First published in 1903, this slender, enduring essay argues a single idea with total conviction: that a person's circumstances, character, and health all grow from the thoughts they habitually entertain, as surely as a plant grows from its seed. Drawing on Buddhist and Christian ethical traditions, James Allen lays out a plain, practical philosophy of self-mastery that would go on to shape the entire modern self-help genre — cited by figures from Napoleon Hill to Earl Nightingale. Short enough to read in an hour, substantial enough to return to for a lifetime.
