“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.” There is a lot packed into these two sentences. “Dream lofty dreams” Allen doesn’t simply say dream. He says dream […]
Author: Kyng
To Desire
To desire is to obtain; to aspire is to achieve.” This is a strong place to begin because Allen opens with an intentionally bold claim. “To desire is to obtain” At first glance, Allen almost sounds like he is saying, If you want something badly enough, you’ll get it. I don’t think we should accept […]
Achievements are governed
All achievements, whether in the business, intellectual, or spiritual world, are the result of definitely directed thought, are governed by the same law and are of the same method; the only difference lies in the object of attainment. He who would accomplish little must sacrifice little; he who would achieve much must sacrifice much; he […]
Victories attained by right thought
“Victories attained by right thought can only be maintained by watchfulness. Many give way when success is assured, and rapidly fall back into failure.” I think this is one of the most practical ideas we’ve reached in Chapter 5. “Victories attained by right thought…” Allen has spent much of this chapter talking about the thinking […]
The universe does not favor
The universe does not favor the greedy, the dishonest, the vicious, although on the mere surface it may sometimes appear to do so; it helps the honest, the magnanimous, the virtuous.” This one is interesting because Allen is making a much bigger claim than “good people eventually win.” Let’s pull it apart. “The universe does […]
Before a man can achieve
“Before a man can achieve anything, even in worldly things, he must lift his thoughts above slavish animal indulgence. He may not, in order to succeed, give up all animality and selfishness, by any means; but a portion of it must, at least, be sacrificed.” This one builds directly on the previous passage, but now […]
A man can only rise
“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.” This one gets directly to the heart of The Thought-Factor in Achievement. “A man can only rise…” I think “rise” comes before conquer and achieve for […]
He who has conquered weakness
“He who has conquered weakness, and has put away all selfish thoughts, belongs neither to oppressor nor oppressed. He is free.” There is a lot packed into those three sentences, especially given what Allen says immediately before them. “He who has conquered weakness…” First, I don’t think Allen is using weakness simply to mean being […]
A strong man cannot
A strong man cannot help a weaker unless that weaker is willing to be helped, and even then the weak man must become strong of himself; he must, by his own efforts, develop the strength which he admires in another. None but himself can alter his condition.” There is a lot in this one. “A […]
As He Thinks
“As he thinks, so he is; as he continues to think, so he remains.” This one looks simple, but there’s a big difference between the first half and the second half. “As he thinks, so he is…” Allen is saying that the way a person consistently thinks begins shaping who that person becomes. Notice that […]