The
aphorism, “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 he 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.

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 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 is the law of 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
Allen (From as a man Thinketh)