Mary Rose R.

Ventigan

III ABEL B

As a Man Thinketh Summary

As a Man Thinketh by James Allen can be summarized by the following points.

 A man’s overall character is a result of his own thoughts. His actions are manifestations of these
thoughts no matter how impulsive or well-thought-of these actions are.
 For a man to improve the circumstances surrounding him, he must first improve himself or his
overall character.
 A man’s thoughts greatly affect health and body and changing diet alone will not be enough to
cleanse the body of impurities.
 Man should deeply embed his thoughts of his purpose to achieve it.
 His achievements and failures are his alone, man should be willing to sacrifices to achieve his
goals, and after the achievement, he must continue his practice to maintain the achievement
and not fall into failure.
 Man’s vision and ideals will one day come to reality.
 Calmness is what keeps a man in reign of his thoughts and actions.

Reflections on As a Man Thinketh by James Allen

It is indeed true that thought is the greatest factor in a man’s overall character, I feel like the
essay greatly overestimate the effect of these thoughts. Life would be much easier if it’s as simple as
good thoughts only produce good actions, and such will also only lead to good results. Man can have
good thoughts but use evil methods to achieve his desired results. He may also remain optimistic but
ignore the reality of his surroundings; such is what we call toxic positivity. I would rather think of the
harsh truths that may plague my mind and remain involved in acts that would not only benefit me but
the whole of mankind rather than stay isolated in my own happy thoughts.

In an ideal world, man would be in-charge of his life. However, such is not the case. James
Allen’s father died 2 days after arriving in the United States because he was robbed and murdered. Such
fate was not a product of his thoughts but rather, he had the best thoughts and determination. He
travelled to a foreign land to pursue his dreams, but his circumstances cut his opportunities.

I agree, however, that calmness of the mind is the key to control our actions. We can only think
rationally when we are calm. We can travel the waters with certainty if it is serene. And thoughts,
whether positive or negative, must be assessed under serenity.