

In all human affairs there are efforts, and there are results, and the strength of effort is the measure of the results.

Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so shall you become. Your vision is the promise of what you shall one day be; your ideal is the prophecy of what you shall at last unveil.

A man is not rightly conditioned until he is a happy, healthy, and prosperous being; and happiness, health, and prosperity are the result of a harmonious adjustment of the inner with the outer of the man with his surroundings.

To begin to think with purpose, is to enter the ranks of those strong ones who only recognize failure as one of the pathways to attainment.

You will become as small as your controlling desire; as great as your dominant aspiration.

Good thoughts bear good fruit, bad thoughts bear bad fruit.

A man sooner or later discovers that he is the master-gardener of his soul, the director of his life.

Mind is the Master--power that molds and makes, and Man is Mind, and ever more he takes the Tool of Thought, and shaping what he wills, brings forth a thousand joys, a thousand ills--He thinks in secret and it comes to pass; Environment is but his looking-glass.

Above all be of single aim; have a legitimate and useful purpose, and devote yourself unreservedly to it.

A man should conceive of a legitimate purpose in his heart, and set out to accomplish it. He should make this purpose the centralizing point of his thoughts. It may take the form of a spiritual ideal, or it may be a worldly object, according to his nature at the time being; but whichever it is, he should steadily focus his thought forces upon the object which he has set before him. He should make this purpose his supreme duty, and should devote himself to its attainment, not allowing his thoughts to wander away into ephemeral fancies, longings, and imaginings. This is the royal road to self-control and true concentration of thought. Even if he fails again and again to accomplish his purpose (as he necessarily must until weakness is overcome), the strength of character gained will be the measure of his true success, and this will form a new starting point for future power and triumph.

Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remain bound.

For true success ask yourself these four questions: Why? Why not? Why not me? Why not now?

A man is literally what he thinks

All that you accomplish or fail to accomplish with your life is the direct result of your thoughts.

Our life is what our thoughts make it. A man will find that as he alters his thoughts toward things and other people, things and other people will alter towards him.

You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you.

The more tranquil a man becomes, the greater is his success, his influence, his power for good. Calmness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom.

Work joyfully and peacefully, knowing that right thoughts and right efforts will inevitably bring about right results.