James Allen
Author of As A Man Thinketh

James Allen, in As A Man Thinketh, writes that we become spiritually rich when we discover the adventure within; when we are conscious of the oneness of all life; when we know the power of meditation; when we experience kinship with nature. Allen teaches two essential truths: we are where our thoughts have taken us, and we are the architects - for better or worse - of our futures.

His little volume, as he called it, has been translated into five major languages, inspiring millions of readers to recognize that man’s visions can become reality, simply through the power of thought.

James Allen was born in Leicester, England in 1864 and worked as a personal secretary for an executive of a large English corporation until 1902. At the age of 38 he “retired” to writing and moved with his wife to a small cottage at Ilfracombe, England. He penned more than 20 works before suddenly passing away at the age of 48.

Allen's work embodies the influence of Protestant liberalism on the one hand and of Buddhist thought on the other. For example, the Buddha teaches, "All that we are is the result of what we have thought." Allen's Biblical text says, "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he."

Allen insists upon the power of the individual to form his own character and to create his own happiness. "Thought and character are one," he says, "and as character can only manifest and discover itself through environment and circumstance, the outer conditions of a person's life will always be found to be harmoniously related to his inner state. This does not mean that a man's circumstances at any given time are an indication of his entire character, but that those circumstances are so intimately connected with some vital thought element within him that, for the time being, they are indispensable to his development."

Allen starts us thinking - even when we would rather be doing something else. He tells us how thought leads to action. He shows us how to turn our dreams into realities.

His is a philosophy that has brought success to millions. It is the philosophy of Norman Vincent Peale's The Power of Positive Thinking and of Joshua Liebman's Peace of Mind.

We become spiritually rich, Allen writes, when we discover the adventure within; when we are conscious of the oneness of all life; when we know the power of meditation; when we experience kinship with nature.

Allen's message is one of hope even in the midst of confusion. "Yes," he says, "humanity surges with uncontrolled passion, is tumultuous with ungoverned grief, is blown about by anxiety and doubt. Only the wise man, only he whose thoughts are controlled and purified, makes the winds and the storms of the soul obey him."

"Tempest-tossed souls," Allen continues, "wherever you may be, under whatsoever conditions you may life, know this - in the ocean of life the isles of blessedness are smiling and the sunny shore of your ideal awaits your coming...."

And thus Allen teaches two essential truths:

1. today we are where our thoughts have taken us, and
2. we are the architects - for better or worse - of our futures.