Secret of the Ages Robert Collier Original Text

8/6/2019 Secret of the Ages Robert Collier Original Text

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The Secret of the Ages

Robert Collier

1926

This text is in the public domain in the USbecause its copyright was not renewed in a timely fashion


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Contents

Volume One

!oreword

" The #orld$s %reatest &isco'ery"" The %enie(of()our(*ind"ndex

Volume Two

""" The +rimal Cause",&esire-The !irst .aw of %ain

Volume Three

, /laddin 0 Company," See )ourself &oing "t,"" /s / *an Thineth3,"""The .aw of Supply

Volume Four

"4 The !ormula of Success4 This !reedom34" The .aw of /ttraction4"" The Three Re5uisites4""" That ld #itch-7ad .uc

Volume Five

4", )our 8eeds /re *et4, The *aster of )our !ate4," Unappropriated *illions4,"" The Secret of +ower4,""" This ne Thing " &o

Volume Six

4"4 The *aster *ind44 #hat &o )ou .ac44" The Sculptor and the Clay44"" #hy %row ld


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Volume Seven

44""" The *edicine &elusion44", The %ift of the *agi

"ndex of Scriptural References and :uotations


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.;


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Foreword

"f you had more money than time= more millions than you new how to spend= what wouldbe your pet philanthropy .ibraries Aospitals Churches Aomes for the 7lind= Crippled or/ged *ine would be Aomes3-but not for the aged or infirm For young married couples!" ha'e often thought that= if e'er " got into the +hilanthropic 7illionaire3 class= ";d lie to start

an


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VOLUME ONE

I

The Worlds Greaes !is"over#

)ou can do as much as you thin you can=7ut you;ll ne'er accomplish more?

"f you;re afraid of yourself= young man=There;s little for you in store

!or failure comes from the inside first="t;s there if we only new it=

/nd you can win= though you face the worst="f you feel that you;re going to do it3

-


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In the Beginning

"t matters not whether you belie'e that manind dates bac to the primiti'e ape(man ofFEE=EEE years ago= or sprang full(grown from the mind of the creator "n either e'ent= therehad to be a first cause-a creator Some power had to bring to this earth the first germ of life=and the creation is no less wonderful if it started with the lowliest form of plant life and

wored up through countless ages into the highest product of today;s ci'iliBation= than if thewhole were created in six days

"n the beginning= this earth was >ust a fire mist-six thousand or a billion years ago-whatdoes it matter which

The one thing that does matter is that some time= some way= there came to this planet thegerm of life-the life principle that animates all nature-plant= animal= and man "f we acceptthe scientists; 'ersion of it= the first form in which life appeared upon earth was the humblealgae-a >elly(lie mass that floated upon the waters This= according to the scientists= was the

beginning= the dawn of life upon the earth

8ext came the first bit of animal life- the lowly amoeba= a sort of >elly fish= consisting of asingle cell= without 'ertebrae= and with 'ery little else to distinguish it from the water roundabout 7ut it had life-the first bit of animal life-and from that life= according to the scientists=we could trace e'erything we ha'e and are today

/ll the millions of forms and shapes and 'arieties of plants and animals that ha'e sinceappeared are but different manifestations of life--formed to meet differing conditions !ormillions of years this .ife %erm3 was threatened by e'ery ind of danger-from floods=

from earth5uaes= from droughts= from desert heat= from glacial cold= from 'olcanic eruptions-but to it each new danger was merely an incenti'e to finding a new resource= to puttingforth .ife in some new shape

To meet one set of needs= it formed the dinosaur-to meet another= the butterfly .ong beforeit wored up to man= we see its unlimited resourcefulness shown in a thousand ways Toescape danger in the water= it sought land +ursued on land= it too to the air To breathe inthe sea= it de'eloped gills Stranded on land= it perfected lungs To meet one ind of danger itgrew a shell !or another= a sting To protect itself from glacial cold= it grew fur= in temperateclimates= hair Sub>ect to alternate heat and cold= it produced feathers 7ut e'er= from the

beginning= it showed its power to meet e'ery changing condition= to answer e'ery creatureneed

Aad it been possible to ill this .ife "dea=3 it would ha'e perished ages ago= when fire andflood= drought and famine followed each other in 5uic succession 7ut obstacles=misfortunes= cataclysms= were to it merely new opportunities to assert its power "n fact= itre5uired obstacles to awaen it= to show its energy and resource

The great reptiles= the monster beasts of anti5uity passed on 7ut the .ife +rinciple3 stayed=


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changing as each age changed= always de'eloping= and always impro'ing

#hate'er power it was that brought this .ife "dea3 to the earth= it came endowed withunlimited resource= unlimited energy= unlimited ."!


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need

/ll through your daily life you will find this .ife +rinciple3 steadily at wor ust the opposite with the .ife +rinciple3 /s long as things runsmoothly= as long as life flows along lie a song= this .ife +rinciple3 seems to slumber=secure in the nowledge that your affairs can tae care of themsel'es

7ut let things start going wrong= let ruin and disgrace stare you in the face- then is the time

this .ife +rinciple3 will assert itself if you but gi'e it a chance

The !Open" Ses#$e%& of Life

There is a 8apoleonic feeling of power that insures success in the nowledge that thisin'incible .ife +rinciple3 is behind your e'ery act Gnowing that you ha'e woring withyou a force= which ne'er yet has failed in anything it has undertaen= you can go ahead in theconfident nowledge that it will not fail in your case= either The ingenuity= which o'ercamee'ery obstacle in maing you what you are= is not liely to fall short when you ha'eimmediate need for it "t is the reser'e strength of the athlete= the second wind3 of therunner= the power that= in moments of great stress or excite(ment= you unconsciously call

upon to do the deeds which you e'er after loo upon as superhuman

7ut they are in no wise superhuman They are merely beyond the capacity of your consciousself /lly your conscious self with that sleeping giant within you= rouse him daily to the tas=and those superhuman3 deeds will become your ordinary= e'eryday accomplishments

# . Cain= of aland= regon= writesH " now that there is such a power= for " once sawtwo boys= 16 and 1I years of age= lift a great log off their brother= who had been caught underit The next day= the same two boys= with another man and me= tried to lift the end of the log=but could not e'en budge it3

Aow was it that the two boys could do at need what the four were unable to do later on=when the need had passed 7ecause they ne'er stopped to 5uestion whether or not it could bedone They saw only the urgent need They concentrated all their thought= all their energy onthat one thing-ne'er doubting= ne'er fearing-and the genie which is in all of us waitingonly for such a call= answered their summons and ga'e them the strength-not of two men=but of ten

"t matters not whether you are baner or lawyer= businessman or cler #hether you are the


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custodian of millions= or ha'e to struggle for your daily bread This .ife +rinciple3 maes nodistinction between rich and poor= high and low The greater your need= the more readily willit respond to your call #here'er there is an unusual tas= where'er there is po'erty orhardship or sicness or despair= there is this ser'ant of your mind= ready and willing to help=asing only that you call upon him

/nd not only is it ready and willing= but it is always /7.< to help "ts ingenuity and resourceare without limit "t is *ind "t is thought "t is the Telepathy that carries messages withoutthe spoen or written word "t is the Sixth Sense that warns you of unseen dangers 8o matterhow stupendous and complicated= nor how simple your problem may be-the solution of it issomewhere in *ind= in Thought /nd since the solution does exist= this *ental %iant can findit for you "t can G8#= and it can &= e'ery right thing #hate'er it is necessary for you tonow= whate'er it is necessary for you to do= you can now and you can do if you will butsee the help of this genie(of(your(mind and wor with it in the right way


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II

The 'enie(of()our(Mind

"t matters not how strait the gate=Aow charged with punishment the scroll=

" am the *aster of my !ate?" am the Captain of my Soul3

-A


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#e bemoan the loss of our forests #e worry o'er our dwindling resources of coal and oil#e decry the waste in our factories 7ut the greatest waste of all= we pay no attention to-thewaste of our own potential mind power +rofessor #m @ames= the world(famous Aar'ardpsychologist= estimated that the a'erage man uses only 1EL of his mental power Ae hasunlimited power-yet he uses but a tithe of it Unlimited wealth all about him-and hedoesn;t now how to tae hold of it #ith %od(lie powers slumbering within him= he is

content to continue in his daily grind - eating= sleeping= woring-plodding through anexistence little more e'entful than the animals= while all of 8ature= all of life= calls upon himto awaen= to bestir himself

The power to be what you want to be= to get what you desire= to accomplish whate'er you arestri'ing for= abides within you "t rests with you only to bring it forth and put it to wor fcourse you must now how to do that= but before you can learn how to use it= you must realizethat youpossess this power So our first ob>ecti'e is to get ac5uainted with this power

!or +sychologists and *etaphysicians the world o'er= are agreed in this-that *ind is all that

counts )ou can be whate'er you mae up your mind to be )ou need not be sic )ou neednot be unhappy )ou need not be poor )ou need not be unsuccessful )ou are not a mereclod )ou are not a beast of burden= doomed to spend your days in unremitting labor inreturn for food and housing )ou are one of the .ords of the


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to run on low gear all their li'es - on SUR!/C<


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subconscious mind o'er the hurdles3

The Su*conscious Mind

Can you tell me how much water= how much salt= how much of each different element thereshould be in your blood to maintain its proper specific gra'ity if you are leading an ordinary

sedentary life Aow much and how 5uicly these proportions must be changed if you play afast game of tennis= or run for your car= or chop wood= or indulge in any other 'iolentexercise

&o you now how much water you should drin to neutraliBe the excess salt in salt fishAow much you lose through perspiration &o you now how much water= how much salt=how much of each different element in your food should be absorbed into your blood eachday to maintain perfect health

8o #ell= it need not worry you 8either does any one else 8ot e'en the greatest physicists

and chemists and math(ematicians 7ut your subconscious mind nows

/nd it doesn;t ha'e to stop to figure it out "t does it almost automatically "t is one of those.ightning Calculators3 /nd this is but one of thousands of such >obs it performs e'ery hourof the day The greatest mathematicians in the land= the most renowned chemists= could ne'erdo in a year;s time the abstruse problems= which your subconscious mind= sol'es e'eryminute

/nd it doesn;t matter whether you;'e e'er studied mathematics or chemistry or any other ofthe sciences !rom the moment of your birth your subconscious mind sol'es all theseproblems for you #hile you are struggling along with the three R;s= it is doing problems thatwould lea'e your teachers aghast "t super'ises all the intricate processes of digestion= ofassimilation= of elimination= and all the glandular secretions that would tax the nowledge ofall the chemists and all the laboratories in the land "t planned and built your body frominfancy on up "t repairs it "t operates it "t has almost unlimited power= not merely forputting you and eeping you in perfect health but for ac5uiring all the good things of life"gnorance of this power is the sole reason for all the failures in this world "f you wouldintelligently turn o'er to this wonderful power all your business and personal affairs in thesame way that you turn o'er to it the mechanism of your body= no goal would be too greatfor you to stri'e for

&r %eo C +itBer sums up the power of the subconscious mind 'ery well in the followingHThe subconscious mind is a distinct entity "t occupies the whole human body= and= whennot opposed in any way= it has absolute control o'er all the functions= conditions= andsensations of the body #hile the ob>ecti'e NconsciousO mind has control o'er all of our'oluntary functions and motions= the subconscious mind controls all of the silent= in('oluntary= and 'egetati'e functions 8utrition= waste= all secretions and excretions= the actionof the heart in the circulation of the blood= the lungs in respiration or breathing= and all celllife= cell changes and de'elopment= are positi'ely under the complete control of the


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subconscious mind This was the only mind animal had before the e'olution of the brain? andit could not= nor can it yet= reason inducti'ely= but its power of deducti'e reasoning is perfect/nd more= it can see without the use of physical eyes "t percei'es by intuition "t has thepower to communicate with others without the aid of ordinary physical means "t can readthe thoughts of others "t recei'es intelligence and transmits it to people at a distance&istance offers no resistance against the successful missions of the subconscious mind "t

ne'er dies #e call this the Jsoul mind; "t is the li'ing soul3

"n +ractical +sychology and Sex .ife=3 by &a'id 7ush= &r #inbigler is 5uoted as going e'enfurther To 5uote himH

"t is this mind that carries on the wor of assimilation and upbuilding whilst we sleep "t re'eals to us things that the conscious mind has no conception of until the consummationsha'e occurred"t can communicate with other minds without the ordinary physical means"t gets glimpses of things that ordinary sight does not behold

"t maes %od;s presence an actual= realiBable fact= and eeps the personality in peace and5uietness"t warns of approaching danger"t appro'es or disappro'es of a course of conduct and con'ersation"t carries out all the best things= which are gi'en to it= pro'iding the conscious mind does notintercept and change the course of its manifestation"t heals the body and eeps it in health= if it is at all encouraged3

"t is= in short= the most powerful force in life= and when properly directed= the mostbeneficent 7ut= lie a li'e electric wire= its destructi'e force is e5ually great "t can be either

your ser'ant or your master "t can bring to you e'il or good

The Re' #illiam T #alsh= in a new boo >ust published= explains the idea 'ery clearlyHThe subconscious part in us is called the sub>ecti'e mind= because it does not decide andcommand "t is a sub>ect rather than a ruler "ts nature is to do what it is told= or what really inyour heart of hearts you desire.

The subconscious mind directs all the 'ital processes of your body )ou do not thinconsciously about breathing


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intuition3 that so often carries a woman straight to a point that may re5uire hours ofcumbersome reasoning for a man to reach ust a few instancesH

f mathematical prodigies there has been upwards of a score whose calculations ha'esurpassed= in rapidity and accuracy= those of the greatest educated mathematicians Theseprodigies ha'e done their greatest feats while but children from three to ten years old "n nocase had these boys any idea how they performed their calculations= and some of them wouldcon'erse upon other sub>ects while doing the sum Two of these boys became men ofeminence= while some of them showed but a low degree of ob>ecti'e intelligence

#hateley spoe of his own gift in the following termsH

There was certainly something peculiar in my calculating faculty "t began to show itself atbetween fi'e and six= and lasted about three years " soon got to do the most difficult sums=always in my head= for " new nothing of figures beyond numeration " did these sums much5uicer than anyone could upon paper= and " ne'er remember committing the smallest error#hen " went to school= at which time the passion wore off= " was a perfect dunce at ciphering=and ha'e continued so e'er since3

+rofessor Safford became an astronomer /t the age of ten he wored correctly amultiplication sum whose answer consisted of thirty(six figures .ater in life he could

perform no such feats3

7en>amin Aall 7lyth= at the age of six= ased his father at what hour he was born Ae wastold that he was born at four o;cloc .ooing at the cloc to see the present time= he informedhis father of the number of seconds he had li'ed Ais father made the calculation and said to7en>amin= J)ou are wrong 1P2=EEE seconds; The boy answered= Jh= papa= you ha'e left outtwo days for the leap years 1I2E and 1I2K=; which was the case3


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Then there is the celebrated case of erah Colburn= of whom &r Schofield writesH

Jerah Colburn could instantaneously tell the s5uare root of 1E6=929 as Q2P= and the cuberoot of 26I=QQ6=12F as 6KF 7efore the 5uestion of the number of minutes in forty(eight yearscould be written he said 2F=22I=I1E Ae immediately ga'e the factors of 2KP=KIQ as 9K1 and26Q= which are the only two? and being ased then for those of Q6=EIQ= answered none? it is a

prime number Ae could not tell how the answer came into his mind Ae could not= on paper=do simple multiplication or di'ision;3

The time will come when= as A % #ells en'isioned in his *en .ie %ods=3 schools andteachers will no longer be necessary except to show us how to get in touch with the infinitenowledge our subconscious minds possess from infancy

The smartest man in the world=3 says &r !ran Crane in a recent article in Liberty is the*an "nside 7y the *an "nside " mean that ther *an within each one of us that does most ofthe things we gi'e oursel'es credit for doing )ou may refer to him as 8ature or the

Subconscious Self or thin of him merely as a !orce or a 8atural .aw= or= if you arereligiously inclined= you may use the term %od

" say he is the smartest man in the world " now he is infinitely more cle'er and resourcefulthan " am or than any other man is that " e'er heard of #hen " cut my finger it is he that callsup the little phagocytes to come and ill the septic germs that might get into the wound andcause blood poisoning "t is he that coagulates the blood= stops the gash= and wea'es the newsin" could not do that " do not e'en now how he does it Ae e'en does it for babies that nownothing at all? in fact= does it better for them than for me

8o li'ing man nows enough to mae toenails grow= but the *an "nside thins nothing ofgrowing nails and teeth and thousands of hairs all o'er my body? long hairs on my head andlittle fuBBy ones o'er the rest of the surface of the sin

#hen " practice on the piano " am simply getting the business of piano playing o'er frommy conscious mind to my subconscious mindH in other words= " am handing the business o'erto the *an "nside

*ost of our happiness= as well as our struggles and misery= come from this *an "nside "fwe train him in ways of contentment= ad>ustment= and decision he will go ahead of us lie a

well trained ser'ant and do for us easily most of the difficult tass we ha'e to perform3

&r @ung= celebrated ,iennese specialist= claims that the subconscious mind contains not onlyall the nowledge that it has gathered during the life of the indi'idual= but that in addition itcontains all the wisdom of past ages That by drawing upon its wisdom and power theindi'idual may possess any good thing of life= from health and happiness to riches andsuccess


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)ou see= the subconscious mind is the connecting lin between the Creator and us= betweenUni'ersal *ind and our conscious mind "t is the means by which we can appropriate tooursel'es all the good gifts= all the riches and abundance that Uni'ersal *ind has created insuch profusion

7erthelot= the great !rench founder of modern synthetic chemistry= once stated in a letter to a

close friend that the final experiments which led to his most wonderful disco'eries had ne'erbeen the result of carefully followed and reasoned trains of thought= but that= on the contrary=they came of themsel'es= so to spea= from the clear sy3

Charles * 7arrows= in Suggestion "nstead of *edicine=3 tells us thatH

"f man re5uires another than his ordinary consciousness to tae care of him while asleep= notless useful is this same psychical pro'ision when he is awae *any persons are able toobtain nowledge= which does not come to them through their senses= in the usual way= butarri'es in the mind by direct communication from another conscious intelligence= which

apparently nows more of what concerns their welfare than their ordinary reason does "ha'e nown a number of persons who= lie myself= could tell the contents of letters in theirmail before opening them Se'eral years ago a friend of mine came to 7oston for the first time=arri'ing at what was then the +ro'idence railroad station in +ar S5uare Ae wished to walto the .owell station on the opposite side of the city 7eing utterly ignorant of the streets aswell as the general direction to tae= he confidently set forth without asing the way= andreached his destination by the most direct path "n doing this he trusted solely to Jinstincti'eguidance=; as he called it= and not to any hints or clews obtained through the senses3

The geniuses of literature= of art= commerce= go'ernment= politics and in'ention are=

according to the scientists= but ordinary men lie you and me who ha'e learned somehow=some way= to draw upon their subconscious minds

Sir "saac 8ewton is reported to ha'e ac5uired his mar'elous nowledge of mathematics andphysics with no conscious effort *oBart said of his beautiful symphonies they >ust came tohim3 &escartes had no ordinary regular education To 5uote &r AudsonH

This is a power which transcends reason= and is independent of induction "nstances of itsde'elopment might be multiplied indefinitely ecti'e en'ironment it will be enabled to percei'e allthe laws of its being= to Jsee %od as Ae is=; by the perception of the laws which Ae has

instituted "t is the nowledge of this power which demonstrates our true relationship to %od=which confers the warranty of our right to the title of Jsons of %od=; and confirms ourinheritance of our rightful share of his attributes and powers-our heir ship of %od= our >ointheir ship with @esus Christ3

ur subconscious minds are 'ast magnets= with the power to draw from Uni'ersal *indunlimited nowledge= unlimited power= unlimited riches


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Considered from the standpoint of its acti'ities=3 says #arren Ailton in /pplied+sychology=3 the subconscious is that department of mind= which on the one hand directsthe 'ital operations of the body= and on the other conser'es= sub>ect to the call of interest andattention= all ideas and complexes not at the moment acti'e in consciousness

bser'e= then= the possibility that lies before you n the one hand= if you can control your

mind in its subconscious acti'ities= you can regulate the operation of your bodily functions=and can thus assure yourself of bodily efficiency and free yourself of functional disease nthe other hand= if you can determine >ust what ideas shall be brought forth from subconsciousness into consciousness= you can thus select the materials out of which will bewo'en your conscious >udgments= your decisions and your emotional attitudes

To achie'e control of your mind is= then= to attain NaO health= NbO success= and NcO happiness3!ew understand or appreciate= howe'er= that the 'ast storehouse of nowledge and power ofthe subconscious mind can be drawn upon at will 8ow and then through intenseconcentration or 'ery acti'e desire we do accidentally penetrate to the realm of the

subconscious and register our thought upon it Such thoughts are almost in'ariably realiBedThe trouble is that as often as not it is our negati'e thoughts-our fears-that penetrate /ndthese are realiBed >ust as surely as the positi'e thoughts #hat you must manage to do islearn to communicate only such thoughts as you wish to see realiBed to your subconsciousmind= for it is exceedingly amenable to suggestion )ou ha'e heard of the man who wasalways bragging of his fine health and upon whom some of his friends decided to play atric The first one he met one morning commented upon how badly he looed and ased ifhe weren;t feeling well Then all the others as they saw him made similar remars 7ynoontime the man had come to belie'e them= and before the end of the day he was really illThat was a rather glaring example 7ut similar things are going on e'ery day with all of us

#e eat something that someone else tells us isn;t good for us and in a little while we thin wefeel a pain 7efore we now it we ha'e indigestion= when the chances are that if we newnothing about the supposed indigestible properties of the food we could eat it the rest of ourdays and ne'er feel any ill effects

.et some new disease be disco'ered and the symptoms described in the daily paperAundreds will come down with it at once They are lie the man who read a medicalencyclopedia and ended up by concluding he had e'erything but housemaid;s nee3 +atentmedicine ad'ertisers realiBe this power of suggestion and cash in upon it Read one of theirads "f you don;t thin you ha'e e'erything the matter with you that their nostrums aresupposed to cure= you are the exception and not the rule

That is the negati'e side of it


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nows many things that is not in boos #hen properly used it has infallible >udgment= un(failing power "t ne'er sleeps ne'er tires

)our conscious mind may slumber "t may be rendered impotent by anesthetics or a suddenblow 7ut your subconscious mind wors on= eeping your heart and lungs= your arteries andglands e'er on the >ob

Under ordinary conditions= it attends faithfully to its duties= and lea'es your conscious mindto direct the outer life of the body 7ut let the conscious mind meet some situation with whichit is unable to cope= and= if it will only call upon the subconscious= that powerful %enie willrespond immediately to its need

)ou ha'e heard of people who had been through great danger tell how= when death staredthem in the face and there seemed nothing they could do= things went blac before them and=when they came to= the danger was past "n the moment of need= their subconscious mindpushed the conscious out of the way= the while it met and o'ercame the danger "mpelled by

the subconscious mind= their bodies could do things absolutely impossible to their ordinaryconscious sel'es

!or the power of the subconscious mind is unlimited #hate'er it is necessary for you to doin any right cause= it can gi'e you the strength and the ability to do

#hate'er of good you may desire= it can bring to you The Gingdom of Aea'en is withinyou3

The Uni+ers#, Mind

Aa'e you e'er dug up a potato 'ine and seen the potatoes clustering underneath Aow muchof intelligence do you suppose one of these potatoes has &o you thin it nows anythingabout chemistry or geology Can it figure out how to gather carbon gas from the atmosphere=water and all the necessary inds of nutriment from the earth round about to manufactureinto sugar and starch and alcohol 8o chemist can do it Aow do you suppose the potatonows f course it doesn;t "t has no sense )et it does all these things "t builds the starchinto cells= the cells into roots and 'ines and lea'es-and into more potatoes

@ust old *other 8ature=3 you;ll say 7ut old *other 8ature must ha'e a remarableintelligence if she can figure out all these things that no human scientist has e'er been able to

figure There must be an all(per'ading "ntelligence behind *other 8ature-the "ntelligencethat first brought life to this planet-the "ntelligence that e'ol'ed e'ery form of plant andanimal-that holds the winds in its grasp-that is all(wise= all(powerful The potato is but onesmall manifestation of this "ntelligence The 'arious forms of plant life= of animals= of man-all are mere cogs in the great scheme of things

7ut with this differencethat man is an acti'e part of this Uni'ersal *ind That he partaes ofits creati'e wisdom and power and that by woring in harmony with Uni'ersal *ind he can


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do anything have anything= be anything

There is within you-within e'eryone- this mighty resistless force with which you canperform undertaings that will daBBle your reason= stagger your imagination Thereconstantly resides within you a *ind that is all(wise= all(powerful= a *ind that is entirelyapart from the mind which you consciously use in your e'eryday affairs yet which is one

with it

)our subconscious mind partaes of this wisdom and power= and it is through yoursubconscious mind that you can draw upon it in the attainment of anything you may desire#hen you can intelligently reach your subconscious mind= you can be in communicationwith the Uni'ersal *ind

Remember thisH the Uni'ersal *ind is omnipotent /nd since the subconscious mind is partof the Uni'ersal *ind= there is no limit to the things= which it can do when it is gi'en thepower to act %i'en any desire that is in harmony with the Uni'ersal *ind and you ha'e but

to hold that desire in your thought to attract from the in'isible domain the things you need tosatisfy it

!or mind does its building solely by the power of thought "ts creations tae form accordingto its thought "ts first re5uisite is a mental image= and your desire held with unswer'ingpurpose will form that mental image

/n understanding of this principle explains the power of prayer The results of prayer are notbrought about by some special dispensation of +ro'idence %od is not a finite being to beca>oled or flattered into doing= as you desire 7ut when you pray earnestly you form a mental

image of the thing that you desire and you hold it strongly in your thought Then theUni'ersal "ntelligence= which is your intelligence-mnipotent *ind-= begins to wor withand for you= and this is what brings about the manifestation that you desire

The Uni'ersal *ind is all around you "t is as all per'ading as the air you breathe "tencompasses you with as little trouble as the water in the sea encompasses the fish )et it is>ust as thoroughly conscious of you as the water would be= were it intelligent= of e'erycreature within it /re not two sparrows sold for a farthing /nd one of them shall not fallon the ground with(out your !ather 7ut the 'ery hairs of your head are all numbered !earye not= therefore= ye are of more 'alue than many sparrows3

"t seems hard to belie'e that a *ind busied with the immensities of the uni'erse can considersuch tri'ial affairs as our own when we are but one of the billions of forms of life which comeinto existence )et consider again the fish in the sea "t is no trouble for the sea to encompassthem "t is no more trouble for the Uni'ersal *ind to encompass us "ts power= its thought= isas much at our disposal as the sunshine and the wind and the rain !ew of us tae ad'antageto the full of these great forces !ewer still tae ad'antage of the power of the Uni'ersal *ind"f you ha'e any lac= if you are prey to po'erty or disease= it is because you do not belie'e ordo not understand the power that is yours "t is not a 5uestion of the Uni'ersal gi'ing to you


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"t offers e'erything to e'eryone- there is no partiality Ao= e'eryone that thirsteth= come yeto the waters3 )ou ha'e only to tae #hosoe'er will let him tae of the water of lifefreely3

#ith all thy getting= get understanding=3 said Solomon /nd if you will but getunderstanding= e'erything else will be added unto you

To bring you to a realiBation of your indwelling and unused power= to teach you simple=direct methods of drawing upon it= is the beginning and the end of this course


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VOLUME T-O

And the earth wasWithout form and void

And darness was upon"he face of the deep.

And the #pirit of $od moved%pon the face of the waters.&

%


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must start with an idea


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&ream lofty dreams= and as you dream= so shall you become )our 'ision is the promise ofwhat you shall one day be? your "deal is the prophecy of what you shall at last un'eil3!or matter is in the ultimate but a product of thought


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!or *odern Science is coming more and more to the belief that what we call matter is a forcesub+ect wholly to the control of mind.

Aow tenuous matter really is= is perhaps best illustrated by the fact that a single 'iolin string=tuned to the proper pitch= could start a 'ibration that would shae down the 7roolyn7ridge ceans and mountains= rocs and iron= all can be reduced to a point little short of the

purely spiritual )our body is ,- per cent water= 1F per cent ash and phosphorus /nd they inturn can be dissipated into gas and 'apor #here do we go from there

"s not the answer that= to a great degree at least= and perhaps altogether= this world roundabout us is one of our mind;s own creating /nd that we can put into it= and get from it=pretty much what we wish )ou see this illustrated e'ery day / panorama is spread beforeyou To you it is a beautiful picture? to another it appears a mere collection of rocs and trees/ girl comes out to meet you To you she is the embodiment of lo'eliness? to another all thatgrace and beauty may loo drab and homely / moonlit garden= with its fragrant odors anddew(drenched grass= may mean all that is charming to you= while to another it brings only

thoughts of asthma or fe'er or rheumatism / color may be green to you that to another isred / prospect may be in'iting for you that to another is rugged and hard

To 5uote /pplied +sychology=3 by #arren AiltonH

The same stimulus acting on different organs of sense will produce different sensations /blow upon the eye will cause you to Jsee stars;? a similar blow upon the ear will cause you tohear an explosi'e sound "n other words= the 'ibratory effect of a touch on eye or ear is thesame as that of light or sound 'ibrations

The notion you may form of any ob>ect in the outer world depends solely upon what part ofyour brain happens to be connected with that particular ner'e(end that recei'es animpression from the ob>ect

)ou see the sun without being able to hear it because the only ner'e(ends tuned to 'ibrate inharmony with the ether(wa'es set in action by the sun are ner'e(ends that are connected withthe brain center de'oted to sight J"f=; says +rofessor @ames= Jwe could splice the outerextremities of our optic ner'es to our ears= and those of our auditory ner'es to our eyes= weshould hear the lightning and see the thunder= see the symphony and hear the conductor;smo'ements;

"n other words= the ind of impressions we recei'e from the world about us= the sort ofmental pictures we form concerning it= in fact= the character of the outer world= the nature ofthe en('ironment in which our li'es are cast- all these things depend for each one of ussimply upon how he happens to be put together= upon his indi'idual mental mae(up3

"n short= it all comes bac to the old fable of the three blind men and the elephant To the onewho caught hold of his leg= the elephant was lie a tree


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To the one who felt of his side= the elephant was lie a wall To the one who seiBed his tail= theelephant was lie a rope The world is to each one of us the world of his individual perceptions.)ou are lie a radio recei'ing station oy or sorrow= on success or failure= onoptimism or fear )ou can select the particular impressions that will best ser'e you= you canhear only what you want to hear= you can shut out all disagreeable thoughts and sounds and

experiences= or you can tune in on discouragement and failure and despair

)ours is the choice )ou ha'e within you a force against which the whole world is powerless7y using it= you can mae what you will of life and of your surroundings

7ut=3 you will say= ob>ects themsel'es do not change "t is merely the difference in the wayyou loo at them3 +erhaps 7ut to a great extent= at least= we find what we loo for= >ust as=when we turn the dial on the radio= we tune in on whate'er ind of entertainment orinstruction we may wish to hear /nd who can say that it is not our thoughts that put itthere #ho= for the matter of that= can pro'e that our surroundings in waing hours are not

as much the creature of our minds as are our dreams )ou;'e had dreams many a time wheree'ery ob>ect seemed >ust as real as when you were awae )ou;'e felt of the ob>ects= you;'epinched yourself= yet still you were con'inced that you were actually living those dreams*ay not your waing existence be largely the creation of your own mind= >ust as your dreampictures are

*any scientists belie'e that it is= and that in proportion as you try to put into yoursurroundings the good things you desire= rather than the e'il ones you fear= you will find thosegood things. Certain it is that you can do this with your own body @ust as certain that manypeople are doing it with the good things of life They ha'e risen abo'e the conception of life

in which matter is the master

@ust as the most powerful forces in nature are the in'isible ones-heat= light= air= electricity-so the most powerful forces of man are his in'isible forces= his thought forces /nd >ust aselec(tricity can fuse stone and iron= so can your thought forces control your body= so can theymae or mar your destiny

The Phi,osopher3s Ch#r$

There was once a shrewd necromancer who told a ing that he had disco'ered a way to maegold out of sand 8aturally the ing was interested and offered him great rewards for his

secret The necromancer explained his process "t seemed 5uite easy= except for one thing 8otonce during the operation must the ing thin of the word /bracadabra "f he did= the charmwas broen and the gold would not come The ing tried and tried to follow the directions=but he could not eep that word /bracadabra out of his mind /nd he ne'er made the gold&r #inbigler puts the same idea in another wayH "nspiration= genius= power= are ofteninterfered with by the conscious mind;s interposing= by man;s failing to recogniBe his power=afraid to assist himself= lacing the faith in himself necessary to stimulate the subconscious soas to arouse the genius asleep in each3


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!rom childhood on we are assured on e'ery hand-by scientists= by philosophers= by ourreligious teachers= that ours is the earth and the fullness thereof3 7eginning with the firstchapter of %enesis= we are told that %od said= .et us mae man in our image= after ourlieness? and let them ha'e dominion o'er the fish of the sea= and o'er the fowl of the air= ando'er the cattle= and o'er all the earth-and o'er e'ery li'ing thing that mo'eth upon theearth3 /ll through the ld and the 8ew Testament= we are repeatedly ad>ured to use these

%od(gi'en powers Ae that be(lie'eth on me=3 said @esus= the wors that " do shall he doalso? and greater wors than these shall he do3 "f ye abide in me= and my words abide inyou= ye shall as what ye will= and it shall be done unto you3 !or 'erily " say unto you= thatwhosoe'er shall say unto this mountain= 7e thou remo'ed= and be thou cast into the sea? andshall not doubt in his heart= but shall belie'e that those things which he saith shall come topass? he shall ha'e whatsoe'er he saith3 The ingdom of %od is within you3

#e hear all this? perhaps we e'en thin we belie'e= but always= when the time comes to usethese %od(gi'en talents= there is the doubt in our heart3

7audouin expressed it clearlyH To be ambitious for wealth and yet always expecting to bepoor? to be always doubting your ability to get what you long for= is lie trying to reach eastby tra'eling west There is no philosophy= which will help a man to succeed when he alwaysdoubts his ability to do so= and thus attracting failure

)ou will go in the direction in which you face There is a saying that e'ery time the sheep bleats= it loses a mouthful of hay


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#hat was it made 8apoleon the greatest con5ueror of his day +rimarily his magnificentfaith in 8apoleon Ae had a sublime belief in his destiny= an absolute confidence that theobstacle was not made which 8apoleon could not find a way through= or o'er= or around "twas only when he lost that confidence= when he hesitated and 'acillated for wees betweenretreat and ad'ance= that winter caught him in *oscow and ended his dreams of worldempire !ate ga'e him e'ery chance first The winter snows were a full month late in coming

7ut 8apoleon hesitated-and was lost "t was not the snows that defeated him "t was not theRussians "t was his loss of faith in himself

The 4ingdo$ of 5e#+en

The Gingdom of Aea'en is within you3 Aea'en is not some far(away state-the reward ofyears of tribulation here Aea'en is right here-here and now #hen Christ said that Aea'enwas within us= Ae meant >ust what Ae said-that the power for happiness= for good= fore'erything we need of life= is within each one of us

That most of us fail to realiBe this Aea'en-that many are sicly and suffering= that more are

ground down by po'erty and worry-is no fault of Ais Ae ga'e us the power to o'ercomethese e'ils? Ae stands ready and waiting to help us use it "f we fail to find the way= the faultis ours To en>oy the Aea'en that is within us= to begin here and now to li'e the life eternal=taes only a fuller understanding of the +ower(that( is(within(us


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and deeds of today3

)our thoughts supply you with limitless energy= which will tae whate'er form your minddemands The thoughts are the mold= which crystalliBes this energy into good= or illaccording to the form you impress upon it )ou are free to choose which 7ut whiche'er youchoose= the result is sure Thoughts of wealth= of power= of success= can bring only results

commensurate with your idea of them Thoughts of po'erty and lac can bring onlylimitation and trouble

/ radical doctrine=3 you;ll say= and thin me wildly optimistic 7ecause the world has beentaught for so long to thin that some must be rich and some poor= that trials and tribulationsare our lot That this is at best a 'ale of tearsThe history of the race shows that what is considered to be the learning of one age isignorance to the next age

&r


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!To 5i$ Th#t 5#th&/

Tae as an example the science of numbers Suppose all numbers were of metal-that it wasagainst the law to write figures for oursel'es


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#hen a man realiBes that his mind is part of Uni'ersal *ind= when he realiBes that he hasonly to tae any right aspiration to this Uni'ersal *ind to see it realiBed= he loses all sense ofworry and fear Ae learns to dominate instead of to cringe Ae rises to meet e'ery situation=secure in the nowledge that e'erything necessary to the solution of any problem is in *ind=and that he has but to tae his problem to Uni'ersal *ind to ha'e it correctly answered

!or if you tae a drop of water from the ocean= you now that it has the same properties as allthe rest of the water in the ocean= the same percentage of sodium chloride The onlydifference between it and the ocean is in 'olume "f you tae a spar of electricity= you nowthat it has the same properties as the thunderbolt= the same power that mo'es trains or runsgiant machines in factories /gain the only difference is in 'olume "t is the same with yourmind and Uni'ersal *ind The only difference between them is in 'olume )our mind has thesame properties as the Uni'ersal *ind= the same creati'e genius= the same power o'er all theearth= the same access to all nowledge Gnow this= belie'e it= use it= and yours is the earthand the fullness thereof3 "n the exact proportion that you belie'e yourself to be part ofUni'ersal *ind= sharing in its all(power= in that proportion can you demonstrate the mastery

o'er your own body and o'er the world about you

/ll growth= all supply is from the world(within "f you would ha'e power= if you would ha'ewealth= you ha'e but to image it on this world within= on your subconscious mind= throughbelief and understanding

"f you would remo'e discord= you ha'e but to remo'e the wrong images-images of illhealth= of worry and trouble from within The trouble with most of us is that we li'e entirelyin the world without #e ha'e no nowledge of that inner world which is responsible for allthe conditions we meet and all the experiences we ha'e #e ha'e no conception of the

!ather that is within us3

The inner world promises us life and health= prosperity and happiness-dominion o'er allthe earth "t promises peace and perfection for its entire offspring "t gi'es you the right wayand the ade5uate way to accomplish any normal purpose 7usiness= labor= professions= existprimarily in thought /nd the outcome of your labors in them is regulated by thoughtConsider the difference= then= in this outcome if you ha'e at your command only the limitedcapacity of your conscious mind= compared with the boundless energy of the subconsciousand the Uni'ersal *ind Thought= not money= is the real business capital=3 says Aar'ey S!irestone= and if you now absolutely that what you are doing is right= then you are boundto accomplish it in due season

Thought is a dynamic energy with the power to bring its ob>ect out from the in'isiblesubstance all about us *atter is inert= unintelligent Thought can shape and control


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toward success in whate'er undertaing you ha'e in mind

*ore than half the prophecies in the Scriptures refer to the time when man shall possess theearth= when tears and sorrow shall be unnown= and peace and plenty shall be e'erywhereThat time will come "t is nearer than most people thin possible )ou are helping it along


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!To the M#nner Born&

!ew of us ha'e any idea of our mental powers The old idea was that man must tae thisworld as he found it Ae;d been born into a certain position in life= and to try to rise abo'e hisfellows was not only the height of bad taste= but sacrilegious as well /n all(wise +ro'idencehad decreed by birth the position a child should occupy in the web of organiBed society !or

him to be discontented with his lot= for him to attempt to raise himself to a higher le'el= wastantamount to tempting +ro'idence The gates of Aell yawned wide for such scatterbrains=who were lucy if in this life they incurred nothing worse than the ribald scorn of theirassociatesThat is the system that produced aristocracy and feudalism That is the system that feudalismand aristocracy stro'e to perpetuate

The new idea-the basis of all democracies-is that man is not bound by any system= that heneed not accept the world as he finds it Ae can remae the world to his own ideas "t ismerely the raw material Ae can mae what he wills of it

"t is this new idea that is responsible for all our in'entions= all our progress *an is satisfiedwith nothing Ae is constantly remaing his world /nd now more than e'er will this be true=for psychology teaches us that each one has within himself the power to become what hewills

Learn to control your thought .earn to image upon your mind only the things you want to seereflected there

)ou will ne'er impro'e yourself by dwelling upon the drawbacs of your neighbors )ouwill ne'er attain perfect health and strength by thining of wea(ness or disease 8o mane'er made a perfect score by watching his ri'al;s target )ou ha'e got to thin strength= thinhealth= thin riches To paraphrase +ascal- ur achie'ements today are but the sum of ourthoughts of yesterday3

!or thought is energy *ental images are concentrated energy /nd energy concentrated onany definite purpose becomes power To those who percei'e the nature and transcendency offorce= all physical power sins into insignificance

#hat is imagination but a form of thought )et it is the instrument by which all the in'entorsand disco'erers ha'e opened the way to new worlds Those who grasp this force= be their

state e'er so humble= their natural gifts e'er so insignificant= becomes our leading men Theyare our go'ernors and supreme lawgi'ers= the guides of the drifting host= which follows themas by an irre'ocable decree To 5uote %lenn Clar in theAtlantic 'onthly #hate'er we ha'eof ci'iliBation is their wor= theirs alone "f progress was made they made it "f spiritual factswere discerned= they discerned them "f >ustice and order were put in place of insolence andchaos= they wrought the change 8e'er is progress achie'ed by the masses Creation e'erremains the tas of the indi'idual3


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ur railroads= our telephones= our automobiles= our libraries= our newspapers= our thousandsof other con'eniences= comforts and necessities are due to the creati'e genius of but two percent of our population

/nd the same two per cent own a great percentage of the wealth of the country The 5uestionarises= who are they #hat are they The sons of the rich College men 8o-few of them

had any early ad'antages *any of them ha'e ne'er seen the inside of a college "t was grimnecessity that dro'e them= and somehow= some way= they found a method of drawing upontheir %enie(of (the(*ind= and through that inner force they ha'e reached success

)ou don;t need to stumble and grope )ou can call upon your inner forces at will There arethree steps necessaryH

!irst= to realiBe that you ha'e the power?Second= to now what you wantThird= to center your thought upon it with singleness of purpose

To accomplish these steps taes only a fuller understanding of the +ower( that(is(within(you7ut what is this power #here should you go to locate it "s it a thing= a place= an ob>ect Aasit bounds= form or material shape 8o Then how shall you go about finding it"f you ha'e begun to realize that there is a power within you= if you ha'e begun to arouse inyour conscious mind the ambition and desire to use this power- you ha'e started in thepathway of wisdom "f you are willing to go forward= to endure the mental discipline ofmastering this method= nothing in the world can hinder you or eep you from o'ercominge'ery obstacle

7egin at once= today= to use what you ha'e learned /ll growth comes from practice /ll the

forces of life are acti'e-peace->oy-power The unused talent decays pen the door-7ehold " stand at the door and noc? if /8) */8 hear my 'oice and open the door= " willcome in to him= and will sup with him and he with me3

So let us mae use of this dynamo= which is you. #hat is going to start it woring )our Faiththe faith that is begotten of understanding !aith is the impulsion= the propulsion of thispower within !aith is the confidence= the assurance= the enforcing truth= the nowing that theright idea of life will bring you into the reality of existence and the manifestation of the /llpower

/ll cause is in *ind-and *ind is e'erywhere /ll the nowledge there is= all the wisdomthere is= all the power there is= is all about you-no matter where you may be )our *ind ispart of it )ou ha'e access to it "f you fail to a'ail yourself of it= you ha'e no one to blame butyourself !or= as the drop of water in the ocean shares in all the properties of the rest of theocean water so you share in that all(power= all(wisdom of *ind "f you ha'e been sic andailing= if po'erty and hardship ha'e been your lot= don;t blame it on fate3 7lame yourself)ours is the earth and e'erything that;s in it3 7ut you;'e got to tae it The power is there-but you must use it "t is round about you lie the air you breathe )ou don;t expect others todo your breathing for you 8either can you expect them to use your *ind for you Uni'ersal


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"ntelligence is not only the mind of the Creator of the uni'erse= but it is also the mind of*/8= your intelligence= your mind .et this mind be in you= which was also in Christ @esus3So start today by G8#"8% that you can do anything you wish to do= ha'e anything youwish to ha'e= be anything you wish to be The rest will follow

)e shall as what ye will and it shall be done unto you3


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IV

0esire/The First L#w of '#in

/h= .o'e Could Thou and " with !ate conspireTo grasp this sorry Scheme of Things entire=

#ould we not shatter it to bits-and then

Re(mold it nearer to the Aeart;s &esire3"he /ubaiyat of 0mar 1hayyam.

"f )U had a fairy(wishing ring= what one thing would you wish for #ealth Aonor !ame.o'e #hat one thing do you desire abo'e e'erything else in life #hate'er it is= you canha'e it

#hate'er you desire wholeheartedly= with singleness of purpose-you can ha'e 7ut the firstand all(important essential is to now what this one thing is 7efore you can win your heart;sdesire= you;'e got to get clearly fixed in your mind;s eye what it is that you want

"t may sound paradoxical= but few people do now what they want *ost of them strugglealong in a 'ague sort of way= hoping-lie *icawber-for something to turn up They are sotaen up with the struggle that they ha'e forgotten-if they e'er new- what it is they arestruggling for They are lie a drowning man-they use up many times the energy it wouldtae to get them somewhere= but they fritter it away in aimless struggles - without thought=without direction= exhausting themsel'es= while getting nowhere

)ou;'e got to now what you want before you stand much chance of getting it )ou ha'e anunfailing *essenger to %arcia3 in that %enie(of(your *ind-but )U ha'e got to formulate

the message /laddin would ha'e stood a poor chance of getting anything from his %enie ifhe had not had clearly in mind the things he wanted the %enie to get

2n the realm of mind the realm in which is all practical power you can possess what you want at once.3ou have but to claim it to visualize it to bring it into actualityand it is yours for the taing. Forthe $enie*of*your*'ind can give you power over circumstances. )ealth happiness and prosperity.And all you need to put it to wor is an earnest intense desire.

Sounds too good to be true #ell= let us go bac for a moment to the start )ou are infectedwith that di'ine dissatisfaction with things as they are3 which has been responsible for allthe great accomplishments of this world- else you would not ha'e gotten thus far in this

boo )our heart is hungering for something better 7lessed are they which do hunger andthirst after righteousness Nright(wise nessO for they shall be filled3 )ou are tired of the worryand grind= tired of the deadly dull routine and daily tass that lead nowhere Tired of all thepetty little ills and ailments that ha'e come to seem the lot of man here on earth

/lways there is something within you urging you on to bigger things= gi'ing you no peace=no rest= no chance to be laBy "t is the same something3 that dro'e Columbus across theocean? that dro'e Aannibal across the /lps? that dro'e


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train boy to the in'enti'e wiBard of the century? that dro'e Aenry !ord from a poor mechanicat forty to probably the richest man in the world at sixty

This something3 within you eeps telling you that you can do anything you want to do= beanything you want to be= ha'e anything you want to ha'e-and you ha'e a sneaingsuspicion that it may be right

That something3 within you is your subconscious self= your part of Uni'ersal *ind= your%enie(of(the(brain *en call it ambition= and .ucy is the man=3 says /rthur 7risbane=whom the &emon of /mbition harnesses and dri'es through life This wonderful littlecoachman is the champion dri'er of the entire world and of all history .ucy you= if he isyour dri'er Ae will eep you going until you do something worthwhile-woring= runningand mo'ing ahead

And that is how a real man ought to be driven.

This is the little &emon that wors in men;s brains= that maes the blood tingle at thethought of achie'ement and that maes the face flush and grow white at the thought offailure

ority of uswill be nobodies are those whom this demon is driving relentlessly remorselessly through the hotweather and the cold weather through early hours and late hours.

.ucy )U if you are in harness and dri'en by the &emon of /mbition3

Suppose you have had disappointments= disillusionments along the way Suppose the finepoint of your ambition has become blunted Remember= there is no obstacle that there is notsome way around= or o'er= or through-and if you will depend less upon the 1E per cent ofyour abilities that reside in your conscious mind= and lea'e more to the 9E per cent thatconstitutes your subcon(scious= you can o'ercome all obstacles Remember this-there is nocondition so hopeless= no life so far gone= that mind cannot redeem it


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ect= you now that as long as the rays were scatteredthey accomplished nothing 7ut focus them on one tiny spot and see how 5uicly they startsomething

"t is the same way with your mind )ou;'e got to concentrate on one idea at a time.

7ut how can " learn to concentrate3 many people write me Concentration is not a thing tobe learned "t is merely a thing to do )ou concentrate whene'er you become sufficientlyinterested in anything %et so interested in a ball game that you >ump up and down on yourhat= slap a man you ha'e ne'er seen before on the bac= embrace your nearest neighbor-that


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is concentration 7ecome so absorbed in a thrilling play or mo'ie that you no longer realiBethe orchestra is playing or there are people around you-that is concentration

/nd that is all concentration e'er is- getting so interested in some one thing that you pay noattention to anything else that is going on around you

"f you want a thing badly enough= you need ha'e no worry about your ability to concentrateon it )our thoughts will >ust naturally center on it lie bees on honey

Aold in your mind the thing you most desire /ffirm it 7elie'e it to be an existing fact .etme 5uote again the words of the *aster= because there;s nothing more important toremember in this whole boo Therefore " say unto you= what things so e'er ye desire= whenye pray= believe that ye receive them and ye shall ha'e them3

/nd again " say= the most important part is the believe that ye receive them.& )oursubconscious mind is exceedingly amenable to suggestion "f you can truly belie'e that you

ha'e recei'ed something= can impress that belief upon your subconscious mind= dependupon it= it will see that you ha'e it !or being a part of Uni'ersal *ind= it shares thatUni'ersal *ind;s all power The !ather that is within me= Ae doeth the wors3 )our mindwill respond to your desire in the exact proportion in which you belie'e /s thy faith is= sobe it unto thee3

The people who li'e in beautiful homes= who ha'e plenty to spend= who tra'el about inyachts and fine cars= are for the most part people who started out to accomplish some onedefinite thing. They had one clear goal in mind= and e'erything they did centered on that goal*ost men >ust >og along in a rut= going through the same old routine day after day= eing out

a bare li'elihood= with no definite desire other than the 'ague hope that fortune will someday drop in their lap !ortune doesn;t often play such prans /nd a rut= you now= differsfrom a gra'e only in depth / life such as that is no better than the animals li'e #or all dayfor money to buy bread= to gi'e you strength to wor all the next day to buy more breadThere is nothing to it but the daily search for food and sustenance 8o time for aught butworry and struggle 8o hope of anything but the surcease of sorrow in death

)ou can ha'e anything you want-if you want it badly enough )ou can be anything youwant to be= ha'e anything you desire= accomplish anything you set out to accomplish-if youwill hold to that desire with singleness of purpose? if you will understand and 7


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"s it happiness you as for !ollow the rules herein laid down and you will change yourwhole outloo on life &oubts and uncertainty will 'anish= to be followed by calm assuranceand abiding peace )ou will possess the things your heart desires )ou will ha'e lo'e andcompanionship )ou will win to contentment and happiness

7ut desire must be impressed upon the subconscious before it can be accomplished *erelyconscious desire seldom gets you anything "t is lie the daydreams that pass through yourmind )our desire must be 'isualiBed= must be persisted in= must be concentrated upon= andmust be impressed upon your subconscious mind &on;t bother about the means foraccomplishing your desire-you can safely lea'e that to your subconscious mind "t nowshow to do a great many things besides building and repairing your body "f you can 'isualiBethe thing you want= if you can impress upon your subconscious mind the belief that you haveit you can safely lea'e to it the finding of the means of getting it Trust the Uni'ersal *ind toshow the way

The mind that pro'ided e'erything in such profusion must >oy in seeing us tae ad'antage ofthat profusion !or herein is the !ather glorified-that ye bear much fruit3

)ou do not ha'e to wait until tomorrow= or next year= or the next world= for happiness )oudo not ha'e to die to be sa'ed The Gingdom of Aea'en is within you3 That does not meanthat it is up in the hea'ens or on some star or in the next world "t means here and now! /ll thepossibilities of happiness are always here and always a'ailable /t the open door of e'eryman;s life there lies this pearl of great price-the understanding of man;s dominion o'er theearth #ith that understanding and con'iction you can do e'erything= which lies before youto do= and you can do it to the satisfaction of e'eryone and the well being of yourself %od

and good are synonymous /nd %od(good(is absent only to those who belie'e Ae is absent!ind your desire= impress it upon your thought= and you ha'e opened the door foropportunity /nd remember= in this new hea'en and new earth= which " am trying to showyou= the door of opportunity is never closed. /s a matter of fact= you constantly ha'e all that youwill tae. So eep yourself in a state of recepti'ity "t is your business to recei'e abundantlyand perpetually The law of opportunity enforces its continuance and a'ailability oy for mourning=

and the garment of praise for the spirit of hea'iness

7elie'e that you share in that goodness and bounty /ct the part you wish to play in this life/ct healthy= act prosperous= and act happy *ae such a showing with what you ha'e thatyou will carry the con'iction to your subconscious mind that all good and perfect gifts /Rust enough confidence in the sea and in himself to gi'e one little hopfrom the ground will certainly find that the water will lift him but not 'ery much? he willcome down again +ersons who ha'e enough confidence really to start swimming but no


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more= will not swim 'ery far= because their confidence is so 'ery small and they swim withsuch rapid stroes= and they hold their breath to such an extent= that by and by they collapse?they swim fi'e or six= or twel'e or fourteen stroes= but they do not get 'ery far= through lacof confidence

+ersons who now with assurance that the sea will carry them if they do certain things= will

swim 5uite calmly= serenely= happily= and will not mind if the water goes right o'er themJh=; you say= Jthat person is doing the whole thing; )e can6t do it without the sea! )ou mighthypnotiBe people into faith? you might say= J)ou are now in the ocean? swim off the edge ofthis precipice; Nwhich is really a cliffO )ou might mae them do it= they might ha'e implicitfaith in you= you might hypnotiBe them into thining they were swimming? but if they swamoff the edge of the cliff they would fall )ou can;t swim without the sea " might say to you= J"tlies with you whether you swim or not= according to your faith be it unto you;? but if the seais not there you can;t swim That is exactly what " feel about %od J/ccording to your faith beit unto you; )es= certainly= if you try to swim in that ocean which is the lo'e of %od yourfaith will be rewarded= and according to your faith it will be to you "n exact proportion to

your faith you will find the answer= lie a scientific law There is not one atom of faith youput in %od that will not recei'e its answer3

7ut rememberH you would not plant a 'aluable seed in your garden= and then= a day or awee later= go out and dig it up to see if it were sprouting n the contrary= you wouldnourish it each morning with water "t is the same with your prayers &on;t plant the seed ofyour desire in your subconscious mind and then go out the next morning and tear it up withdoubts and fears 8ourish it by holding in thought the thing you desire= by belie'ing in it='isualiBing it= S


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VOLUME T5.EE

V

A,#ddin 6 Co$p#n1

7ut the feeble hands and helpless=

%roping blindly in the darness=Touch %od;s right hand in that darness=

/nd are lifted up and strengthened3-.8%!


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Science shows that it is possible to accomplish any good thing 7ut distrust of your ability toreach the goal desired often holds you bac and failure is the ine'itable result

nly by understanding that there is but one power-and that this power is *ind= notcircumstances or en'ironment-is it possible to bring your real abilities to the surface and putthem to wor

!ew deny that intelligence go'erns the uni'erse "t matters not whether you call thisintelligence Uni'ersal *ind or +ro'idence or %od or merely 8ature /ll admit "ts directingpower /ll admit that "t is a force for good= for progress 7ut few realiBe that our own mindsare a part of this Uni'ersal *ind in >ust the same way that the rays of the sun are part of thesun

"f we will wor in harmony with "t= we can draw upon Uni'ersal *ind for all power= allintelligence= in the same way that the sun;s rays draw upon their source for the heat and lightthey bring the earth

"t is not enough to now that you ha'e this power )ou must put it into practice-not once= ortwice= but e'ery hour and e'ery day &on;t be discouraged if at first it doesn;t always wor#hen you first studied arithmetic= your problems did not always wor out correctly= didthey )et you did not on that account doubt the principle of mathematics )ou new that thefault was with your methods= not with the principle "t is the same in this The power is thereCorrectly used= it can do anything

/ll will agree that the *ind= which first brought the .ife +rinciple to this earth-whichimaged the earth= itself and the trees and the plants and the animals-is all(powerful /ll will

agree that to sol'e any problem= to meet any need= *ind has but to realiBe the need and itwill be met #hat most of us do not understand or realiBe is that we oursel'es= being part ofUni'ersal *ind= ha'e this same power @ust as the drop of water from the ocean has all theproperties of the great bul of the water in the ocean @ust as the spar of electricity has all theproperties of the thunderbolt /nd ha'ing the power= we ha'e only to realiBe it and use it toget from life any good we may desire

"n the beginning all was 'oid-space-nothingness Aow did Uni'ersal *ind construct theplanets= the firmaments= the earth and all things on and in it from this formless 'oid 7y firstmaing a mental image on which to build.

That is what you= too= must do )ou control your destiny= your fortune= your happiness to theexact extent to which you can thin them out= ,"U/."< them= S


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permeates= penetrates= and fills the interspaces of the uni'erse / thought in this substanceproduces the thing that is imagined by the thought *an can form things in his thought= and=by impressing his thought upon formless substance= can cause the thing he thins about to becreated3

The connecting lin between your conscious mind and the Uni'ersal is thought= and e'ery

thought that is in harmony with progress and good= e'ery thought that is freighted with theright idea= can penetrate to Uni'ersal *ind /nd penetrating to it= it comes bac with thepower of Uni'ersal *ind to accomplish it )ou don;t need to originate the ways and meansThe Uni'ersal *ind nows how to bring about any necessary results There is but one rightway to sol'e any gi'en problem #hen your human >udgment is unable to decide what thatone right way is= turn to Uni'ersal *ind for guidance )ou need ne'er fear the outcome= for ifyou heed its ad'ice you cannot go wrong

/lways remember-your mind is but a conductor-good or poor as you mae it-for thepower of Uni'ersal *ind /nd thought is the connecting energy Use that conductor= and you

will impro'e its conducti'ity &emand much= and you will recei'e the more The Uni'ersal isnot a niggard in any of its gifts /s and ye shall recei'e= see and ye shall find= noc and itshall be opened unto you3

That is the law of life /nd the destiny of man lies not in po'erty and hardship= but in li'ingup to his high estate in unity with Uni'ersal *ind= with the power that go'erns the uni'erseTo loo upon po'erty and sicness as sent by %od and therefore ine'itable= is the way of thewealing %od ne'er sent us anything but good #hat is more= Ae has ne'er yet failed to gi'eto those who would use them the means to o'ercome any condition not of Ais maingSicness and po'erty are not of Ais maing They are not e'idences of 'irtue= but of

weaness %od ga'e us e'erything in abundance= and he expects us to manifest thatabundance "f you had a son you lo'ed 'ery much= and you surrounded him with goodthings which he had only to exert himself in order to reach= you wouldn;t lie it if he showedhimself to the world half(star'ed= ill(empt and clothed in rags= merely because he wasunwilling to exert himself enough to reach for the good things you had pro'ided 8o more= inmy humble opinion= does %od

*an;s principal business in life= as " see it= is to establish a contact with Uni'ersal *ind "t isto ac5uire an understanding of this power that is in him #ith all thy getting= getunderstanding=3 said Solomon

Aappy is the man that findeth wisdom=/nd the man that getteth understanding

!or the gaining of it is better than the gaining of sil'er/nd the profit thereof than fine gold

She is more precious than rubiesH/nd none of the things thou canst desire are to be compared unto her

.ength of days is in her right handH"n her left hand are riches and honor


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Aer ways are ways of pleasantness=/nd all her paths are peace

She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her/nd happy is e'ery one that retaineth her3

8roverbs.

#hen you become conscious= e'en to a limited degree= of your oneness with Uni'ersal *ind=your ability to call upon "t at will for anything you may need= it maes a different man of you%one are the fears gone are the worries )ou now that your success= your health= yourhappiness will be measured only by the degree to which you can impress the fruition of yourdesires upon mind

The toil and worry= the wearisome grind and the bacbreaing wor= will go in the future asin the past to those who will not use their minds The less they use them= the more they willsweat /nd the more they wor only from the nec down= the less they will be paid and themore hopeless their lot will become "t is *ind that rules the world

7ut to use your mind to the best ad'antage doesn;t mean to toil along with the mereconscious part of it "t means hitching up your conscious mind with the *an "nside )ou= withthe little *ental 7rownies=3 as Robert .ouis Ste'enson called them= and then woringtogether for a definite end

*y 7rownies %od bless them3 said Ste'enson= #ho do one(half of my wor for me when" am fast asleep= and in all human lielihood do the rest for me as well when " am wide awaeand foolishly suppose that " do it myself " had long been wanting to write a boo on man;sdouble being !or two days " went about racing my brains for a plot of any sort= and on thesecond night " dreamt the scene in &r @eyll and *r Ayde at the window? and a scene=

afterward split in two= in which Ayde= pursued= too the powder and underwent the changein the presence of his pursuer3

*any another famous writers ha'e spoen in similar strain= and e'ery man who hasproblems to sol'e has had lie experiences )ou now how= after you ha'e studied a problemfrom all angles= it sometimes seems worse >umbled than when you started on it .ea'e it thenfor a while-forget it-and when you go bac to it= you find your thoughts clarified= the lineof reasoning wored out= your problem sol'ed for you "t is your little *ental 7rownies3who ha'e done the wor for you

The flash of genius does not originate in your own brain Through intense concentration

you;'e established a circuit through your subconscious mind with the Uni'ersal= and it isfrom "t that the inspiration comes /ll genius= all progress= is from the same source "t lieswith you merely to learn how to establish this circuit at will so that you can call upon "t atneed "t can be done

"n the "nner Consciousness of each of us=3 5uotes &umont in The *aster *ind=3 there areforces which act much the same as would countless tiny mental brownies or helpers who areanxious and willing to assist us in our mental wor= if we will but ha'e confidence and trust


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in them This is a psychological truth expressed in the terms of the old fairy tales The processof calling into ser'ice these "nner Consciousness helpers is similar to that which weconstantly employ to recall some forgotten fact or name #e find that we cannot recollectsome desired fact= date= or name= and instead of racing our brains with an increased effort=we Nif we ha'e learned the secretO pass on the matter to the "nner Consciousness with a silentcommand= JRecollect this name for me=; and then go on with our ordinary wor /fter a few

minutes-or it may be hours-all of a sudden= pop will come the missing name or fact beforeus-flashed from the planes of the "nner Consciousness= by the help of the indly worers orJbrownies; of those planes The experience is so common that we ha'e ceased to wonder at it=and yet it is a wonderful manifestation of the "nner Consciousness; worings of the mindStop and thin a moment= and you will see that the missing word does not present itselfaccidentally= or J>ust because; There are mental processes at wor for your benefit= and whenthey ha'e wored out the problem for you they gleefully push it up from their plane on to theplane of the outer consciousness where you may use it

#e now of no better way of illustrating the matter than by this fanciful figure of the

Jmental brownies=; in connection with the illustration of the Jsubconscious storehouse; "f youwould learn to tae ad'antage of the wor of these Subconscious 7rownies= we ad'ise you toform a mental picture of the Subconscious Storehouse in which is stored all sorts ofnowledge that you ha'e placed there during your lifetime= as well as the impressions thatyou ha'e ac5uired by race inheritance-racial memory= in fact The information stored awayhas often been placed in the storage rooms without any regard for systematic storing= orarrangement= and when you wish to find something that has been stored away there a longtime ago= the exact place being forgotten= you are compelled to call to your assistance the littlebrownies of the mind= which perform faithfully your mental command= JRecollect this forme; These brownies are the same little chaps that you charge with the tas of waing you at

four o;cloc tomorrow morning when you wish to catch an early train-and they obey youwell in this wor of the mental alarm( cloc These same little chaps will also flash into yourconsciousness the report= J" ha'e an engagement at two o;cloc with @ones;-when looing atyour watch you will see that it is >ust a 5uarter before the hour of two= the time of yourengagement

#ell then= if you will examine carefully into a sub>ect which you wish to master= and willpass along the results of your obser'ations to these Subconscious 7rownies= you will find thatthey will wor the raw materials of thought into shape for you in a comparati'ely short timeThey will analyBe= systematiBe= collate= and arrange in consecuti'e order the 'arious details ofinformation which you ha'e passed on to them= and will add thereto the articles of similar

information that they will find stored away in the recesses of your memory "n this way theywill group together 'arious scattered bits of nowledge that you ha'e forgotten /nd= righthere= let us say to you that you ne'er absolutely forget anything that you ha'e placed in yourmind )ou may be unable to recollect certain things= but they are not lost- sometime latersome associati'e connection will be made with some other fact= and lo the missing idea willbe found fitted nicely into its place in the larger idea-the wor of our little browniesRemember Thompson;s statementH J"n 'iew of ha'ing to wait for the results of theseunconscious processes= " Jha'e pro'ed the habit of getting together material in ad'ance= and


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then lea'ing the mass to digest itself until " am ready to write about it; This subconsciousJdigestion; is really the wor of our little mental brownies

There are many ways of setting the brownies to wor 8early e'eryone has had someexperience= more or less= in the matter= although often it is produced almost unconsciously=and without purpose and intent +erhaps the best way for the a'erage person-or rather the

ma>ority of persons-to get the desired results is for one to get as clear an idea of what onereally wants to now-as clear an idea or mental image of the 5uestion you wish answeredThen after rolling it around in your mind-mentally chewing it= as it were-gi'ing it a highdegree of 'oluntary attention= you can pass it on to your Subconscious *entality with themental commandH JAttend to this for mewor out the answer!; or some similar order Thiscommand may be gi'en silently= or else spoen aloud- either will do Spea to theSubconscious *entality-or its little worers->ust as you would spea to persons in youremploy= indly but firmly Tal to the little worers= and firmly command them to do yourwor /nd then forget all about the matter-throw it off your conscious mind= and attend toyour other tass Then in due time will come your answer-flashed into your consciousness

-perhaps not until the 'ery minute that you must decide upon the matter= or need theinformation )ou may gi'e your brownies orders to report at such and such a time->ust asyou do when you tell them to awaen you at a certain time in the morning so as to catch theearly train= or >ust as they remind you of the hour of your appointment= if you ha'e them allwell trained3

Aa'e you e'er read the story by Richard Aarding &a'is of The *an #ho Could 8ot .ose3"n it the hero is intensely interested in racing Ae has studied records and dope3 sheets untilhe nows the history of e'ery horse bacward and forward

The day before the big race he is reclining in an easy chair= thining of the morrow;s race= andhe drops off to sleep with that thought on his mind 8aturally= his subconscious mind taes itup= with the result that he dreams the exact outcome of the race

That was mere fiction= of course= but if races were run solely on the speed and stamina of thehorses= it would be entirely possible to wor out the results in >ust that way Unfortunately=other factors fre5uently enter into e'ery betting game

7ut the idea behind &a'is; story is entirely right The way to contact with your subconsciousmind= the way to get the help of the *an "nside )ou3 in woring out any problem isH!irst= fill your mind with e'ery bit of information regarding that problem that you can lay

your hands on

Second= pic out a chair or lounge or bed where you can recline in perfect comfort= where youcan forget your body entirely

Third= let your mind dwell upon the problem for a moment= not worrying= not fretting= butplacidly= and then turn it o'er to the *an "nside )ou3 Say to him-3This is your problem)ou can do anything )ou now the answer to e'erything #or this out for me3 /nd


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utterly relax &rop off to sleep= if you can /t least= drop into one of those half(sleepy= half(waeful re'eries that eep other thoughts from obtruding upon your consciousness= &o as/laddin did-summon your %enii= gi'e him your orders= then forget the matter= secure in thenowledge that he will attend to it for you #hen you waen= you will have the answer!!or whate'er thought= whate'er problem you can get across to your subconscious mind atthe moment of dropping off to sleep= that *an "nside )ou=3 that %enie(of(your(*ind will

wor out for you

f course= not e'eryone can succeed in getting the right thought across to the subconscious atthe first or the second attempt "t re5uires understanding and faith= >ust as the woring out ofproblems in mathematics re5uires an understanding of and faith in the principles ofmathematics 7ut eep on trying= and you #".. do it /nd when you do= the results are sure."f it is something that you want= ,"SU/."< it first in your mind;s eye= see it in e'erypossible detail= see yourself going through e'ery mo'e it will be necessary for you to gothrough when your wish comes into being 7uild up a complete story= step by step= >ust asthough you were acting it all out %et from it e'ery ounce of pleasure and satisfaction that

you can 7e thanful for this gift that has come to you Then relax? go on to sleep if you can?gi'e the *an "nside )ou3 a chance to wor out the consummation of your wish withoutinterference

#hen you waen= hold it all pleasurably in thought again for a few moments &on;t letdoubts and fears creep in= but go ahead= confidently= nowing that your wish is woring itselfout Gnow this= belie'e it-and if there is nothing harmful in it= "T #".. #RG UT!or somewhere in Uni'ersal *ind there exists the correct solution of e'ery problem "tmatters not how stupendous and complicated= nor how simple a problem may appear to beThere always exists the right solution in Uni'ersal *ind /nd because this solution does

exist= there also exists the ability to ascertain and to pro'e what that solution is )ou cannow= and you can do= e'ery right thing #hate'er it is necessary for you to now= whate'erit is necessary for you to do= you can now and you can do= if you will but see the help ofUni'ersal *ind and be go'erned by its suggestions

Try this method e'ery night for a little while= and the problem does not exist that you cannotsol'e


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VI

See )ourse,f 0oing It

)ou say big corporations schemeTo eep a fellow down?

They dri'e him= shame him= star'e him= too="f he so much as frown

%od nows " hold no brief for them?Still= come with me to(day

/nd watch those fat directors meet=!or this is what they sayH

"n all our force not one to taeThe new wor that we plan

"n all the thousand men we;'e hired#here shall we find a man3

-ST C./"R /&/*SD

)ou;'e often heard it said that a man is worth 2 a day from the nec down Aow much he;sworth from the nec up depends upon how much he is able to S


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The building of a trans(continental railroad from a mental picture=3 says C # Chamberlainin The Uncommon Sense of /pplied +sychology=3 gi'es the a'erage indi'idual an idea thatit is a big >ob The fact of the matter is= the achie'ement= as well as the perfect mental picture=is made up of millions of little >obs= each fitting in its proper place and helping to mae up thewhole

/ syscraper is built from indi'idual brics= the laying of each bric being a single >ob whichmust be completed before the next bric can be laid3

"t is the same with any wor= any study To 5uote +rofessor @amesH

/s we become permanent drunards by so many separate drins= so we become saints in themoral= and authorities and experts in the practical and scientific spheres= by so many separateacts and hours of woring .et no youth ha'e any anxiety about the upshot of his educationwhate'er the line of it may be "f he eeps faithfully busy each hour of the woring day he

may safely lea'e the final result to itself Ae can with perfect certainty count on waing somefine morning= to find himself one of the competent ones of his generation= in whate'er pursuithe may ha'e singled out )oung people should now this truth in ad'ance The ignoranceof it has probab

Secret of the Ages Robert Collier Original Text

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