Thought And Character
– by James A Allen
"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 the 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.
Thought in the mind hath made us.
What we are by thought was wrought and built.
If a man's mind hath evil thought, pain comes on him as comes the
wheel the ox behind.
If one endure in purity of thought, Joy follows him as his own
shadow - sure.
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 the 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, as in no other, is the law 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.
– by James A Allen
"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 the 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.
Thought in the mind hath made us.
What we are by thought was wrought and built.
If a man's mind hath evil thought, pain comes on him as comes the
wheel the ox behind.
If one endure in purity of thought, Joy follows him as his own
shadow - sure.
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 the 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, as in no other, is the law 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.