The following contains excerpts from the book, As a Man Thinketh (James Allen).
Musicians and artists must ultimately learn to navigate the space between their ears, the internal space of thought and imagination successfully. The contents of this book challenge the reader to consider the value of effective thinking and its benefits.
In our music school in Odessa Texas, we hope to encourage students to think clearly and responsibly.
This short but powerful book’s message is simple: We must become responsible for our own thoughts, for out of those thoughts our life is created.
“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.”
“Act is the blossom of thought, and joy and suffering are its fruits…Godlike character is not a thing of favour or chance, but is the natural result of continued effort in right thinking…Man is made or unmade by himself.”
Effect of Thought On Circumstances
“Man’s mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild…Just as a gardener cultivates his plot, keeping it free from weeds, and growing the flowers and fruits which he requires, so may a man tend the garden of his mind…Thought and character are one, 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.”
We teach students in our music school in Odessa Texas the value of cultivating an inner imagination of successful creativity, which comes by studying works from other great artists.
“The soul attracts that which it secretly harbours; that which it loves, and also that which it fears; it reaches the height of its cherished aspirations…The outer world of circumstance shapes itself to the inner world of thought…Circumstance does not make the man; it reveals him to himself…Men do not attract that which they want, but that which they are…Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remain bound.”
“Good thoughts and actions can never produce bad results; bad thoughts and actions can never produce good results…Suffering is always the effect of wrong thought in some direction. It is an indication that the individual is out of harmony with himself, with the Law of his being…A man is not rightly conditioned until he is a happy, healthy, and prosperous being; and happiness, health, and prosperity are the result of a harmonious adjustment of the inner with the outer, of the man with his surroundings.”
“A man only begins to be a man when he ceases to whine and revile, and commences to search for the hidden justice which regulates his life. And as he adapts his mind to that regulating factor, he ceases to accuse others as the cause of his condition…Let a man radically alter his thoughts, and he will be astonished at the rapid transformation it will effect in the material conditions of his life. Men imagine that thought can be kept secret, but it cannot; it rapidly crystallizes into habit, and habit solidifies into circumstance…A man cannot directly choose his circumstances, but he can choose his thoughts, and so indirectly, yet surely, shape his circumstances.”
Effect of Thought on Health and the Body
“The body is the servant of the mind. It obeys the operations of the mind, whether they be deliberately chosen or automatically expressed. At the bidding of unlawful thoughts the body sinks rapidly into disease and decay; at the command of glad and beautiful thoughts it becomes clothed with youthfulness and beauty.”
“Disease and health, like circumstances, are rooted in thought…Thoughts of fear have been known to kill a man as speedily as a bullet…while impure thoughts, even if not physically indulged, will soon shatter the nervous system.”
“Out of a clean heart comes a clean life and a clean body.”
“Change of diet will not help a man who will not change his thoughts. When a man makes his thoughts pure, he no longer desires impure food…Clean thoughts make clean habits.”
“There is no physician like cheerful thought for dissipating the ills of the body; there is no comforter to compare with good-will for dispersing the shadows of grief and sorrow. To live continually in thoughts of ill will, cynicism, suspicion, and envy, is to be confined in a self made prison-hole. But to think well of all, to be cheerful with all, to patiently learn to find the good in all- such unselfish thoughts are the very portals of heaven; and to dwell day by day in thoughts of peace toward every creature will bring abounding peace to their possessor.”
The importance of pre-thinking and meditating (in the Hebrew definition of ‘revolving in the mind’) is key to successful music creation and performance. We endeavor to teach students in our music school in Odessa Texas the skill of this kind of mental activity.
Thought and Purpose
“Until thought is linked with purpose there is no intelligent accomplishment…They who have no central purpose in their life fall an easy prey to petty worries, fears, troubles, and self-pityings…A man should conceive of a legitimate purpose in his heart, and set out to accomplish it…he should steadily focus his thought-forces upon the object, which he has set before him. He should make this purpose his supreme duty, and should devote himself to its attainment, not allowing his thoughts to wander away…Even if he fails again and again to accomplish his purpose (as he necessarily must until weakness is overcome), the strength of character gained will be the measure of his true success, and this will form a new starting-point for future power and triumph.”
“As the physically weak man can make himself strong by careful and patient training, so the man of weak thoughts can make them strong by exercising himself in right thinking…he who has conquered doubt and fear has conquered failure. His every thought is allied with power, and all difficulties are bravely met and wisely overcome.”
“Thought allied fearlessly to purpose becomes creative force: he who knows this is ready to become something higher and stronger than a mere bundle of wavering thoughts and fluctuating sensations.”
We encourage students in our music school in Odessa Texas to maintain a sincere purpose of bettering the lives of those who partake of their musical offerings, to the betterment of our community as a whole.
The Thought-Factor In Achievement
“All that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is the direct result of his own thoughts…A man’s weakness and strength, purity and impurity, are his own, and not another man’s; they are brought about by himself, and not by another; and they can only be altered by himself, never by another…As he thinks, so he is; as he continues to think, so he remains.”
“He who has conquered weakness, and has put away all selfish thoughts, belongs neither to oppressor nor oppressed. He is free.”
“A man can only rise, conquer, and achieve by lifting up his thoughts. He can only remain weak, and abject, and miserable by refusing to lift up his thoughts…And the higher he lifts his thoughts, the more manly, upright, and righteous he becomes, the greater will be his success, the more blessed and enduring will be his achievements.”
“He who lives constantly in the conception of noble and lofty thoughts, who dwells upon all that is pure and unselfish, will, as surely as the sun reaches its zenith and the moon its full, become wise and noble in character, and rise into a position of influence and blessedness…Victories attained by right thought can only be maintained by watchfulness. Many give way when success is assured, and rapidly fall back into failure.”
Visions and Ideals
“The dreamers are the saviours of the world…Composer, sculptor, painter, poet, prophet, sage, these are the makers of the after-world, the architects of heaven. The world is beautiful because they have lived; without them, laboring humanity would perish.”
We encourage students in our music school in Odessa Texas to understand the value of bringing beauty into the world.
“He who cherishes a beautiful vision, a lofty ideal in his heart, will one day realize it…Cherish your visions; cherish your ideals; cherish the music that stirs in your heart, the beauty that forms in your mind, the loveliness that drapes your purest thoughts, for out of them will grow all delightful conditions, all, heavenly environment; of these, if you but remain true to them, your world will at last be built…Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so shall you become. Your Vision is the promise of what you shall one day be; your Ideal is the prophecy of what you shall at last unveil…Dreams are the seedling of realities…You cannot travel within and stand still without.”
“The Vision that you glorify in your mind, the Ideal that you enthrone in your heart- this you will build your life by, this you will become.”
We encourage students in our music school in Odessa Texas to pursue a life-vision that is wholesome and worthy.
Serenity
“Calmness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom. It is the result of long and patient effort in self-control…The calm man, having learned how to govern himself, knows how to adapt himself to others; and they, in turn, reverence his spiritual strength…The more tranquil a man becomes, the greater is his success, his influence, his power for good…The strong, calm man is always loved and revered.”
“It is a question whether the great majority of people do not ruin their lives and mar their happiness by lack of self-control. How few people we meet in life who are well balanced, who have that exquisite poise which is characteristic of the finished character!”
“Self-control is strength; Right Thought is mastery; Calmness is power. Say unto your heart, ‘Peace, be still!’”
James Allen has been heralded for decades as a leading voice in leadership and motivation. He, quite possibly, was the original inspiration behind successors such as Dale Carnegie, Norman Vincent Peale, Zig Zigglar, and John Maxwell. His works have been quoted regularly by these and other authors. Allen’s no-nonsense, straightforward approach has echoes of Biblical truth throughout and became foundational to 20th century American culture.