Thought And Character
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 the 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.
Coined from James Allen’s Book - As A Man Thinketh.
Thanks to James Allen
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