As A Manthinketh

In 1904, a relatively unknown English named James Allen wrote a little book called As a Man Thinketh. The book has become one of the world's greatest self-help books. It not only reveals that the keys to success are within your own minds, it shows you how to use these keys to unlock the greatest fulfillment you can imagine.

As A Man Thinketh is a simple yet powerful reminder that “all you achieve and all that reminder that “all you achieve and all that you fail to achieve is the direct result of your own thoughts”

“You are the master of your own destiny.”

About the Author
James Allen has been called the “literary mystery man” of the twentieth century. Although his bestselling classic As A Man Thinketh has inspired millions around the world, little is known about the author himself.

What is known about Allen is that he was born in 1864 in Leicester, England. His father was well-to-do business man who, because of poor economic conditions, went bankrupt in 1878 and was tragically murdered one year later. This required James to leave school at the age of fifteen to help support his family. Allen eventually married and become a personal secretary for an executive of a large English corporation.

At the age of 38 he reached what can be called a crossroads in his life. Influenced by the writings of Tolstoy, Allen came to the realization that a life devoted to making money and spending it on frivolous activities was a meaningless way to live. He retired from his employment and moved with his wife to a small cottage on the southwest shore of England to pursue a life of contemplation. It was here at Iltracombe that Allen pursued his dream of voluntary poverty, spiritual self-discipline and a life of simplicity as taught by his mentor, Tolstoy.

A typical Allen day would be to rise very early in the morning and walk to a bluff overlooking the ocean, where he would remain in meditation for an hour or so. And as the cobwebs which had obscured has spiritual vision lifted, the secrets of the universe would be recorded within. Afterwards, he would return home and pen his insights on paper. Afternoons were committed to tending his garden; evenings to communion with townsfolk who wished to discuss loftier philosophical issues.

For ten years Allen led this quiet, pensive life, earning a small stipend from royalties paid on his writing. Then suddenly, at the age of 48, Allen passed away. He died the way he lived, a virtual unknown, untouched by fame, unrewarded by fortune. It would only be afterwards that the literary word would come to recognize the genius and inspiration of his work. But this is the way the anonymous English mystic would have wanted it–to posthumously share his spiritual insights with the world.

Apart from Allen's most famous classic work, As a Man Thinketh, he has written The Path to Prosperity, the Way of Peace, The Mastery of Destiny and Entering the Kingdom, and 20 other books.