Cover: Title page of the Thomas Y. Crowell “Authorized Edition” (New York) · Public domain (Wikimedia Commons scan) · source
As a Man Thinketh
James Allen · 1864–1912
Seven short chapters, readable in an evening and worth a lifetime, on a single idea taken from Proverbs: a person is literally what they think. Allen traces thought into character, circumstance, health, purpose and achievement, and ends with serenity — the calm of a mind that has learned to govern itself.
- First published
- 1903
- Difficulty
- Accessible
- Reading time
- About 30 minutes
- Translation
- Written in English
Reading time: 7,573 words in Project Gutenberg text #4507, read at 238 words per minute.
London: Savoy Publishing Company — the earliest verifiable date, per the James Allen archive at Ilfracombe Library. Some records give 1902.
- thought and character
- circumstance
- purpose
- serenity
- self-control
Where to read it
- Read free — Project GutenbergPublic domain in the USA; check your local law outside it. · checked 11 Oct 2026(opens in a new tab)
- Read free — WikisourcePublic domain transcription. · checked 11 Oct 2026(opens in a new tab)
Copyright
- Kenya
- Public domain (author d. 1912)
- United States
- Public domain (published 1903)
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Questions for discussion
Allen says circumstance does not make a person; it reveals them. Where is that true, and where is it cruel?
Which chapter would you give to a friend going through a hard year, and why that one?
What is the difference between controlling one's thoughts and suppressing them?
Describe one recurring thought of yours. Following Allen, where has it led?
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