As a Man Thinketh

The Self-Help Classic by James Allen

Originally Published in 1903

First published in 1903, James Allen’s As a Man Thinketh is a cornerstone of the New Thought movement and one of the earliest self-help classics.

In remarkably few pages, Allen explores the relationship between thought, character, action, circumstance, purpose, and the life a person ultimately creates.

Mind is the Master power that moulds and makes
And Man is Mind, and evermore 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.

The Power of Thought

Allen believed that thought shapes action and circumstances according to an unerring metaphysical law. He did not treat thought as something insignificant or fleeting. To him, thought was formative. What a person repeatedly thinks becomes woven into character, and character expresses itself through action and circumstance.

In its clarity and brevity, As a Man Thinketh has inspired generations of readers to examine the inner world from which their choices, habits, character, and circumstances emerge. Its central message remains strikingly direct: the quality and direction of thought matter.

A Small Book With a Large Idea

Read the Classic.

Discover the book that helped shape an entire tradition of thought about the relationship between the mind, character, and the life we create.

James Allen · As a Man Thinketh · 1903