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Self-Help, Self-Improvement, Self-Realization, Spirituality, Personal Development, Personal Growth...
Self-Help Online Books
As A Man Thinketh
By James Allen
 Although As A Man Thinketh is considered a classic among self-help books, little is known of its author James Allen (November 28, 1864 - 1912). Born in Leicester, England, James was a writer of inspirational books and poetry.
At 15, James left school to work full-time in various manufacturing firms to help support his family after his father was robbed and murdered. Eventually he married and became an administrative assistant for a large company.
James retired at the age of 38 to devote more time to his writing and philosophical studies. Soon after finishing his first book, From Poverty To Power, he and his wife, Lily, moved to a small cottage in Ilfracombe, England to pursue a simple life of contemplation. This quaint Victorian coastal town surrounded by bucolic farms and quiet country roads gave James the peace and tranquility to engage his personal philosophy of simple living, self-discipline and the mastering of all virtues.
He began his day with a predawn walk up a hillside overlooking his home and the sea where he would remain for an hour in meditation. Then he would return to the cottage and spend the morning writing. The afternoons were devoted to gardening and simple chores. Later, he would spend his evenings in conversation with others who were interested in philosophy.
A friend described James as frail-looking and Christ-like with a mass of flowing black hair: "I think of him especially in the black velvet suit he always wore in the evenings. He would talk quietly to a small group of us then - English, French, Austrian and Indian - of meditation, of philosophy, of Tolstoy or Buddha, and of killing nothing, not even a mouse in the garden."
"He overawed us all a little," his friend continued "because of his appearance, his gentle conversation, and especially because he went out to commune with God on the hills before dawn."
Over the next 9 years James produced over 20 works. As A Man Thinketh is his most famous book and was published in 1902. It has influenced millions of people worldwide and is considered the original self-help book. Its underlying premise is that you are what you think; noble thoughts make a noble person, lowly thoughts make a miserable person.
James Allen died suddenly in 1912, at age 48.
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