As Man Thinketh by James Allen

Summary

A short and practical philosophy about how the quality and nature of our thoughts determines who we are, what we achieve, and who we become.

Buy this book on Amazon (Recommend)

Get more helpful book summaries and notes

Key Takeaways

Fill your mind with quality information

“If no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless weed seeds will fall therein, and will continue to produce their kind.”

If you fill your mind with clickbait garbage and news that won’t matter tomorrow, then the quality of your thoughts and actions will suffer. A few years ago, I stopped consuming news and television, and this is one of the core reasons. Instead, I’ve turned to time-tested books and information from quality sources that help me on my journey to continue learning and growing. If you keep filling your mind with bad or negative information, then those are the seeds that will blossom into your beliefs about the world.

Your inner thoughts determine your outer world

“The outer world of circumstance shapes itself to the inner world of thought, and both pleasant and unpleasant external conditions are factors which make for the ultimate good of the individual.“

Your thoughts and beliefs about the world will determine how you perceive it. If you think that the world is a cruel and mean place then it will certainly turn out to be that way. If you believe that you can learn from any situation, then you will be able to find meaning and value in even the most horrible of events that happen in life.

Belief is powerful

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

I used this quote in the eulogy I delivered for my mom in 2018 after she committed suicide. It’s a powerful reminder of the power of belief. If we believe that we can do something, then we will have a much better shot at doing it than if we sit in a pool of self-doubt or disbelief.