outwitting the devil, napoleon hill, 284
TRANSCRIPT
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Lucifer
OUTWITTING THE DEVIL by Napoleon Hill
Source
amazon.com
1 2
Chapter l My First Meeting with n!rew Carnegie
Chapter 2 New "orl! #s $e%eale! to Me
Chapter & Strange #nter%iew with the 'e%il.
Chapter ( 'rifting with the 'e%il
Chapter ) *he Confession Continues
Chapter + Hypnotic $hythm
Chapter , See!s of Fear
Chapter - 'efiniteness of urpose
Chapter / 0!ucation an! $eligion
Chapter 1 Self'iscipline
Chapter 1 1 Learning from !%ersity
Chapter 12 0n%ironment *ime Harmony an! Caution
3ncommente! as the original manuscript from 1/&-
F0$ is the tool of a manma!e !e%il.
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Selfconfi!ent faith in one4s self is both the
manma!e weapon which !efeats this !e%il
an! the manma!e tool which buil!s a
triumphant life. n! it is more than that.
#t is a lin5 to the irresistible forces of the
uni%erse which stan! behin! a man who
!oes not belie%e in failure an! !efeat as being
anything but temporary e6periences.7
8 Napoleon Hill
*he intro!uction type! on a manual typewriter with han!written notes9
*he Secret of how the uthor ttaine!
hysical an! Financial Free!om
*he bol!est an! the most inspiring of the
success philosopher who after thirty
years of !iligent snooping foun! the
'e%il an! wrung from him an astoun!ing
confession !isclosing where he li%es
why he e6ists an! how he gains control
o%er the min!s of people an! how one
can outwit him . *he boo5 is a generous
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course in psychology ma5ing clear the
wor5ing principles of the human min!.
"hen you finish this story of the 'e%il
you will 5now much more about :o!.
Chapter One MY FIRST MEETING WITH ANDREW CARNEGIE
F;$ M;$0 *HN <3$*0$ ;F C0N*3$= my ma>or
purpose has been that of isolating an! organizing into
a philosophy of achie%ement the causes of both failure
an! success with the ob>ect of being helpful to others
who ha%e neither the inclination nor the opportunity to
engage in this form of research.
My labor began in 1/?- as the result of an inter%iew that #
ha! with the late n!rew Carnegie. # fran5ly tol! Mr. Carnegie
that # wishe! to enter law school an! that # ha! concei%e! the
i!ea of paying my way through school by inter%iewing suc
cessful men an! women fin!ing out how they came by their
success an! writing stories of my !isco%eries for magazines. t
the en! of our first %isit Mr. Carnegie as5e! whether or not #
possesse! enough courage to carry out a suggestion he wishe!
to offer me. # replie! that courage was about all # !i! ha%e an!
that # was prepare! to !o my best to carry out any suggestion
he care! to offer.
He then sai! 7=our i!ea of writing stories about men an!
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women who are successful is commen!able as far as it goes
an! # ha%e no intention of trying to !iscourage you from car
rying out your purpose but # must tell you that if you wish
to be of en!uring ser%ice not only to those now li%ing but
to posterity as well you can !o so if you will ta5e the time to
organize all of the causes of failure as well as all of the causes
of success.
7*here are millions of people in the worl! who ha%e not
the slightest conception of the causes of success an! failure.
*he schools an! colleges teach practically e%erything e6cept
the principles of in!i%i!ual achie%ement. *hey re@uire young
men an! women to spen! from four to eight years ac@uiring
abstract 5nowle!ge but !o not teach them what to !o with
this 5nowle!ge after they get it.
7*he worl! is in nee! of a practical un!erstan!able phi
losophy of achie%ement organize! from the factual 5nowl
e!ge gaine! from the e6perience of men an! women in the
great uni%ersity of life. #n the entire fiel! of philosophy # fin!
nothing which e%en remotely resembles the sort of philos
ophy which # ha%e in min!. "e ha%e few philosophers who are
capable of teaching men an! women the art of li%ing.
7#t seems to me that here is an opportunity which shoul!
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challenge an ambitious young man of your typeA but ambition
alone is not enough for this tas5 which # ha%e suggeste!. *he
one who un!erta5es it must ha%e courage an! tenacity.
7*he >ob will re@uire at least twenty years of continuous
effort !uring which the one who un!erta5es it will ha%e to
earn his li%ing from some other source because this sort of
research is ne%er profitable at the outset an! generally those
who ha%e contribute! to ci%ilization through wor5 of this
nature ha%e ha! to wait a hun!re! years or so after their own
funerals to recei%e recognition for their labor.7
7#f you un!erta5e this >ob you shoul! inter%iew not only
the few who ha%e succee!e! but the many who ha%e faile!.
=ou shoul! carefully analyze many thousan!s of people who
ha%e been classe! as 4failures4 an! # mean by the term 4failures4
men an! women who come to the closing chapter of life !isap
pointe! because they !i! not attain the goal which they ha!
set their hearts upon achie%ing. s inconsistent as it may seem
you will learn more about how to succee! from the failures
than you will from the socalle! successes. *hey will teach you
what not to !o.
7long towar! the en! of your labor if you carry it
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through successfully you will ma5e a !isco%ery which may be
a great surprise to you. =ou will !isco%er that the cause of suc
cess is not something separate an! apart from the manA that
it is a force so intangible in nature that the ma>ority of men
ne%er recognize itA a force which might be properly calle! the
4other self.4 Noteworthy is the fact that this 4other self sel!om
e6erts its influence or ma5es itself 5nown e6cepting at times of
unusual emergency when men are force! through a!%ersity
an! temporary !efeat to change their habits an! to thin5 their
way out of !ifficulty.
7My e6perience has taught me that a man is ne%er @uite so
near success as when that which he calls 4failure4 has o%erta5en
him for it is on occasions of this sort that he is force! to thin5.
#f he thin5s accurately an! with persistence he !isco%ers
that socalle! failure usually is nothing more than a signal to
rearm himself with a new plan or purpose. Most real failures
are !ue to limitations which men set up in their own min!s.
#f they ha! the courage to go one step further they woul! !is
co%er their error.7
Begin Life new
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Mr. Carnegie4s speech reshape! my entire life an! plante! in
my min! a burning purpose which has !ri%en me ceaselessly
an! this !espite the fact that # ha! but a %ague i!ea as to what
he meant by the term 7other self.7
'uring my labor of research into the causes of failure an!
success # ha%e ha! the pri%ilege of analyzing more than 2)???
men an! women who were rate! as 7failures7 an! o%er )??
who were classe! as 7successful.7 Many years ago # caught my
first glimpse of that 7other self Mr. Carnegie ha! mentione!.
*he !isco%ery came as he sai! it woul! as the result of two
ma>or turningpoints of my life which constitute! emergen
cies that force! me to thin5 my way out of !ifficulties such as #
ha! ne%er before e6perience!.
# wish it were possible to !escribe this !isco%ery without
the use of the personal pronoun but this is impossible because
it came through personal e6periences from which it cannot be
separate!. *o gi%e you the complete picture # shall ha%e to go
bac5 to the first of these two ma>or turningpoints an! bring
you up to the !isco%ery step by step.
*he research necessary for the accumulation of the !ata
from which the se%enteen principles of achie%ement an! the
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thirty ma>or causes of failure were organize! re@uire! years
of labor.
# ha! reache! the false conclusion that my tas5 of orga
nizing a complete philosophy of personal achie%ement ha!
been complete!. Far from ha%ing been complete! my wor5
ha! merely begun. # ha! erecte! the s5eleton of a philosophy
by organizing the se%enteen principles of achie%ement an! the
thirty ma>or causes of failure but that s5eleton ha! to be co%
ere! with the flesh of application an! e6perience. Moreo%er it
ha! to be gi%en a soul through which it might inspire men an!
women to meet obstacles without going !own un!er them.
*he 7soul7 which ha! yet to be a!!e! as # !isco%ere! later
became a%ailable only after my 7other self7 ma!e its appear
ance through two ma>or turningpoints of my life.
$esol%ing to turn my attention an! whate%er talents
# might possess into monetary returns through business
an! professional channels # !eci!e! to go into the profes
sion of a!%ertising an! # became the a!%ertising manager of
the LaSalle 06tension 3ni%ersity of Chicago. 0%erything went
along beautifully for one year at the en! of which # was seize!
by a %iolent !isli5e for my >ob an! resigne!.
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# then entere! the chain store business with the former
presi!ent of the LaSalle 06tension 3ni%ersity an! became the
presi!ent of the Betsy $oss Can!y Company. 3nfortunate8 or
what seeme! to me at the time to be unfortunate8 !isagree
ments with business associates !isengage! me from that
un!erta5ing.
*he lure of a!%ertising still was in my bloo! an! # trie!
again to gi%e e6pression to it by organizing a school of a!%er
tising an! salesmanship as a part of Bryant Stratton
Business College.
*he enterprise was sailing smoothly an! we were ma5ing
money rapi!ly when the 3nite! States entere! "orl! "ar #.
#n response to an inner urge which no wor!s can !escribe
# wal5e! away from the school an! entere! the ser%ice of
the 3nite! States go%ernment un!er resi!ent "oo!row
"ilson4s personal !irection lea%ing a perfectly soun! busi
ness to !isintegrate.
;n rmistice 'ay 1/1- # began the publication of *he
:ol!en $ule magazine. 'espite the fact that # !i! not ha%e a
penny of capital the magazine grew rapi!ly an! soon gaine! a
nationwi!e circulation of nearly half a million en!ing its first
year4s business with a profit of D&1)+.
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Some years later # learne! from an e6perience! publisher that
no man e6perience! in the publication an! !istribution of
national magazines woul! thin5 of starting such a magazine
with less than half a million !ollars of capital.
*he :ol!en $ule magazine an! # were !estine! to part
company. *he more we succee!e! the more !iscontente!
# became until finally !ue to an accumulation of petty annoy
ances cause! by business associates # ma!e them a present of
the magazine an! steppe! out. *hrough that mo%e perhaps #
tosse! a small fortune o%er my shoul!er.
Ne6t # organize! a training school for salesmen. My first
assignment was to train a sales army of &??? people for a chain
store company for which # recei%e! D1? for each salesman who
went through my classes. "ithin si6 months my wor5 ha!
nette! me a little o%er D&????. Success as far as money was
concerne! was crowning my efforts with abun!ance. gain
# became 7fi!gety7 insi!e. # was not happy. #t became more
ob%ious e%ery !ay that no amount of money woul! e%er ma5e
me happy.
"ithout the slightest reasonable e6cuse for my actions
# steppe! out an! ga%e up a business from which # might
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easily ha%e earne! a healthy salary. My frien!s an! business
associates thought # was crazy an! they were not bac5war!
about saying so.
Fran5ly # was incline! to agree with them but there
seeme! nothing # coul! !o about it. # was see5ing happiness
an! # ha! not foun! it. t least that is the only e6planation
# coul! offer for my unusual actions. "hat man really
5nows himselfE
*hat was !uring the late fall of 1/2&. # foun! myself
stran!e! in Columbus ;hio without fun!s an! worse still
without a plan by which to wor5 my way out of my !ifficulty.
#t was the first time in my life that # ha! actually been stran!e!
because of lac5 of fun!s.
Many times pre%iously # ha! foun! money to be rather
shy but ne%er before ha! # faile! to get what # nee!e! for my
personal con%eniences. *he e6perience stunne! me. # seeme!
totally at sea as to what # coul! or shoul! !o.
# thought of a !ozen plans by which # might sol%e my
problem but !ismisse! them all as being either impractical
or impossible of achie%ement. # felt li5e one who was lost in a
>ungle without a compass. 0%ery attempt # ma!e to wor5 my
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*hen my ner%es became @uiet my muscles rela6e! an! a
great calmness came o%er me. *he atmosphere began to clear
an! as it !i! so # recei%e! a comman! from within which came
in the form of a thought as near as # can !escribe it.
*he comman! was so clear an! !istinct that # coul!
not misun!erstan! it. #n substance it sai! 7*he time has
come for you to complete the philosophy of achie%ement
which you began at Carnegie4s suggestion. :o bac5 home
at once an! begin transferring the !ata you ha%e gathere!
from your own min! to written manuscripts.7 My 7other self7
ha! awa5ene!.
For a few minutes # was frightene!. *he e6perience was
unli5e any # ha! e%er un!ergone before. # turne! an! wal5e!
rapi!ly until # reache! home. s # approache! the house # saw
my three little boys loo5ing out of a win!ow of our house at
our neighbor4s chil!ren who were !ressing a Christmas tree in
the house ne6t !oor.
*hen # recalle! that it was Christmas 0%e. Moreo%er #
recalle! with a feeling of !eep !istress such as # ha! ne%er
5nown before that there woul! be no Christmas tree at our
house. *he loo5 of !isappointment on the faces of my chil!ren
remin!e! me painfully of that fact.
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# went into the house sat !own at my typewriter an! began
at once to re!uce to writing the !isco%eries # ha! ma!e con
cerning the causes of success an! failure. s # place! the first
sheet of paper in the typewriter # was interrupte! by that same
strange feeling which ha! come o%er me out in the country a
few hours before an! this thought flashe! into my min!9
7=our mission in life is to complete the worl!4s first philos
ophy of in!i%i!ual achie%ement. =ou ha%e been trying in %ain
to escape your tas5 each effort ha%ing brought you failure.
=ou are see5ing happiness. Learn this lesson once an! fore%er
that you will fin! happiness only by helping others to fin! it
=ou ha%e been a stubborn stu!ent. =ou ha! to be cure! of your
stubbornness through !isappointment. "ithin a few years
from now the whole worl! will start through an e6perience
which will place millions of people in nee! of the philosophy
which you ha%e been !irecte! to complete. =our big oppor
tunity to fin! happiness by ren!ering useful ser%ice will ha%e
come. :o to wor5 an! !o not stop until you ha%e complete!
an! publishe! the manuscripts which you ha%e begun.7
# was conscious of ha%ing arri%e! at last at the en! of life4s
rainbow an! # was happy
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Do$%t Ma&es Its Appearan"e
*he 7spell7 if the e6perience may be so calle! passe! away.
# began to write. Shortly thereafter my 7reason7 suggeste! to
me that # was embar5ing upon a fool4s mission. *he i!ea of
a man who was !own an! almost out presuming to write a
philosophy of personal achie%ement seeme! so lu!icrous
that # laughe! hilariously perhaps scornfully.
# s@uirme! in my chair ran my fingers through my hair
an! trie! to create an alibi that woul! >ustify me in my own
min! in ta5ing the sheet of paper out of my typewriter before
# ha! really begun to write but the urge to continue was
stronger than the !esire to @uit. # became reconcile! to my tas5
an! went ahea!.
Loo5ing bac5war! now in the light of all that has hap
pene! # can see that those minor e6periences of a!%ersity
through which # ha! passe! were among the most fortunate
an! profitable of all of my e6periences. *hey were blessings
in !isguise because they force! me to continue a wor5 which
finally brought me an opportunity to ma5e myself more useful
to the worl! than # might ha%e been ha! # succee!e! in any
pre%ious plan or purpose.
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For almost three months # wor5e! on those manu
scripts completing them !uring the early part of 1/2(. s
soon as they ha! been complete! # felt myself again being
lure! by the !esire to get bac5 into the great merican game
of business.
Succumbing to the lure # purchase! the Metropolitan
Business College in Cle%elan! ;hio an! began to lay plans for
increasing its capacity. By the en! of 1/2( we ha! !e%elope!
an! e6pan!e! by a!!ing new courses until we were !oing a
business nearly !ouble the best pre%ious recor! the school ha!
e%er 5nown.
gain the germ of !iscontentment began to ma5e itself
felt in my bloo!. gain # 5new that # coul! not fin! happi
ness in that sort of en!ea%or. # turne! the business o%er to my
associates an! went on the lecture platform lecturing on the
philosophy of achie%ement to the organization of which # ha!
!e%ote! so many of my pre%ious years.
;ne night # was boo5e! to lecture in Canton ;hio. Fate
or whate%er it is that seems sometimes to shape the !estiny
of men no matter how har! they may try to battle against it
again steppe! into the picture an! brought me face to face
with a painful e6perience.
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#n my Canton au!ience sat 'on $. Mellett publisher of
the Canton 'aily News. Mr. Mellett became so thoroughly
intereste! in the philosophy of in!i%i!ual achie%ement on
which # lecture! that night that he in%ite! me to come to see
him the following !ay.
*hat %isit resulte! in a partnership agreement which was
to ha%e ta5en place on the first of the following Ganuary when
Mr. Mellett planne! to resign as publisher of the 'aily News to
ta5e charge of the business an! publishing of the philosophy
on which # ha! been wor5ing.
Howe%er in Guly 1/2+ Mr. Mellett was mur!ere! by at
Mc'ermott an un!erworl! character an! a Canton ;hio
policeman both of whom were sentence! to life imprison
ment. He was mur!ere! because he was e6posing in his news
paper a hoo5up between the boo!eggers an! certain members
of the Canton police force. *he crime was one of the most
shoc5ing that the prohibition era pro!uce!.
Chan"e '() Saves M# L!fe
*he morning after Mr. Mellett4s !eath # was calle! on the
telephone an! put on notice by some un5nown person that
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# ha! one hour in which to get out of CantonA that # coul! go
%oluntarily within the hour but if # waite! longer # probably
woul! go in a pine bo6. My business association with Mr.
Mellett ha! apparently been misun!erstoo!. His mur!erers
e%i!ently belie%e! # was !irectly connecte! with the e6pose he
was ma5ing in his newspapers.
# !i! not wait for the one hour time limit to e6pire but
imme!iately got into my automobile an! !ro%e !own to the
home of relati%es in the mountains of "est irginia where
# remaine! until the mur!erers ha! been place! in >ail.
*hat e6perience came well within the category !escribe! by
Mr. Carnegie as an 7emergency7 that forces men to thin5. For
the first time in my life # 5new the pain of constant fear. My
e6perience of a few years before in Columbus ha! fille! my
min! with !oubt an! temporary in!ecision but this one ha!
fille! it with a fear which # seeme! unable to remo%e. 'uring
the time that # was in hi!ing # sel!om left the house at night
an! when # !i! step out # 5ept my han! on an automatic pistol
in my coat poc5et with the safety catch unlatche! for imme
!iate action. #f a strange automobile stoppe! in front of the
house where # was hi!ing # went into the basement an! care
fully scrutinize! its occupants through the basement win!ows.
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fter some months of this sort of e6perience my ner%es
began to crac5. My courage ha! completely left me. *he
ambition which ha! heartene! me !uring the long years of
labor in my search for the causes of failure an! success also
ha! !eparte!.
Slowly step by step # felt myself slipping into a state of
lethargy from which # was afrai! # shoul! ne%er be able to
emerge. *he feeling must ha%e been closely a5in to that e6pe
rience! by one who su!!enly steps into @uic5san! an! real
izes that e%ery effort to e6tricate himself carries him >ust so
much !eeper. Fear is a selfgenerating morass.
#f the see! of insanity ha! been in my ma5eup surely it
woul! ha%e germinate! !uring those months of li%ing !eath.
Foolish in!ecision irresolute !reams !oubt an! fear were my
min!4s concern !ay an! night.
*he 7emergency7 # face! was !isastrous in two ways. First
the %ery nature of it 5ept me in a constant state of in!ecision
an! fear. Secon!ly the force! concealment 5ept me in i!le
ness with its atten!ant hea%iness of time which # naturally
!e%ote! to worry.
My reasoning faculty ha! almost been paralyze!. # realize!
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that # ha! to wor5 myself out of this state of min!. But howE
*he resourcefulness which ha! helpe! me to meet all pre%ious
emergencies seeme! to ha%e completely ta5en wing lea%ing
me helpless.
;ut of my !ifficulties which were bur!ensome enough
up to this point grew another which seeme! more painful
than all the others combine!. #t was the realization that
# ha! spent the better portion of my past years in chasing a
rainbow searching hither an! yon for the causes of success
an! fin!ing myself now more helpless than any of the 2)???
people whom # ha! >u!ge! as being 7failures.7
*his thought was almost ma!!ening. Moreo%er it was
e6tremely humiliating because # ha! been lecturing all o%er
the country in schools an! colleges an! before business
organizations presuming to tell other people how to apply
the se%enteen principles of success while here # was unable to
apply them myself. # was sure that # ne%er coul! again face the
worl! with a feeling of confi!ence.
0%ery time # loo5e! at myself in a mirror # notice! an
e6pression of selfcontempt on my face an! not infre@uently
# !i! say things to the man in the mirror which are not print
able. # ha! begun to place myself in the category of charlatans
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who offer others a reme!y for failure which they themsel%es
cannot successfully apply.
*he criminals who ha! mur!ere! Mr. Mellett ha! been
trie! an! sent to the penitentiary for lifeA therefore it was per
fectly safe as far as they were concerne! for me to come out
of hi!ing an! again ta5e up my wor5. # coul! not come out
howe%er because now # face! circumstances more frightful
than the criminals who ha! sent me into hi!ing.
*he e6perience ha! !estroye! whate%er initiati%e # ha!
possesse!. # felt myself in the clutches of some !epressing
influence which seeme! li5e a nightmare. # was ali%eA # coul!
mo%e aroun! but # coul! not thin5 of a single mo%e by
which # might continue to see5 the goal which # ha! at Mr.
Carnegie4s suggestion set for myself. # was rapi!ly becoming
in!ifferent not only towar! myself but worse still # was
becoming grouchy an! irritable towar! those who ha! gi%en
me shelter !uring my 7emergency.7
# face! the greatest emergency of my life. 3nless you ha%e
gone through a similar e6perience you cannot possibly 5now
how # felt. Such e6periences cannot be !escribe!. *o be un!er
stoo! they must be felt.
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The Most Dra*at!" Mo*ent of M# L!fe
*he turn came su!!enly in fall 1/2, more than a year after
the Canton inci!ent. # left the house one night an! wal5e! up
to the public school buil!ing on top of a hill abo%e the town.
# ha! reache! a !ecision to fight the matter out with myself
before that night en!e!. # began to wal5 aroun! the buil!ing
trying to force my befu!!le! brain to thin5 clearly. # must ha%e
ma!e se%eral hun!re! trips aroun! the buil!ing before any
thing which e%en remotely resemble! organize! thought began
to ta5e place in my min!. s # wal5e! # repeate! o%er an! o%er
to myself 7*here is a way out an! # am going to fin! it before
# go bac5 to the house.7 # must ha%e repeate! that sentence a
thousan! times. Moreo%er # meant e6actly what # was saying.
# was thoroughly !isguste! with myself but # entertaine! a
hope of sal%ation.
*hen li5e a flash of lightning out of a clear s5y an i!ea
burst into my min! with such force that the impulse !ro%e my
bloo! up an! !own my %eins9
7*his is your testing time. =ou ha%e been re!uce! to po%
erty an! humiliate! in or!er that you might be force! to !is
co%er your 4other self7
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For the first time in years # recalle! what Mr. Carnegie
ha! sai! about this 7other self.7 # recalle! now that he sai! #
woul! !isco%er it towar! the en! of my labor of research into
the causes of failure an! success an! that the !isco%ery usu
ally came as the result of an emergency when men are force!
to change their habits an! to thin5 their way out of !ifficulty.
# continue! to wal5 aroun! the school house but now
# was wal5ing on air. Subconsciously # seeme! to 5now that #
was about to be release! from the selfma!e prison into which
# ha! cast myself.
# realize! that this great emergency ha! brought me an
opportunity not merely to !isco%er my 7other self7 but to test
the soun!ness of the philosophy of achie%ement which # ha!
been teaching others as being wor5able. Soon # woul! 5now
whether it woul! wor5 or not. # ma!e up my min! that if it
!i! not wor5 # woul! burn the manuscripts # ha! written an!
ne%er again be guilty of telling other people that they were 7the
masters of their fate the captains of their souls.7
*he full moon was >ust rising o%er the mountain top. # ha!
ne%er seen it shine so brightly before. s # stoo! gazing at it
another thought flashe! into my min!. #t was this9
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7=ou ha%e been telling other people how to master fear
an! how to surmount the !ifficulties which arise out of the
emergencies of life. From now on you can spea5 with authority
because you are about to rise abo%e your own !ifficulties with
courage an! purpose resolute an! unafrai!.7
"ith that thought came a change in the chemistry of my
being which lifte! me into a state of e6ultation # ha! ne%er
before 5nown. My brain began to clear itself of the state of
lethargy into which it ha! lapse!. My faculty of reason began
to wor5 once more.
For a brief moment # was happy to ha%e ha! the pri%ilege
of going through those long months of torment because the
e6perience pro%i!e! an opportunity for me to test the soun!
ness of the principles of achie%ement which # ha! so labori
ously wreste! from my research.
"hen this thought came to me # stoppe! still !rew my
feet closely together salute! I# !i! not 5now what or whomJ
an! stoo! rigi!ly at attention for se%eral minutes. *his seeme!
at first li5e a foolish thing to !o but while # was stan!ing
there another thought came through in the form of an 7or!er7
that was as brief an! snappy as any e%er gi%en by a military
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comman!er to a subor!inate.
*he or!er sai! 7*omorrow get into your automobile an!
!ri%e to hila!elphia where you will recei%e ai! in publishing
your philosophy of achie%ement.7
*here was no further e6planation an! no mo!ification of
the or!er. s soon as # recei%e! it # wal5e! bac5 to the house
went to be! an! slept with peace of min! such as # ha! not
5nown for o%er a year.
"hen # awo5e the following morning # got out of be! an!
imme!iately began to pac5 my clothes an! ma5e rea!y for the
trip to hila!elphia. My reason tol! me that # was embar5ing
upon a fool4s mission. "ho !i! # 5now in hila!elphia to
whom # might apply for financial ai! in publishing eight %ol
umes of boo5s at a cost of D2)???E # as5e! myself.
#nstantly the answer to that @uestion flashe! into my
min! as plainly as if it ha! been uttere! in au!ible wor!s9
7=ou are following or!ers now instea! of as5ing @uestions.
=our 4other self will be in charge !uring this trip.7
*here was another con!ition which seeme! to ma5e my
preparation to go to hila!elphia absur!. # ha! no money
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*his thought ha! barely occurre! to me when my 7other self7
e6plo!e! it by gi%ing another sharp or!er saying 7s5 your
brotherinlaw for fifty !ollars an! he will len! it to you.7
*he or!er seeme! !efinite an! final. "ithout further hesi
tation # followe! instructions. "hen # as5e! my brotherinlaw
for the money he sai! 7"hy certainly you can ha%e fifty !ol
lars but if you are going to be gone %ery long you ha! better
ta5e a hun!re! !ollars.7 # than5e! him an! sai! # thought fifty
!ollars woul! be enough. # 5new it was not enough but that
was the amount my 7other self7 ha! comman!e! me to as5 for
an! that is the amount # secure!.
# was greatly relie%e! when # foun! that my brotherin
law was not going to as5 me why # was going to hila!elphia.
#f he ha! 5nown all that ha! ta5en place in my min! !uring
the pre%ious night he perhaps woul! ha%e thought # shoul!
go to a psychiatric hospital for treatment instea! of going to
hila!elphia on a wil!goose chase.
M# +Other Se,f Ta&es Co**an
# left with my hea! telling me # was a fool an! my 7other self7
comman!ing me to ignore the challenge an! carry out my
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instructions.
# !ro%e all night arri%ing in hila!elphia the ne6t morning.
My first thought was to loo5 up a mo!estly price! boar!ing
house where # coul! rent a room for about one !ollar a !ay.
Here again my 7other self7 too5 charge an! ga%e the com
man! to register at the most e6clusi%e hotel in the city. "ith
a little more than forty !ollars of my remaining capital in my
poc5et it seeme! li5e financial suici!e when # marche! up to
the !es5 an! as5e! for a roomA or rather # shoul! say # starte!
to as5 for a room when my newly !isco%ere! 7other self7 ga%e
the or!er to as5 for a suite of rooms the cost of which woul!
about consume my remaining capital in two !ays. # obeye!.
*he bellboy pic5e! up my bags han!e! me my claim
chec5 for my automobile an! bowe! me towar! the ele%ator
as if # were the rince of "ales. #t was the first time in more
than a year that any human being ha! shown me such !efer
ence. My own relati%es with whom # ha! been li%ing far from
ha%ing shown me !eference ha! Iso # imagine!J felt # was a
bur!en on their han!s an! # am sure that # was because no
man in the frame of min! that # ha! been in for the past year
coul! be anything other than a bur!en to all with whom he
came into contact.
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#t was becoming apparent that my 7other self7 was !eter
mine! to wean me away from the inferiority comple6 which #
ha! !e%elope!.
# tosse! the bellboy a !ollar. # starte! to estimate what my
hotel bill woul! be by the en! of the wee5 when my 7other self7
comman!e! me to get my min! entirely off of all thoughts of
limitation an! to con!uct myself for the time being >ust as #
woul! if # ha! all the money # wante! in my poc5ets.
*he e6perience # was passing through was both new an!
strange to me. # ha! ne%er pose! as being anything other than
what # belie%e! myself to be.
For nearly half an hour this 7other self7 ga%e or!ers which
# followe! to the letter !uring the subse@uent perio! of my
stay in hila!elphia. *he instructions were gi%en through the
me!ium of thoughts which presente! themsel%es in my min!
with such force that they were rea!ily !istinguishable from my
or!inary selfcreate! thoughts.
I Re"e!ve Stran-e +Orers+ fro* a Stran-e So$r"e
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to your min! tightly close! against all thoughts which see5 to
limit you in any manner whatsoe%er an! you will be safe.
7'o not permit yourself to worry about the money you
will nee! for your imme!iate e6penses. *hat will come to you
by the time you must ha%e it.
7Now let us get !own to business. First of all you shoul!
5now that the faith entity now in charge of your bo!y performs
no miracles nor !oes it wor5 in opposition to any of nature4s
laws. s long as it is in charge of your bo!y it will gui!e you
when you call on it through impulses of thought which it will
place in your min! in carrying out your plans through the
most logical an! con%enient natural me!ia a%ailable.
7bo%e e%erything else get this fact clearly fi6e! in your
min! that your 4other self will not !o your wor5 for youA it
will only gui!e you intelligently in achie%ing for yourself the
ob>ects of your !esires.
7*his 4other self will ai! you in translating your plans
into reality. Moreo%er you shoul! 5now that it begins always
with your ma>or or most pronounce! !esire. t this time your
ma>or !esire8 the one which brought you here8 is to publish
an! !istribute the results of your research into the causes of
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success an! failure. =ou estimate that you will nee! appro6i
mately D2)???.
7mong your ac@uaintances there is a man who will supply
you with this nee!e! capital. Begin at once to call into your
min! the names of all persons of your ac@uaintance whom you
ha%e reason to belie%e might be in!uce! to furnish the finan
cial ai! you re@uire.
7"hen the name of the logical person comes into your
min! you will recognize it imme!iately. Communicate
with that person an! the ai! you see5 will be gi%en. #n your
approach howe%er present your re@uest in terminology such
as you woul! use in the usual course of business transactions.
Ma5e no reference whatsoe%er to this intro!uction you ha%e
ha! to your 4other self #f you %iolate these instructions you
will meet with temporary !efeat.
7=our 4other self will remain in charge an! continue to
!irect you as long as you rely upon it. Keep !oubt an! fear an!
worry an! all thoughts of limitation entirely out of your min!.
7*hat will be all for the present. =ou will now begin to
mo%e of your own free will precisely as you !i! before you !is
co%ere! your 4other self. hysically you are the same as you
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ha%e always beenA therefore no one will recognize that any
change has ta5en place in you.7
# loo5e! aroun! the room blin5e! my eyes an! to ma5e
sure that # was not !reaming # got up an! wal5e! o%er to a
mirror an! loo5e! at myself closely. *he e6pression on my face
ha! change! from one of !oubt to one of courage an! faith.
*here was no longer any !oubt in my min! that my physical
bo!y was in charge of an influence far !ifferent from the one
which ha! been !ethrone! two nights before as # wal5e!
aroun! that school house in "est irginia.
Chapter T.o A NEW WORLD IS REVEALED TO ME
;B#;3SL= # H' 3N'0$:;N0 N0" B#$*H by which
# ha! been separate! from all forms of fear. # now
ha! courage such as # ne%er before ha! e6perience!.
'espite the fact that # ha! not as yet been shown
how or from what source # woul! be able to secure the neces
sary fun!s which # was see5ing # ha! such absolute faith that
the money woul! be forthcoming that # coul! see it alrea!y in
my possession.
;n but few occasions in my entire life ha%e # e6perience!
such faith. #t was a feeling which one person cannot !escribe
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to another. *here are no wor!s in the 0nglish language suit
able for such a !escription8 a fact that all who ha%e ha! similar
e6periences can easily %erify.
# procee!e! imme!iately to carry out the instructions #
ha! recei%e!. ll feeling that # ha! embar5e! upon an impos
sible mission ha! now left me. ;ne by one # began to call
into my min! the names of all my ac@uaintances # 5new to be
financially able to supply me with the D2)??? which # nee!e!
starting with the name of Henry For! an! going o%er the
entire list of more than three hun!re! people. My 7other self
plainly sai! 7Keep on searching.7
The Dar&est Ho$r Is /$st 0efore Da.n
But # ha! come to the en! of my rope. My entire list of
ac@uaintances ha! been e6hauste! an! with it my physical
en!urance as well. # ha! been at wor5 concentrating my
min! upon that list of names for the better part of two !ays
an! nights ha%ing stoppe! only long enough to sleep for a
few hours.
# leane! bac5 in my chair shut my eyes an! went into a
sort of !oze for a few minutes. # was arouse! by what seeme!
to be an e6plosion in the room. s # regaine! consciousness
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the name of lbert L. elton came into my min! . . . an! with
it a plan which # 5new instantly to be the plan through which
# woul! succee! in getting Mr. elton to publish my boo5s. #
remembere! Mr. elton only as an a!%ertiser in *he :ol!en
$ule magazine which # ha! formerly publishe!.
# sent for a typewriter a!!resse! a letter to Mr. elton at
Meri!en Connecticut an! !escribe! the plan >ust as it ha!
been han!e! o%er to me. He answere! by telegram saying that
he woul! be in hila!elphia to see me the following !ay.
"hen he came # showe! him the original manuscripts of
my philosophy an! briefly e6plaine! what # belie%e! its mis
sion to be. He turne! through the pages of the manuscripts
for a few minutes then stoppe! su!!enly an! fi6e! his eyes
on the wall for a few secon!s an! sai! 7# will publish your
boo5s for you.7
*he contract was !rawnA a substantial a!%ance payment
on royalties was gi%en me the manuscripts were turne! o%er to
him an! he too5 them bac5 to Meri!en.
# !i! not as5 him at the time what cause! him to reach
a !ecision to publish my boo5s before he ha! rea! the
manuscripts but # !o 5now that he supplie! the necessary
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that automobile merchan!ising metho!s ha! to un!ergo a
!rastic change an! that future salesmen in this fiel! woul!
ha%e to learn to sell automobiles instea! of merely ser%ing as
buyers of use! car tra!eins as most of them were !oing at
the time.
#t also occurre! to me that young men who ha! >ust fin
ishe! college an! who therefore 5new nothing of the ol!
7tric5s7 of automobile merchan!ising woul! be the mate
rial out of which this new bran! of salesmen coul! best
be !e%elope!.
*he i!ea was so !istinct an! impressi%e that # imme!i
ately calle! the sales manager of the :eneral Motors Company
on long!istance telephone an! briefly e6plaine! my plan to
him. He too was impresse! by it an! referre! me to the "est
hila!elphia branch of the Buic5 utomobile Company which
was then owne! an! manage! by 0arl owell. # went to see Mr.
owell e6plaine! my plan to him an! he retaine! me at once
to train fifteen carefully selecte! young college men through
whom the plan was put into operation.
My income from that retainer was more than enough to
ta5e care of all of my e6penses for the following three months
until the returns from the sale of my boo5s began to come in
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inclu!ing the cost of that e6pensi%e suite of rooms o%er which
# ha! at first been so concerne!.
My 7other self7 ha! not !isappointe! me. *he money #
nee!e! was in my han!s at the proper time >ust as # ha! been
assure! the money woul! be. By this time # ha! been con
%ince! that my trip to hila!elphia was by no means a fool4s
mission as my reason ha! in!icate! it woul! be before # left
"est irginia.
From that time right up to this %ery minute e%erything #
ha%e nee!e! has come to me an! this !espite the fact that the
whole worl! has recently passe! through a perio! of economic
!epression when the bare necessities of life ha%e not always
been a%ailable to all people. Sometimes the arri%al of the mate
rial things # nee!e! has been a little late but # can truthfully say
that my 7other self7 has always met me at the crossroa!s when
# ha%e come to them an! in!icate! which path # shoul! follow.
*he 7other self follows no prece!ents recognizes no limi
tations an! always fin!s a way to accomplish !esire! en!s
#t may meet with temporary !efeat but not with permanent
failure. # am as sure of the soun!ness of this statement as # am
of the fact of being engage! in writing these lines.
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Meanwhile # earnestly hope that some of the millions
of men an! women who ha%e been woun!e! by the business
!epression an! other unpleasant e6periences will !isco%er
within themsel%es this strange entity which # ha%e calle! my
7other self7 an! that the !isco%ery will lea! them as it has le!
me into a closer relationship with that source of power which
surmounts obstacles an! masters !ifficulties instea! of being
mastere! by them. *here is a great power to be !isco%ere! in
your 7other self7 Search sincerely an! you will fin! it.
+Fa!,$re+1 A 0,ess!n- !n D!s-$!se
# ha%e ma!e another !isco%ery as the result of this
intro!uction to my 7other self7 namely that there is a
solution for e%ery legitimate problem no matter how !ifficult
the problem may seem.
# ha%e also !isco%ere! that there comes with e%ery e6peri
ence of temporary !efeat an! e%ery failure an! e%ery form of
a!%ersity the see! of an e@ui%alent benefit.
Min! you # !i! not say the fullblown flower of success
but the see! from which that flower may be ma!e to germi
nate an! grow. # 5now of no e6ception to this rule. *he see! of
which # spea5 may not always be obser%e! but you may be sure
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it is there in one form or another.
# !o not preten! to un!erstan! all about this strange force
which re!uce! me to po%erty an! want an! fille! me with fear
an! then ga%e me a new birth of faith through which # ha%e
been pri%ilege! to e6ten! help to tens of thousan!s who foun!
themsel%es slipping. But # !o 5now that such a force has come
into my life an! that # am !oing all # can to place others in
communication with it.
'uring my @uartercentury of research into the causes of
success an! failure # ha%e !isco%ere! many principles of truth
which ha%e been helpful to me an! to others but nothing
# ha%e obser%e! has impresse! me more than the !isco%ery
that e%ery great lea!er of the past whose recor! # ha%e e6am
ine! was beset by !ifficulties an! met with temporary !efeat
before 7arri%ing.7
From Christ on !own to 0!ison the men who ha%e
achie%e! most ha%e been those who met with the most stub
born forms of temporary !efeat. *his woul! seem to >ustify
the conclusion that #nfinite #ntelligence has a plan or a law by
which it hur!les men o%er many obstacles before gi%ing them
the pri%ilege of lea!ership or the opportunity to ren!er useful
ser%ice in a noteworthy fashion.
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# woul! not wish to be again sub>ecte! to the e6periences
through which # passe! !uring that fateful Christmas 0%e
in 1/2& an! since on that e%entful e%ening when # wal5e!
aroun! the school house in "est irginia an! fought that
terrible battle with fear but all the wealth in the worl! woul!
not in!uce me to !i%est myself of the 5nowle!ge # ha%e gaine!
from those e6periences.
Fa!th Has a Ne. Mean!n- to Me
# repeat that # !o not 5now e6actly what this 7other self7 is but
# 5now enough about it to lean upon it in a spirit of absolute
faith in times of !ifficulty when the or!inary reasoning faculty
of my min! seems to be ina!e@uate for my nee!s.
*he economic !epression which starte! in 1/2/ brought
misery to millions of people but let us not forget that the
e6perience also brought many blessings not the least of these
being the 5nowle!ge that there is something infinitely worse
than being force! to wor5. #t is being force! not to wor5.
#n the main that !epression was more of a blessing than it
was a curse if analyze! in the light of the changes it brought
to the min!s of those who were woun!e! by it. *he same is
true of e%ery e6perience which changes men4s habits an!
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forces them to turn to the great 7within7 for the solution of
their problems.
*he time which # spent in seclusion in "est irginia was
by great o!!s the most se%ere punishment of my life but the
e6perience brought blessings in the form of nee!e! 5nowle!ge
which more than offset the suffering which it cost me.
*hese two results8 the suffering an! the 5nowle!ge gaine!
from it8 were ine%itable. *he law of compensation which
0merson so clearly !efine! ma!e this result both natural
an! necessary.
"hat the future may hol! for me in the way of !isappoint
ment through temporary !efeat # of course ha%e no way of
5nowing. # !o 5now howe%er that no e6perience of the future
can possibly woun! me as !eeply as ha%e some of those of the
past because # am now on spea5ing terms at least with my
7other self.7
Since this 7other self7 too5 charge of me # ha%e come by
useful 5nowle!ge which # am sure # ne%er woul! ha%e !isco%
ere! while my ol! fear entity was on the throne. For one thing #
ha%e learne! that those who meet with !ifficulties which seem
insurmountable may if they will !o so best o%ercome these
!ifficulties by forgetting them for a time an! helping others
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who ha%e greater problems.
The Va,$e of G!v!n- 0efore Tr#!n- to Get
# am sure that no effort which we e6ten! to those who are in
!istress can go without some form of a!e@uate rewar!. Not
always !oes the rewar! come from those to whom the ser%ice
is ren!ere! but it will come from one source or another.
# seriously !oubt that any man can a%ail himself of the
benefits of his 7other self7 as long as he is steepe! in gree!
an! a%arice en%y an! fear but if # am wrong in this conclu
sion then # still ha%e the unusual honor of being one who has
foun! peace of min! an! happiness through a %iewpoint that
was not soun!. # woul! prefer being thus wrong an! happy to
being right an! unhappy But this %iewpoint is not wrong
s long as # remain on goo! terms with my 7other self7
# shall be able to ac@uire e%ery material thing that # nee!.
Moreo%er # shall be able to fin! happiness an! peace of min!.
"hat more coul! anyone else accomplishE
*he sole moti%e which inspire! me to write this boo5 was
a sincere !esire to be helpful to others by sharing with them as
much as they may be prepare! to accept of the stupen!ous for
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tune which became mine the moment # !isco%ere! my 7other
self.7 *his fortune happily is one that cannot be measure!
in material or financial terms alone because it is greater than
e%erything which such things represent.
Material an! financial fortunes when re!uce! to their most
li@ui! terms are measurable in terms of ban5 balances. Ban5
balances are no stronger than ban5s. *his other fortune of
which # spea5 is measurable not only in terms of peace of min!
an! contentment but as manifeste! in those a!ept at prayer.
My 7other self7 has taught me to concentrate upon my
purpose an! to forget about the plan by which it is to be
attaine! when # go to prayer. # am not suggesting that mate
rial ob>ects may be ac@uire! without plans. "hat # am saying is
that the power which translates one4s thoughts or !esires into
realities has its source in an #nfinite #ntelligence which 5nows
more about plans than the one !oing the praying.
Stating the case in another way may it not be wise when
praying to trust to the 3ni%ersal Min! to han! o%er the plan
best suite! for the attainment of the ob>ect of that prayerE My
e6perience with prayer has taught me that so often all which
results from prayer is a plan Iif the prayer is answere! at allJ
a plan that is suite! for the attainment of the ob>ect of the
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prayer through natural an! material me!ia. *he plan must be
transmute! through selfeffort action.
# 5now nothing about any form of prayer which can be
in!uce! to wor5 fa%orably in a min! that is colore! in the
slightest !egree by fear.
A Ne. Wa# to 2ra#
Since becoming better ac@uainte! with my 7other self7 my
way of praying is !ifferent from what it was before. # use! to
go to prayer only when facing !ifficulty. Now # go to prayer
before !ifficulty o%erta5es me when possible. # now pray not
for more of this worl!4s goo!s an! greater blessings but to
be worthy of that which # alrea!y ha%e. # fin! that this plan is
better than the ol! one.
#nfinite #ntelligence seems not at all offen!e! when # gi%e
than5s an! show that # am grateful for the blessings which
ha%e crowne! my efforts. # was astoun!e! when # first trie!
this plan of offering a prayer of than5s for what # alrea!y pos
sesse! to !isco%er what a %ast fortune # ha! owne! without
being appreciati%e of it.
For e6ample # !isco%ere! that # possesse! a soun! bo!y
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which ha! ne%er been seriously !amage! by illness. # ha! a
min! which was reasonably well balance!. # ha! a creati%e
imagination through which # coul! ren!er useful ser%ice to
great numbers of people. # was blesse! with all the free!om #
!esire! in both bo!y an! min!. # possesse! an imperishable
!esire to help others who were less fortunate.
# !isco%ere! that happiness the highest aim of man5in!
was mine for the ta5ing business !epression or no business
!epression.
Last but by no means least # !isco%ere! that # ha! the
pri%ilege of approaching #nfinite #ntelligence either for the
purpose of offering than5s for what # alrea!y possesse! or to
as5 for more an! for gui!ance.
#t may be helpful for e%ery rea!er of this boo5 to ta5e
in%entory of his or her intangible assets. Such an in%entory
may !isclose possessions of priceless %alue.
So*e S!-ns We Have Over,oo&e
*he whole worl! is un!ergoing a change of such stupen!ous
proportions that millions of people ha%e become panic
stric5en with worry !oubt in!ecision an! fear #t seems to
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me that now is a splen!i! time for those who ha%e come to the
crossroa!s of !oubt to en!ea%or to become ac@uainte! with
their 7other sel%es.7
ll who wish to !o so will fin! it helpful if they ta5e a
lesson from nature. ;bser%ation will show that the eternal
stars shine nightly in their accustome! placesA that the sun
continues to sen! !own its rays of warmth causing Mother
0arth to yiel! an o%erabun!ance of foo! an! clothingA that
water continues to flow !own hillA that the bir!s of the air
an! the wil! animals of the forest recei%e their accustome!
re@uirements of foo!A that useful !ay follows restful nightA
that busy summer follows the inacti%e winterA that the seasons
come an! go precisely as they !i! before the 1/2/ !epression
beganA that in reality only men4s min!s ha%e cease! to func
tion normally an! this because men ha%e fille! their min!s
with fear. ;bser%ation of these simple facts of e%ery!ay life
may be helpful as a starting point for those who wish to sup
plant fear by faith.
# am not a prophet but # can with all !ue mo!esty pre
!ict that e%ery in!i%i!ual has the power to change his or her
material or financial status by first changing the nature of his
or her beliefs.
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'o not confuse the wor! 7belief7 with the wor! 7wish.7
*he two are not the same. 0%eryone is capable of 7wishing7 for
financial material or spiritual a!%antages but the element of
faith is the only sure power by which a wish may be translate!
into a belief an! a belief into reality.
n! right here is an appropriate place at which to call
attention to a real benefit which anyone may e6perience by
!eliberately using faith in focusing attention upon any form of
constructi%e !esire. *he min! acts upon one4s !ominating or
most pronounce! !esires. *here is no escape from this fact. #t
is a fact in!ee!. 7Be careful what you set your heart upon for it
surely shall be yours.7
Fa!th Is the 0e-!nn!n- of A,, Great A"h!eve*ent
#f 0!ison ha! stoppe! by merely wishing for the secret
with which electric energy might be harnesse! an! ma!e to
ser%e through the incan!escent lamp that con%enience to
ci%ilization woul! ha%e remaine! among nature4s multifarious
secrets. He met with temporary !efeat more than 1???? times
before wresting this secret from nature. #t was finally yiel!e!
up to him because he belie%e! it woul! be an! he 5ept on
trying until he ha! the answer.
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0!ison unco%ere! more of nature4s secrets Ithey might
ha%e been calle! 7miracles7 at an earlier perio!J in the realm
of physics than !i! any other man who e%er li%e! an!
this because he became ac@uainte! with his 7other self.7 #
ha%e his own wor! for this but e%en if # !i! not ha%e it his
achie%ements of themsel%es ha%e !isclose! the secret in their
unfol!ment.
Nothing within reason is impossible to the man who
5nows an! relies upon his 7other self.7 "hate%er man belie%es
to be true has a way of becoming true.
prayer is a release! thought sometimes e6presse! in
au!ible wor!s an! at other times e6presse! silently. # ha%e
obser%e! by e6perience that a silent prayer is as efficacious as
the one which is e6presse! in wor!s. # ha%e obser%e! also that
one4s state of min! is the !etermining factor when prayer
wor5s as well as when it !oes not.
My conception of the 7other self7 which # ha%e trie!
to !escribe is that it merely symbolizes a newly !isco%ere!
approach to #nfinite #ntelligence an approach which one may
control an! !irect through the simple process of mi6ing faith
with one4s thoughts. *his is only another way of saying that #
now ha%e greater faith in the power of prayer.
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*he state of min! 5nown as faith apparently opens to one
the me!ium of a si6th sense through which one may commu
nicate with sources of power an! information far surpassing
any a%ailable through the fi%e physical senses. *here comes to
your ai! an! to !o your bi!!ing with the !e%elopment of the
si6th sense a strange power which let us assume is a guar!ian
angel who can open to you at all times the !oor to the *emple
of "is!om. *he 7si6th sense7 comes as near to being a miracle
as anything # ha%e e%er e6perience! an! it appears so perhaps
because # !o not un!erstan! the metho! by which this prin
ciple is operate!.
*his much # !o 5now8 that there is a power or a first cause
or an #ntelligence which permeates e%ery atom of matter an!
embraces e%ery unit of energy perceptible to manA that this
#nfinite #ntelligence con%erts acorns into oa5 trees causes
water to flow !ownhill in response to the law of gra%ity follows
night with !ay an! winter with summer each maintaining its
proper place an! relationship to the other. *his #ntelligence
may ai! in transmuting one4s !esires into concrete or material
form. # ha%e this 5nowle!ge because # ha%e e6perimente! with
it an! ha%e e6perience! it.
# ha%e for many years followe! the habit of ta5ing personal
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in%entory of myself once a year for the purpose of !etermining
how many of my wea5nesses # ha%e bri!ge! or eliminate! an!
to ascertain what progress if any # ha! ma!e !uring the year.
Chapter Three A STRANGE INTERVIEW WITH THE DEVIL
"H#L0 =;3 $0 $0'#N: *H0 #N*0$#0" with the
'e%il you will recognize from the brief !escription #
ha%e gi%en you of the history of my life what a !es
perate effort the 'e%il ma!e to muzzle me before
# gaine! public recognition. =ou will un!erstan! also after
rea!ing the inter%iew with the 'e%il why the inter%iew ha! to
be prece!e! by this personal history of my bac5groun!.
Before you begin to rea! the inter%iew # want you to ha%e
a clear picture of the final fling the 'e%il ha! at me an! be
it remembere! with profit that it was this final fling which
ga%e mercy a chance to turn an! twist the 'e%il4s tail until he
s@ueale! out his confession.
*he 'e%il4s un!oing began with the !epression in 1/2/.
*hrough that fortunate turn of the "heel of Life # lost my
+??acre estate in the Cats5ill MountainsA my income was
entirely cut offA the Harriman National Ban5 in which all my
fun!s were !eposite! fol!e! up an! was wipe! out. Before #
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ophy of self!etermination to the organization of which # ha!
!e%ote! the better portion of my a!ult life. ;nce more # ha!
the opportunity to learn whether my philosophy was practical
or mere theory.
# realize! too the opportunity ha! come to test a claim #
ha! ma!e hun!re!s of times that 7e%ery a!%ersity brings with
it the see! of an e@ui%alent a!%antage.7 "hat if any # as5e!
myself were the a!%antages to me of a worl! !epressionE
"hen # began to loo5 for a !irection in which # might
mo%e to test my philosophy # ma!e the most shoc5ing !is
co%ery of my life. # !isco%ere! that through some strange power
which # !i! not un!erstan! # ha! lost my courageA my initia
ti%e ha! been !emoralize!A my enthusiasm ha! been wea5
ene!. "orst of all # was sorely ashame! to ac5nowle!ge that #
was the author of a philosophy of self!etermination because
!own !eep in my heart # 5new or thought # 5new that # coul!
not ma5e my philosophy pull me out of the hole of !espair in
which # foun! myself.
"hile # floun!ere! in a state of mental bewil!erment
the 'e%il must ha%e been !ancing a >ig of re>oicing. t last
he ha! 7the author of the worl!4s first philosophy of in!i
%i!ual achie%ement7 pinne! un!er his thumb an! paralyze!
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with in!ecision.
But the 'e%il4s opposition must ha%e been at wor5 too
s # sat there in front of the Lincoln Memorial re%iewing
in retrospect the circumstances which ha! so many times
pre%iously lifte! me to great heights of achie%ement only to
let me !rop to e@ual !epths of !espair a happy thought was
han!e! o%er to me in the form of a !efinite plan of action by
which # belie%e! # coul! throw off that hypnotic feeling of
in!ifference with which # ha! been boun!.
#n the inter%iew with the 'e%il the e6act nature of the
power by which # ha! been !epri%e! of my initiati%e an!
courage has been !escribe!. #t is the same power with which
millions of others were boun! !uring the :reat 'epression. #t
is the chief weapon with which the 'e%il ensnares an! controls
human beings.
*he sum an! substance of this thought which came to
me was this9 'espite the fact that # ha! learne! from n!rew
Carnegie an! more than fi%e hun!re! others of e@ual business
an! professional achie%ements that noteworthy achie%ements
in all wal5s of life come through the application of the Master
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Min! Ithe harmonious coor!ination of two or more min!s
wor5ing to a !efinite en!J # ha! faile! to ma5e such an alli
ance for the purpose of carrying out my plan to ta5e the phi
losophy of in!i%i!ual achie%ement to the worl!.
'espite the fact # ha! un!erstoo! the power of the Master
Min! # ha! neglecte! to appropriate an! use this power. # ha!
been laboring as a 7lone wolf instea! of allying myself with
other an! superior min!s.
An Ana,#s!s
Let us now briefly analyze the strange inter%iew you are about
to begin. Some who rea! will want to as5 after they finish it
7'i! you really inter%iew the 'e%il or !i! you merely inter%iew
an imaginary 'e%ilE7 Some may wish the answer to this
@uestion before they begin the inter%iew.
# will answer in the only truthful way # coul! answer ... by
saying that the 'e%il # inter%iewe! may ha%e been real >ust as
he claime! to be or he may ha%e been the creation of my own
imagination. "hiche%er he was whether real or imaginary is
of little importance compare! with the nature of the informa
tion con%eye! through the inter%iew.
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*he important @uestion is this9 'oes the inter%iew con%ey
!epen!able information which may be helpful to people who
are trying to fin! their places in the worl!E #f it con%eys that
sort of information no matter whether it is con%eye! in the
form of fact or fiction then it is worthy of serious analysis
through careful rea!ing. # am not concerne! in the least as
to the real source of the information or as to the real nature
of the 'e%il whose astoun!ing story you are about to rea!. #
am concerne! only with the fact that the 'e%il4s confession
s@uares perfectly with what # ha%e seen of life.
# belie%e the inter%iew !oes con%ey information of prac
tical benefit to all who ha%e not foun! life to be frien!ly an!
the reason # belie%e so is the fact that # ha%e ma!e the central
theme of this boo5 yiel! to me all the happiness # nee! in the
form best suite! to my nature.
# ha%e ha! e6perience with enough of the principles men
tione! by the 'e%il to assure me that they will !o e6actly what
he says they will. *hat is enough for me. So # pass the story of
the inter%iew on to you for whate%er you may be able to ma5e
it pay in useful !i%i!en!s.
erhaps you will get the greatest %alues if you accept the
'e%il as being what he claims himself to be relying upon his
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message for whate%er it may bring you that you can use an!
not worrying as to who the 'e%il is or whether he e6ists.
#f you want my honest personal opinion # belie%e the
'e%il is e6actly who he claims to be. Now let us analyze his
strange confession.
fter forcing his way into the consciousness of the 'e%il
7Mr. 0arthboun!7 began the unwilling inter%iew with @ues
tions which coul! not be e%a!e! . . .
Here 0e-!ns the Interv!e. .!th the Dev!,
< # ha%e unco%ere! the secret co!e by which # can pic5 up
your thoughts. # ha%e come to as5 you some %ery plain @ues
tions. # !eman! that you gi%e me !irect an! truthful answers.
re you rea!y for the inter%iew Mr. 'e%ilE
=es # am rea!y but you must a!!ress me with more
respect. 'uring this inter%iew you will a!!ress me as
7=our Ma>esty.7
< By what right !o you !eman! such royal respectE
=ou shoul! 5now # control /- percent of the people of your
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worl!. 'o you not thin5 that entitles me to rate as royaltyE
< Ha%e you proof of your claimE
=es plenty of it.
< ;f what !oes your proof consistE
;f many things. #f you want answers you will a!!ress me
as 7=our Ma>esty.7 Some things you will un!erstan!A some
you will not. #n or!er that you may get my %iewpoint # shall
!escribe myself an! correct the false notions people ha%e of me
an! my place of abo!e.
< *hat is a fine i!ea =our Ma>esty. Start by telling me where
you li%e. *hen !escribe your physical appearance.
My physical appearanceE "hy my !ear Mr. 0arthboun!
# ha%e no physical bo!y. # woul! be han!icappe! by such an
encumbrance as those in which you earthboun! creatures li%e.
# consist of negati%e energy an! # li%e in the min!s of people
who fear me. # also occupy onehalf of e%ery atom of physical
matter an! e%ery unit of mental an! physical energy. erhaps
you will better un!erstan! my nature if # tell you # am the nega
ti%e portion of the atom.
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< ;h # see what you are preparing to claim. =ou are laying
the foun!ation to say that if it were not for you there woul! be
no worl! no stars no electrons no atoms no human beings
nothing. #s that correctE
*rue bsolutely true.
< "ell if you only occupy onehalf of energy an! matter
who occupies the other halfE
*he other half is occupie! by my opposition.
< ;ppositionE "hat !o you meanE
*he opposition is what you earthboun! call :o!.
< So you ha%e the uni%erse !i%i!e! up with :o!. #s that
your claimE
Not my claim but the actual fact. Before this inter%iew is
finishe! you will un!erstan! why my claim is true. =ou will also
un!erstan! why it has to be true or there coul! be no worl!
such as yours no earthboun! creatures such as you. # am no
beast with a for5e! tongue an! a spi5e! tail.
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< But you !o control the min!s of /- out of e%ery 1??
people. =ou sai! so yourself. "ho causes all the misery in this
/- percent 'e%ilcontrolle! worl! if you !o notE
# ha%e not sai! that # !o not cause all the misery of the
worl!. ;n the other han! # boast of it. #t is my business to
represent the negati%e si!e of e%erything inclu!ing the
thoughts of you earthboun! people. How else coul! # control
peopleE My opposition controls positi%e thought. # control neg
ati%e thought.
< How !o you gain control of the min!s of peopleE
;h that is easy9 # merely mo%e in an! occupy the unuse!
space of the human brain. # sow the see!s of negati%e thought
in the min!s of people so # can occupy an! control the space
< =ou must ha%e many tric5s an! !e%ices by which you gain
an! hol! control of the human min!.
*o be sure # employ tric5s an! !e%ices to control human
thought. My !e%ices are cle%er ones too.
< :o ahea! an! !escribe your cle%er tric5s =our Ma>esty.
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*he story is too long to be tol! in a few wor!s. #t began
o%er a million years ago when the first man began to thin5.
3p to that time # ha! control o%er all man5in! but enemies of
mine !isco%ere! the power of positi%e thought place! it in the
min!s of men an! then began a battle on my part to remain
in control. So far # ha%e !one @uite well by myself ha%ing lost
only 2 percent of the people to the opposition.
< # ta5e it from your answer that men who thin5 are your
enemies. #s that rightE
#t is not right but it is correct.
< *ell me something more about the worl! in which you li%e.
# li%e where%er # choose. *ime an! space !o not e6ist for
me. # am a force best !escribe! to you as energy. My fa%orite
physical !welling place as # ha%e tol! you is the min!s of the
earthboun!. # control a part of the brain space of e%ery human
being. *he amount of space # occupy in each in!i%i!ual4s min!
!epen!s upon how little an! what sort of thin5ing that person
!oes. s # ha%e tol! you # cannot entirely control any person
who thin5s.
< =ou spea5 of your opposition. "hat !o you mean by thatE
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My opponent controls all the positi%e forces of the worl!
such as lo%e faith hope an! optimism. My opponent also con
trols the positi%e factors of all natural law throughout the uni
%erse the forces which 5eep the earth an! the planets an! all
the stars balance! in their courses but these forces are mee5
in comparison with those which operate in the human min!
un!er my control. =ou see # !o not see5 to control stars an!
planets. # prefer the control of human min!s.
< "here !i! you ac@uire your power an! by what means !o
you a!! to itE
# a!! to my power by appropriating the min!power of the
earthboun! as they come through the gate at the time of !eath.
Ninetyeight out of e%ery 1?? who come bac5 to my plane from
the earth plane are ta5en o%er by me an! their min!power is
a!!e! to my being. # get all who come o%er with any form of
fear. =ou see # am constantly at wor5 preparing the min!s of
people before !eath so # can appropriate them when they come
bac5 to my plane.
< "ill you tell me how you go about your >ob of preparing
human min!s so you can control themE
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# ha%e countless ways of gaining control of human min!s
while they are still on the earth plane. My greatest weapon
is po%erty. # !eliberately !iscourage people from accumu
lating material wealth because po%erty !iscourages men from
thin5ing an! ma5es them easy prey for me. My ne6t best frien!
is ill health. n unhealthy bo!y !iscourages thin5ing. *hen
# ha%e countless thousan!s of wor5ers on earth who ai! me in
gaining control of human min!s. # ha%e these agents place! in
e%ery calling. *hey represent e%ery race an! cree! e%ery religion.
< "ho are your greatest enemies on earth =our Ma>estyE
ll who inspire people to thin5 an! act on their own initia
ti%e are my enemies. Such men as Socrates Confucius oltaire
0merson *homas aine an! braham Lincoln. n! you are
not !oing me any goo! either.
< #s it true that you use men who ha%e great wealthE
s # ha%e alrea!y tol! you po%erty is always my frien!
because it !iscourages in!epen!ence of thought an! encour
ages fear in the min!s of men. Some wealthy men ser%e my
cause while others !o me great !amage !epen!ing upon how
the wealth is use!. *he great $oc5efeller fortune for e6ample
is one of my worst enemies.
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< *hat is interesting =our Ma>estyA will you tell me why you
fear the $oc5efeller fortune more than othersE
*he $oc5efeller money is being use! to isolate an! con@uer
!iseases of the physical bo!y in all parts of the worl!. 'isease
has always been one of my most effecti%e weapons. *he fear of
ill health is secon! only to the fear of po%erty. *he $oc5efeller
money is unco%ering new secrets of nature in a hun!re! !if
ferent !irections all of which are !esigne! to help men ta5e
an! 5eep possession of their own min!s. #t is encouraging new
an! better metho!s of fee!ing clothing an! housing people. #t
is wiping out the slums in the large cities the places where my
fa%orite allies are foun! #t is financing campaigns for better
go%ernment an! helping to wipe out !ishonesty in politics.
#t is helping to set higher stan!ar!s in business practice an!
encouraging business men to con!uct business by the :ol!en
$uleA an! that is not !oing my cause any goo!.
< "hat about these boys an! girls who are sai! to be on the
roa! to hellE re you in control of themE
"ell # can answer that @uestion only with 7yes an! no.7
# ha%e corrupte! the min!s of the young by teaching them to
!rin5 an! smo5e but they ha%e me baffle! through their ten
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!ency to thin5 for themsel%es.
< =ou say you ha%e corrupte! the min!s of the young people
with li@uor an! cigarettes. # can un!erstan! how li@uor might
!estroy the power of in!epen!ent thought but !o not see what
cigarettes ha%e to !o with helping your cause.
=ou may not 5now it but cigarettes brea5 !own the power
of persistenceA they !estroy the power of en!uranceA they
!estroy the ability to concentrateA they !ea!en an! un!ermine
the imaginati%e faculty an! help in other ways to 5eep people
from using their min!s most effecti%ely.
'o you 5now # ha%e millions of people young an! ol! of
both se6es who smo5e two pac5ages of cigarettes a !ayE *hat
means # ha%e millions of people who are gra!ually !estroying
their power of resistance.
;ne !ay # shall a!! to their habit of cigarette smo5ing
other thought!estroying habits until # shall ha%e gaine! con
trol of their min!s.
Habits come in pairs triplets an! @ua!ruplets. ny habit
which wea5ens one4s will power in%ites a floc5 of its relati%es to
mo%e in an! ta5e possession of the min!. *he cigarette habit
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not only lowers the power of resistance an! !iscourages persis
tence but it in%ites looseness in other human relationships.
< # ne%er thought that cigarettes were a tool of !estruc
tion =our Ma>esty but your e6planation throws a !ifferent
light on the sub>ect. How many con%erts to the habit !o you
now claimE
# am prou! of my recor!. Millions are now %ictims an! the
number is increasing !aily. Soon # shall ha%e most of the worl!
in!ulging in the habit. #n thousan!s of families # now ha%e fol
lowers of the habit inclu!ing e%ery member of the family. ery
young boys an! girls are beginning to ta5e up the habit. *hey
are learning how to smo5e by obser%ing their parents an! ol!er
brothers an! sisters.
< "hich !o you consi!er to be your greater tool for gaining
control of human min!s8 cigarettes or li@uorE
"ithout hesitation # woul! say cigarettes. ;nce # get a
young person to >oin my twopac5agea!ay club # ha%e no
trouble in in!ucing that person to ta5e on the habit of li@uor
o%erin!ulgence of se6 an! all other relate! habits which
!estroy in!epen!ence of thought an! action.
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< =our Ma>esty when # began this inter%iew # ha! you all
wrong. # thought you were a frau! an! a fa5e but # see now
that you are @uite real an! %ery powerful.
=our apology is accepte! but you nee! not ha%e bothere!.
Millions of people ha%e @uestione! my power an! # got most
of them at the gate as they came o%er.
# as5 no person to belie%e in me. # prefer that people fear
me. # am no beggar # ta5e what # want by cle%erness an! force.
Begging people to belie%e is the business of my opposition8
not mine.
< =our Ma>esty will please par!on my ru!eness but # woul!
not be able to loo5 myself in the face again if # !i! not tell you
here an! now that you are the !amne!est fien! e%er to be
turne! loose on innocent people.
# always ha! the wrong conception of you. # thought you
were 5in! enough to let people alone while they were li%ing
that you merely torture! their souls after !eath. Now # learn
from your own brazen confession that you !estroy their right
to free!om of thought an! cause them to go through a li%ing
hell on earth. "hat !o you ha%e to say to thatE
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# get what # want by e6ercising selfcontrol. #t is not
so goo! for my own business but # suggest you emulate me
instea! of criticizing me. =ou call yourself a thin5er an!
you are. ;therwise you woul! ne%er ha%e force! this inter%iew
on me. But you will ne%er be the sort of thin5er that frightens
me unless you gain an! e6ercise greater control o%er your
own emotions.
< Let us get away from personalities. # came here to learn
more about you not to !iscuss myself. lease go ahea! an!
tell me of the many tric5s you ha%e !e%ise! for gaining con
trol of the human min!. "hat is your most powerful weapon
>ust nowE
*hat is a !ifficult @uestion to answer. # ha%e so many
!e%ices for entering human min!s an! controlling them that
it is !ifficult to say which are the most powerful. $ight at the
moment # am trying to bring about another worl! war. My
frien!s here in "ashington are helping me to in%ol%e merica
in the war. #f # can start the worl! to 5illing on a wholesale
basis # shall be able to put into operation my fa%orite !e%ice
for min! control. #t is what you may call mass fear. # use! this
!e%ice to bring about the other "orl! "ar in 1/1(. 1 use! it to
bring about the economic !epression in 1/2/ an! if my oppo
sition ha! not !oublecrosse! me # woul! now be in posses
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sion of e%ery man woman an! chil! in the worl!. =ou can see
for yourself how near # came to worl! !omination8 the thing #
ha%e been struggling to attain for thousan!s of years.
< =es # see your point. "ho woul!n4tE =ou are a %ery inge
nious manipulator of the min!s of people. #s your !e%ilish
business carrie! on only through people of high position an!
great influenceE
;h no # use the min!s of people in all wal5s of life. s a
matter of fact # prefer the type of person who ma5es no pre
tense of thin5ingA # can manipulate that sort of person without
!ifficulty. # coul! not control /- percent of the people of the
worl! if all people were s5ille! in thin5ing for themsel%es.
< # am intereste! in the welfare of those people whom you
claim to control. *herefore # wish you to tell me all of the
tric5s by which you enter an! control their min!s. # want
a complete confession from you so begin with your cle%er
est tric5.
*his is suici!e you are forcing on me but # am helpless So
settle !own an! # will place in your han!s the weapon by which
millions of your fellowearthboun! will !efen! themsel%es
against me.
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Chapter Fo$r DRIFTING WITH THE DEVIL
< *ell me first about your most cle%er tric5 8 the
one you use to ensnare the greatest number of people.
#f you force me to gi%e away this secret it will mean my loss
of millions of people now li%ing an! still greater numbers of
millions as yet unborn. # beg of you permit me to pass this one
@uestion unanswere!.
< So His Ma>esty the 'e%il fears a mere humble earthboun!
creature #s that rightE
#t is not right but it is true. =ou ha%e no right to rob me
of my most necessary tool of tra!e. For millions of years #
ha%e !ominate! earthboun! creatures through fear an! igno
rance. Now you come along an! woul! !estroy my use of these
weapons by forcing me to tell how # use them. 'o you not
realize that you will brea5 my grip on e%ery person who hee!s
this confession you are forcing from meE Ha%e you no mercyE
Ha%e you no sense of humorE Ha%e you no sportsmanshipE
< Stop stalling an! start confessing. "ho are you to as5
mercy of one whom you woul! !estroy if you coul!E "ho are
you to tal5 of sportsmanship an! a sense of humorE =ou who
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by your own confession ha%e set up a li%ing hell on earth where
you punish innocent people through their fears an! igno
rance. s for min!ing my own business that is >ust what # am
!oing when # force you to tell how you control people through
their own min!s. My business if it can be calle! a business is
helping to unloc5 the !oors of the selfma!e prisons in which
men an! women are confine! because of the fears you ha%e
plante! in their min!s.
My greatest weapon o%er human beings consists of two secret
principles by which # gain control of their min!s. # will spea5
first of the principle of habit through which # silently enter the
min!s of people. By operating through this principle # establish
I# wish # coul! a%oi! using this wor!J the habit of !rifting. "hen
a person begins to !rift on any sub>ect he is hea!e! straight
towar! the gates of what you earthboun! call hell.
< 'escribe all the ways in which you in!uce people to !rift.
'efine the wor! an! tell us e6actly what you mean by it.
# can best !efine the wor! 7!rift7 by saying that people who
thin5 for themsel%es ne%er !rift while those who !o little or no
thin5ing for themsel%es are !rifters. !rifter is one who per
mits himself to be influence! an! controlle! by circumstances
outsi!e of his own min!. He woul! rather let me occupy his
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min! an! !o his thin5ing than go to the trouble of thin5ing
for himself. !rifter is one who accepts whate%er life throws
in his way without ma5ing a protest or putting up a fight. He
!oesn4t 5now what he wants from life an! spen!s all of his
time getting >ust that. !rifter has lots of opinions but they
are not his own. Most of them are supplie! by me.
!rifter is one who is too lazy mentally to use his own
brain. *hat is the reason # can ta5e control of people4s thin5ing
an! plant my own i!eas in their min!s.
< # thin5 # un!erstan! what a !rifter is. *ell me the e6act
habits of people by which you in!uce them to !rift through
life. Start by telling me when an! how you first gain control of
a person4s min!.
My control o%er the min! of a human being is obtaine!
while the person is young. Sometimes # lay the foun!ation for
my control of a min! before the owner of it is born by manipu
lating the min!s of that person4s parents. Sometimes # go fur
ther bac5 than this an! prepare people for my control through
what you earthboun! call 7physical here!ity.7 =ou see there
fore # ha%e two approaches to the min! of a person.
< =es. :o on an! !escribe these two !oors by which you
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enter an! control the min!s of human beings.
s # ha%e state! # help to bring people into your worl! with
wea5 brains by gi%ing to them before birth as many as possible
of the wea5nesses of their ancestors. =ou call this principle
7physical here!ity.7 fter people are born # ma5e use of what
you earthboun! call 7en%ironment7 as a means of controlling
them. *his is where the principle of habit enters. *he min! is
nothing more than the sum total of one4s habits ;ne by one
# enter the min! an! establish habits which lea! finally to my
absolute !omination of the min!
< *ell me of the most common habits by which you control
the min!s of people.
*hat is one of my cle%erest tric5s9 # enter the min!s of
people through thoughts which they belie%e to be their own.
*hose most useful to me are fear superstition a%arice gree!
lust re%enge anger %anity an! plain laziness. *hrough one or
more of these # can enter any min! at any age but # get my best
results when # ta5e charge of a min! while it is young before its
owner has learne! how to close any of these nine !oors. *hen #
can set up habits which 5eep the !oors a>ar fore%er.
< # am catching on to your metho!s. Now let us go bac5 to
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the habit of !rifting. *ell us all about that habit since you say
it is your cle%erest tric5 in controlling the min!s of people.
s # sai! before # start people !rifting !uring their youth.
# in!uce them to !rift through school without 5nowing what
occupation they wish to follow in life. Here # catch the ma>ority
of people. Habits are relate!. 'rift in one !irection an! soon
you will be !rifting in all !irections. # also use en%ironmental
habits to gi%e me a !efinite grip on my %ictims.
< # see. =ou ma5e it your business to train chil!ren in the
habit of !rifting by in!ucing them to go through school
without aim or purpose. Now tell me of some of your other
tric5s with which you cause people to become !rifters.
"ell my secon! best tric5 in !e%eloping the habit of
!rifting is one that # put into operation with the ai! of parents
an! public schoolteachers an! religious instructors.
# warn you not to force me to mention this tric5. 'o
not !isclose this tric5. #f you !o so you will be hate! by my
cowor5ers who help me use this tric5. #f you publish this con
fession in boo5 form your boo5 will be barre! from the public
schools. #t will be blac5liste! by most of the religious lea!ers. #t
will be hi!!en from chil!ren by many parents. *he newspapers
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will not !are to gi%e re%iews of your boo5. Millions of people
will hate you for writing the boo5.
#n fact no one will li5e you or your boo5 e6cept those
who thin5 an! you 5now how %ery few there are of this sort
My a!%ice to you is to let me s5ip the !escription of my secon!
best tric5.
< So for my own goo! you wish to withhol! the !escrip
tion of your secon! best tric5. No one will li5e my boo5 e6cept
those who thin5 ehE ery well go ahea! an! answer.
=ou4ll regret this Mr. 0arthboun! but the >o5e is on you.
By this mista5e of yours you will !i%ert attention from me to
yourself. My cowor5ers of whom there are millions will forget
about me an! hate you for unco%ering my metho!s.
< Ne%er min! about me. *ell me all about this secon! best
tric5 of yours with which you in!uce people to !rift with you
to hell.
My secon! best tric5 is not secon! at all. #t is first #t is first
because without it # ne%er coul! gain control of the min!s of
the youths. arents schoolteachers religious instructors an!
many other a!ults un5nowingly ser%e my purpose by helping
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me to !estroy in chil!ren the habit of thin5ing for themsel%es.
*hey go about their wor5 in %arious ways ne%er suspecting
what they are !oing to the min!s of chil!ren or the real cause
of the chil!ren4s mista5es.
< # can har!ly belie%e you =our Ma>esty. # ha%e always
belie%e! that chil!ren4s best frien!s were those closest to
them their parents their school teachers an! their religious
instructors. "here woul! chil!ren go for !epen!able gui!ance
if not to those who ha%e charge of themE
*hat is where my cle%erness comes in. *here is the e6act
e6planation of how # control /- percent of the people of the
worl!. # ta5e possession of people !uring their youth before
they come into possession of their own min!s by using those
who are in charge of them. # especially nee! the help of those
who gi%e chil!ren their religious instruction because it is here
that # brea5 !own in!epen!ent thought an! start people on
the habit of !rifting by confusing their min!s with unpro%
able i!eas concerning a worl! of which they 5now nothing. #t is
here also that # plant in the min!s of chil!ren the greatest of all
fears8 the fear of hell
< # un!erstan! that it is easy for you to frighten chil!ren
with threats of hell but how !o you continue to ma5e them
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fear you an! your hell after they grow up an! learn to thin5 for
themsel%esE
Chil!ren grow up but they !o not always learn to thin5 for
themsel%es ;nce # capture the min! of a chil! through fear #
wea5en that chil!4s ability to reason an! to thin5 for himself
an! that wea5ness goes with the chil! all through life.
< #s that not ta5ing unfair a!%antage of a human being by
contaminating his min! before he comes into full possession
ofitE
0%erything is fair that # can use to further my en!s. # ha%e
no foolish limitations of right an! wrong. Might is right with
me. # use e%ery 5nown human wea5ness to gain an! 5eep con
trol of the human min!.
< # un!erstan! your !e%ilish nature Now let us get bac5 to
further !iscussion of your metho!s of in!ucing people to !rift
to hell here on earth. From your confession # see that you ta5e
charge of chil!ren while their min!s are young an! pliable.
*ell me more of how you use parents teachers an! religious
lea!ers to ensnare people into !rifting.
;ne of my fa%orite tric5s is to coor!inate the efforts of par
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ents an! religious instructors so they wor5 together in helping
me to !estroy the chil!ren4s power to thin5 for themsel%es. #
use many religious instructors to un!ermine the courage an!
power of in!epen!ent thought of chil!ren by teaching them
to fear meA but # use parents to ai! the religious lea!ers in this
great wor5 of mine.
< How !o parents help religious lea!ers !estroy their chil
!ren4s power to thin5 for themsel%esE # ne%er hear! of such a
monstrosity
# accomplish this through a %ery cle%er tric5. # cause the
parents to teach their chil!ren to belie%e as the parents !o
in connection with religion politics marriage an! other
important sub>ects. #n this way as you can see when # gain con
trol of the min! of a person # can easily perpetuate the control
by causing that person to help me fasten it upon the min!s of
his offspring.
< #n what other ways !o you use parents to con%ert chil!ren
into !riftersE
# cause chil!ren to become !rifters by following the
e6ample of their parents most of whom # ha%e alrea!y ta5en
o%er an! boun! eternally to my cause. #n some parts of the
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worl! # gain mastery o%er chil!ren4s min!s an! sub!ue their
will power in e6actly the same way that men brea5 an! sub!ue
animals of lower intelligence. #t ma5es no !ifference to me how
a chil!4s will is sub!ue! as long as it fears something. # will
enter its min! through that fear an! limit the chil!4s power to
thin5 in!epen!en!y.
< #t seems that you go out of your way to 5eep people
from thin5ingE
=es. ccurate thought is !eath to me. # cannot e6ist in the
min!s of those who thin5 accurately. # !o not min! people
thin5ing as long as they thin5 in terms of fear !iscouragement
hopelessness an! !estructi%eness. "hen they begin to thin5 in
constructi%e terms of faith courage hope an! !efiniteness of
purpose they imme!iately become allies of my opposition an!
are therefore lost to me.
< # am beginning to un!erstan! how you gain control of the
min!s of chil!ren through the help of their parents an! reli
gious instructors but # !o not see how the schoolteachers help
you in this !amnable wor5.
Schoolteachers help me gain control of the min!s of chil
!ren not so much by what they teach the chil!ren as because of
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what they !o not teach them. *he entire public school system
is so a!ministere! that it helps my cause by teaching chil!ren
almost e%erything e6cept how to use their own min!s an!
thin5 in!epen!ently. # li%e in fear that some!ay some coura
geous person will re%erse the present system of school teaching
an! !eal my cause a !eath blow by allowing the stu!ents to
become the instructors using those who now ser%e as teachers
only as gui!es to help the chil!ren establish ways an! means
of !e%eloping their own min!s from within. "hen that time
comes the schoolteachers will no longer belong to my staff.
< # was un!er the impression that the purpose of all
schooling was to help chil!ren to thin5.
*hat may be the purpose of schooling but the system in
most of the schools of the worl! !oes not carry out the pur
pose. School chil!ren are taught not to !e%elop an! use their
own min!s but to a!opt an! use the thoughts of others.
*his sort of schooling !estroys the capacity for in!epen!ent
thought e6cept in a few rare cases where chil!ren rely so !efi
nitely upon their own will power that they refuse to allow
others to !o their thin5ing. ccurate thought is the business of
my opposition not mine
< "hat relationship if any has your opposition with the
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homes the churches an! the schoolsE =our reply to this @ues
tion shoul! be interesting.
Here is where # ma5e use of some more of my cle%er tric5s.
# cause it to appear that e%erything !one by the parents the
schoolteachers an! the religious instructors is being !one by
my opposition.
*his !i%erts attention from me while # manipulate the
min!s of the young. "hen religious instructors try to teach
chil!ren the %irtues of my opposition they generally !o so
by frightening them with my name. *hat is all # as5 of them.
# 5in!le the flame of fear into proportions which !estroy the
chil!4s power to thin5 accurately. #n the public schools the
teachers further my cause by 5eeping the chil!ren so busy
cramming nonessential information into their min!s they
ha%e no opportunity to thin5 accurately or to analyze correc!y
the things their instructors teach them.
< 'o you claim for your cause all those who are boun! by
the habit of !riftingE
No. 'rifting is only one of my tric5s through which #
ta5e o%er the power of in!epen!ent thought. Before a !rifter
becomes my permanent property # must lea! him on an!
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ensnare him with another tric5. # will tell you about this other
tric5 after # finish !escribing my metho!s of con%erting people
into !rifters.
< 'o you mean you ha%e a metho! by which you can cause
people to !rift so far away from self!etermination that they
can ne%er sa%e themsel%esE
=es a !efinite metho!9 n! it is so effecti%e it ne%er fails.
< 'o # un!erstan! you to claim your metho! is so powerful
your opposition cannot reclaim those whom you ha%e perma
nently ensnare! through !riftingE
# claim >ust that 'o you thin5 # woul! control so many
people if my opposition coul! pre%ent meE Nothing can stop
me from controlling people e6cept people themsel%es.
Nothing can stop me e6cept the power of accurate thought.
eople who thin5 accurately !o not !rift on any sub>ect. *hey
recognize the power of their own min!s. Moreo%er they ta5e
o%er that power an! yiel! it to no person or influence.
< :o ahea! an! tell me more of the metho!s by which you
cause people to !rift to hell with you
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# cause people to !rift on e%ery sub>ect through which #
can control in!epen!ent thought an! action. *a5e the sub>ect
of health for e6ample. # cause most people to eat too much
foo! an! the wrong sort of foo!. *his lea!s to in!igestion an!
!estroys the power of accurate thought. #f the public schools
an! the churches taught chil!ren more about proper eating
they woul! !o my cause irreparable !amage.
Marriage9 # cause men an! women to !rift into marriage
without plan or purpose !esigne! to con%ert the relationship
into harmony. Here is one of my most effecti%e metho!s of
con%erting people into the habit of !rifting. # cause marrie!
people to bic5er an! nag one another o%er money matters. #
cause them to @uarrel o%er the bringing up of their chil!ren.
# engage them in unpleasant contro%ersies o%er their intimate
relationships an! in !isagreements o%er frien!s an! social
acti%ities. # 5eep them so busy fin!ing fault with one another
that they ne%er ha%e time to !o anything else long enough to
brea5 the habit of !rifting.
;ccupation9 # teach people to become !rifters by causing them
to !rift out of school into the first >ob they can fin! with no
!efinite aim or purpose e6cept to ma5e a li%ing. *hrough this
tric5 # 5eep millions of people in fear of po%erty all their li%es.
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*hrough this fear # lea! them slowly but surely onwar! until
they reach the point beyon! which no in!i%i!ual e%er has
bro5en the !rifting habit.
Sa%ings9 # cause people to spen! freely an! to sa%e sparingly or
not at all until # ta5e complete control of them through their
fear of po%erty.
0n%ironment9 # cause people to !rift into inharmonious an!
unpleasant en%ironments in the home in their places of occupa
tion in their relationship with relati%es an! ac@uaintances an!
to remain there until # claim them through the habit of !rifting.
'ominating *houghts9 # cause people to !rift into the habit of
thin5ing negati%e thoughts. *his lea!s to negati%e acts an!
in%ol%es people in contro%ersies an! fills their min!s with
fears thus pa%ing the way for me to enter an! control their
min!s. "hen # mo%e in # !o so by appealing to people through
negati%e thoughts which they belie%e to be their own. # plant
the see!s of negati%e thought in the min!s of people through
the pulpit the newspapers the mo%ing pictures the ra!io
an! all other popular metho!s of appeal to the min!. # cause
people to allow me to !o their thin5ing for them because they
are too lazy an! too in!ifferent to thin5 for themsel%es.
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< # conclu!e from what you say that !rifting an! procrasti
nation are the same. #s that trueE
=es that is correct. ny habit which causes one to procras
tinate8to put off reaching a !efinite !ecision8 lea!s to the
habit of !rifting.
< #s man the only creature who !riftsE
=es. ll other creatures mo%e in response to !efinite laws of
nature. Man alone !efies nature4s laws an! !rifts when he wills.
0%erything outsi!e the min!s of men is controlle! by my
opposition bylaws so !efinite that !rifting is impossible. # con
trol the min!s of men solely because of their habit of !rifting
which is only another way of saying that # control the min!s
of men only because they neglect or refuse to control an! use
their own min!s.
< *his is getting to be pretty !eep stuff for a mere human
being. Let us get bac5 to the !iscussion of something less
abstract. lease tell me how this !rifting habit affects people
in the e%ery!ay wal5s of life an! tell me in terms the a%erage
person can un!erstan!.
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# woul! prefer to 5eep this inter%iew up among the stars
< No !oubt you woul!. *hat woul! sa%e you from being
e6pose!. But let us come bac5 to earth. *ell me now what
!rifting is !oing to us as a nation here in the 3nite! States.
Fran5ly # may as well tell you that # hate the 3nite! States
as only the 'e%il can hate.
< *hat is interesting. "hat is the cause of this hatre!E
*he cause was born on Guly ( 1,,+ when fiftysi6 men
signe! a !ocument which !estroye! my chances of control
ling the nation. =ou 5now that !ocument as the 'eclaration
of #n!epen!ence. Ha! it not been for the influence of that
!amnable !ocument # woul! now ha%e a !ictator running the
country an! # woul! stop this right to free speech an! in!epen
!ent thought that is threatening my rule on earth.
< m # to un!erstan! from what you say that nations con
trolle! by selfappointe! !ictators belong in your campE
*here are no selfappointe! !ictators. # appoint them all.
Moreo%er # manipulate them an! !irect them in their wor5.
Nations run by my !ictators 5now what they want an! ta5e it
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by force. Loo5 what # ha%e !one through Mussolini in #taly
Loo5 what # am !oing through Hitler in :ermany. Loo5 what
# am !oing through Stalin in $ussia. My !ictators run those
nations for me because the people ha%e been sub!ue! through
the habit of !rifting. My !ictators !o no !rifting. *hat is why
they rule for me the millions of people un!er their control.
< "hat woul! happen if Mussolini Stalin an! Hitler turne!
traitors an! !isa%owe! you an! your ruleE
*hat will not happen because # ha%e them too well bribe!.
# am paying each of them with the sop of his own %anity by
ma5ing him belie%e he is acting on his own account. *hat is
another tric5 of mine.
< Let us come bac5 to the 3nite! States an! learn some
thing of what you are !oing to con%ert people into the habit of
!rifting.
$ight now # am pa%ing the way for a !ictatorship by sowing
the see!s of fear an! uncertainty in the min!s of the people.
< *hrough whom are you carrying on your wor5E
Mainly through the resi!ent. # am !estroying his influ
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ence with the people by causing him to !rift on the @uestion of
a wor5ing agreement between employers an! their employees.
#f # can in!uce him to !rift for another year he will be so thor
oughly !iscre!ite! # can han! o%er the country to a !ictator.
#f the resi!ent continues to !rift # will paralyze personal
free!om in the 3nite! States >ust as # !estroye! it in Spain
#taly :ermany an! 0nglan!.
< "hat you say lea!s me to the conclusion that !rifting is
a wea5ness which ine%itably en!s in failure whether among
in!i%i!uals or nations. #s that your claimE
'rifting is the most common cause of failure in e%ery
wal5 of life. # can control anyone whom # can in!uce to form
the habit of !rifting on any sub>ect. *he reason for this is two
fol!. First the !rifter is >ust so much putty in my han!s to
be mol!e! into whate%er pattern # choose because !rifting
!estroys the power of in!i%i!ual initiati%e. Secon! the !rifter
cannot get help from my opposition because the opposition is
not attracte! to anything so soft an! useless.
< #s that why a few people are wealthy while the ma>ority of
people are poorE
*hat is e6actly the reason. o%erty li5e physical illness is a
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contagious !isease. =ou fin! it always among the !rifters ne%er
among those who 5now what they want an! are !etermine! to
get >ust that #t may mean something to you when # call your
attention to the fact that the non!rifters whom # !o not con
trol an! those who possess most of the wealth of the worl!
happen to be the same people.
< # ha%e always un!erstoo! that money was the root of all
e%il that the poor an! the mee5 woul! inherit hea%en while
the wealthy woul! pass into your han!s. "hat ha%e you to say
of that claimE
Men who 5now how to get the material things of life gen
erally 5now how to 5eep out of the han!s of the 'e%il as well.
*he ability to ac@uire things is contagious. 'rifters ac@uire
nothing e6cept that which no one else wants. #f more people
ha! !efinite aims an! stronger !esires for material an! spiri
tual riches # woul! ha%e fewer %ictims.
< # assume from what you say that you !o not claim fellow
ship with the in!ustrial lea!ers. 0%i!ently they are not frien!s
of yours.
Frien!s of mineE #4ll tell you what sort of frien!s of mine
they are. *hey ha%e belte! the entire country with goo! roa!s
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thus bringing into close communion the people of both city
an! country. *hey ha%e con%erte! ores into steel with which
they ha%e built the s5eletons of great s5yscrapers. *hey ha%e
harnesse! electrical power an! con%erte! it into a thousan!
uses all !esigne! to gi%e man time to thin5. *hey ha%e pro
%i!e! through the automobile personal transportation to
the humblest citizen thus gi%ing to e%eryone the free!om of
tra%el. *hey ha%e pro%i!e! e%ery home with instantaneous
news of what is happening in all parts of the worl! through
the ai! of the ra!io.
*hey ha%e reare! libraries in e%ery city town an! hamlet
an! ha%e fille! them with boo5s gi%ing to all who rea! a com
plete outline of the most useful 5nowle!ge man5in! has gath
ere! from his e6periences. *hey ha%e gi%en the humblest citizen
the right to e6press his own opinion on any sub>ect anytime
anywhere without fear of molestation an! they ha%e seen to
it that e%ery citizen may help ma5e his own laws le%y his own
ta6es an! manage his own country through the ballot. *hese
are but some of the things the in!ustrial lea!ers ha%e !one
to gi%e e%ery citizen the pri%ilege of becoming a non!rifter.
'o you thin5 these men ha%e helpe! my causeE
< "ho are some of the present!ay non!rifters o%er whom
you ha%e no controlE
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# ha%e control o%er no non!rifter present or past. # control
the wea5 not those who thin5 for themsel%es.
< :o ahea! an! !escribe a typical !rifter. :i%e your !escrip
tion point by point so # can recognize a !rifter when # see him.
*he first thing you will notice about a !rifter is his total
lac5 of a ma>or purpose in life.
He will be conspicuous by his lac5 of selfconfi!ence.
He will ne%er accomplish anything re@uiring thought
an! effort.
He spen!s all he earns an! more too if he can get cre!it.
He will be sic5 or ailing from some real or imaginary cause
an! calling to high hea%en if he suffers the least physical pain.
He will ha%e little or no imagination.
He will lac5 enthusiasm an! initiati%e to begin anything he
is not force! to un!erta5e an! he will plainly e6press his
wea5ness by ta5ing the line of least resistance whene%er he
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can !o so.
He will be illtempere! an! lac5ing in control o%er
his emotions.
His personality will be without magnetism an! it will not
attract other people.
He will ha%e opinions on e%erything but accurate 5nowle!ge
of nothing.
He may be >ac5 of all tra!es but goo! at none.
He will neglect to cooperate with those aroun! him e%en
those on whom he must !epen! for foo! an! shelter.
He will ma5e the same mista5e o%er an! o%er again ne%er
profiting by failure.
He will be narrowmin!e! an! intolerant on all sub>ects
rea!y to crucify those who may !isagree with him.
He will e6pect e%erything of others but be willing to gi%e little
or nothing in return.
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He may begin many things but he will complete nothing.
He will be lou! in his con!emnation of his go%ernment but
he will ne%er tell you !efinitely how it can be impro%e!.
He will ne%er reach !ecisions on anything if he can a%oi! it
an! if he is force! to !eci!e he will re%erse himself at the first
opportunity.
He will eat too much an! e6ercise too little.
He will ta5e a !rin5 of li@uor if someone else will pay for it.
He will gamble if he can !o it 7on the cuff.7
He will criticize others who are succee!ing in their
chosen calling.
#n brief the !rifter will wor5 har!er to get out of thin5ing
than most others wor5 in earning a goo! li%ing.
He will tell a lie rather than a!mit his ignorance on
any sub>ect.
#f he wor5s for others he will criticize them to their bac5s
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an! flatter them to their faces.
< =ou ha%e gi%en me a graphic !escription of the !rifter.
lease now !escribe the non!rifter so that # may recognize
him on sight.
*he first sign of a non!rifter is this9 He is always engage!
in !oing something !efinite through some wellorganize!
plan which is !efinite. He has a ma>or goal in life towar! which
he is always wor5ing an! many minor goals all of which lea!
towar! his central scheme.
*he tone of his %oice the @uic5ness of his step the spar5le in
his eyes the @uic5ness of his !ecisions clearly mar5 him as a
person who 5nows e6actly what he wants an! is !etermine!
to get it no matter how long it may ta5e or what price he
must pay.
#f you as5 him @uestions he gi%es you !irect answers an!
ne%er falls bac5 on e%asions or resorts to subterfuge.
He e6ten!s many fa%ors to others but accepts fa%ors
sparingly or not at all.
He will be foun! up front whether he is playing a game or
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fighting a war.
#f he !oes not 5now the answers he will say so fran5ly.
He has a goo! memoryA ne%er offers an alibi for his
shortcomings.
He ne%er blames others for his mista5es no matter if they
!eser%e the blame.
He use! to be 5nown as a gogetter but in mo!ern times he
is calle! a gogi%er. =ou will fin! him running the biggest
business in town li%ing on the best street !ri%ing the best
automobile an! ma5ing his presence felt where%er he
happens to be.
He is an inspiration to all who come into contact with
his min!.
*he ma>or !istinguishing feature of the non!rifter is this9
He has a min! of his own an! uses it for all purposes.
< #s the non!rifter born with some mental physical or spir
itual a!%antage not a%ailable to the !rifterE
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No. *he ma>or !ifference between the !rifter an! the
non!rifter is something e@ually a%ailable to both. #t is simply
the prerogati%e right of each to use his own min! an! thin5
for himself.
< "hat brief message woul! you sen! to the typical !rifter if
you wishe! to cure him of this e%il habitE
# woul! a!monish him to wa5e up an! gi%e
< :i%e whatE
Some form of ser%ice useful to as many people as possible.
< So the non!rifter is suppose! to gi%e is heE
=es if he e6pects to get n! he must gi%e before he gets
< Some people !oubt that you e6ist.
# woul!n4t worry about that if # were you. *hose who
are rea!y to be con%erte! from the habit of !rifting will rec
ognize the authenticity of this inter%iew by its soun!ness of
counsel. *he others are not worth the trouble it woul! ta5e to
con%ert them.
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< "hy !o you not try to stop me from publishing this con
fession # am wringing from youE
Because that woul! be the surest of all ways to guarantee
you will publish it. # ha%e a better plan than trying to sup
press publication of my confession. # will urge you to go ahea!
with the publication then sit bac5 an! watch you suffer when
some of my faithful !rifters begin to ma5e things hot for you.
# will not nee! to !eny your story. My followers will !o that for
me8 see if they !on4t.
Chapter F!ve THE CONFESSION CONTINUES
< #f this confession of yours stoppe! right here your
statement woul! be soun! but fortunately for millions of your
%ictims who will gain their release because of your confession
this inter%iew will continue until you ha%e supplie! me with
the weapon by which you will e%entually be restraine! from
!omination of people through their fears an! superstitions.
$emember =our Ma>esty your confession has >ust begun.
fter # wring from you a !escription of the metho!s by which
you control people # will force you also to gi%e the formula by
which your control can be bro5en at will.
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#t is true # shall not remain here long enough to !efeat
you but the publishe! wor! # lea%e behin! me will be !eath
less because it will consist of truth =ou fear the opposition
of no in!i%i!ual because you 5now it will be short but you
!o fear truth. =ou fear truth an! nothing else for the reason
it is slowly but !efinitely gi%ing human beings free!om from
all manner of fear. "ithout the weapon of fear you woul! be
helpless an! entirely unable to control any human being #s
that true or falseE
# ha%e no alternati%e but to a!mit that what you say is true.
< Now that we un!erstan! each other let us go ahea! with
your confession. But before we continue # may as well ta5e
time out to !o a little boasting on my own account now that
you ha%e ha! your fling at it. # will confine myself to one @ues
tion the answer to which will gi%e me all the satisfaction #
want. #s it not true that you control only the min!s of those
who ha%e allowe! the !rifting habit to be fi6e! upon themE
=es that is true. # ha%e alrea!y a!mitte! this truth in a
!ozen or more !ifferent ways. "hy !o you tantalize me by
repeating the @uestionE
< *here is power in repetition. # am forcing you to repeat the
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highlights of your confession in as many !ifferent ways as pos
sible so your %ictims may chec5 this inter%iew an! !etermine
its soun!ness by their own e6periences with you. *hat is one of
my little tric5s. 'o you appro%e of my metho!E
=ou coul!n4t be setting a trap for me for the purpose of
!oing some more boasting coul! youE
< # am as5ing the @uestions an! you are !oing the
answering :o ahea! now an! confess why you are power
less to stop me from forcing this confession from you. # want
your confession for ai! an! comfort to %ictims of yours whom
# inten! to release from your control the moment they rea!
your confession.
# am powerless to influence or control you because you
ha%e foun! the secret approach to my 5ing!om. =ou 5now that
# e6ist only in the min!s of people who ha%e fears. =ou 5now
that # control only the !rifters who neglect to use their own
min!s. =ou 5now that my hell is here on earth an! not in the
worl! that comes after !eath. n! you 5now also that !rifters
supply all the fire # use in my hell. =ou 5now that # am a prin
ciple or form of energy which e6presses the negati%e si!e of
matter an! energy an! that # am not a person with a for5e!
tongue an! a spi5e! tail =ou ha%e become my master because
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you ha%e mastere! all your fears. Lastly you 5now that you can
release all of my earthboun! %ictims whom you contact an!
this !efinite 5nowle!ge is the blow with which you will !eal me
the greatest !amage.
# cannot control you because you ha%e !isco%ere! your
own min! an! you ha%e ta5en charge of it. *here now Mr.
0arthboun! that confession shoul! fee! your %anity to the
bursting point.
< *hat last !art was unnecessary. Knowle!ge of the sort
# ha%e use! to master you !oes not contaminate itself with
%ulgar in!ulgence in %anity. *ruth is the one an! only thing
in the worl! that can stan! ri!icule. Now let us continue with
your confession. "hat is wrong with the principle of flatteryE
=ou use it !o you notE
'o # use itE Man ali%e Flattery is one of my most useful
weapons. "ith this !ea!ly instrument # slay the big ones an!
the little ones.
< =our a!mission interests me. :o ahea! now an! tell me
how you ma5e use of flattery.
# ma5e use of it in so many ways it is !ifficult to 5now
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where to begin. # warn you before # answer in !etail that pub
lishing my answers will bring !own an a%alanche of ri!icule on
your hea! for bringing up the @uestion.
< #4ll ta5e the responsibility. rocee!.
"ell # may as well here a!mit that you ha%e stumble!
onto the ma>or secret of how # con%ert people to the habit
of !rifting
< *hat is a startling a!mission. :o ahea! with your confes
sion an! stic5 strictly to this sub>ect of flattery. No more si!e
remar5s an! no more facetiousness for the present. *ell me all
about your use of flattery in gaining control o%er people.
Flattery is a bait of incomparable %alue to all who wish
to gain control o%er others. #t has powerful pulling @ualities
because it operates through two of the most common human
wea5nesses9 %anity an! egotism. *here is a certain amount of
%anity an! egotism in e%eryone. #n some people these @ualities
are so pronounce! they literally ser%e as a rope by which one
may be boun!. *he best of all ropes is flattery.
Flattery is the chief bait through which men se!uce women.
Sometimes8 in fact fre@uently8 women use the same bait to
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gain control of men especially men who cannot be mastere!
through se6 appeal. # teach its use to both men an! women.
Flattery is the chief bait with which my agents wea%e their way
into the confi!ence of people from whom they procure infor
mation nee!e! to carry on warfare.
"here%er anyone stops to fee! his %anity on flattery # mo%e
in an! begin to buil! another !rifter. Non!rifters are not
easily flattere!. # inspire people to use flattery in e%ery human
relationship where its use is possible because those who are
influence! by it become easy %ictims of the !rifting habit.
< Can you control anyone who is amenable to flatteryE
ery easily. s # ha%e alrea!y tol! you flattery is of ma>or
importance in alluring people into the habit of !rifting.
< t what age are people most susceptible to flatteryE
ge has nothing to !o with one4s susceptibility to flattery.
eople respon! to it in one way or another from the time they
become conscious of their own e6istence until they !ie.
< *hrough what moti%e can women be most easily flattere!E
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*heir %anity. *ell a woman she is pretty or that she wears
clothes well.
< "hat moti%e is most effecti%e in harpooning menE
0gotism with a capital 0 *ell a man he has a strong
Herculean bo!y or that he is a great business tycoon an! he
will purr li5e a cat an! smile li5e an opossum fter that you
5now what happens.
< re all men li5e thatE
;h no. *wo out of e%ery hun!re! ha%e their egotism so
thoroughly un!er control that e%en an e6pert flatterer coul!n4t
get un!er their s5ins with a !oublee!ge! butcher 5nife.
< How !oes a cunning woman apply her art of flattery in
attracting menE
:reat hea%ens man !o # ha%e to !raw a picture of her
metho! for youE Ha%e you no imaginationE
< ;h yes # ha%e imagination enough =our Ma>esty but # am
thin5ing of the poor !upes of the worl! who nee! to un!er
stan! the e6act techni@ue with which they may be flattere!
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into the habit of !rifting. :o on an! tell us how a woman can
harpoon rich an! presumably smart men.
*his is a !e%ilish tric5 to play on women but since you
!eman! the information # am helpless to withhol! it. "omen
influence men through a techni@ue consisting first of ability
to in>ect soft cooing baby tones into their %oices an! secon!
by closing their eyes into a halfclose! position which registers
hypnotism in connection with the flattery of men.
< #s that all there is to the business of flatteryE
No that is only the techni@ue. *hen comes the moti%e a
woman uses as a lure. *he type of woman you perhaps ha%e in
min! ne%er sells a man herself or anything she can gi%e him.
#nstea! she sells him his own egotism
< #s that all that women use when they wish to flatter menE
*hat is the most effecti%e thing they use #t wor5s when se6
appeal fails
< So # am to belie%e that big strong smart men can be
woun! up an! manipulate! through flattery >ust as if they
were so much puttyE #s that possibleE
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#s it possibleE #t is happening e%ery minute of the !ay.
Moreo%er unless they are non!rifters the bigger they come
the har!er they fall when the e6pert flatterer mo%es in on them.
< *ell me of some of your other tric5s with which you cause
people to !rift in life.
;ne of my most effecti%e !e%ices is failure *he ma>ority of
people begin to !rift as soon as they meet with opposition an!
not one out of ten thousan! will 5eep on trying after failing
two or three times.
< So it is your business to in!uce people to fail whene%er you
can. #s that correctE
=ou ha%e it right. Failure brea5s !own one4s morale
!estroys selfconfi!ence sub!ues enthusiasm !ulls imagina
tion an! !ri%es away !efiniteness of purpose.
"ithout these @ualities no one can permanently suc
cee! in any un!erta5ing. *he worl! has pro!uce! thousan!s
of in%entors with ability superior to that of the late *homas
. 0!ison. But these men ha%e ne%er been hear! of while the
name of 0!ison will go marching on because 0!ison con%erte!
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failure into a stepping stone to achie%ement while the others
use! it as an alibi for not pro!ucing results.
< #s the capacity to surmount failure without being !iscour
age! one of Henry For!4s chief assetsE
=es an! this same @uality is the chief asset of e%ery man
who attains outstan!ing success in any calling.
< *hat statement co%ers lots of territory =our Ma>esty.
'o you not wish to mo!ify it or tone it !own a bit for the sa5e
of accuracyE
No mo!ification is necessary because the claim is none too
broa!. Search accurately into the li%es of men an! women who
achie%e en!uring success an! you will fin! without e6ception
that their success has been in e6act proportion to the e6tent
that they surmounte! failure.
*he life of e%ery successful person lou!ly acclaims that
which e%ery true philosopher 5nows9 70%ery failure brings with
it the see! of an e@ui%alent success.7
But the see! will not germinate an! grow un!er the influ
ence of a !rifter. #t springs to life only when it is in the han!s
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of one who recognizes that most failures are only temporary
!efeat an! who ne%er un!er any circumstances accepts !efeat
as an e6cuse for !rifting.
< #f # un!erstan! you correctly you claim there is %irtue in
failure. *hat !oes not seem reasonable. "hy !o you try to
in!uce people to fail if there is %irtue in failureE
*here is no inconsistency in my claims. *he appearance of
inconsistency is !ue to your lac5 of un!erstan!ing. Failure is a
%irtue only when it !oes not lea! one to @uit trying an! begin
!rifting. # in!uce as many people as # can to fail as often as
possible for the reason that not one out of ten thousan! will
5eep on trying after failing two or three times. # am not con
cerne! about the few who con%ert failures into stepping stones
because they belong to my opposition anyway. *hey are the
non!rifters an! therefore they are beyon! my reach.
< =our e6planation clears up the matter. Now go ahea! an!
tell me of some of your other tric5s with which you allure
people into !rifting.
;ne of my most effecti%e tric5s is 5nown to you as propa
gan!a. *his is the instrument of greatest %alue to me in setting
people to mur!ering one another un!er the guise of war.
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*he cle%erness of this tric5 consists mainly of the subtlety
with which # use it.
# mi6 propagan!a with the news of the worl!. # ha%e it
taught in public an! pri%ate schools. # see that it fin!s its way
into the pulpit. # color mo%ing pictures with it # see that it
enters e%ery home where there is a ra!io. # in>ect it into bill
boar! newspaper an! ra!io a!%ertising. # sprea! it in e%ery
place of business where people wor5. # use it to fill the !i%orce
courts an! # ma5e it ser%e to !estroy business an! in!ustry.
#t is my chief instrument for starting runs on ban5s. My
propagan!ists co%er the worl! so thoroughly that # can start
epi!emics of !isease turn loose the !ogs of war or throw busi
ness into a panic at will.
< #f you can !o all that you claim with propagan!a it is little
won!er that we ha%e wars an! business !epressions. :i%e me
a simple !escription of what you mean by the term 7propa
gan!a.7 Gust what is it an! how !oes it wor5E # wish to 5now
particularly how you cause people to !rift through the use of
this !e%ilish !e%ice.
ropagan!a is any !e%ice plan or metho! by which people
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can be influence! without 5nowing that they are being influ
ence! or the source of the influence.
ropagan!a is use! in business for the purpose of !iscour
aging competition. 0mployers use it to gain a!%antage o%er
their employees. *he employees retaliate by using it to gain
a!%antage o%er their employers. #n fact it is use! so uni%ersally
an! through such a smooth an! beautiful streamline! tech
ni@ue that it loo5s harmless e%en when it is !etecte!.
< # suppose some of your boys are now engage! in preparing
the min!s of the merican people to !rift into some form of
!ictatorship. *ell me how they wor5.
=es Millions of my boys are preparing mericans to
become Hitlerize! My best boys are wor5ing through poli
tics an! labor organization. "e inten! to ta5e o%er the country
with ballots instea! of bullets. mericans are so sensiti%e they
woul! ne%er stan! the shoc5 of seeing their form of go%ern
ment change! with the ai! of machine guns an! tan5 cars.
So our propagan!a boys are ser%ing them a !iet they will
swallow by stirring up strife between employers an! employees
an! turning the go%ernment against business an! in!ustry.
"hen propagan!a has !one its wor5 thoroughly one of my boys
will mo%e in as !ictator an! the Nine ;l! Men on your Supreme
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Court with their silly notions of the Constitution will mo%e out
0%eryone will be gi%en a >ob or fe! from the go%ernment treasury.
"hen men4s bellies are fille! they !rift freely with one who !oes
the filling. Hungry men get out from un!er control.
< # ha%e often won!ere! who in%ente! the cle%er tric5 which
you call propagan!a. From what you tell me of its source an!
nature # un!erstan! why it is so !ea!ly. ;nly one as cle%er as
=our Ma>esty coul! ha%e in%ente! such a !e%ice with which to
!ull the reason !ethrone the will an! lure men into !rifting.
"hy !o you not use your powerful propagan!a to gain
control of your %ictims instea! of sub!uing them through fear
an! annihilating them through warfareE
"hat is fear of the 'e%il e6cept propagan!aE =ou ha%e not
obser%e! my techni@ue %ery carefully or you woul! ha%e seen
that # am the worl!4s greatest propagan!ist # ne%er attain an
en! by !irect open means which # can achie%e through subter
fuge an! subtlety. "hat !o you suppose # am using when # plant
negati%e i!eas in the min!s of men an! gain control of them
through what they belie%e to be their own i!easE "hat woul!
you call that e6cept the cle%erest of all forms of propagan!aE
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< Surely you are not going to tell me that you !estroy people
through their own help without their realizing what you
are !oingE
*hat is e6actly what # wish you to un!erstan!. Moreo%er
# will show you e6actly how the tric5 is performe!.
< Now we are getting somewhere. 06actly how !o you con
%ert human beings into propagan!ists an! lure them into
selfimprisonmentE :i%e me the story with all its luri! !etails.
*his is the most important part of your confession an! # am
consume! with eagerness to gain control of your secret. # can
har!ly blame you for stalling about answering my @uestion
because you 5now so well that your answer will snatch mil
lions of innocent %ictims from your control. =ou also 5now
that your answer will protect other countless millions of yet
unborn people from being %ictimize! by you. #t is little won!er
you are he!ging about answering.
=our !e!uctions are correct. *his part of my confession
will !o me more !amage than all the remain!er of it.
< Stating your hea!ache in a better way this part of your
confession will sa%e more millions of people from your control
than all the remain!er of it.
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ll # can say is that you ha%e me in a hell of a situation
< Now you shall 5now how the millions of your %ictims feel.
Let4s ha%e it.
# ma5e my first entry into an in!i%i!ual4s min! by bribing
him.
< "hat !o you use as a bribeE
# use many things all of them pleasant things the in!i
%i!ual co%ets. # use the same sort of bribes that in!i%i!uals use
when they bribe one another. *hat is # use for bribes the things
people most want. My best bribes are these9
• Lo%e
• *he thirst for se6 e6pression
• Co%etousness for money
• *he obsessi%e !esire to gain something for nothing8 gambling
• anity in women egotism in men
• 'esire to be the master of others
• 'esire for into6icants an! narcotics
• 'esire for selfe6pression through wor!s an! !ee!s
• 'esire to imitate others
• 'esire for perpetuation of life after !eath
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• 'esire to be a hero or heroine
• 'esire for physical foo!
< *hat is an imposing list of bribes =our Ma>esty. 'o you
use othersE
=es plenty of them but these are my fa%orites. *hrough
some combination of them # can enter the min! of any human
being at will at any age from birth until !eath.
< =ou mean that these bribes are the 5eys with which you
can silently unloc5 the !oor to any min! you chooseE
*hat is e6actly what # mean an! # can !o it too.
< "hat happens when you enter the min! of a person who
is not yet in the habit of !rifting but belongs in the /- percent
class as a potential !rifterE
# go to wor5 imme!iately to occupy as much of that per
son4s min! as # can master. #f the in!i%i!ual4s greatest wea5
ness is the !esire for money # begin to !angle coins before him
figurati%ely spea5ing. # intensify his !esire an! in!uce him
to go after money. *hen when he gets near it # snatch it away
from him.
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*his is an ol! tric5 of mine. fter the tric5 has been
repeate! a few times the poor fellow gi%es in an! @uits. *hen #
ta5e o%er a little more space in his min! an! fill it with the fear
of po%erty. *hat is one of my best min!fillers.
< =es # a!mit your metho! is %ery cle%er but what happens
if the %ictim fools you an! gets his han!s on a lot of moneyE
=ou !on4t fill his min! with fear of po%erty then !o youE
No # !on4t. # ta5e o%er the space by filling it with something
which ser%es my purpose >ust as well. #f my %ictim con%erts his
!esire for money into large sums # start o%erfee!ing him with
the things he can buy with it. For e6ample # cause him to stuff
himself with rich foo!s. *his slows !own his thin5ing capacity
en!angers his heart an! starts him on the roa! to !rifting.
*hen # pester him with intestinal poisoning through the
surplus foo! he eats. *hat also slows !own his thin5ing an!
gi%es him a nasty !isposition.
< "hat if the %ictim is not a gluttonE "hat other follies can
you in!uce him to pic5 up that lea! to !riftingE
#f the %ictim is a male # can usually snare him through his
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se6 appetite. ;%erin!ulgence in se6 starts more men to !rifting
towar! failure than all other causes combine!.
< So foo! an! se6 are two of your surefire baits #s that
correctE
=es. "ith these two lures # can ta5e o%er a ma>ority of my
%ictims an! then there is the !esire for money.
< # am beginning to thin5 that wealth is more !angerous
than po%erty if your story is to be belie%e!.
*hat altogether !epen!s upon who has the wealth an! how
it was ac@uire!.
< "hat has the manner in which money is ac@uire! to !o
with its being a blessing or a curseE
0%erything. #f you !on4t belie%e me ta5e a loo5 at those
who ac@uire a large amount of money @uic5ly without time to
get wis!om along with it an! obser%e how they use it.
"hy !o you suppose rich men4s sons sel!om e@ual the
achie%ements of their fathersE #4ll tell you why. #t is because
they ha%e been !epri%e! of the self!iscipline which comes
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from being force! to wor5.
Loo5 into the recor!s of mo%ing picture stars or athletes
who su!!enly fin! themsel%es in possession of big money an!
hero worship an! praise from the public. ;bser%e how @uic5ly
# mo%e in an! ta5e them o%er in many cases mainly through
se6 gambling foo! an! li@uor. "ith these # catch an! con
trol the biggest an! the best of people as soon as they get their
han!s on big money.
< "hat about those who ac@uire money slowly by ren!ering
some form of useful ser%iceE re they easily snare! tooE
;h # get them all right but # generally ha%e to change
my bait. Some of them want one thing an! others want some
thing else.
"here my purpose is best ser%e! # see to it that they get
what they want most but # manage to wrap in the pac5age
something they !on4t want. *he thing # gi%e them is the
!efinite thing that ma5es them !rifters. 'o you see how
# wor5E
< n! %ery cle%er wor5 it is. =ou lure people on through their
natural !esires but you slip your !ea!ly poison into the ob>ect
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of those !esires where%er you can.
Now you are catching on. =ou see # play both en!s against
the mi!!le so to spea5.
< From all you say # infer that you cannot in!uce a non
!rifter to help you gain control of his min! by baiting him
with your bribes. #s that correctE
*hat is e6actly correct. # can8 an! # !o8 interest non
!rifters in my bribes because # use for the purpose of bribery
the things all people naturally !esire but the non!rifter
resembles a fish that steals the bait from your hoo5 but refuses
to ta5e the hoo5.
*he non!rifter ta5es from life whate%er he wants but he
ta5es it on his own terms. *he !rifter ta5es whate%er he can get
but he ta5es what he gets on my terms.
Stating the matter in another way the non!rifter borrows
money from a legitimate ban5er if he wants it an! pays a legit
imate rate of interest. *he !rifter goes to the pawn shop hoc5s
his watch an! pays a suici!al rate of interest for his loan.
< So # !raw from your claims the conclusion that your han!
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is mi6e! up somehow in all of people4s troubles an! miseries
e%en though your presence may not be %isibleE
My unwilling wor5ers are often my best wor5ers. =ou see
my unwilling wor5ers are those whom # cannot control with
some combination of bribes people whom # ha%e to master by
fear or through some form of misfortune. *hey !o not wish
to ser%e me but they cannot a%oi! it because they are eternally
boun! to me by the habit of !rifting.
< Now # am beginning to better un!erstan! your techni@ue.
=ou bribe your %ictims through their natural !esires an! lea!
them astray while you in!uce them to become !rifters if they
respon! to your lure. #f they refuse to respon! you plant the
see! of fear in their min!s or trap them through some form
of misfortune an! hogtie them while they are !own. #s that
your metho!E
*hat is e6actly the way # wor5. Cle%er !on4t you thin5E
< "hich !o you prefer to ser%e as your propagan!ists8 the
young or the ol!E
*he young of course *hey can be influence! by most
bribes more easily than people of mature >u!gment. Moreo%er
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they ha%e longer to remain in my ser%ice.
< =our Ma>esty has gi%en me a clear !escription of !rifting.
*ell me what must be !one to insure against the habit of
!rifting. # want a complete formula that anyone can use.
rotection against !rifting lies within easy reach of e%ery
human being who has a normal bo!y an! a soun! min!. *he
self!efense can be applie! through these simple metho!s9
1. 'o your own thin5ing on all occasions. *he fact that
human beings are gi%en complete control o%er nothing
sa%e the power to thin5 their own thoughts is la!en with
significance.
2. 'eci!e !efinitely what you want from lifeA then create
a plan for attaining it an! be willing to sacrifice e%erything
else if necessary rather than accept permanent !efeat.
&. nalyze temporary !efeat no matter of what nature
or cause an! e6tract from it the see! of an e@ui%alent
a!%antage.
(. Be willing to ren!er useful ser%ice e@ui%alent to the %alue
of all material things you !eman! of life an! ren!er the ser
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%ice first.
). $ecognize that your brain is a recei%ing set that can be
attune! to recei%e communications from the uni%ersal store
house of #nfinite #ntelligence to help you transmute your
!esires into their physical e@ui%alent.
+. $ecognize that your greatest asset is time the only thing
e6cept the power of thought which you own outright an!
the one thing which can be shape! into whate%er material
things you want. Bu!get your time so none of it is waste!.
,. $ecognize the truth that fear generally is a filler with
which the 'e%il occupies the unuse! portion of your min!.
#t is only a state of min! which you can control by filling the
space it occupies with faith in your ability to ma5e life pro
%i!e you with whate%er you !eman! of it.
-. "hen you pray !o not beg 'eman! what you want an!
insist upon getting e6actly that with no substitutes.
/. $ecognize that life is a cruel tas5master an! that either
you master it or it masters you. *here is no halfway or com
promising point. Ne%er accept from life anything you !o not
want. #f that which you !o not want is temporarily force!
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upon you you can refuse in your own min! to accept it an!
it will ma5e way for the thing you !o want.
1?. Lastly remember that your !ominating thoughts attract
through a !efinite law of nature by the shortest an! most
con%enient route their physical counterpart. Be careful what
your thoughts !well upon.
< *hat list loo5s imposing. :i%e me a simple formula com
bining all the ten points. #f you ha! to combine all ten in one
what woul! it beE
Be !efinite in e%erything you !o an! ne%er lea%e unfinishe!
thoughts in the min!. Form the habit of reaching !efinite !eci
sions on all sub>ects.
< Can the habit of !rifting be bro5en or !oes it become per
manent once it has been forme!E
*he habit can be bro5en if the %ictim has enough will
power pro%i!ing it is !one in time. *here is a point beyon!
which the habit can ne%er be bro5en. Beyon! that point the
%ictim is mine. He resembles a fly that has been caught in a spi
!er4s web. He may struggle but he cannot get out. 0ach mo%e
he ma5es entangles him more securely. *he web in which #
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entangle my %ictims permanently is a law of nature not yet iso
late! by or un!erstoo! by men of science.
Chapter S!3 HY2NOTIC RHYTHM
< "hat is this mysterious law through which you ta5e
permanent control of people4s bo!ies e%en before you ta5e o%er
their soulsE *he whole worl! will want to 5now more about
this law an! how it operates.
#t will be har! to !escribe the law so you will un!erstan!
it but you may call it 7hypnotic rhythm.7 #t is the same law
through which people can be hypnotize!.
< So you ha%e the power to use the laws of nature as a
web in which you bin! your %ictims in eternal control. #s that
your claimE
*hat is not only my claim. #t is the truth # ta5e o%er their
min!s an! bo!ies e%en before they !ie whene%er # can lure
them or frighten them into hypnotic rhythm.
< "hat is hypnotic rhythmE How !o you use it to gain per
manent mastery o%er human beingsE
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# will ha%e to go bac5 into time an! space an! gi%e you
a brief elementary !escription of how nature uses hyp
notic rhythm. ;therwise you will not be able to un!erstan!
my !escription of how # use this uni%ersal law to control
human beings.
< :o ahea! but 5eep your story confine! to simple illustra
tions which come within the range of my own e6perience an!
5nowle!ge of natural laws.
ery well # shall !o my best =ou of course 5now that
nature maintains a perfect balance between all the elements
an! all the energy in the uni%erse. =ou can see that the stars
an! the planets mo%e with perfect precision each one 5eeping
its own place in time an! space. =ou can see that the seasons of
the year come an! go with perfect regularity. =ou can see that
an oa5 tree grows from an acorn an! a pine grows from the
see! of its ancestor. n acorn ne%er pro!uces a pine an! a pine
see! ne%er pro!uces an oa5.
*hese are simple things which anyone can un!erstan!A
what one cannot see is the uni%ersal law through which nature
maintains perfect balance throughout the myria! of uni%erses.
=ou earthboun! caught a fragmentary glimpse of this great
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uni%ersal law when Newton !isco%ere! that it hol!s your earth
in its position an! causes all material ob>ects to be attracte!
towar! the center of the earth. He calle! the law gra%itation.
But he !i! not go far enough in his stu!y of the law. #f he
ha! he woul! ha%e !isco%ere! that the same law which hol!s
your earth in position an! helps nature to maintain a perfect
balance o%er the four !imensions8 in which all matter an!
energy are containe!8 is the web in which # entangle an! con
trol the min!s of human beings.
< *ell me more of this astoun!ing law of hypnotic rhythm.
s # ha%e alrea!y state! there is a uni%ersal form of
energy with which nature 5eeps a perfect balance between all
matter an! energy. She ma5es specialize! use of this uni%ersal
buil!ing material by brea5ing it up into !ifferent wa%elengths.
*he brea5ingup process is carrie! on through habit.
=ou will better un!erstan! what # am trying to con%ey if #
compare it with the metho! by which one learns to play music.
t first the notes are memorize! in the min!. *hen they are
relate! to one another through melo!y an! rhythm By repeti
tion the melo!y an! rhythm become fi6e! in the min!. ;bser%e
how relentlessly the musician must repeat a tune before he
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masters it. *hrough repetition the musical notes blen! an!
then you ha%e music.
ny impulse of thought that the min! repeats o%er an!
o%er through habit forms an organize! rhythm. 3n!esirable
habits can be bro5en. *hey must be bro5en before they assume
the proportions of rhythm. re you following meE
< =es.
"ell to continue rhythm is the last stage of habit ny
thought or physical mo%ement which is repeate! o%er an! o%er
through the principle of habit finally reaches the proportion
of rhythm.
*hen the habit cannot be bro5en because nature ta5es it
o%er an! ma5es it permanent. #t is something li5e a whirlpool
in water. n ob>ect may 5eep floating in!efinitely unless it is
caught in a whirlpool. *hen it is carrie! roun! an! roun! but
it cannot escape. *he energy with which people thin5 may be
compare! with water in a ri%er.
< So this is the way in which you ta5e control of the min!s
of people is itE
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=es. ll # ha%e to !o to gain control o%er any min! is to
in!uce its owner to !rift
< m # to un!erstan! that the habit of !rifting is the ma>or
!anger through which people lose their prerogati%e or pri%ilege
of thin5ing their own thoughts an! shaping their own earthly
!estinationsE
*hat an! much more. 'rifting is also the habit through
which # ta5e o%er their souls after they gi%e up their phys
ical bo!ies.
< *hen the only way a human being can be sa%e! from
eternal annihilation is by maintaining control o%er his own
min! while he is on this earth. #s that trueE
=ou ha%e state! the truth perfectly *hose who control an!
use their own min!s escape my web. # get all the others as natu
rally as the sun sets in the west.
< #s that all there is to the business of being sa%e! from
eternal annihilationE 'oesn4t what you call your opposition
ha%e anything to !o with sa%ing peopleE
# can see that you !o thin5 %ery !eeply. My opposition8
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the power you earthboun! call :o!8 has e%erything to !o with
the sal%ation of people from eternal annihilation an! for that
reason it is my opposition who pro%i!es e%ery human being
with the pri%ilege of using his own min!.
#f you use that power by maintaining control o%er your own
min! you become a part of it when you gi%e up your physical
bo!y. #f you neglect to use it then # ha%e the pri%ilege of ta5ing
a!%antage of the neglect through the law of hypnotic rhythm.
< How much of a person !o you ta5e o%er when you gain
control of himE
0%erything that is left after he ceases to control an! use his
own min!.
< #n other wor!s when you gain control of a person you ta5e
o%er all there is of his in!i%i!uality up to the time that he @uits
using his own min!E #s that correctE
*hat is how # operate.
< "hat !o you !o with people whom you control before
!eathE ;f what goo! are they to you while they li%eE
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# use them or what is left of than after # ta5e charge as pro
pagan!ists to help me prepare the min!s of others to !rift
< =ou not only fool people into !estroying their power
to control their own min!s but you use them to help you
trap othersE
=es # let no opportunity get away from me.
< Let us come bac5 to the sub>ect of hypnotic rhythm. *ell
me more of how this law wor5s. Show me how you use in!i
%i!uals to help you gain control o%er others. # want to 5now
something of the most effecti%e way you use hypnotic rhythm.
;h that is easy *he thing # li5e best is to fill the min!s of
people with fear. ;nce # fill one4s min! with fear # ha%e little
trouble causing him to !rift until # ha%e entangle! him in the
web of hypnotic rhythm.
< "hat human fear best ser%es your purposeE
*he fear of !eath.
< "hy is the fear of !eath your fa%orite weaponE
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Because no one 5nows an! by the %ery nature of the laws
of the uni%erse no one can pro%e !efinitely what happens after
!eath. *his uncertainty frightens people out of their wits.
eople who gi%e o%er their min!s to fear8 any sort of fear
neglect to use their min!s an! begin to !rift. 0%entually they
!rift into the whirlpool of hypnotic rhythm from which they
may ne%er escape.
< *hen you !o not min! what religious lea!ers thin5 or say
of you when they spea5 of !eathE
Not as long as they say something #f the churches shoul!
stop tal5ing about me my cause woul! recei%e a se%ere setbac5.
0%ery attac5 ma!e against me fi6es the fear of me in the min!s
of all who are influence! by it. =ou see opposition is the thing
that 5eeps some people from !rifting ro%i!ing they !o not
yiel! to it.
< Since you claim the churches help instea! of hin!ering
your cause tell me what woul! gi%e you cause to worryE
My only worry is that some!ay a real thin5er may appear
on earth.
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< "hat woul! happen if a thin5er !i! appearE
=ou as5 me what woul! happenE #4ll tell you what woul!
happen. eople woul! learn the greatest of all truths8 that the
time they spen! in fearing something woul! if re%erse! gi%e
them all they want in the material worl! an! sa%e them from
me after !eath. #sn4t that worth thin5ing aboutE
< "hat is 5eeping such a thin5er from appearing in
the worl!E
Fear of criticism #t may interest you to 5now that the fear
of criticism is the only effecti%e weapon # ha%e with which to
whip you. #f you were not afrai! to publish this confession
after you wring it from me # woul! lose my earthly 5ing!om.
< n! if # !i! surprise you an! publish it how long woul! it
be until you lost your 5ing!omE
Gust long enough for one generation of chil!ren to grow
into un!erstan!ing. =ou cannot ta5e the a!ults from me. #
ha%e them too securely sewe! up. But if you publishe! this
confession it woul! be sufficient to 5eep me from gaining con
trol of the yet unborn an! those who ha%e not yet reache! the
age of reason. =ou woul!n4t !are publish what # ha%e tol! you
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about the religious lea!ers. *hey woul! crucify you
< # thought the sa%age practice of crucifi6ion went out of
style two thousan! years ago.
# !on4t mean crucifi6ion on a cross. # mean social an!
financial crucifi6ion. =our income woul! be shut off. =ou
woul! become a social outcast. $eligious lea!ers an! their fol
lowers ali5e woul! treat you with scorn.
< Suppose # shoul! choose to throw in my lot with the select
few who ma5e a pretence of using their own min!s rather than
fear the masses who !o not8 the masses of whom you claim /-
percentE
#f you ha%e courage enough to !o this you will crimp
my style.
< "hy !o you lay claim to no scientistE 'on4t you li5e
scientistsE
;h yes # li5e all people well enough but true scientists are
out of my reach.
< "hyE
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Because they thin5 for themsel%es an! spen! their time
stu!ying natural laws. *hey !eal with cause an! effect. *hey
!eal with facts where%er they fin! them. But !o not ma5e the
mista5e of belie%ing scientists ha%e no religion. *hey ha%e a
%ery !efinite religion.
< "hat is their religionE
*he religion of truth *he religion of natural law #f the
worl! e%er pro!uces an accurate thin5er with ability to fathom
the !eeply burie! secret of life an! !eath you can be sure that
science will be responsible for the catastrophe.
< Catastrophe to whomE
*o me of course
< Let4s get bac5 to the sub>ect of hypnotic rhythm. # want to
5now more about it. #s it something li5e the principle through
which people can hypnotize one anotherE
#t is precisely the same thing. # ha%e alrea!y tol! you so.
"hy !o you repeat your @uestionsE
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< *hat is an ol! worl!ly custom of mine =our Ma>esty. For
your enlightenment # will tell you # am forcing you to repeat
many of your statements for the sa5e of emphasis. # am also
trying to see if # can catch you in a lie 'on4t !o!ge the issue.
:et bac5 to hypnotic rhythm an! tell me all you 5now about
it. m # a %ictim of itE
Not now but you barely misse! falling into my web. =ou
!rifte! towar! the whirlpool of hypnotic rhythm until you !is
co%ere! how to force me into ma5ing this confession. *hen #
lost control of you
< How interesting. =ou are not trying to recapture me
through flattery are youE
*hat woul! be the best bribe # coul! offer you. #t is the bribe
# use! on you effecti%ely before you got the upper han! of me.
< "ith what !i! you flatter meE
"ith many things chief among them se6 an! the !esire for
selfe6pression.
< "hat effect !i! your bribes ha%e on meE
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*hey cause! you to neglect your ma>or purpose in life an!
starte! you to !rifting.
< "as that all you !i! to me through your bribesE
*hat was plenty.
< But # am bac5 on the trac5 an! out of your reach now am
# notE
=es you are temporarily out of my reach because you are
not !rifting.
< "hat bro5e your spell o%er me an! release! me from the
habit of !riftingE
My answer may humiliate you. 'o you want to hear itE
< :o ahea! an! gi%e it to me =our Ma>esty. # wish to learn
how much truth # can stan!.
"hen you foun! a great lo%e in the woman of your choice
# lost my grip on you.
< So you are going to accuse me of hi!ing behin! a woman4s
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s5irts are youE
No not hi!ing. # woul!n4t put it that way. # woul! say you
ha%e learne! how to gi%e yourself a soli! bac5groun! with the
embellishment of a woman4s min!.
< *he woman4s s5irt has nothing to !o with it thenE
No but her brain !oes. "hen you an! your wife began
to combine your two brains through your habit of 7Master
Min!ing7 e%ery !ay you stumble! upon the secret power with
which you force! me into this confession.
< #s that the truth or are you trying to flatter me againE
# coul! flatter you if # ha! you alone but # cannot flatter
you while you ha%e the use of your wife4s min!.
< # am beginning to catch on to something important. # am
beginning to un!erstan! what was meant by the writer of that
passage in the Bible which says substantially 7"hen two or
more meet together an! as5 for anything in My name it shall
be grante!.7 #t is true then that two min!s are better than one.
#t is not only true it is necessary before anyone can con
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tinuously contact the great storehouse of #nfinite #ntelligence
wherein is store! all that is all that e%er was an! all that can
e%er be.
< #s there such a storehouseE
#f there ha! not been you woul! not8 coul! not8 now be
humiliating me with this silly force! confession.
< #sn4t it !angerous to gi%e this sort of information to the
worl!E
Sure it is !angerous to me. #f # were you # woul! not gi%e
it out.
< Let us get bac5 now to the techni@ue through which you
fasten on your %ictims the habit of !rifting. "hat is the %ery
first step a !rifter must ta5e to brea5 the habitE
burning !esire to brea5 it =ou of course 5now that no
one can be hypnotize! by another person without his willing
ness to be hypnotize!. *he willingness may assume the form of
in!ifference towar! life generally lac5 of ambition fear lac5
of !efiniteness of purpose an! many other forms. Nature !oes
not nee! one4s consent in or!er to place him un!er the spell of
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hypnotic rhythm. #t nee!s only to fin! him off guar! through
any form of neglect to use his own min!. $emember this9 what
e%er you ha%e you use it or you lose it
ll successful attempts to brea5 the habit of !rifting must
be !one before nature ma5es the habit permanent through
hypnotic rhythm.
< s # un!erstan! you hypnotic rhythm is a natural law
through which nature fi6es the %ibration of all en%ironments.
#s that trueE
=es nature uses hypnotic rhythm to ma5e one4s !omi
nating thoughts an! one4s thoughthabits permanent. *hat
is why po%erty is !isease. Nature ma5es it so by fi6ing per
manently the thoughthabits of all who accept po%erty as an
una%oi!able circumstance.
*hrough this same law of hypnotic rhythm nature will also
fi6 permanently positi%e thoughts of opulence an! prosperity.
erhaps you will better un!erstan! the wor5ing principle
of hypnotic rhythm if # tell you its nature is to fi6 permanently
all habits whether they are mental or physical. #f your min!
fears po%erty your min! will attract po%erty. #f your min!
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!eman!s opulence an! e6pects it your min! will attract the
physical an! financial e@ui%alents of opulence. *his is in accor
!ance with an immutable law of nature.
< 'i! the writer of that sentence in the Bible 7"hatsoe%er
a man soweth that shall he also reap7 ha%e in min! this law
of natureE
He coul! ha%e nothing else in min!. *he statement is true.
=ou can see e%i!ence of its truth in all human relationships.
< n! that is why the man who forms the habit of !rifting
through life must accept whate%er life han!s him. #s that
correctE
*hat is absolutely correct. Life pays the !rifter its own
price on its own terms. *he non!rifter ma5es life pay on his
own terms.
< 'oesn4t the @uestion of morals enter into what one gets
from lifeE
*o be sure but only for the reason that one4s morals ha%e
an influence on one4s thoughts. No one can collect what he
wants from life merely by being goo! if that is what you want
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to 5now.
< No # guess not. # see what you mean. "e are all where we
are an! what we are because of our own !ee!s.
No not e6actly. =ou are where you are an! what you are
because of your thoughts an! your !ee!s.
< *hen there is no such reality as luc5 is thereE
0mphatically no. Circumstances which people !o not
un!erstan! are classifie! un!er the hea!ing of luc5. Bac5 of
e%ery reality is a cause. ;ften the cause is so far remo%e! from
the effect that the circumstance can be e6plaine! only by attrib
uting it to the operation of luc5. Nature 5nows no such law as
luc5. #t is a manma!e hypothesis with which he e6plains away
things he !oes not un!erstan!. *he terms 7luc57 an! 7miracle7
are twin sisters. Neither of them has any real e6istence e6cept in
the imaginations of people. Both are use! to e6plain that which
people !o not un!erstan!. $emember this9 e%erything ha%ing a
real e6istence is capable of proof. Keep this one truth in min!
an! you will become a soun!er thin5er.
< "hich is more important one4s thoughts or one4s !ee!sE
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ll !ee!s follow thoughts. *here can be no !ee!s without
their ha%ing first been patterne! in thought. Moreo%er all
thoughts ha%e a ten!ency to clothe themsel%es in their phys
ical counterpart. ;ne4s !ominating thoughts that is the
thoughts one mi6es with the emotions !esire hope faith
fear hate gree! enthusiasm not only ha%e a ten!ency to
clothe themsel%es in their physical e@ui%alent but they are
boun! to !o so.
< *hat remin!s me to as5 you to tell me more about your
self. "here in a!!ition to the min!s of people !o you !well
an! operateE
# operate where%er there is something # can control an!
appropriate. # ha%e alrea!y tol! you # am the negati%e portion
of the electron of matter.
# am the e6plosion in lightning.
# am the pain in !isease an! physical suffering.
# am the unseen general in warfare.
# am the un5nown commissioner of po%erty an! famine.
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# am the e6ecutioner e6traor!inaire at !eath.
# am the inspirer of lust after the flesh.
# am the creator of >ealousy an! en%y an! gree!.
# am the instigator of fear.
# am the genius who con%erts the achie%ements of men
of science into instruments of !eath.
# am the !estroyer of harmony in all manner of human
relationships.
# am the antithesis of >ustice.
# am the !ri%ing force in all immorality.
# am the stalemate of all goo!.
# am an6iety suspense superstition an! insanity.
# am the !estroyer of hope an! faith.
# am the inspirer of !estructi%e gossip an! scan!al.
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# am the !iscourager of free an! in!epen!ent thought.
#n brief # am the creator of all forms of human
misery the instigator of !iscouragement an!
!isappointment.
< n! you !o not call that col! an! cruelE
# call that !efinite an! !epen!able.
*he worl! !epression bro5e up the habits of men e%ery
where an! re!istribute! the sources of opportunity in all wal5s
of life on an unprece!ente! scale.
*he !rifter4s pet alibi with which he tries to e6plain away
his un!esirable position is his cry that the worl! has run !ry
of opportunities.
Non!rifters !o not wait for opportunity to be place!
in their way. *hey create opportunity to fit their !esires an!
!eman!s of life
< re non!rifters smart enough to a%oi! the influence of
hypnotic rhythmE
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=ou may ha%e !rifte! on thoughts of lesser importance but
you !i! not !rift in connection with this !esire. Because you
!i! not !rift you are now recor!ing a !ocument which gi%es
you e6actly what your !ominating thoughts !eman!e! of life.
< "hy !oesn4t your opposition use hypnotic rhythm to
ma5e permanent one4s higher thoughts an! nobler !ee!sE
"hy !oes your opposition permit you to use this stupen!ous
force as a means of entangling people in a web of e%il spun by
their own thoughts an! !ee!sE "hy !oes your opposition not
outwit you by bin!ing people with thoughts which buil! an!
lift them abo%e your influenceE
*he law of hypnotic rhythm is a%ailable to all who will use
it. # ma5e use of it more effecti%ely than !oes my opposition
because # offer people more attracti%e bribes to thin5 my sort
of thoughts an! in!ulge in my sort of !ee!s.
< #n other wor!s you control people by ma5ing nega
ti%e thin5ing an! !estructi%e !ee!s pleasing to them. #s that
correctE
*hat is the i!ea e6actly
Chapter Seven SEEDS OF FEAR
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< # ha%e often won!ere! why your opposition8 what
we earthboun! call :o!8 !oes not annihilate youE Can you tell
me whyE
Because the power is as much mine as his. #t is as a%ailable
to me as to him. *hat is what # ha%e been trying to get o%er to
you. *he highest power in the uni%erse can be use! for con
structi%e purposes through what you call :o! or it can be
use! for negati%e purposes through what you call the 'e%il.
n! something more important still it can be use! by any
human being >ust as effecti%ely as by :o! or the 'e%il.
< =ou ma5e a farreaching claim. Can you pro%e your claimE
=es but it woul! be better if you pro%e! it for yourself. *he
'e%il4s wor! is not worth much among you earthboun! sin
ners. Neither is :o!4s wor!. =ou fear the 'e%il an! refuse to
trust your :o!A therefore you ha%e but one source a%ailable
through which you may appropriate the benefit of uni%ersal
power an! that is by trusting an! using your own power of
thought. *his is the !irect roa! to the uni%ersal storehouse of
#nfinite #ntelligence. *here is no other roa! a%ailable to any
human being.
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familiar.
m # in politicsE #f # am not in politics who !o you belie%e
starts !epressions an! forces people into warsE Surely you
woul! not lay this at the !oor of my oppositionE s # ha%e
alrea!y tol! you # ha%e allies in all wal5s of life to help me in
connection with all human relationships.
< "hy !on4t you ta5e o%er the churches an! use them out
right in your causeE
'o you thin5 # am a foolE "ho woul! 5eep ali%e the fear
of the 'e%il if # sub!ue! the churchesE "ho woul! ser%e as a
!ecoy to attract the attention of people while # manipulate
their min!s if # !i! not ha%e some agency through which to
sow the see!s of fear an! !oubtE *he cle%erest thing # !o is to
use the allies of my opposition to 5eep the fear of hell burning
in the min!s of people. s long as people fear something no
matter what # will 5eep a grip on them.
< # am beginning to see your scheme. =ou use the churches
to plant the see! of fear an! uncertainty an! in!efiniteness
in the min!s of people. *hese negati%e states of min! cause
people to form the habit of !rifting. *his habit crystallizes
into permanency through the law of hypnotic rhythmA then
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the %ictim is helpless to help himself is that rightE Hypnotic
rhythm then is something to be watche! an! respecte!E
better way of stating the truth is that hypnotic rhythm is
something to be stu!ie! un!erstoo! an! %oluntarily applie!
to attain !efinite !esire! en!s.
< #f the force of hypnotic rhythm is not %oluntarily applie!
to attain !efinite en!s may it be a great !angerE
=es an! for the reason that it operates automatically. #f it
is not consciously applie! to attain a !esire! en! it can an! it
will operate to attain un!esire! en!s.
*a5e the simple illustration of climate for e6ample.
nyone can see an! un!erstan! that nature forces e%ery
li%ing thing an! e%ery element of matter to a!>ust itself to her
climates. #n the tropics she creates trees which bear fruit an!
repro!uce themsel%es. She forces the trees to a!>ust themsel%es
to her scorching sun She forces them to put out lea%es suit
able for protection against the rays of the sun. *hese same trees
coul! not sur%i%e if remo%e! to the arctic regions where nature
has establishe! an entirely !ifferent climate.
#n the col!er climate she creates trees which are a!>uste!
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to sur%i%e an! to repro!uce themsel%es but they coul! not
sur%i%e if transplante! in the tropical regions. #n the same
manner nature clothes her animals gi%ing to those in each !if
ferent climate a co%ering suite! to their comfort an! sur%i%al
in that climate.
#n a similar manner nature forces upon the min!s of men
the influences of their en%ironment which are stronger than
the in!i%i!ual4s own thoughts. Chil!ren are force! to ta5e on
the nature of all influences of those aroun! them unless their
own thoughts are stronger than the influences.
Nature sets up a !efinite rhythm for e%ery en%ironment
an! e%erything within the range of that rhythm is force! to
conform to it. Man alone has the power to establish his own
rhythm of thought pro%i!ing he e6ercises this pri%ilege before
hypnotic rhythm has force! upon him the influences of his
en%ironment.
0%ery home e%ery place of business e%ery town an! %illage
an! e%ery street an! community center has its own !efinite !is
cernible rhythm. #f you wish to 5now what a !ifference there is
in the rhythms of streets ta5e a wal5 up Fifth %enue in New
=or5 an! then !own a street in the slums ll forms of rhythm
become permanent with time.
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< 'oes each in!i%i!ual ha%e his own rhythm of thoughtE
=es. *hat is precisely the ma>or !ifference between in!i
%i!uals. *he person who thin5s in terms of power success
opulence sets up a rhythm which attracts these !esirable pos
sessions. *he person who thin5s in terms of misery failure
!efeat !iscouragement an! po%erty attracts these un!esirable
influences. *his e6plains why both success an! failure are the
result of habit. Habit establishes one4s rhythm of thought an!
that rhythm attracts the ob>ect of one4s !ominating thoughts.
< Hypnotic rhythm is something resembling a magnet which
attracts things for which it has a magnetic affinity. #s that
correctE
=es that is correct. *hat is why the po%ertystric5en her!
themsel%es into the same communities. #t e6plains that ol!
saying 7Misery lo%es company.7 #t also e6plains why people
who begin to succee! in any un!erta5ing fin! that success mul
tiplies with less effort as time goes on.
ll successful people use hypnotic rhythm either con
sciously or unconsciously by e6pecting an! !eman!ing suc
cess. *he !eman! becomes a habit hypnotic rhythm ta5es o%er
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the habit an! the law of harmonious attraction translates it
into its physical e@ui%alent.
< #n other wor!s if # 5now what # want from life !eman!
it an! bac5 my !eman! by a willingness to pay life4s price for
what # want an! refuse to accept any substitutes the law of
hypnotic rhythm ta5es o%er my !esire an! helps by natural
an! logical means to transmute it into its physical counter
part. #s that trueE
*hat !escribes the way the law wor5s.
< Science has establishe! irrefutable e%i!ence that people
are what they are because of here!ity an! en%ironment. *hey
bring o%er with them at birth a combination of all the phys
ical @ualities of all their numberless ancestors. fter they arri%e
here they reach the age of selfconsciousness an! from there
on they shape their own personalities an! more or less fi6 their
own earthly !estinations as the result of the en%ironmental
influences to which they are sub>ecte! especially the influences
which control them !uring early chil!hoo!. *hese two facts
ha%e been so well establishe! there is no room for any intel
ligent person to @uestion them. How can hypnotic rhythm
change the nature of a physical bo!y which is a combination of
thousan!s of ancestors who ha%e li%e! an! !ie! before one is
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bornE How can hypnotic rhythm change the influence of one4s
en%ironmentE eople who are born in po%erty an! ignorance
ha%e a strong ten!ency to remain po%ertystric5en an! igno
rant all through life. "hat if anything can hypnotic rhythm
!o about thisE
Hypnotic rhythm cannot change the nature of the physical
bo!y one inherits at birth but it can an! it !oes mo!ify change
control an! ma5e permanent one4s en%ironmental influences.
< #f # un!erstan! what you mean a human being is force!
by nature to ta5e on an! become a part of the en%ironment he
chooses or the en%ironment that may be force! upon himE
*hat is correct but there are ways an! means by which an
in!i%i!ual may resist the influences of an en%ironment he !oes
not wish to accept an! also a metho! of proce!ure by which
one may re%erse the application of hypnotic rhythm from nega
ti%e to positi%e en!s.
< 'o you mean that there is a !efinite metho! by which hyp
notic rhythm can be ma!e to ser%e instea! of !estroy oneE
# mean >ust that.
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< *ell me how this astoun!ing en! may be attaine!.
For my !escription to be of any practical %alue it will be
necessarily lengthy because it will ha%e to co%er se%en princi
ples of psychology which must be un!erstoo! an! applie! by
all who use hypnotic rhythm to ai! them in forcing life to yiel!
that which they want.
< *hen brea5 your !escription into se%en parts each gi%ing
a !etaile! analysis of one of the se%en principles with simple
instructions for its practical application.
Chapter E!-ht DEFINITENESS OF 2UR2OSE
< =our Ma>esty will now procee! to unfol! the secrets
of the se%en principles through which human beings may
force life to pro%i!e them with spiritual mental an! phys
ical free!om.
'o not be sparing in your !escription of these principles.
# want a complete illustration of how the principles may be
use! by anyone who chooses to use them. *ell us all you 5now
about the principle of !efiniteness of purpose.
#f you go through with this ma! i!ea of publishing my con
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fession you will open the gates of hell an! turn loose all the
precious souls # ha%e collecte! bac5 !own through the ages.
=ou will !epri%e me of souls yet unborn. =ou will release from
my bon!age millions now li%ing. Stop # beg of you.
< ;pen up. Let4s hear what you ha%e to say about the prin
ciple of !efiniteness of purpose.
=ou are pouring water on the fires of hell but the responsi
bility is yours not mine. # may as well tell you that any human
being who can be !efinite in his aims an! plans can ma5e life
han! o%er whate%er is wante!.
< *hat is a broa! claim =our Ma>esty. 'o you wish to tone it
!own a bitE
*one it !ownE No # wish to tone it up. "hen you hear what
# now ha%e to say you will un!erstan! why the principle of !efi
niteness is so important. My opposition uses a cle%er little tric5
to cheat me of my control o%er people. *he opposition 5nows
that !efiniteness of purpose closes the !oor of one4s min! so
tightly against me that # cannot brea5 through unless # can
in!uce one to form the habit of !rifting.
< "hy !oesn4t your opposition gi%e your secret to all people
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by telling them to a%oi! you through !efiniteness of purposeE
=ou ha%e alrea!y a!mitte! that two out of e%ery hun!re!
people belong to your opposition.
Because # am more cle%er than my opposition. # !raw
people away from !efiniteness with my promises. =ou see
# control more people than my opposition because # am a
better salesman an! a better showman. # attract people by
fee!ing them liberally of the thoughthabits in which they li5e
to in!ulge.
< #s !efiniteness of purpose something with which one must
be born or may it be ac@uire!E
0%eryone as # ha%e tol! you before is born with the pri%i
lege of being !efinite but /- out of e%ery 1?? people lose this
pri%ilege by sleeping on it. *he pri%ilege of !efiniteness can
be maintaine! only by a!opting it as a policy by which one is
gui!e! in all the affairs of life.
< ;h # see ;ne ta5es a!%antage of the principle of !efinite
ness >ust as one may buil! a strong physical bo!y8 through
constant systematic use. #s that itE
=ou ha%e state! the truth clearly an! accurately.
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< Now # thin5 we are getting somewhere =our Ma>esty. "e
ha%e at long last foun! the starting point from which all who
become self!etermining in life must ta5e off.
"e ha%e !isco%ere! from your astoun!ing confession
that your greatest asset is man4s lac5 of caution which enables
you to lea! him into the >ungle of in!efiniteness through
simple bribes.
"e ha%e learne! beyon! the @uestion of !oubt that
anyone who a!opts !efiniteness of purpose as a policy an! uses
it in all of his !aily e6periences cannot be in!uce! to form the
habit of !rifting. "ithout the ai! of the !rifting habit you are
powerless to attract people through promises. #s this correctE
# coul!n4t ha%e state! the truth more clearly myself.
< :o ahea! now an! !escribe how people neglect their pri%
ilege of being free an! self!etermining through in!efiniteness
an! !rifting.
# ha%e alrea!y ma!e brief reference to this principle but # will
now go into more minute !etails as to how the principle wor5s.
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# shall ha%e to begin at the time of birth. "hen a chil! is
born it brings with it nothing but a physical bo!y representing
the e%olutionary results of millions of years of ancestry.
#ts min! is a total blan5. "hen the chil! reaches the age
of consciousness an! begins to recognize the ob>ects of its sur
roun!ings it begins also to imitate others.
#mitation becomes a fi6e! habit. Naturally the chil! imi
tates first of all its parents *hen it begins to imitate its other
relati%es an! !aily associates inclu!ing its religious instructors
an! schoolteachers.
*he imitation e6ten!s not merely to physical e6pression
but also to thought e6pression. #f a chil!4s parents fear me an!
e6press that fear within range of the chil!4s hearing the chil!
pic5s up the fear through the habit of imitation an! stores it
away as a part of its subconscious stoc5 of beliefs.
#f the chil!4s religious instructor e6presses any form of
fear of me Ian! they all !o in one form or anotherJ that fear is
a!!e! to the similar fear passe! to the chil! by its parents an!
the two forms of negati%e limitation are store! away in the sub
conscious min! to be !rawn upon an! use! by me later in life.
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#n a similar way the chil! learns by imitation to limit its
power of thought by filling its min! with en%y hatre! gree!
lust re%enge an! all the other negati%e impulses of thought
which !estroy all possibility of !efiniteness.
Meanwhile # mo%e in an! in!uce the chil! to !rift until #
bin! its min! through hypnotic rhythm.
< m # to un!erstan! from your remar5s that you ha%e to
gain control of people while they are %ery young or lose your
opportunity at them altogetherE
# prefer to claim them before they come into possession
of their own min!s. ;nce any person learns the power of his
own thoughts he becomes positi%e an! !ifficult to sub!ue. s
a matter of fact # cannot control any human being who !is
co%ers an! uses the principle of !efiniteness.
< #s the habit of !efiniteness a permanent protection against
your controlE
No not by any means. 'efiniteness closes the !oor of one4s
min! to me only as long as that person follows the principle as
a matter of policy. ;nce any person hesitates procrastinates or
becomes in!efinite about anything he is >ust one step remo%e!
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from my control.
< "hat has !efiniteness to !o with one4s material circum
stancesE # want to 5now if one may ac@uire power through !ef
initeness of purpose without in%iting !estruction through the
law of compensation.
=our @uestion limits my illustrations because there are so
few people in the worl! who un!erstan! an! there ha%e been
so few in the past who un!erstoo! how to use !efiniteness of
purpose without attracting to themsel%es the negati%e applica
tion of the law of compensation.
Here you are forcing me to !isclose one of my most prize!
tric5s. # am boun! to tell you that # e%entually reclaim for my
cause all who escape me temporarily through !efiniteness of
purpose. *he reclamation is ma!e by filling the min! with gree!
for power an! the lo%e of egotistical e6pression until the in!i
%i!ual falls into the habit of %iolating the rights of others. *hen
# step in with the law of compensation an! reclaim my %ictim.
< So # see from your a!mission that !efiniteness of purpose
may be !angerous in proportion to its possibility as a power. #s
that trueE
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=es an! what is more important e%ery principle of goo!
carries with it the see! of an e@ui%alent !anger.
< *hat is har! to belie%e. "hat !anger for e6ample can
there be in the habit of lo%e of truthE
*he !anger lies in the wor! 7habit.7 ll habits sa%e only
that of the lo%e of !efiniteness of purpose may lea! to the
habit of !rifting. Lo%e for truth unless it assumes the propor
tion of !efinite pursuit of truth may become similar to all
other goo! intentions. =ou 5now of course what # !o with
goo! intentions.
< #s lo%e for one4s relati%es also !angerousE
*he lo%e for anything or anyone sa%e only the lo%e of !efi
niteness of purpose may become !angerous. Lo%e is a state of
min! which beclou!s reason saps will power an! blin!s one
to facts an! truth.
0%eryone who becomes self!etermining an! gains spiri
tual free!om to thin5 his own thoughts must e6amine care
fully e%ery emotion that seems e%en remotely relate! to lo%e.
=ou may be surprise! to 5now that lo%e is one of my most
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effecti%e baits. "ith it # lea! into the habit of !rifting those
whom # coul! attract with nothing else.
*hat is why # ha%e place! it at the hea! of my list of bribes.
Show me what any person lo%es most an! # will ha%e my cue
as to how that person can be in!uce! to !rift until # bin! him
with hypnotic rhythm.
Lo%e an! fear combine! gi%e me the most effecti%e
weapons with which # in!uce people to !rift. ;ne is as helpful
to me as the other. Both ha%e the effect of causing people to
neglect to !e%elop !efiniteness in the use of their own min!s.
:i%e me control o%er a person4s fears an! tell me what he
lo%es most an! you may as well mar5 that person !own as my
sla%e. Both lo%e an! fear are emotional forces of such stupen
!ous potency that either may completely set asi!e the power of
will an! the power of reason. "ithout will an! reason there is
nothing left to support !efiniteness of purpose.
< But =our Ma>esty life woul! not be worth li%ing if people
ne%er felt the emotion of lo%e.
h =ou are right as far as your reasoning goes but you
neglecte! to a!! that lo%e shoul! be un!er one4s !efinite con
trol at all times.
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=es # mean >ust that. 'efiniteness of purpose plus !efi
niteness of plan by which the purpose is to be achie%e! gener
ally succee!s no matter how wea5 the plan may be. *he ma>or
!ifference between a soun! an! an unsoun! plan is that the
soun! plan if !efinitely applie! may be carrie! out more
@uic5ly than an unsoun! plan.
< #n other wor!s if one cannot be always right one can an!
shoul! be always !efiniteE #s that what you are trying to get
across to meE
*hat is the i!ea. eople who are !efinite in both their
plans an! their purposes ne%er accept temporary !efeat as
being more than an urge to greater effort. =ou can see for
yourself that this sort of policy is boun! to win if it is fol
lowe! with !efiniteness.
< Can a person who mo%es with !efiniteness of both plan
an! purpose be always sure of successE
No. *he best of plans sometimes misfire but the person
who mo%es with !efiniteness recognizes the !ifference between
temporary !efeat an! failure. "hen plans fail he substitutes
others but he !oes not change his purpose. He perse%eres.
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0%entually he fin!s a plan that succee!s.
< "ill a plan base! upon immoral or un>ust en!s succee!
as @uic5ly as one moti%ate! by a 5een sense of >ustice an!
moralityE
*hrough the operation of the law of compensation
e%eryone reaps that which he sows. lans base! on un>ust
or immoral moti%es may bring temporary success but en!uring
success must ta5e into consi!eration the fourth !imen
sion time.
*ime is the enemy of immorality an! in>ustice. #t is the
frien! of >ustice an! morality. Failure to recognize this fact
has been responsible for the crime wa%e among the youths of
the worl!.
*he youthful ine6perience! min! is apt to mista5e tempo
rary success for permanency. *he youth often ma5es the mis
ta5e of co%eting the temporary gains of immoral un>ust plans
but neglects to loo5 ahea! an! obser%e the penalties which
follow as !efinitely as night follows !ay.
Chapter N!ne EDUCATION AND RELIGION
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< *his is pretty !eep stuff =our Ma>esty. Let us get bac5
to the !iscussion of lighter an! more concrete sub>ects that are
li5ely to interest the ma>ority of people. # am intereste! in !is
cussing the things that ma5e people happy an! miserable rich
an! poor sic5 an! healthy. #n brief # am intereste! in e%ery
thing that can be use! by human beings to ma5e life pay satis
factory !i%i!en!s in return for the effort that one puts into the
business of li%ing.
ery well let us be !efinite.
< =ou ha%e my i!ea. =our Ma>esty has a ten!ency to stray
off into abstract !etails which most people can neither un!er
stan! nor use in the solution of their problems. Coul! that by
any chance be a !efinite plan of yours to answer my @uestions
with in!efinite answersE #f that is your plan it is a slic5 tric5
but it will not wor5. :o ahea! now an! tell me something
more of the miseries an! failures of human beings growing
!irectly out of in!efiniteness.
"hy not permit me to tell you more of the pleasures an!
successes of people who un!erstan! an! apply the principle of
!efinitenessE
< # obser%e that sometimes people with !efiniteness of plan
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an! purpose get what they as5 from life only to fin! after they
get it that they !o not want it. "hat thenE
:enerally one can get ri! of whate%er is not wante! by
application of the same principle of !efiniteness with which
the thing was ac@uire!. life that is li%e! with fullness of peace
of min! contentment an! happiness always !i%ests itself of
e%erything it !oes not want. nyone who submits to annoyance
by things he !oes not want is not !efinite. He is a !rifter.
< "hat about marrie! people who cease to want each otherE
Shoul! they separate or is it true that all marriages are ma!e
in hea%en an! the contracting parties are therefore fore%er
boun! by their bargain e%en though it may pro%e to be a poor
one for both.
First let me correct that ol! saying that all marriages are
ma!e in hea%en. # 5now of some which were ma!e on my si!e
of the fence. Min!s which !o not harmonize shoul! ne%er be
force! to remain together in marriage or any other relationship.
Friction an! all forms of !iscor! between min!s lea! ine%itably
to the habit of !rifting an! of course to in!efiniteness.
< ren4t people sometimes boun! to others by a relationship
of !uty which ren!ers it impractical for them to ta5e from life
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what they want mostE
7'uty7 is one of the most abuse! an! misun!erstoo!
wor!s in e6istence. *he first !uty of e%ery human being is to
himself. 0%ery person owes himself the !uty of fin!ing how
to li%e a full an! happy life. Beyon! this if one has time an!
energy not nee!e! in the fulfillment of his own !esires one
may assume responsibility for helping others.
< #sn4t that a selfish attitu!e an! isn4t selfishness one of the
causes of failure to fin! happinessE
# stan! by my statement that there is no higher !uty than
that which one owes himself.
< 'oesn4t a chil! owe something in the way of !uty to its
parents who ga%e it life an! sustenance !uring its perio!s of
helplessnessE
Not at all. #t is >ust the other way aroun!. arents owe their
chil!ren e%erything they can gi%e them in the way of 5nowl
e!ge. Beyon! that parents often spoil instea! of helping their
offspring by a false sense of !uty which prompts them to
in!ulge their chil!ren instea! of forcing them to see5 an! gain
5nowle!ge at first han!.
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< # see what you mean. =our theory is that too much help
thrust upon the youth encourages him to !rift an! become
in!efinite in all things. =ou belie%e that necessity is a teacher of
great sagacity that !efeat carries with it an e@ui%alent %irtue
that unearne! gifts of e%ery nature may become a curse instea!
of a blessing. #s that correctE
=ou ha%e state! my philosophy perfectly. My belief is not
theory. #t is fact.
< *hen you !o not a!%ocate prayer as a means of gaining
!esirable en!sE
;n the contrary # !o a!%ocate prayer but not the sort of
prayer that consists of empty begging meaningless wor!s.
*he sort of prayer against which # am helpless is the prayer of
!efiniteness of purpose.
< # ne%er thought of !efiniteness of purpose as being a
prayer. How can it beE
'efiniteness is in effect the only sort of prayer upon which
one can rely. #t places one in the way of using hypnotic rhythm
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to attain !efinite en!s ... by the mere act of appropriating it
from the great uni%ersal storehouse of #nfinite #ntelligence.
*he appropriation in case you are intereste! ta5es place
through !efiniteness of purpose persistently pursue!
< "hy !o the ma>ority of prayers failE
*hey !on4t. ll prayers bring that for which one prays.
< But you >ust sai! that !efiniteness of purpose is the only
sort of prayer upon which one can rely. Now you say that all
prayers bring results. "hat !o you meanE
*here is nothing inconsistent about it. *he ma>ority of
people who pray go to prayer only after e%erything else fails
them. Naturally they go with their min!s fille! with fear that
the prayers will not be answere!. "ell their fears are realize!.
*he person who goes to prayer with !efiniteness of purpose
an! faith in the attainment of that purpose puts into motion
the laws of nature which transmute one4s !ominating !esires
into their physical e@ui%alent. *hat is all there is to prayer.
;ne form of prayer is negati%e an! brings only nega
ti%e results. ;ne form is positi%e an! brings !efinite positi%e
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results. Coul! anything be more simpleE
eople who whine an! beg :o! to assume responsibility
for all their troubles an! pro%i!e them with all the necessi
ties an! lu6uries of life are too lazy to create what they want
an! translate it into e6istence through the power of their
own min!s.
"hen you hear a person praying for something that he
shoul! procure through his own efforts you may be sure you
are listening to a !rifter. #nfinite #ntelligence fa%ors only those
who un!erstan! an! a!apt themsel%es to her laws. She ma5es
no !iscrimination because of fine character or pleasing per
sonality. *hese things help people negotiate their way through
life more harmoniously with one another but the source from
which prayer is answere! is not impresse! by fine feathers.
Nature4s law is 7Know what you want a!apt yourself to my
laws an! you shall ha%e it.7
< 'oes that harmonize with the teachings of ChristE
erfectly. lso it harmonizes with the teachings of all truly
great philosophers.
< #s your theory of !efiniteness in harmony with the philos
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ophy of men of scienceE
'efiniteness is the ma>or !ifference between a scientist
an! a !rifter. *hrough the principle of !efiniteness of purpose
an! plan the scientist forces nature to han! o%er her most
profoun! secrets. #t was through this principle that 0!ison
unco%ere! the secret of the tal5ing machine the incan!escent
electric light an! scores of other benefits for man5in!.
< *hen # un!erstan! that !efiniteness is the first re@uisite
for success in all earthly un!erta5ingsE #s that rightE
06actly nything which teaches people to e6amine facts
an! coor!inate them into !efinite plans through accurate
thin5ing is har! on my profession. #f this thirst for !efinite
5nowle!ge now sprea!ing o%er the worl! 5eeps up my busi
ness will be shot to pieces within the ne6t few centuries. # thri%e
on ignorance superstition intolerance an! fear but # cannot
stan! up un!er !efinite 5nowle!ge properly organize! into
!efinite plans in the min!s of people who thin5 for themsel%es.
< "hy !on4t you ta5e o%er ;mnipotence an! manage the
whole wor5s in your own wayE
=ou might as well as5 why the negati%e portion of the elec
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tron !oesn4t ta5e o%er the positi%e portion an! run the entire
wor5s. *he answer is that both the positi%e an! the negati%e
charges of energy are necessary to the e6istence of the elec
tron. ;ne is balance! e@ually against the other stalemate! as
it were.
So it is with what you call ;mnipotence an! #. "e repre
sent the positi%e an! the negati%e forces of the entire system of
uni%erses an! we are e@ually balance! one against the other.
#f this power of balance were shifte! the slightest !egree
the whole system of uni%erses woul! become @uic5ly re!uce!
to a mass of inert matter. Now you 5now why # cannot ta5e
o%er the whole show an! run it my way.
< #f what you say is true you ha%e e6actly the same power as
;mnipotence. #s that trueE
*hat is correct. My opposition8 you call it ;mnipotence
e6presses itself through the forces which you call goo! the
positi%e forces of nature. # e6press myself through the forces
you call ba! the negati%e forces. Both goo! an! ba! are coinci
!ental with e6istence. ;ne is as important as the other.
< *hen the !octrine of pre!estination is soun!. eople are
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born to success or failure misery or happiness to be goo! or
ba! an! they ha%e nothing to !o with this nor can they mo!ify
their natures. #s that your claimE
0mphatically not 0%ery human being has a wi!e range
of choice in both his thoughts an! his !ee!s. 0%ery human
being can use his brain for the reception an! the e6pression of
positi%e thoughts or he can use it for the e6pression of nega
ti%e thoughts. His choice in this important matter shapes his
entire life.
< From what you ha%e sai! # gather the i!ea that human
beings ha%e more free!om of e6pression than either you or
your opposition. #s that correctE
*hat is true. ;mnipotence an! # are boun! by immutable
laws of nature. "e cannot e6press oursel%es in any manner not
conforming to these laws.
< *hen it is true that man has rights an! pri%ileges not a%ail
able to either ;mnipotence or the 'e%il. #s that the truthE
=es that is true but you might well ha%e a!!e! that man
has not yet fully awa5ene! to the realization of this potential
power. Man still regar!s himself as something resembling the
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worms in the !ust when in reality he has more power than all
other li%ing things combine!.
< 'efiniteness of purpose seems to be a panacea for all e%ils
of man.
Not that perhaps but you may be sure no one e%er will
become self!etermining without it.
< "hy aren4t chil!ren taught !efiniteness of purpose in the
public schoolsE
For the reason that there is no !efinite plan or purpose
behin! any of the school curricula Chil!ren are sent to school
to ma5e cre!its an! to learn how to memorize not to learn
what they want of life.
< "hat goo! is a school cre!it if one cannot con%ert it into
the material an! spiritual nee!s of lifeE
# am only a 'e%il not an un win!er of ri!!les
< # !e!uce from all you say that neither the schools nor
the churches prepare the youths of the worl! with a practical
wor5ing 5nowle!ge of their own min!s. #s anything of more
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importance to a human being than an un!erstan!ing of the
forces an! circumstances which influence his own min!E
*he only thing of en!uring %alue to any human being is
a wor5ing 5nowle!ge of his own min!. *he churches !o not
permit a person to in@uire into the possibilities of his own
min! an! the schools !o not recognize that such a thing as a
min! e6ists.
< ren4t you a little har! on the schools an! the churchesE
No # am merely !escribing them as they are without bias
or pre>u!ice.
< ren4t the schools an! the churches your bitter enemiesE
*heir lea!ers may thin5 they are but # am impresse! only
by facts. *he truth is this if you must 5now it9 the churches
are my most helpful allies an! the schools run the churches a
close secon!.
< ;n what specific or general groun!s !o you ma5e this
claimE
;n the groun!s that both the churches an! the schools
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help me to con%ert people to the habit of !rifting.
< 'o you realize that your charge is substantially a sweeping
in!ictment of the two institutions of ma>or importance which
ha%e been responsible for ci%ilization in its present formE
'o # realize itE Man ali%e # gloat o%er it. #f the schools an!
churches ha! taught people how to thin5 for themsel%es where
woul! # be nowE
< *his confession of yours will !isillusion millions of people
whose only hope for sal%ation is in their churches. #sn4t that
a cruel thing to !o to themE "oul!n4t most people be better
off li%ing in the bliss of ignorance than to 5now the truth
about youE
"hat !o you mean by the term 7sal%ation7E From what are
people being sa%e!E *he only form of en!uring sal%ation that
is worth a green fig to any human being is that which comes
from recognition of the power of his own min!. #gnorance an!
fear are the only enemies from which men nee! sal%ation.
< =ou seem to hol! nothing sacre!.
=ou are wrong. # hol! sacre! the one thing which is my
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master8 the one thing # fear.
< "hat is thatE
*he power of in!epen!ent thought bac5e! by !efiniteness
of purpose.
< *hen you !o not ha%e many people to fearE
;nly two out of e%ery 1?? to be e6act. # control all others.
< Let4s gi%e the churches a rest an! get bac5 to the public
schools. =our confession has shown clearly that you thri%e an!
perpetuate yourself from one generation to another by the
cle%er tric5 of ta5ing o%er the min!s of chil!ren before they
ha%e the chance to learn how to use their min!s.
# wish to 5now what is wrong with a public school system
that permits the 'e%il to control so many people. # wish to
5now also what can be !one to the establishe! system of
teaching that will insure all chil!ren the opportunity to learn
first that they ha%e min!s an! secon! how to use those
min!s to bring spiritual an! economic free!om.
# am putting the @uestion to you !efinitely enough an!
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since you ha%e stresse! the importance of !efiniteness of
purpose # am here an! now putting you on notice that your
answer to my @uestion must be !efinite.
"ait a moment while # catch my breath. =ou ha%e gi%en me
@uite an or!er #t seems strange that you woul! come to the
'e%il to learn how to li%e. # shoul! thin5 you woul! go to my
opposition. "hy !on4t youE
< =our Ma>esty it is you who are on trial here not #. # want
the truth an! # am not particular as to the source from which
# get it. *here is something ra!ically wrong with the system of
e!ucation that has gi%en us a balance sheet with life that shows
us hopelessly in the re! an! groping for the roa! to self!eter
mination as if we were so many animals lost in the >ungle.
# want to 5now two things about this system. First what is
the ma>or wea5ness of the systemE Secon! how can this wea5
ness be eliminate!E *he floor is yours again lease stic5 to the
@uestion an! stop trying to !ecoy me into the !iscussion of
!eep abstract sub>ects. *hat4s !efinite is it notE
=ou lea%e me no choice but that of !irect answer. *o begin
with the public school system approaches the sub>ect of e!u
cation from the wrong angle. *he school system en!ea%ors to
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teach chil!ren to memorize facts instea! of teaching them how
to use their own min!s.
< #s that all that is wrong with the systemE
No that is only the beginning. nother ma>or wea5ness of
the school system is that it !oes not establish in the min!s of
chil!ren either the importance of !efiniteness of purpose or
ma5e any attempt to teach youths how to be !efinite about
anything.
*he ma>or ob>ect of all schooling is to force the stu!ents to
cram their memories with facts instea! of teaching them how
to organize an! ma5e practical use of facts.
*his cramming system centers the attention of stu!ents
on the accumulation of 7cre!its7 but o%erloo5s the important
@uestion of how to use 5nowle!ge in the practical affairs of life.
*his system turns out gra!uates whose names are inscribe!
upon parchment certificates but whose min!s are empty of
self!etermination. *he school system got off to a ba! start
at the beginning. *he schools began as institutions of 7higher
learning7 operate! entirely for the select few whose wealth an!
family entitle! them to e!ucation.
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*hus the entire school system was e%ol%e! by beginning at
the top an! wor5ing bac5 !own to the bottom. #t is no won!er
the system neglects to teach chil!ren the importance of !efi
niteness of purpose when the system itself has literally e%ol%e!
through in!efiniteness.
< "hat woul! correct this wea5ness of the public school
systemE Let4s not complain of the wea5ness of the system
unless we are prepare! to offer a practical reme!y with which
it can be correcte!. #n other wor!s while we are !iscussing the
importance of !efiniteness of plan an! purpose let us ta5e our
own me!icine an! be !efinite.
"hy !on4t you lay off the schools an! churches an! sa%e
yourself plenty of troubleE 'on4t you 5now that you are po5ing
your nose into the affairs of the two forces that control the
worl!E Suppose you !o show up the schools an! the churches
as being wea5 an! ina!e@uate for the nee!s of human beingsE
"hat thenE "ith what are you going to replace these two
institutionsE
< Stop trying to e%a!e my @uestions by the ol! tric5 of
as5ing a counter@uestion # !o not propose to replace the
schools an! churches. But # !o propose to fin! out if # can
how these organize! forces can be mo!ifie! so they will ser%e
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people instea! of 5eeping them in ignorance. :o ahea! now
an! gi%e me a !etaile! catalogue of all the changes in the
public school system which woul! impro%e it.
So you want the entire catalogue !o youE 'o you want the
suggeste! changes in the or!er of their importanceE
< 'escribe the changes nee!e! >ust as they come to you.
=ou are forcing me to commit an act of treason against
myself but here it is9
$e%erse the present system by gi%ing chil!ren the pri%ilege
of lea!ing in their school wor5 instea! of following ortho!o6
rules !esigne! only to impart abstract 5nowle!ge. Let
instructors ser%e as stu!ents an! let the stu!ents ser%e
as instructors.
s far as possible organize all school wor5 into !efinite
metho!s through which the stu!ent can learn by !oing an!
!irect the class wor5 so that e%ery stu!ent engages in some
form of practical labor connecte! with the !aily problems
of life.
#!eas are the beginning of all human achie%ement. *each
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all stu!ents how to recognize practical i!eas that may be of
benefit in helping them ac@uire whate%er they !eman! of life.
*each the stu!ents how to bu!get an! use time an! abo%e
all teach the truth that time is the greatest asset a%ailable to
human beings an! the cheapest.
*each the stu!ent the basic moti%es by which all people are
influence! an! show how to use these moti%es in ac@uiring
the necessities an! the lu6uries of life.
*each chil!ren what to eat how much to eat an! what is the
relationship between proper eating an! soun! health.
*each chil!ren the true nature an! function of the emotion
of se6 an! abo%e all teach them that it can be transmute!
into a !ri%ing force capable of lifting one to great heights
of achie%ement.
*each chil!ren to be !efinite in all things beginning with the
choice of a !efinite ma>or purpose in life
*each chil!ren the nature of an! possibilities for goo! an!
e%il in the principle of habit using as illustrations with
which to !ramatize the sub>ect the e%ery!ay e6periences of
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chil!ren an! a!ults.
*each chil!ren how habits become fi6e! through the law of
hypnotic rhythm an! influence them to a!opt while in the
lower gra!es habits that will lea! to in!epen!ent thought
*each chil!ren the !ifference between temporary !efeat
an! failure an! show them how to search for the see! of an
e@ui%alent a!%antage which comes with e%ery !efeat.
*each chil!ren to e6press their own thoughts fearlessly an!
to accept or re>ect at will all i!eas of others reser%ing to
themsel%es always the pri%ilege of relying upon their
own >u!gment.
*each chil!ren to reach !ecisions promptly an! to change
them if at all slowly an! with reluctance an! ne%er without a
!efinite reason.
*each chil!ren that the human brain is the instrument with
which one recei%es from the great storehouse of nature the
energy which is specialize! into !efinite thoughtsA that the
brain !oes not thin5 but ser%es as an instrument for the
interpretation of stimuli which cause thought.
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*each chil!ren the %alue of harmony in their own min!s an!
that this is attainable only through selfcontrol.
*each chil!ren the nature an! the %alue of selfcontrol.
*each chil!ren that there is a law of increasing returns which
can be an! shoul! be put into operation as a matter of habit
by ren!ering always more ser%ice an! better ser%ice than is
e6pecte! of them.
*each chil!ren the true nature of the :ol!en $ule an! abo%e
all show them that through the operation of this principle
e%erything they !o to an! for another they !o also to an!
for themsel%es.
*each chil!ren not to ha%e opinions unless they are forme!
from facts or beliefs which may reasonably be accepte! as facts.
*each chil!ren that cigarettes li@uor narcotics an! o%er
in!ulgence in se6 !estroy the power of will an! lea! to the habit
of !rifting. 'o not forbi! these e%ils8 >ust e6plain them.
*each chil!ren the !anger of belie%ing anything merely
because their parents religious instructors or someone else
says it is so.
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*each chil!ren to face facts whether they are pleasant or
unpleasant without resorting to subterfuge or offering alibis.
*each chil!ren to encourage the use of their si6th sense
through which i!eas present themsel%es in their min!s from
un5nown sources an! to e6amine all such i!eas carefully.
*each chil!ren the full import of the law of compensation as it
was interprete! by $alph "al!o 0merson an! show them how
the law wor5s in the small e%ery!ay affairs of life.
*each chil!ren that !efiniteness of purpose bac5e! by !efinite
plans persistently an! continuously applie! is the most
efficacious form of prayer a%ailable to human beings.
*each chil!ren that the space they occupy in the worl! is
measure! !efinitely by the @uality an! @uantity of useful
ser%ice they ren!er the worl!.
*each chil!ren there is no problem which !oes not ha%e an
appropriate solution an! that the solution often may be foun!
in the circumstance creating the problem.
*each chil!ren that their only real limitations are those which
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they set up or permit others to establish in their own min!s.
*each them that man can achie%e whate%er man can concei%e
an! belie%e
*each chil!ren that all schoolhouses an! all te6tboo5s
are elementary implements which may be helpful in the
!e%elopment of their min!s but that the only school of
real %alue is the great 3ni%ersity of Life wherein one has the
pri%ilege of learning from e6perience.
*each chil!ren to be true to themsel%es at all times an! since
they cannot please e%erybo!y therefore to !o a goo! >ob of
pleasing themsel%es.
< *hat is an imposing list but it seems conspicuous by
the fact it ignores practically e%ery sub>ect now taught in the
public schools. "as that inten!e!E
=es. =ou as5e! for a list of suggeste! changes in public
school curricula which woul! benefit chil!ren8 well that is
what you got.
< Some of the changes you suggest are so unortho!o6 they
woul! shoc5 most of the e!ucators of to!ay woul!n4t theyE
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Most of the e!ucators of to!ay nee! to be shoc5e!. goo!
soun! shoc5 often helps the brain that has been atrophie!
by habit.
< "oul! the changes you suggest for the public schools gi%e
chil!ren immunity against the habit of !riftingE
=es that is one of the results the changes woul! bring but
there are others too.
< How coul! the suggeste! changes be force! into the public
school systemE =ou 5now of course it is as !ifficult to get a
new i!ea into an e!ucator4s brain as it is to interest a religious
lea!er in mo!ifying religion so it will help people to get more
from life.
*he @uic5est an! surest way to force practical i!eas into
the public schools is to first intro!uce the i!eas through pri
%ate schools an! establish such a !eman! for their use that
public school officials will be compelle! to employ them.
< Shoul! any other changes be ma!e in the public school
systemE
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of instruction that woul! gi%e all school chil!ren a wor5ing
5nowle!ge of the practical affairs of life !irect from the orig
inal source. #s that the i!eaE
=ou4%e state! it correctly.
< Let us !ismiss the public school system an! go bac5
to the churches for a moment. ll my life # ha%e hear! cler
gymen preaching against sin an! warning sinners to beware
an! repent so they coul! be sa%e!. But # ha%e ne%er hear!
any of them tell me what sin is. "ill you gi%e me some light on
this sub>ectE
Sin is anything one !oes or thin5s which causes one to be
unhappy Human beings who are in soun! physical an! spiri
tual health shoul! be at peace with themsel%es an! always
happy. ny form of mental or physical misery in!icates the
presence of sin.
< Name some of the common forms of sin.
#t is a sin to o%ereat because that lea!s to ill health
an! misery.
#t is a sin to o%erin!ulge in se6 because that brea5s !own
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one4s will power an! lea!s to the habit of !rifting.
#t is a sin to permit one4s min! to be !ominate! by nega
ti%e thoughts of en%y gree! fear hatre! intolerance %anity
selfpity or !iscouragement because these states of min! lea!
to the habit of !rifting.
#t is a sin to cheat lie an! steal because these habits
!estroy selfrespect sub!ue one4s conscience an! lea! to
unhappiness.
#t is a sin to remain in ignorance because that lea!s to po%
erty an! loss of selfreliance.
#t is a sin to accept from life anything one !oes not
want because that in!icates an unpar!onable neglect to use
the min!.
< #s it a sin for one to !rift through life without !efinite aim
plan or purposeE
=es because this habit lea!s to po%erty an! !estroys the
pri%ilege of self!etermination. #t also !epri%es one of the
pri%ilege of using his own min! as a me!ium of contact with
#nfinite #ntelligence.
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< re you the chief inspirer of sinE
=es #t is my business to gain control of the min!s of people
in e%ery way possible.
< Can you control the min! of a person who commits no
sinE
# cannot because that person ne%er permits his min! to be
!ominate! by any form of negati%e thought. # cannot enter the
min! of one who ne%er sins let alone control it.
< "hat is the commonest an! most !estructi%e of all sinsE
Fear an! ignorance.
< Ha%e you nothing else to a!! to the listE
*here is nothing else to be a!!e!.
< "hat is faithE
#t is a state of min! wherein one recognizes an! uses the
power of positi%e thought as a me!ium by which one contacts
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an! !raws upon the uni%ersal store of #nfinite #ntelligence at will.
< #n other wor!s faith is the absence of all forms of negati%e
thought. #s that the i!eaE
=es that is another way of !escribing it.
< Has a !rifter the capacity to use faithE
He may ha%e the capacity but he !oes not use it. 0%eryone
has the potential power to clear his min! of all negati%e
thoughts an! thereby a%ail himself of the power of faith.
< Stating the matter in another way faith is !efiniteness of
purpose bac5e! by belief in the attainment of the ob>ect of
that purpose. #s that correctE
*hat4s the i!ea e6actly.
Chapter Ten SELF4DISCI2LINE
< "hat preparation must one un!ergo before being
able to mo%e with !efiniteness of purpose at all timesE
;ne must gain mastery o%er self. *his is the secon! of the
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se%en principles. *he person who is not master of himself can
ne%er be master of others. Lac5 of selfmastery is of itself the
most !estructi%e form of in!efiniteness.
< "here shoul! one begin when ma5ing a start at control
o%er selfE
By mastering the three appetites responsible for most
of one4s lac5 of self!iscipline. *he three appetites are I1J the
!esire for foo! I2J the !esire for e6pression of se6 I&J the
!esire to e6press loosely organize! opinions.
< 'oes man ha%e other appetites which nee! controlE
=es many of them but these three are the ones which
shoul! be con@uere! first. "hen a man becomes master of
these three appetites he has !e%elope! enough self!iscipline
to con@uer easily those of lesser importance.
< But these are natural appetites. *hey must be in!ulge! if
one is to be healthy an! happy.
*o be sure they are natural appetites but they are also !an
gerous because people who ha%e not mastere! themsel%es o%er
fee! the appetites. Selfmastery contemplates sufficient control
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o%er the appetites to enable one to fee! them what they nee!
an! withhol! foo! not nee!e!.
< =our %iewpoint is both interesting an! e!ucational.
'escribe the !etails through which # may un!erstan! how an!
un!er what circumstances people o%erfee! the appetites.
*a5e the !esire for physical foo! for e6ample. *he ma>ority
of people are so wea5 in self!iscipline they fill their stomachs
with combinations of rich foo! which please the taste but o%er
wor5 the organs of !igestion an! elimination.
*hey pour into their stomachs both @uantity an! combi
nations of foo! which the bo!y chemist can !ispose of only by
con%erting the foo! into !ea!ly to6ic poisons.
*hese poisons clog an! stagnate the bo!y sewer system
until it slows !own in its wor5 of elimination of waste matter.
fter a while the sewer system stops wor5ing altogether an!
the %ictim has what he calls 7constipation.7
By that time he is rea!y for the hospital. utointo6ication
or bo!y sewer poisoning ta5es the machinery of the brain an!
rolls it into something resembling a wa! of putty.
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*he %ictim then becomes sluggish in his physical mo%e
ments an! mentally irritable an! fussy. #f he coul! only ta5e
one goo! loo5 at an! one ba! smell of his sewer system he
woul! be ashame! to loo5 himself in the face.
City sewers are not the pleasantest of places when they
become o%erloa!e! or clogge! but they are clean an! sweet
compare! with the intestinal sewer when it has been o%er
loa!e! or clogge!. *his is not a pretty story to be associate!
with the pleasant an! necessary act of eating but that is where
it belongs because o%ereating an! wrong foo! combinations
are the e%ils which cause autointo6ication.
eople who eat wisely an! 5eep their bo!y sewers clean
han!icap me because a clean bo!y sewer generally means a
soun! bo!y an! a brain that functions properly.
#magine8 if your imagination can be stretche! that far
how any human being coul! mo%e with !efiniteness of purpose
with his bo!y sewer fille! with enough poison to 5ill a hun!re!
people if it were in>ecte! into their bloo!stream !irectly.
< n! all this trouble is the result of lac5 of control o%er the
physical appetite for foo!E
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"ell if you wish to be absolutely correct you shoul! say
that improper eating is responsible for the ma>ority of the ills
of the bo!y an! practically all hea!aches.
#f you want proof of this select 1?? people suffering with
hea!aches an! gi%e each of them a thorough washing out
of their bo!y sewer systems with a high enema an! obser%e
that no fewer than ninetyfi%e of the hea!aches will !isappear
within a few minutes after their sewers ha%e been cleane!.
< From all you say about the intestinal tract # gather the
impression that mastery o%er the physical appetite for foo!
means also mastery o%er the habit of neglecting to 5eep the
intestines cleanE
=es that is true. #t is >ust as important to eliminate the
waste matter of the bo!y an! the unuse! portions of foo!
as it is to ta5e the right amount an! the correct combinations
of foo!.
< # ne%er thought of autointo6ication as being one of your
!e%ices of control o%er people an! # am utterly shoc5e! to
5now how many people are %ictims of this subtle enemy. Let4s
hear what you ha%e to say of the other two appetites.
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"ell ta5e the !esire for se6 e6pression. Now there is a
force with which # master the wea5 an! the strong the ol! an!
the young the ignorant an! the wise. #n fact # master all who
neglect to master se6
< How can one master the emotion of se6E
By the simple process of transmuting that emotion into
some form of acti%ity other than copulation. Se6 is one of the
greatest of all forces which moti%ate human beings. Because of
this fact it is also one of the most !angerous forces. #f humans
woul! control their se6 !esires an! transmute them into a
!ri%ing force with which to carry on their occupation8 that is
if they spent on their wor5 one half the time they !issipate in
pursuit of se6 they woul! ne%er 5now po%erty.
< 'o # un!erstan! you to imply there is a relationship
between se6 an! po%ertyE
=es where se6 is not un!er !efinite control. #f allowe! to
run its natural course se6 will @uic5ly lea! one into the habit
of !rifting.
< #s there any relationship between se6 an! lea!ershipE
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=es all great lea!ers in e%ery wal5 of life are highly se6e!
but they follow the habit of controlling their se6 !esires
switching them into a !ri%ing force behin! their occupation.
< #s the habit of o%erin!ulgence in se6 as !angerous as the
habit of ta5ing narcotics or li@uorE
*here is no !ifference between these habits. Both lea! to
hypnotic control through the habit of !rifting
< "hy !oes the worl! loo5 upon se6 as something %ulgarE
Because of the %ulgar abuse people ha%e ma!e of this emo
tion. #t is not se6 that is %ulgar. #t is the in!i%i!ual who neglects
or refuses to control an! gui!e it.
< 'o you mean by your statement that one shoul! not
in!ulge the !esire for se6E
No # mean that se6 li5e all other forces a%ailable to man
shoul! be un!erstoo! mastere! an! ma!e to ser%e man. *he
!esire for se6 e6pression is as natural as the !esire for foo!.
*he !esire can no more be 5ille! than one can entirely stop a
ri%er from flowing. #f the emotion of se6 is shut off from the
natural mo!e of e6pression it will brea5 out in some other less
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!esirable form >ust as a ri%er will if !amme! brea5 through
an! flow aroun! the !am. *he person who has self!iscipline
un!erstan!s the emotion of se6 respects it an! learns to con
trol an! transmute it into constructi%e acti%ities.
< Gust what !amage is there in o%erin!ulgence of se6E
*he greatest !amage is that it !epletes the source of man4s
greatest !ri%ing force an! wastes without a!e@uate compensa
tion man4s creati%e energy.
#t !issipates energy nee!e! by nature to maintain physical
health. Se6 is nature4s most useful therapeutic force.
#t !epletes the magnetic energy which is the source of an
attracti%e pleasing personality.
#t remo%es the spar5le from one4s eyes an! sets up !iscor!
in the tone of one4s %oice.
#t !estroys enthusiasm sub!ues ambition an! lea!s ine%i
tably to the habit of !rifting on all sub>ects.
< # woul! li5e for you to answer my @uestion in another way
by telling me what beneficial en!s the emotion of se6 may be
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ma!e to attain if mastere! an! transmute!.
Controlle! se6 supplies the magnetic force that attracts
people to one another. #t is the most important factor of a
pleasing personality.
#t gi%es @uality to the tone of %oice an! enables one to
con%ey through the %oice any feeling !esire!.
#t ser%es as nothing else can ser%e to gi%e moti%epower to
one4s !esires.
#t 5eeps the ner%ous system charge! with the energy nee!e!
to carry on the wor5 of maintaining the bo!y.
#t sharpens the imagination an! enables one to create
useful i!eas.
#t gi%es @uic5ness an! !efiniteness to one4s physical an!
mental mo%ements.
#t gi%es one persistence an! perse%erance in the pursuit of
one4s ma>or purpose in life.
#t is a great anti!ote for all fear.
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#t gi%es one immunity against !iscouragement.
#t helps to master laziness an! procrastination.
#t gi%es one physical an! mental en!urance while un!er
going any form of opposition or !efeat.
#t gi%es one the fighting @ualities necessary un!er all cir
cumstances for self!efense.
#n brief it ma5es winners an! not @uitters
< re those all the a!%antages you claim for controlle! se6
energyE
No they are only some of the more important benefits
it pro%i!es. erhaps some will belie%e the greatest of all the
%irtues of se6 is that it is nature4s metho! of perpetuation of
all li%ing things. *his alone shoul! remo%e all thought that se6
is %ulgar.
< # gather from what you say that the emotion of se6 is a
%irtue not a fault.
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#t is a %irtue when controlle! an! !irecte! to the attain
ment of !esirable en!s. #t is a fault when neglecte! an! per
mitte! to lea! to acts of lust.
< "hy aren4t these truths taught to chil!ren by their parents
an! the public schoolsE
*he neglect is !ue to ignorance of the real nature of se6.
#t is >ust as necessary in maintaining health for one to un!er
stan! an! properly use the emotion of se6 as it is to 5eep the
bo!y sewer system clean. Both sub>ects shoul! be taught in all
public schools an! all homes where there are chil!ren.
< "oul!n4t the ma>ority of parents nee! instruction on the
proper function an! use of se6 before they coul! intelligently
teach their chil!renE
=es an! so woul! the public schoolteachers.
< "hat relati%e position of importance woul! you gi%e to the
nee! for accurate 5nowle!ge on the sub>ect of se6E
#t is ne6t to the top of the list. *here is but one thing of
greater importance to human beings. *hat is accurate thought.
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< 'o # un!erstan! you to say that 5nowle!ge of the true
functions of se6 an! ability to thin5 accurately are the two
things of greatest importance to man5in!E
*hat is what # inten!e! you to un!erstan!. ccurate
thin5ing comes first because it is the solution to all man4s
problems the answer to all his prayers the source of opulence
an! all material possessions. ccurate thin5ing is ai!e! by
properly controlle! an! !irecte! se6 emotion because se6 emo
tion is the same energy as that with which one thin5s. #t begins
with those who !esire self!etermination sufficiently to be
willing to pay its price. No one can be entirely free8 spiritually
mentally physically an! economically8 without learning the
art of accurate thin5ing. No one can learn to thin5 accurately
without inclu!ing as a part of the nee!e! 5nowle!ge informa
tion on the control of se6 emotion through transmutation.
< #t will be a great surprise to many people to learn there is
so close a relationship between thin5ing an! se6 emotion. *ell
us now about the thir! appetite an! let4s see what it has to !o
with self!iscipline.
*he habit of e6pressing loosely organize! opinions is one
of the most !estructi%e of habits. #ts !estructi%eness consists in
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its ten!ency to influence people to guess instea! of searching
for the facts when they form opinions create i!eas or organize
plans.
*he habit !e%elops a grasshopper min!8 one that >umps
from one thing to another but ne%er completes anything.
n! of course carelessness in the e6pression of opinions
lea!s to the habit of !rifting. From there it is only a step or two
until one is boun! by the law of hypnotic rhythm which auto
matically prohibits accurate thin5ing.
< "hat other !isa!%antages are there in free e6pression of
opinionsE
*he person who tal5s too much informs the worl! of his
aims an! plans an! gi%es to others the opportunity to profit by
his i!eas.
"ise men 5eep their plans to themsel%es an! refrain from
e6pressing unin%ite! opinions. *his pre%ents others from
appropriating their i!eas an! ma5es it !ifficult for others to
interfere with their plans.
< "hy !o so many people in!ulge in the habit of e6pressing
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unin%ite! opinionsE
*he habit is one way of e6pressing egotism an! %anity.
*he !esire for selfe6pression is inborn in people. *he moti%e
behin! the habit is to attract the attention of others an! to
impress them fa%orably. ctually it has >ust the opposite effect.
"hen the selfin%ite! spea5er attracts attention it usually is
unfa%orable.
< =es what other !isa!%antages has the habitE
*he person who insists on tal5ing sel!om has an opportu
nity to learn by listening to others.
< But isn4t it true that a magnetic spea5er often puts himself
in the way of opportunity to benefit himself by attracting the
attention of others through his powers of oratoryE
=es a magnetic orator !oes ha%e an asset of tremen!ous
%alue in his ability to impress people by his speech but he
cannot ma5e the best use of this asset if he forces his speech on
others without their in%itation.
No single @uality a!!s more to one4s personality than the
ability to spea5 with emotional feeling force an! con%iction
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but the spea5er must not impose his speech upon others without
being in%ite! to !o so. *here is an ol! saying that nothing is
worth more than its actual cost. *his applies as well to the free
unin%ite! e6pression of opinions as to material things.
< "hat about people who %olunteer their opinions by
e6pressing them in writingE 'o they also suffer by lac5 of
self!isciplineE
;ne of the worst pests on earth is the person who writes
unin%ite! letters to people of prominence. Men in public office
mo%ing picture stars men who ha%e succee!e! in business or
written a bestselling boo5 an! people whose names appear
often in the newspapers are continuously besiege! by people
who write letters e6pressing their opinion on all sub>ects.
< But the writing of unin%ite! letters is a harmless way
of fin!ing pleasure through selfe6pression is it notE "hat
!amage !oes one !o by the habitE
Habits are contagious. 0%ery habit attracts a floc5 of its rel
ati%es. *he habit of !oing anything that is useless lea!s to the
formation of other habits that are useless especially the habit
of !rifting.
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But that is not all the !angers associate! with the habit of
in!ulging in unin%ite! e6pression of opinions. *he habit cre
ates enemies an! places in their han!s !angerous weapons by
which they may !o great in>ury to the one who in!ulges in it.
*hie%es an! confi!ence men an! rac5eteers pay big prices for
the names an! a!!resses of the writers of unin%ite! letters
5nowing as they !o the writers of these letters become easy %ic
tims of all manner of schemes that result in the loss of their
money. *hey refer to the writers of such letters as 7nuts.7 #f
you wish to 5now how foolish people are who write unin%ite!
letters rea! the 7nut column7 of any newspaper8 the column
in which the paper publishes the %oluntary opinions of its
rea!ers8 an! you will see for yourself how the writers of such
letters antagonize people an! in%ite opposition from others.
< # ha! no i!ea =our Ma>esty that people get into so much
!ifficulty through unin%ite! e6pression of their opinions
but now that you ha%e brought up the sub>ect # !o remember
writing the e!itor of a prominent magazine an unin%ite!
letter of criticism which cost me a fine position on his staff at
a fat salary.
*hat is a perfect e6ample. *he proper place to begin
self!iscipline is right where you stan!. *he way to begin is
by recognizing the truth8 that there is nothing for goo! or
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e%il throughout the myria!s of uni%erses e6cept the power
of natural law. *here is no in!i%i!ual personality anywhere
throughout the myria! of uni%erses with the slightest power
to influence a human being sa%e nature an! human beings
themsel%es.
*here is no human being now li%ing no human being has
e%er li%e! an! no human being e%er will li%e with the right
or the power to !epri%e another human being of the inborn
pri%ilege of free an! in!epen!ent thought. *hat pri%ilege is
the only one o%er which any human being can ha%e absolute
control. No a!ult human being e%er loses the right to free!om
of thought but most humans lose the benefits of this pri%i
lege either by neglect or because it has been ta5en away from
them by their parents or religious instructors before the
age of un!erstan!ing. *hese are selfe%i!ent truths no less
important because they are being calle! to your attention by
the 'e%il than they woul! be if brought to your attention by
my opposition.
< But what are people going to lean upon in the hour of
emergency when they 5now not where nor to whom to appealE
Let them lean upon the only !epen!able power a%ailable to
any human being.
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< n! what is thatE
*hemsel%es *he power of their own thoughts. *he only
power they can control an! may rely upon. *he only power
which cannot be per%erte! colore! mo!ifie! an! falsifie! by
their !ishonest fellow human beings.
< ll you say seems logical but why must # come to the 'e%il
to !isco%er such profoun! truthsE Let4s get bac5 to the se%en
principles. =ou ha%e alrea!y !isclose! enough information
to show clearly that the secret of how to brea5 the power of
hypnotic rhythm is wrappe! in the se%en principles. =ou ha%e
shown too that the most important of these principles is self
!iscipline. Now go ahea! an! !escribe the other fi%e principles
you ha%e not yet mentione! an! in!icate what part they play
in gi%ing one self!iscipline.
First let me summarize that part of my confession we ha%e
alrea!y co%ere!.
# ha%e fran5ly tol! you that my two most effecti%e !e%ices
for mastering human beings are the habit of !rifting an! the
law of hypnotic rhythm. # ha%e shown you that !rifting is not
a natural law but a manma!e habit which lea!s to man4s sub
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mission to the law of hypnotic rhythm.
*he se%en principles are the me!ia by which man may
brea5 the hol! of hypnotic rhythm an! ta5e possession again
of his own min!. =ou see therefore the se%en principles are the
se%en steps which lea! %ictims of hypnotic rhythm out of the
selfma!e prisons in which they are boun!.
< *he se%en principles are the master 5ey that unloc5s the
!oor to spiritual mental an! economic self!eterminationE #s
that trueE
=es that4s another way of stating the truth.
Chapter E,even LEARNING FROM ADVERSITY
< #S F#L3$0 00$ B0N0F#* *; MNE
=es. #n!ee! learning from a!%ersity is the thir! of the se%en
principles. But few people 5now that e%ery a!%ersity brings
with it the see! of an e@ui%alent a!%antage. Still fewer people
5now the !ifference between temporary !efeat an! failure. #f
this 5nowle!ge were generally 5nown # woul! be !epri%e! of
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one of my strongest weapons of control o%er human beings.
< But # un!erstoo! you to say that failure is one of your
greatest allies. # got the impression from your confession that
failure causes people to lose ambition an! @uit trying an!
then you ta5e them o%er without opposition on their part.
*hat is >ust the point. # ta5e them o%er after they @uit
trying. #f they 5new the !ifference between temporary !efeat
an! failure they woul! not @uit when they meet with opposi
tion from life. #f they 5new that e%ery form of !efeat an! all
failures bring with them the see! of unborn opportunity they
woul! 5eep on fighting an! win. Success usually is but one
short step beyon! the point where one @uits fighting.
< #s that all one might learn from a!%ersity !efeat an!
failureE
No that is the least of what one might learn. # hate to
tell you this but failure often ser%es as a blessing in !isguise
because it brea5s the grip of hypnotic rhythm an! frees the
min! for a fresh start.
< Now we are getting somewhere. So you ha%e confesse! at
long last that e%en nature4s law of hypnotic rhythm can be an!
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often is annulle! by nature herself. #s that correctE
No that is not stating the matter accurately. Nature ne%er
re%erses any of her natural laws. Nature !oes not ta5e away a
human being4s free!om of thought through hypnotic rhythm.
*he in!i%i!ual gi%es up his free!om by abuse of this law. #f a
man >umpe! from a tree an! was 5ille! by the su!!en impact of
his bo!y with the earth through the law of gra%ity you woul!n4t
say nature mur!ere! him woul! youE =ou woul! say the man
neglecte! to relate himself properly to the law of gra%ity.
< # am beginning to see. *he law of hypnotic rhythm is
capable of both negati%e an! positi%e application. #t may !rag
one !own to sla%ery through loss of the pri%ilege of free!om
of thought or it may help one rise to great heights of achie%e
ment through the free use of thought !epen!ing on how the
in!i%i!ual relates himself to the law. #s that correctE
Now you ha%e it right.
< But what about failureE ;ne !oes not fail intentionally
with purpose aforethought. No one encourages temporary
!efeat. *hese are circumstances o%er which the in!i%i!ual
often has no control whatsoe%er. How then can it be sai! that
nature !oes not ta5e away one4s free!om of thought when
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is sought. Failure is the !ea! en! of the habitpath one has
been following an! when it is reache! it forces one to lea%e
that path an! ta5e up another thereby creating a new rhythm.
But failure !oes more than this. #t gi%es an in!i%i!ual an
opportunity to test himself wherein he may learn how much
will power he possesses. Failure also forces people to learn
many truths they woul! ne%er !isco%er without it. Failure often
lea!s an in!i%i!ual to an un!erstan!ing of the power of self
!iscipline without which no one coul! turn bac5 after ha%ing
once been the %ictim of hypnotic rhythm.
Stu!y the li%es of all people who achie%e outstan!ing
success in any calling an! obser%e with profit that their suc
cess is usually in e6act ratio to their e6periences of !efeat
before succee!ing.
< #s this all you ha%e to say of the a!%antages of failureE
No # ha%e barely begun. #f you want the real significance of
a!%ersity failure !efeat an! all other e6periences which brea5
up a human being4s habits an! force him to form new habits
watch nature at her wor5. Nature uses illness to brea5 the
physical rhythm of the bo!y when the cells an! organs become
improperly relate!. She uses economic !epressions to brea5
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the rhythm of mass thought when great numbers of people
become improperly relate!8 through business social an!
political acti%ities. n! she uses failure to brea5 the rhythm
of negati%e thought when an in!i%i!ual becomes improperly
relate! to himself in his own min!.
;bser%e carefully an! you will see that e%erywhere in nature
there is always at wor5 a natural law which gi%es eternal change
to all matter all energy an! to the power of thought. *he only
permanent thing in the uni%erses is change. 0ternal ine6orable
change8 through which e%ery atom of matter an! e%ery unit of
energy has the opportunity to properly relate itself to all other
units of matter an! energy an! e%ery human being has the
opportunity an! the pri%ilege of properly relating himself to all
other human beings no matter how many mista5es he ma5es
or how many times or in what ways he may be !efeate!.
"hen mass failure o%erta5es a nation such as the 1/2/
worl! business !epression the circumstance is in perfect har
mony with nature4s plan to brea5 up man4s habits an! gi%e out
fresh opportunities.
< "hat you are saying intrigues me. m # to un!erstan! that
hypnotic rhythm has something to !o with the way people
relate themsel%es to one anotherE
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*hat abstract elusi%e thing calle! character is nothing
but a manifestation of the law of hypnotic rhythmA therefore
when spea5ing of one4s character it woul! be proper to say
his thoughthabits ha%e been crystallize! into a positi%e or a
negati%e personality through hypnotic rhythm. ;ne is goo! or
ba! because of the 5nitting together of his thoughts an! !ee!s
through hypnotic rhythm. ;ne is boun! by po%erty or blesse!
with abun!ance because his aims plans an! !esires or lac5 of
them ha%e been ma!e permanent an! real by hypnotic rhythm.
< #s that all you ha%e to say of the connection between hyp
notic rhythm an! human relationshipsE
No # ha%e >ust begun. $emember while # am tal5ing # am
spea5ing of the influence of hypnotic rhythm in connection
with all human relationships. Men who succee! in business
!o so entirely because of the way they relate themsel%es to their
associates an! to others outsi!e of the business.
rofessional men who succee! !o so largely because of
the manner in which they relate themsel%es to their clients.
#t is much more important for the lawyer to 5now people an!
to 5now the laws of nature than it is to 5now the law. n!
the !octor is a failure before he starts unless he 5nows how
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to relate himself to his patients so as to establish their faith
in him.
Marriage succee!s or fails entirely because of the manner in
which the participants relate themsel%es to one another. roper
relationship in marriage begins with a proper moti%e for the
marriage. Most marriages !o not bring happiness because the
contracting parties neither un!erstan! nor attempt to un!er
stan! the law of hypnotic rhythm through the operation of
which e%ery wor! they spea5 e%ery act in which they engage
an! e%ery moti%e by which they are inspire! to !eal with each
other is pic5e! up an! wo%en into a web that entangles them
in contro%ersial misery or gi%es to them the wings of free!om
through which they soar abo%e all forms of unhappiness.
0%ery newly ma!e ac@uaintanceship between people ripens
into frien!ship an! then into spiritual harmony Isometimes
calle! lo%eJ or plants a germ of suspicion an! !oubt which
e%ol%es an! grows into open rebellion accor!ing to the way in
which the participants in the ac@uaintanceship relate them
sel%es to one another.
Hypnotic rhythm pic5s up the !ominating moti%es aims
purposes an! feelings of the contacting min!s an! wea%es
these into some !egree of faith or fear lo%e or hatre!. fter
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the pattern has ta5en !efinite shape as it !oes with time it is
force! upon the contacting min!s an! ma!e a part thereof.
#n this silent way !oes nature ma5e permanent the !omi
nating factors of e%ery human relationship. #n e%ery human
relationship the e%il moti%es an! the e%il !ee!s of the contacting
in!i%i!uals are coor!inate! an! consoli!ate! into !efinite form
an! subtly wo%en into that allimportant human trait 5nown
as character. #n the same manner the moti%es an! the !ee!s of
goo! are consoli!ate! an! force! upon the in!i%i!ual. =ou see
therefore it is not only one4s !ee!s but also one4s %ery thoughts
which !etermine the nature of all human relationships.
< =ou are lea!ing into pretty !eep water. Let4s 5eep near the
shore where # can follow you without fear of getting beyon! a
safe !epth. :o ahea! an! tell me how this sub>ect of human
relationships actually wor5s in the current affairs of a problem
fille! worl! such as we ha%e to!ay.
*hat is a happy thought. But let me ma5e sure you un!er
stan! the principles # am telling about before # try to show you
how to apply them in the affairs of life.
# wish to be sure you un!erstan! that the law of hypnotic
rhythm is something that no one can control influence or
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e%a!e. But e%eryone can relate himself to this law so as to ben
efit by its ine6orable operation. Harmonious relationship with
the law consists entirely of the in!i%i!ual changing his habits
so they represent the circumstances an! the things the in!i
%i!ual wants an! is willing to accept.
No one can change the law of hypnotic rhythm any more
than one can change the law of gra%ity but e%eryone can
change himself. $emember therefore in all the !iscussion of
this sub>ect that all human relationships are ma!e an! main
taine! by the habits of the in!i%i!uals relate!.
*he law of hypnotic rhythm plays only the part of soli!i
fying the factors which constitute human relationships but
it !oes not create those factors. Before we go further with the
!iscussion of human relationships # want you to get a clear
un!erstan!ing of the subconscious min!.
*he term 7subconscious min!7 represents a hypothetical
physical organ which has no actual e6istence. *he min! of man
consists of uni%ersal energy Isome call it #nfinite #ntelligenceJ
which the in!i%i!ual recei%es appropriates an! organizes in
!efinite thought forms through the networ5 of intricate phys
ical apparatus 5nown as a brain.
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*hese thought forms are replicas of %arious stimuli which
reach the brain through the fi%e commonly 5nown physical
senses an! the si6th sense which is not so well 5nown. "hen
any form of stimuli reaches the brain an! ta5es the !efinite
shape of thought it is classifie! an! store! away in a group of
the brain cells 5nown as the memory group.
ll thoughts of a similar nature are store! together so that
the bringing forth of one lea!s to easy contact with all its asso
ciates. *he system is %ery similar to the mo!ern office filing
cabinet an! it is operate! in a similar manner.
*he thought impressions with which one mi6es the
greatest amount of emotion Ior feelingJ are the !ominating
factors of the brain because they are always near the surface8
at the top of the filing system so to spea58 where they spring
into action %oluntarily the moment an in!i%i!ual neglects to
e6ercise self!iscipline. *hese emotionla!en thoughts are so
powerful they often cause an in!i%i!ual to rush into action
an! in!ulge in !ee!s which ha%e not been submitte! to or
appro%e! by his reasoning faculty. *hese emotional outbursts
usually !estroy harmony in all human relationships. *he brain
often brings together combinations of emotional feeling so
powerful they completely set asi!e the control of the reasoning
faculty. ;n all such occasions human relationships are apt to
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be lac5ing in harmony.
*hrough the operation of the si6th sense the brain of a
human being may contact the filing cabinet of other brains
an! inspect at will whate%er thought impressions are on file
there. *he con!ition un!er which one person may contact an!
inspect the filing cabinet of another person4s brain is gener
ally 5nown as harmony but you may better un!erstan! what is
meant if # say brains attune! to the same rate of thought %ibra
tions can easily an! @uic5ly e6ercise the pri%ilege of entering
an! inspecting each other4s filing cabinets of thoughts.
#n a!!ition to recei%ing organize! thoughts from the
filing cabinets of other brains through the si6th sense one
can through this same physical organ contact an! recei%e
information from the uni%ersal storehouse 5nown as #nfinite
#ntelligence.
ll information reaching one4s brain through the si6th
sense comes from sources not easily isolate! or trace!A there
fore this sort of information is generally belie%e! to come from
one4s subconscious min!. *he si6th sense is the organ of the
brain through which one recei%es all information all 5nowl
e!ge all thought impressions which !o not come through one
or more of the fi%e physical senses.
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Now that you un!erstan! how the min! operates you will
more easily un!erstan! how an! why people come to grief
through improper human relationships. =ou will also un!er
stan! how human relationship may be ma!e to yiel! riches
in their highest form riches in material mental an! spirit
ual estates.
Moreo%er you will un!erstan! there can ne%er be hap
piness e6cept through un!erstan!ing an! application of the
right principles of human relationships. =ou will un!erstan!
too that no in!i%i!ual is an entity unto himself that com
pleteness of min! can be attaine! only by harmony of purpose
an! !ee! between two or more min!s. =ou will un!erstan!
why e%ery human being shoul! of his own choice become his
brother4s 5eeper in fact as well as in theory.
< "hat you say may be true but # still insist that you ha%e
me beyon! safe !epths of thought. Let us get bac5 nearer to
the shore where # can wa!e in familiar water. "e shall go out
into the !eeper water after we learn to swim well. "e starte!
out to !iscuss the sub>ect of how to profit by a!%ersity but it
seems we ha%e !rifte! somewhat afiel! from that sub>ect.
"e ha%e !etoure! but we ha%e not !rifte!. *he 'e%il ne%er
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!rifts. *he !etour was necessary in or!er that you might be
prepare! to un!erstan! the most important part of this entire
inter%iew.
"e are now rea!y to get bac5 to the !iscussion of the sub
>ect of a!%ersity. #nasmuch as most a!%ersities grow out of
improper relationships between people it seems important to
un!erstan! how people may become properly relate!.
Naturally the @uestion arises as to what is a proper rela
tionship between peopleE *he answer is that the proper rela
tionship is one that brings to all connecte! with it or affecte!
by it some form of benefit.
< "hat then is an improper relationshipE
ny relationship between people which !amages anyone
or brings any form of misery or unhappiness to any of the
in!i%i!uals.
< How can improper relationships be correcte!E
By change of min! of the person causing the improper
relationship or by changing the persons to the relationship.
Some min!s harmonize naturally while others >ust as natu
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rally clash. Successful human relationships to en!ure as such
must be forme! of min!s that naturally harmonize @uite asi!e
from the @uestion of ha%ing common interests as a means of
bringing them into harmony.
"hen you spea5 of business lea!ers who succee! because
7they 5now how to pic5 men7 you might more correctly say
they succee! because they 5now how to associate min!s which
harmonize naturally. Knowing how to pic5 people successfully
for any !efinite purpose in life is base! upon ability to recog
nize the types of people whose min!s naturally harmonize.
< Stay focuse! on a!%ersity if you will. #f there are possible
benefits to be foun! through a!%ersity name some of them.
!%ersity relie%es people of %anity an! egotism. #t !iscour
ages selfishness by pro%ing that no one can succee! without the
cooperation of others.
!%ersity forces an in!i%i!ual to test his mental physical
an! spiritual strengthA it thus brings him face to face with his
wea5nesses an! gi%es him the opportunity to bri!ge them.
!%ersity forces one to see5 ways an! means to !efinite
en!s by me!itation an! introspecti%e thought. *his often lea!s
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to the !isco%ery an! use of the si6th sense through which one
may communicate with #nfinite #ntelligence.
!%ersity forces one to recognize the nee! for intelligence
not a%ailable e6cept from sources outsi!e of one4s own min!.
!%ersity brea5s ol! habits of thought an! gi%es one an
opportunity to form new habitsA therefore it may ser%e to
brea5 the hol! of hypnotic rhythm an! change its operation
from negati%e to positi%e en!s.
< "hat is the greatest benefit one may recei%e through
a!%ersityE
*he greatest benefit of a!%ersity is that it may an! gen
erally !oes force one to change one4s thoughthabits thus
brea5ing an! re!irecting the force of hypnotic rhythm.
< #n other wor!s failure always is a blessing when it forces
one to ac@uire 5nowle!ge or to buil! habits that lea! to the
achie%ement of one4s ma>or purpose in life. #s that correctE
=es an! something more Failure is a blessing when it
forces one to !epen! less upon material forces an! more upon
spiritual forces.
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Many human beings !isco%er their 7other sel%es7 the
forces which operate through the power of thought only
after some catastrophe !epri%es them of the full an! free
use of their physical bo!ies. "hen a man can no longer use
his han!s an! his feet he usually begins to use his brainA thus
he puts himself in the way of !isco%ering the power of his
own min!.
< "hat benefits may be !eri%e! from the loss of material
things8 money for e6ampleE
*he loss of material things may teach many nee!e! les
sons none greater howe%er than the truth that man has con
trol o%er nothing an! has no assurance of the permanent use
of anything e6cept his own power of thought.
< # won!er if this is not the greatest benefit a%ailable
through a!%ersityE
No the greatest potential benefit of any circumstance
which causes one to ma5e a fresh start is that it pro%i!es an
opportunity to brea5 the grip of hypnotic rhythm an! set up
a new set of thoughthabits. New habits offer the only way out
for people who fail. Most people who escape from the negati%e
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to the positi%e operation of the law of hypnotic rhythm !o so
only because of some form of a!%ersity which forces them to
change their thoughthabits.
< #sn4t a!%ersity apt to brea5 one4s selfreliance an! cause
one to gi%e up hopeE
#t has that effect on those whose will power is wea5 through
long establishe! habits of !rifting. #t has the opposite effect on
those who ha%e not been wea5ene! through !rifting. *he non
!rifter meets with temporary !efeat an! failure but his reac
tion to all forms of a!%ersity is positi%e. He fights instea! of
gi%ing up an! usually wins.
Life gi%es no one immunity against a!%ersity but life
gi%es to e%eryone the power of positi%e thought which is suf
ficient to master all circumstances of a!%ersity an! con%ert
them into benefits. *he in!i%i!ual is left with the pri%ilege of
using or neglecting to use his prerogati%e right to thin5 his
way through all a!%ersities. 0%ery in!i%i!ual is force! either to
use his thought power for the attainment of !efinite positi%e
en!s or by neglect or !esign use this power for the attainment
of negati%e en!s. *here can be no compromise no refusal to
use the min!.
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*he law of hypnotic rhythm forces e%ery in!i%i!ual to gi%e
some !egree of use either negati%e or positi%e to his min!
but it !oes not influence the in!i%i!ual as to which use he will
ma5e of his min!.
< m # to un!erstan! from what you say that e%ery a!%ersity
is a blessingE
No # !i! not say that. # sai! there is the see! of an e@ui%
alent a!%antage in e%ery a!%ersity. # !i! not say there was the
fullblown flower of a!%antage >ust the see!. 3sually the see!
consists of some form of 5nowle!ge some i!ea or plan or
some opportunity which woul! not ha%e been a%ailable e6cept
through the change of thoughthabits force! by the a!%ersity.
< re those all the benefits a%ailable to human beings
through failureE
No failure is use! by nature as a common language in
which she chastises people when they neglect to a!apt them
sel%es to her laws.
For e6ample the worl! war was manma!e an! !estructi%e.
Nature plante! in the circumstances of the war the see! of an
e@ui%alent repriman! in the form of a worl! !epression. *he
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!epression was ine%itable an! inescapable. #t followe! the war
as naturally as !ay follows night an! by the operation of the
selfsame law the law of hypnotic rhythm.
< m # to un!erstan! that the law of hypnotic rhythm is the
same as that which $alph "al!o 0merson calle! the law of
compensationE
*he law of hypnotic rhythm is the law of compensation. #t
is the power with which nature balances negati%e an! positi%e
forces throughout the uni%erses in all forms of energy in all
forms of matter an! in all human relationships.
< 'oes the law of hypnotic rhythm operate @uic5ly in all
instancesE For e6ample !oes this law imme!iately bless one
with the benefits of positi%e application of thoughts or curse
one imme!iately with the results of negati%e thoughtsE
*he law operates !efinitely but not always swiftly. Both
the benefits an! the penalties incurre! through the law by
in!i%i!uals may be har%este! by others either before or after
their !eath.
;bser%e how this law wor5s by forcing upon one genera
tion of people the effects of both the sins an! the %irtues of
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prece!ing generations. #n the operation of all of nature4s laws
the fourth !imension time is an ine6orable factor. *he length
of time consume! by nature in the relation of effects to their
causes !epen!s in e%ery instance on the circumstances at
han!. Nature grows a pump5in in three months. goo! size
oa5 tree re@uires a hun!re! years. She con%erts a hen4s egg into
a chic5en in four wee5s but she re@uires nine months to con
%ert the egg of a human being into an in!i%i!ual.
Chapter T.e,ve ENVIRONMENT5 TIME5 HARMONY5 AND CAUTION
< # now ha%e better un!erstan!ing of the potentiali
ties of a!%ersity an! failure. =ou may go ahea! now with your
!escription of the ne6t of the se%en principles. "hat is your
ne6t principleE
*he ne6t principle is en%ironmental influence.
< :o ahea! an! !escribe the wor5ing principle of en%iron
mental influences as a !etermining factor in human !estinies.
0n%ironment consists of all the mental spiritual an! phys
ical forces which affect an! influence human beings.
< "hat connection if any is there between en%ironmental
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influences an! hypnotic rhythmE
Hypnotic rhythm soli!ifies an! ma5es permanent the
thoughthabits of human beings. *houghthabits are stimu
late! by en%ironmental influences. #n other wor!s the mate
rial on which thoughts are fe! comes from one4s en%ironment.
*houghthabits are ma!e permanent by hypnotic rhythm.
< "hat is the most important part of one4s en%ironment the
part which !etermines more than all others whether an in!i
%i!ual ma5es positi%e or negati%e use of his min!E
*he most important part of one4s en%ironment is that cre
ate! by his association with others. ll people absorb an! ta5e
o%er either consciously or unconsciously the thoughthabits
of those with whom they associate closely.
< 'o you mean by this that constant association with a
person whose thoughthabits are negati%e influences one to
form negati%e thoughthabitsE
=es the law of hypnotic rhythm forces e%ery human being
to form thoughthabits which harmonize with the !ominating
influences of his en%ironment particularly that part of his
en%ironment create! by his association with other min!s.
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< *hen it is important that one select one4s close associates
with great careE
=es one4s intimate associates shoul! be chosen with as
much care as one chooses the foo! with which he fee!s his
bo!y with the ob>ect always of associating with people whose
!ominating thoughts are positi%e frien!ly an! harmonious.
< "hich class of associates has the greatest influence
upon oneE
;ne4s partner in marriage an! in the home an! one4s asso
ciates in his occupation. fter that come close frien!s an!
ac@uaintances. Casual ac@uaintances an! strangers ha%e but
little influence on one.
< "hy !oes one4s partner in marriage ha%e so great an influ
ence upon one4s min!E
Because the relationship of marriage brings people un!er
the influence of spiritual forces of such weight that they
become !ominating forces of the min!.
< How may en%ironmental influences be use! to brea5 the
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grip of hypnotic rhythmE
ll influences which establish thoughthabits are gi%en per
manency through the law of hypnotic rhythm. ;ne may change
the influences of his en%ironment so that the !ominating influ
ences are either positi%e or negati%e an! the law of hypnotic
rhythm will ma5e them permanent unless they are change!
through one4s habits of thought.
< Stating this truth in another way one may submit himself
to any en%ironmental influence !esire! whether positi%e or
negati%e an! the law of hypnotic rhythm will ma5e the influ
ence permanent when it assumes the magnitu!e of thought
habit. #s that the way the law wor5sE
*hat is correct. Be careful of all forces which inspire
thoughtA those are the forces which constitute en%ironment
an! !etermine the nature of one4s earthly !estiny.
< "hat class of people controls their en%ironmental
influencesE
*he non!rifters. ll who are %ictims of the habit of
!rifting forfeit their power to choose their own en%ironment.
*hey become the %ictims of e%ery negati%e influence of their
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en%ironment.
< #s there no way out for the !rifterE #s there no metho! by
which he may submit himself to the influence of a positi%e
en%ironmentE
=es there is a way out for !rifters. *hey can stop !rifting
ta5e possession of their own min!s an! choose an en%iron
ment which inspires positi%e thought. *his they may accom
plish through !efiniteness of purpose.
< #s that all there is to the act of eliminating the habit of
!riftingE #s the habit only a state of min!E
'rifting is nothing but a negati%e state of min! a state of
min! conspicuous by its emptiness of purpose.
< "hat effecti%e proce!ure may one follow in establishing
an en%ironment most helpful in !e%eloping an! maintaining
positi%e thoughthabitsE
*he most effecti%e of all en%ironments is that which may
be create! by a frien!ly alliance of a group of people who will
obligate themsel%es to assist one another in achie%ing the
ob>ect of some !efinite purpose. *his sort of an alliance is
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5nown as a Master Min!. *hrough its operation one may asso
ciate himself with carefully chosen in!i%i!uals each of whom
brings to the alliance some 5nowle!ge e6perience e!ucation
plan or i!ea suite! to his nee!s in carrying out the ob>ect of
his !efinite purpose.
*he most successful lea!ers in all wal5s of life a%ail them
sel%es of this sort of ma!etoor!er en%ironmental influence.
;utstan!ing achie%ement is impossible without the frien!ly
cooperation of others. Stating the truth in another way suc
cessful people must control their en%ironment thereby
insuring themsel%es against the influence of a negati%e
en%ironment.
< "hat of people whose !uty to relati%es ma5es it impossible
for them to a%oi! the influence of a negati%e en%ironmentE
No human being owes another any !egree of !uty which
robs him of his pri%ilege of buil!ing his thoughthabits in a
positi%e en%ironment. ;n the other han! e%ery human being
is !uty boun! to himself to remo%e from his en%ironment
e%ery influence which e%en remotely ten!s to !e%elop negati%e
thoughthabits.
< #sn4t this a col!bloo!e! philosophyE
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;nly the strong sur%i%e. No one can be strong without
remo%ing himself from all influences which !e%elop negati%e
thoughthabits. Negati%e thoughthabits result in the loss of
the pri%ilege of self!etermination no matter what or who may
cause those habits. ositi%e thoughthabits may be controlle!
by the in!i%i!ual an! ma!e to ser%e his aims an! purposes.
Negati%e thoughthabits control the in!i%i!ual an! !epri%e
him of the pri%ilege of self!etermination.
< # !e!uce from all you ha%e sai! that those who control
the en%ironmental influences out of which their thought
habits are built are masters of their earthly !estinies an! that
all others are mastere! by earthly !estinies. #s that stating the
matter correctlyE
erfectly state!.
< "hat establishes one4s thoughthabitsE
ll habits are establishe! because of inherent or ac@uire!
!esires or moti%es. *hat is habits are begun as the result of
some form of !efinite !esire.
< "hat ta5es place in the physical brain while one is forming
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thoughthabitsE
'esires are organize! impulses of energy calle! thoughts.
'esires that are mi6e! with emotional feeling magnetize the
brain cells in which they are store! an! prepare those cells
to be ta5en o%er an! !irecte! by the law of hypnotic rhythm.
"hen any thought appears in the brain or is create! there an!
is mi6e! with 5een emotional feeling of !esire the law of hyp
notic rhythm begins at once to translate it into its physical
counterpart. 'ominating thoughts which are acte! upon first
by the law of hypnotic rhythm are those with which are mi6e!
the strongest !esires an! the most intense feelings. *hought
habits are establishe! by the repetition of the same thoughts.
< "hat are the most impelling basic moti%es or !esires which
inspire thought actionE
*he ten most common moti%es those which inspire most
of one4s thoughtaction are these9
*he !esire for se6 e6pression an! lo%e
*he !esire for physical foo!
*he !esire for spiritual mental an! physical
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selfe6pression
*he !esire for perpetuation of life after !eath
*he !esire for power o%er others
*he !esire for material wealth
*he !esire for 5nowle!ge
*he !esire to imitate others
*he !esire to e6cel others
*he se%en basic fears
*hese are the !ominating moti%es which inspire the
ma>ority of all human en!ea%ors.
< "hat about the negati%e !esires such as gree! en%y a%a
rice >ealousy angerE re these not e6presse! more often than
any of the positi%e !esiresE
ll negati%e !esires are nothing but frustrations of positi%e
!esires. *hey are inspire! by some form of !efeat failure or
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neglect by human beings to a!apt themsel%es to nature4s laws
in a positi%e way.
< *hat4s a new slant on the sub>ect of negati%e thoughts. #f #
correctly un!erstan! what you ha%e sai! all negati%e thoughts
are inspire! by one4s neglect or failure to a!apt oneself harmo
niously to nature4s laws. #s that correctE
*hat is e6actly correct. Nature will not tolerate i!leness
or %acuums of any sort. ll space must be an! is fille! with
something.
0%erything in e6istence of both a physical an! a spiri
tual nature must be an! is constantly in motion. *he human
brain is no e6ception. #t was create! to recei%e organize spe
cialize an! e6press the power of thought. "hen the in!i%i!ual
!oes not use the brain for the e6pression of positi%e creati%e
thoughts nature fills the %acuum by forcing the brain to act
upon negati%e thoughts.
*here can be no i!leness in the brain. 3n!erstan! this
principle an! you will come into a new an! important un!er
stan!ing of the part en%ironmental influences ta5e in the li%es
of human beings.
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=ou will better un!erstan! also how the law of hypnotic
rhythm operates it being the law which 5eeps e%erything an!
e%eryone constantly mo%ing through some form of e6pression
of either negati%e or positi%e principles.
Nature is not intereste! in morals as such. She is not inter
este! in right an! wrong. She is not intereste! in >ustice an!
in>ustice. She is intereste! only in forcing e%erything to e6press
action accor!ing to its nature
< *hat is an enlightening interpretation of nature4s ways. *o
whom may # turn for corroboration of your claimsE
*o men of science to the philosophers to all accurate
thin5ers. Lastly to the physical manifestations of nature
herself.
Nature has no such thing as !ea! matter. 0%ery atom of
matter is constantly in a state of motion. ll energy is con
stantly in motion. *here are no !ea! %oi!s anywhere. *ime an!
space are literally manifestations of motion of such swiftness
that it cannot be measure! by human beings.
< las one is force! to the conclusion from what you say
that the sources of !epen!able 5nowle!ge are shoc5ingly
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limite!.
*he !e%elope! sources of 5nowle!ge are limite!. 0%ery
normal a!ult human brain is a potential gateway to all the
5nowle!ge there is throughout the uni%erses. 0%ery normal
a!ult brain has within its mechanism the possibility of !irect
communication with #nfinite #ntelligence wherein e6ists all the
5nowle!ge that is or can e%er be.
< =our statement lea!s me to belie%e that human beings may
become all they ha%e attribute! to what they call :o!. #s that
what you meanE
*hrough the law of e%olution the human brain is being
perfecte! to communicate at will with #nfinite #ntelligence.
*he perfection will come through organize! !e%elopment of
the brain through its a!aptation to nature4s laws. *ime is the
factor which will bring perfection.
< "hat causes cycles of recurring e%ents such as epi!emics
of !isease business !epressions wars an! crime wa%esE
ll such epi!emics in which great numbers of people are
similarly affecte! are cause! by the law of hypnotic rhythm
through which nature consoli!ates thoughts of a similar
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nature an! causes those thoughts to be e6presse! through
mass action.
< *hen the :reat 'epression was put into motion because
great numbers of people were influence! to release thoughts of
fear. #s that correctE
erfectly. Millions of people were en!ea%oring to get some
thing for nothing through stoc5 gambling. "hen they su!
!enly !isco%ere! they ha! gotten nothing for something they
became frightene! rushe! to their ban5s to !raw out their
balances an! the panic was on. *hrough mass thought of
millions of min!s all thin5ing in terms of fear of po%erty the
!epression was prolonge! o%er a perio! of years.
< From what you say # !e!uce that nature consoli!ates the
!ominating thoughts of people an! e6presses these thoughts
through some form of mass action such as business !epres
sions business booms an! so on. #s that correctE
=ou ha%e the right i!ea.
< Let us now ta5e up the ne6t of the se%en principles. :o
ahea! an! !escribe it.
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*he ne6t principle is time the fourth !imension.
< "hat relationship is there between time an! the operation
of the law of hypnotic rhythmE
*ime is the law of hypnotic rhythm. *he lapse of time
re@uire! to gi%e permanency to thoughthabits !epen!s upon
the ob>ect an! the nature of the thoughts.
< But # un!erstoo! you to say that the only en!uring thing
in nature is change. #f that is true then time is constantly
changing rearranging an! recombining all things inclu!ing
one4s thoughthabits. How then coul! the law of hypnotic
rhythm gi%e permanency to one4s thoughthabitsE
*ime !i%i!es all thoughthabits into two classes negati%e
thoughts an! positi%e thoughts. ;ne4s in!i%i!ual thoughts are
of course constantly changing an! being recombine! to suit
the in!i%i!ual4s !esires but thoughts !o not change from neg
ati%e to positi%e or %ice %ersa e6cept through %oluntary effort
on the part of the in!i%i!ual.
*ime penalizes the in!i%i!ual for all negati%e thoughts an!
rewar!s him for all positi%e thoughts accor!ing to the nature
an! purpose of the thoughts. #f one4s !ominating thoughts are
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negati%e time penalizes the in!i%i!ual by buil!ing in his min!
the habit of negati%e thin5ing an! then procee!s to soli!ify
this habit into permanency e%ery secon! of its e6istence.
ositi%e thoughts are li5ewise wo%en by time into permanent
habits. *he term 7permanency7 of course refers to the natural
life of the in!i%i!ual. #n the strict sense of the term nothing is
permanent. *ime con%erts thoughthabits into what might be
calle! permanency !uring the life of the in!i%i!ual.
< Now # ha%e a better un!erstan!ing of how time wor5s.
"hat other characteristics has time in connection with the
earthly !estiny of human beingsE
*ime is nature4s seasoning influence through which
human e6perience may be ripene! into wis!om. eople are
not born with wis!om but they are born with the capacity to
thin5 an! they may through the lapse of time thin5 their way
into wis!om.
< 'o youths e%er possess wis!omE
;nly in %ery elementary matters. "is!om comes only
through the lapse of time. #t cannot be inherite! an! it cannot
be imparte! from one person to another e6cept through the
lapse of time.
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< 'oes the lapse of time force an in!i%i!ual to ac@uire
wis!omE
No "is!om comes only to non!rifters who form positi%e
thoughthabits as a !ominating force in their li%es. 'rifters
an! those whose !ominating thoughts are negati%e ne%er
ac@uire wis!om e6cept of a %ery elementary nature.
< From what you say # infer that time is the frien! of the
person who trains his min! to follow positi%e thoughthabits
an! the enemy of the person who !rifts into negati%e thought
habits. #s that correctE
*hat is precisely true. ll people can be classifie! as !rifters
an! non!rifters. 'rifters are always at the mercy of the non
!rifters an! time ma5es this relationship permanent.
< 'o you mean that if # !rift along through life without !ef
inite aim or purpose the non!rifter may become my master
an! time only ser%es to gi%e the non!rifter a stronger an!
more permanent grip upon meE
*hat is stating the truth e6actly.
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< "hat is wis!omE
"is!om is the ability to relate yourself to nature4s laws so
as to ma5e them ser%e you an! the ability to relate yourself to
other people so as to gain their harmonious willing coopera
tion in helping you to ma5e life yiel! whate%er you !eman!
of it.
< *hen accumulate! 5nowle!ge is not wis!omE
:reat hea%ens no #f 5nowle!ge were wis!om the achie%e
ments of science woul! not ha%e been con%erte! into imple
ments of !estruction.
< "hat is nee!e! to con%ert 5nowle!ge into wis!omE
*ime plus the !esire for wis!om. "is!om is ne%er thrust
upon one. #t is ac@uire! if at all by positi%e thin5ing through
%oluntary effort
< #s it safe for all people to ha%e 5nowle!geE
#t is ne%er safe for anyone to ha%e e6tensi%e 5nowle!ge
without wis!om.
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< "hat is the age at which most people who ac@uire wis!om
begin to ac@uire itE
*he ma>ority of people who ac@uire wis!om !o so after
they ha%e passe! the age of forty. rior to that time the ma>ority
of people are too busy gathering 5nowle!ge an! organizing it
into plans to spen! any effort see5ing wis!om.
< "hat circumstance of life is most apt to lea! one to
ac@uire wis!omE
!%ersity an! failure. *hese are nature4s uni%ersal lan
guages through which she imparts wis!om to those who are
rea!y to recei%e it.
< 'o a!%ersity an! failure always bring wis!omE
No only to those who are rea!y for wis!om an! ha%e %ol
untarily sought it.
< "hat !etermines one4s rea!iness to recei%e wis!omE
*ime an! the nature of one4s thoughthabits.
< #s newly ac@uire! 5nowle!ge the same as timeteste!
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5nowle!geE
No 5nowle!ge teste! through the lapse of time always is
superior to that which has been newly ac@uire!. *ime gi%es
to 5nowle!ge !efiniteness in both @uality an! @uantity an!
!epen!ability. ;ne ne%er can be sure of 5nowle!ge that has not
been teste!.
< "hat is !epen!able 5nowle!geE
#t is 5nowle!ge which harmonizes with natural law which
means that it is base! upon positi%e thought.
< 'oes time mo!ify an! alter the %alues of 5nowle!geE
=es time mo!ifies an! alters all %alues. *hat which is accu
rate 5nowle!ge to!ay may become null an! %oi! tomorrow
because of time4s rearrangement of facts an! %alues. *ime
mo!ifies all human relationships for better or for worse
!epen!ing upon the policy through which people relate them
sel%es to one another.
#n the realm of thought there is a time when it is proper
to sow the see!s of thought an! there is a proper time
to reap the har%est of those thoughts the same as there is
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a time to sow an! a time to reap from the soil of the earth.
"ithout the proper measurement of time between the sowing
an! the reaping nature mo!ifies or withhol!s the rewar!s of
the sowing.
< :o ahea! now an! !escribe the last two of the se%en
principles.
*he ne6t principle is harmony.
*hroughout nature one may fin! e%i!ences that all natural
law mo%es in an or!erly manner through the law of harmony.
*hrough the operation of this law nature forces e%erything
within the range of a gi%en en%ironment to become harmoni
ously relate!. 3n!erstan! this truth an! you will catch a new
an! a more intriguing %ision of the power of en%ironment. =ou
will un!erstan! why association with negati%e min!s is fatal to
those see5ing self!etermination.
< 'o you mean that nature %oluntarily forces human beings
to harmonize with the influences of their en%ironmentE
=es that is true. *he law of hypnotic rhythm forces upon
e%ery li%ing thing the !ominating influences of the en%iron
ment in which it e6ists.
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< #f nature forces human beings to ta5e on the nature of the
en%ironment in which they li%e what means of escape are a%ail
able to people who fin! themsel%es in an en%ironment of po%
erty an! failure but !esire to escapeE
*hey must change their en%ironment or remain po%erty
stric5en. Nature permits no one to escape the influences of his
en%ironment.
Howe%er nature in her abun!ance of wis!om has gi%en
to e%ery normal human being the pri%ilege of establishing his
own mental spiritual an! physical en%ironment but once he
establishes it he must become a part of it. *his is the ine6orable
wor5ing of the law of harmony.
< #n a business association for e6ample who establishes
the !ominating influence that !etermines the rhythm of the
en%ironmentE
*he in!i%i!ual or in!i%i!uals who thin5 an! act with !efi
niteness of purpose.
< #s it as simple as thatE
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=es !efiniteness of purpose is the starting point from
which an in!i%i!ual may establish his own en%ironment.
< # !o not seem to follow your reasoning. *he entire worl!
is torn with warfare an! business !epressions an! other forms
of strife which represent about e%erything e6cept harmony.
Nature !oes not seem to be forcing people to harmonize with
one another. How !o you e6plain this inconsistencyE
*here is no inconsistency. *he !ominating influences of
the worl! are as you say negati%e. ery well nature is forcing
human beings to harmonize with the !ominating influences of
the worl! en%ironment.
Manifestations of harmony may be either positi%e or nega
ti%e. For e6ample a group of men in prison may an! they gen
erally !o thin5 an! act in a negati%e manner but nature sees
to it that the !ominating influence of the prison is impresse!
upon e%ery in!i%i!ual in it. group of po%ertystric5en people
in a tenement house may fight among themsel%es an! appar
ently resist all forms of harmony but nature forces each of
them to become a part of the !ominating influence of the
house in which they li%e.
Harmony in the sense it is here use! means that nature
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relates e%erything throughout the uni%erses to e%ery other
thing of a similar nature. Negati%e influences are force! into
association with one another no matter where they may be.
ositi%e influences are >ust as !efinitely force! into association
with one another.
< # am beginning to see why successful business lea!ers are
so careful in the choice of their business associates. Men who
succee! in any calling usually establish their own en%ironment
by surroun!ing themsel%es with people who thin5 an! act in
terms of success. #s that the i!eaE
*hat is the i!ea e6actly. ;bser%e with profit that the one
thing all successful men insist upon is harmony among their
business associates. nother trait of successful people is that
they mo%e with !efiniteness of purpose an! insist upon their
associates !oing the same. 3n!erstan! these two truths an!
you un!erstan! the ma>or !ifference between a Henry For!
an! a !ay laborer.
< Now tell me about the last of the se%en principles.
*he last principle is caution.
Ne6t to the habit of !rifting the most !angerous human
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trait is the lac5 of caution.
eople !rift into all sorts of hazar!ous circumstances
because they !o not e6ercise caution by planning the mo%es
they ma5e. *he !rifter always mo%es without e6ercising cau
tion. He acts first an! thin5s later if at all. He !oes not choose
his frien!s. He !rifts along an! allows people to attach them
sel%es to him on their own terms. He !oes not choose an occu
pation. He !rifts through school an! is gla! to get the first
>ob that will gi%e him foo! an! clothing. He in%ites people to
cheat him at tra!e by neglecting to inform himself of the rules
of tra!e. He in%ites illness by neglecting to inform himself of
the rules of soun! health. He in%ites po%erty by neglecting to
protect himself against the en%ironmental influences of the
po%ertystric5en. He in%ites failure at e%ery step he ta5es by
neglecting to e6ercise the caution to obser%e what causes people
to fail. He in%ites fear in all its forms by his lac5 of caution in
e6amining the causes of fear. He fails in marriage because he
neglects to use caution in his choice of a mate an! he uses still
less caution in his metho!s of relating himself to her after mar
riage. He loses his frien!s or con%erts them into enemies by his
lac5 of caution in relating himself to them on the proper basis.
< re all people lac5ing in cautionE
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No only those who ha%e ac@uire! the habit of !rifting.
*he non!rifter always uses caution. He carefully thin5s his
plans through before he begins them. He ma5es allowances
for the human frailties of his associates an! plans ahea! to
bri!ge them.
#f he sen!s a messenger on an important mission he sen!s
someone else to ma5e sure the messenger !oes not neglect his
mission. *hen he chec5s on both of them to be sure his wishes
ha%e been fulfille!. He ta5es nothing for grante! where caution
pro%i!es a way to insure his success.
< #sn4t o%ercaution as !etrimental as lac5 of cautionE
*here is no such thing as o%ercaution. "hat you call 7o%er
caution7 is an e6pression of fear. Fear an! caution are two
entirely !ifferent things.
< 'on4t people mista5e fear for o%ercautionE
=es that !oes sometimes happen but the ma>ority of
people create for themsel%es far more !isastrous hazar!s by
total lac5 of the habit of caution than by o%ercaution.
< #n what way may caution be use! most a!%antageouslyE
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#n the selection of one4s associates an! in one4s metho! of
relating oneself to associates. *he reason for this is ob%ious.
;ne4s associates constitute the most important part of one4s
en%ironment an! en%ironmental influences !etermine whether
one forms the habit of !rifting or becomes a non!rifter. *he
person who e6ercises !ue caution in the choice of associates
ne%er allows himself to be closely associate! with any person
who !oes not bring to him through the association some !efi
nite mental spiritual or economic benefit.
< #sn4t that metho! of choosing associates selfishE
#t is sensible an! lea!s to self!etermination. #t is the
!esire of e%ery normal person to fin! material success an!
happiness.
Nothing contributes more to one4s success an! happiness
than carefully chosen associates. Caution in the selection of
associates becomes therefore the !uty of e%ery person who
wishes to become happy an! successful. *he !rifter allows
his closest associates to attach themsel%es to him on their
own terms. *he non!rifter carefully selects his associates an!
allows no one to become closely associate! with him unless
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that person contributes some form of helpful influence or
bestows some !efinite benefit.
< #t ne%er occurre! to me that caution in the selection of
frien!s ha! so !efinite a bearing on one4s success or failure.
'o all successful people e6ercise caution in the selection of
all their associates whether in business social or professional
relationshipsE
"ithout the e6ercise of caution in the choice of all associ
ates no one may be certain of success in any calling. ;n the
other han! lac5 of e6ercise of caution brings almost certain
!efeat in whate%er one un!erta5es.
*H$00 *H#N:S connecte! with my inter%iew with the 'e%il
interest me most. *hese three factors interest me because they
ha%e been the most important influences in my own life a
fact which any rea!er of my story can easily !iscern. *he three
important factors are the habit of !rifting the law of hypnotic
rhythm through which all habits are ma!e permanent an! the
element of time.
Here is a trio of forces which hol! in%iolate the !estinies of
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all men. *he three ta5e on a new an! more important meaning
when they are groupe! an! stu!ie! as a combine! force. #t
ta5es but little imagination an! scarcely any un!erstan!ing
of natural laws for one to see that most of the !ifficulties
in which people fin! themsel%es are of their own ma5ing.
Moreo%er !ifficulties sel!om are the outgrowth of imme!iate
circumstances. *hey are generally the clima6 of a series of cir
cumstances which ha%e been consoli!ate! through the habit
of !rifting an! with the ai! of time.
Samuel #nsull !i! not lose his D( billion in!ustrial empire
as the result of the !epression. He began losing it long before
the !epression when he became the %ictim of a group of
women who flattere! him into turning his talents from public
utilities to gran! opera. #f e%er a man in a high position in the
financial worl! went !own because of the power of !rifting
hypnotic rhythm an! time that man was Samuel #nsull. # am
writing from accurate 5nowle!ge of Mr. #nsull an! the cause
of his troubles !ating from the time that # ser%e! with him
!uring the "orl! "ar to the time of his illa!%ise! attempt to
run away from himself.
Henry For! went through the same !epression that swept
Mr. #nsull un!er but For! came out on top without a scratch.
'o you want to 5now the reasonE #4ll tell you. For! has the
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habit of not !rifting on any sub>ect. *ime is For!4s frien!
because he has forme! the habit of using it in a positi%e con
structi%e manner with the ai! of thoughts of his own ma5ing
wo%en into plans of his own creation.
*a5e any circumstance you wish measure it with reference
to its relationship to the habit of !rifting hypnotic rhythm
an! time an! you may ascertain accurately the cause of all suc
cess an! all failure.
Fran5lin '. $oose%elt went into office with a bang !uring
his first term. He ha! but one ma>or purpose in min! an! that
was %ery !efinite. #t was to stop the stampe!e of fear an! start
people to thin5ing an! tal5ing in terms of business reco%ery
instea! of business !epression.
#n carrying out that purpose there was no !rifting. *he
forces of the entire nation were consoli!ate! an! mo%e! as one
to help carry out the resi!ent4s !efinite purpose. For the first
time in the history of merica the newspapers of all political
leanings the churches of all !enominations the people of all
races an! colors an! the political organizations of all bran!s
unite! themsel%es into one stupen!ous power for the sole pur
pose of helping the resi!ent restore faith an! normal busi
ness relationships in the country.
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#n a conference hel! between the resi!ent an! a group of
emergency a!%isers a few !ays after he went into office # as5e!
him what was his ma>or problem. He replie! 7#t is not a @ues
tion of ma>ors an! minorsA we ha%e but one problem an! that
is to stop fear an! supplant it with faith.7
Before the en! of his first year in office the resi!ent ha!
stoppe! fear an! supplante! it by faith an! the nation was
slowly but surely on the way out of the >ungle of !epression.
By the en! of his first term8 mar5 well the element of lapse of
time8 the resi!ent ha! so effecti%ely consoli!ate! the forces
of merican business an! pri%ate life that he ha! an entire
nation in bac5 of him rea!y willing an! enthusiastically
!esirous of following his lea! no matter which way he went.
*hese are facts well 5nown to e%eryone who rea!s newspa
pers or listens to the ra!io.
*hen came another presi!ential election an! the opportu
nity for the people to e6press their faith in their lea!er. *hey
e6presse! it in a lan!sli!e without prece!ent in merican
politics an! the resi!ent went into office a secon! time with
an almost unanimous electorate %ote with only two states
mee5ly !issenting.
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Now obser%e how the "heel of Life began to re%erse itself
an! turn bac5 in the other !irection. *he resi!ent change!
his policy from !efiniteness of purpose to in!efiniteness an!
!rifting.
His change of policy split the powerful labor group
an! turne! more than half of it against him. #t split the
almostsoli! following he hel! in both houses of Congress
an! more important than all this it split the merican people
into 7pro7 an! 7anti7 groups with the result that about all
the resi!ent ha! left of his original political assets was his
million!ollar smile an! his rea!y han!sha5e8 ob%iously not
enough to enable him to regain the power he once wiel!e! in
merican life.
Here then we ha%e an e6cellent e6ample of a man who
s5yroc5ete! to great power through !efiniteness of purpose
an! bellyfloppe! to the starting point by his habit of !rifting.
#n both his rise an! his fall can be seen clearly the operation
of the principles of !rifting an! non!rifting reaching a clima6
through the power of hypnotic rhythm an! time.
ll my life the 'e%il ha! a !ramatic story to tell of his !eal
ings with me. He saw me !rift in an! out of scores of busi
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ness opportunities for which many woul! ha%e gi%en a 5ing4s
ransom. He saw me !rifting in my policy of relating myself to
others particularly in my lac5 of caution in business !ealings.
*he circumstance which sa%e! me from fatal control of the
law of hypnotic rhythm was the !efiniteness of purpose with
which at long last # !e!icate! my entire life to the organiza
tion of a philosophy of in!i%i!ual achie%ement. # !rifte! at one
time or another on all my minor whims an! en!ea%ors but my
!rifting was offset by my ma>or purpose which was sufficient
to restore my courage an! start me once more in the @uest of
5nowle!ge e%ery time # was !efeate! in connection with my
minor aims.
# learne! something of the hazar!ous nature of the habit
of !rifting while engage! in analyzing more than 2)???
people in connection with the organization of the Law of
Success. *hese analyses showe! that only two out of e%ery 1??
ha%e a !efinite ma>or aim in life. *he other /- were caught
by the habit of !rifting. #t seems more than a coinci!ence
that my analyses clearly corroborate! the 'e%il4s claim that
he controls /- out of e%ery 1?? people because of their habit
of !rifting.
Loo5ing bac5 o%er my own career # can see clearly that #
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coul! ha%e a%oi!e! the ma>ority of the temporary !efeats with
which # met if # ha! been !efinitely following a plan for the
attainment of my ma>or purpose in life.
From my e6perience in ha%ing analyze! the problems of
more than )??? families # 5now !efinitely that the ma>ority
of marrie! people who get out of harmony with each other
!o so because of the accumulation of a great number of little
circumstances in their marrie! relationship which coul! ha%e
been cleare! up an! !ispose! of as they arose if there ha! been
a !efinite policy to !o so. *hey !o not li%e their marrie! life
with !efiniteness of purpose.
So the story has gone all bac5 !own the ages. *he man
with the most !efinite plan an! purpose an! the most power
ri!es on to %ictory. *he others scurry for co%er an! get crushe!
un!er the heels of those who are more !etermine!.
*he answer is not har! to fin!. *here is no use loo5ing
towar! high hea%en for it. For my part # woul! prefer to
see5 the answer from the 'e%il for he woul! tell me @uic5ly
enough that %ictory goes to the people who 5now what they
want an! are !etermine! to ha%e it. *hey ha%e mastere! the
habit of !rifting. *hey ha%e !efinite policies !efinite plans
an! !efinite ob>ecti%es. *heir opposition which may out
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So here we are at the en! of the strangest of all the thou
san!s of inter%iews # ha%e ha! with the great an! the near
great o%er a perio! of fifty years of labor in my search for the
truths of life that lea! to happiness an! economic security.
How strange in!ee! that after ha%ing ha! acti%e coopera
tion from such men as Carnegie 0!ison an! For! # shoul!
ha%e been compelle! finally to go to the 'e%il for a wor5ing
5nowle!ge of the greatest of all the principles unco%ere! in my
@uest for truth. How strange that # was force! to e6perience
po%erty an! failure an! a!%ersity in a hun!re! forms before
being gi%en the pri%ilege of un!erstan!ing an! using a law of
nature which softens the thrust of these wic5e! weapons or
wipes them out altogether. But the strangest of all this !ra
matic e6perience which life has pro%i!e! me is the simplicity
of the law through which if # ha! un!erstoo! it # coul! ha%e
transmute! my !esires into substantial form without ha%ing
to un!ergo so many years of har!ship an! misery.
# fin! now at the en! of my inter%iew with the 'e%il that #
ha! been carrying in my own poc5ets the matches with which
the fires of a!%ersity were being touche! off. n! # fin! too
that the water with which those fires were finally e6tinguishe!
was at my comman! in great abun!ance.
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# searche! for the philosopher4s lo!estone with which
failure may be con%erte! into success only to learn that both
success an! failure are the results of !ayto!ay e%olutionary
forces through which !ominating thoughts are piece! together
bit by bit an! wo%en into the things we want or the things we
!o not want accor!ing to the nature of those thoughts.
How unfortunate that # !i! not un!erstan! this truth
from the time that # reache! the age of reason for if # ha!
un!erstoo! it then # might ha%e been able to go aroun! some
of the hur!les # ha%e been force! to >ump as # wal5e! through
7*he alley of the Sha!ow7 of life.
*he story of my inter%iew with the 'e%il is now in your
han!s. *he benefits you will recei%e from it will be in e6act
proportion to the thought it inspires in you. *o benefit from
rea!ing the inter%iew you nee! not agree with e%ery portion
of it.
=ou ha%e only to thin5 an! to reach your own conclusions
concerning e%ery part of it. How reasonable that is. =ou are the
>u!ge an! the >ury an! the attorney for both the prosecution
an! the !efense. #f you !o not win your case the loss an! the
cause thereof will be yours
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8Napoleon Hill
MY INVISI0LE COUNSELORS
*he author has for many years followe! the habit of ta5ing
personal in%entory of himself once a year for the purpose of
!etermining how many of his wea5nesses he has bri!ge! or
eliminate! an! to ascertain what progress if any he has
ma!e !uring the year.
;n one of these occasions before *H0 L" ;F S3CC0SS philosophy
ha! been re!uce! to te6tboo5s an! publishe! the in%entory showe! the
author ha! not only slowe! !own !uring the year but that he was becoming
in!ifferent towar! himself an! towar! life. He was sche!ule! to !eli%er an
a!!ress in ;hio some two hun!re! miles from his home. *he trip was ma!e
by automobile.
;n the way the author4s 7guar!ian angel7 too5 her place besi!e him on
the %acant front seat of the car. I*his portion of the inci!ent may if the rea!er
!esires be attribute! entirely to the author4s use of his imagination or to !ay
!reaming or to any other cause one sees fit.J
*he personage on the %acant seat besi!e the author seeme! %ery real.
*here too5 place almost imme!iately after the author obser%e! by his
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7feelings7 that some force or personality besi!e his own was in the car the
following inter%iew which resulte! in the Compact !escribe!9
oice spea5ing to me from within9 =ou ha%e waste! more of your time
in the past than you ha%e use! constructi%ely. How long are you going to
continue this wasteE
*he author9 =es # 5now # ha%e waste! too much time. "hat has been
the cause of this waste an! how can # ma5e amen!s for it in the futureE
oice from within9 *he time you ha%e waste! in the main has been the
time you ha%e !e%ote! to thin5ing an! in!ulging too freely in physical
pleasures. =ou shoul! ma5e amen!s for this waste by transmuting this
%ital energy into a ser%ice to others through *H0 L" ;F S3CC0SS
philosophy.
*he author9 'o # un!erstan! that my thoughts in the future shoul! be
!e%ote! entirely to ser%ing others through the L" ;F S3CC0SSE
oice from within9 Not at all but you shoul! !i%ert the ma>or portion of
your thoughts to the purpose suggeste!. #f you fail to !o so you will
bring misery to yourself an! !epri%e others of 5nowle!ge which you
shoul! impart to them through the L" ;F S3CC0SS.
*he author9 # ha%en4t the money with which to publish the L" ;F
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S3CC0SS philosophy.
oice from within9 *hat is no e6cuse. =ou may ha%e all the money you
nee! for this an! for e%ery other purpose pro%i!e! you are willing to
accept a!%ice an! follow it.
*he author9 # am willing to accept a!%ice an! # will follow it. :i%e me
instructions an! # will follow them to the letter.
oice from within9 ery well your willingness to follow instructions is
all that you nee! for the present. re you rea!y to recei%e your
instructionsE
*he author9 # am rea!y.
oice from within9 =ou will fin! it !ifficult at first to follow your
instructions because you will ha%e to change completely your habits.
*he rewar! which awaits you if you follow instructions faithfully
howe%er is worth all the effort you will !e%ote to the tas5. Here are your
instructions9
First. #n the future you shall !e%ote as much time an! effort to
ser%ing others through the L" ;F S3CC0SS philosophy as you
ha%e !e%ote! in the past to in!ulgence in personal pleasures.
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Secon!. rocee! at once to the tas5 of writing the L" ;F
S3CC0SS philosophy. "hen the manuscripts ha%e been complete!
you will recei%e further instructions for their publication.
*hir!. 3pon publication of the L" ;F S3CC0SS philosophy you
will recei%e instructions for the writing of other boo5s. Carry out
those instructions as soon as you recei%e them.
Fourth. s compensation for carrying out these an! other
instructions which will be gi%en to you in the future you may ha%e
your choice of any three things you wish.
*he uthor9 'o you mean that # may really ha%e any three things #
choose in return for carrying out these instructionsE7
oice from within9 =es any three things you choose.
*he uthor9 "ith whom am # !ealingE "ho will be responsible to me
for the compensation # ha%e been promise! after # carry out the
instructionsE
oice from within9 =ou are !ealing with #nfinite #ntelligence. # am the
#n!i%i!ual 0ntity !esignate! by #nfinite #ntelligence to bargain with you
for your ser%ices. So you may procee! with your instructions with faith
that you will recei%e your rewar!. # shall now gi%e you the power to
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compensate yourself as soon as you earn your rewar!.
*he uthor9 ery well. # shall choose I1J "is!om through an
un!erstan!ing heart that will help me to relate myself to others in a spirit
of harmonyA I2J Health in both bo!y an! min! an! I&J "ealth in such
amounts as # may nee! to carry out the instruction you ha%e gi%en me.
oice from within9 #t is not enough. # cannot permit you to be cheate!.
=ou shoul! mo!ify your first choice to inclu!e happiness. "ithout
happiness you will not be an efficient wor5er. #nfinite #ntelligence has
selecte! you to assume a great responsibility. worl!crisis is impen!ing.
=ou ha%e been prepare! to ren!er useful ser%ice in connection with this crisis. $e%ise yourfirst choice.
*he uthor9 ll right My first choice shall be happiness through the
wis!om of an un!erstan!ing heart.
oice spea5ing from within9 *hat is better *he terms of our compact
are now satisfactory. =ou are now assuming the role of both master an! ser%ant. =our wagesshall be pai! as fast as the ser%ice is ren!ere!. # shall e6plain the metho! by which you shall
be pai! so that you will 5now you can neither collect without earning your pay nor becheate! out of your
rewar! after earning it.
Happiness comes only from ren!ering useful ser%ice to others. =ou shall
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recei%e this portion of your rewar! as fast as you earn it.
*he wis!om of an un!erstan!ing heart comes through intense !esire for
it. *a5e this portion of your rewar! as rapi!ly as you wish.
Health of bo!y an! min! comes through positi%e thought. Keep your
min! free from negati%e thoughts an! claim this portion of your rewar!
as fast as you earn it.
"ealth of this sort which will permit happiness comes by ren!ering
useful ser%ice to others. *hrough the L" ;F S3CC0SS you may
ren!er such ser%ice. *he money will be pai! !irectly to you by those
whom you ser%e an! in proportion to the amount of ser%ice you ren!er
the @uality of the ser%ice an! the number of people ser%e!.
#nfinite #ntelligence has %ery wisely ma!e you your own super%isor your
own employer your own ser%ant an! your own paymaster. *he compact
is now in force. *he e6tent to which it is carrie! out is limite! only by
you. *his is irre%ocable e6cept by your own !efault.
My %isitor !eparte! lea%ing behin! a feeling of aloneness similar to that
which one might ha%e felt if a fellowtra%eler ha! opene! the !oor of the car
an! steppe! out. *he e6perience was uncanny. # ha! ne%er ha! such an
e6perience before. For a time # was not sure what ha! happene!.
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Many thoughts ran through my min!. *he first was that # ha! been !ay
!reaming. nother was that # ha! been o%erwor5ing my imagination.
Subse@uent e%ents pro%e! both thoughts to be wrong.
Briefly the following too5 place after that e6perience on the twenty
si6th of ;ctober 1/2& Imy birth!ayJ9
IaJ 3pon my return home the following !ay # began to organize the !ata
# ha! been gathering on the L" ;F S3CC0SS philosophy for
nearly fifteen years pre%iously ;n the following Christmas e%ening
# began the actual writing of the L" ;F S3CC0SS.
IbJ Late in the year 1/2- the manuscripts ha! been complete! after
many re%isions an! they were publishe! by . L. Felton of Meri!en
Connecticut through circumstances which fully harmonize with the
terms of the compact alrea!y !escribe!.
IcJ #n 1/2/ the worl!wi!e 7Business 'epression7 began creating a state
of chaos throughout the ci%ilize! worl!. 06amination of the L"
;F S3CC0SS philosophy will !isclose the fact that it is perfectly
suite! to the nee!s of millions of people who ha%e been in>ure! by
loss of faith an! in other ways by the !epression.
I!J *he L" ;F S3CC0SS philosophy now has a following in all
cities towns an! %illages in merica an! in practically e%ery country
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on earth. *he means of !istribution of the philosophy Iwhich # ha%e
!escribe! in other boo5s recently writtenJ came through me!ia which
harmonize perfectly with the terms of the compact.
IeJ Last but by no means least # am healthy in both bo!y an! min!A #
am happier than # ha%e e%er been before in my entire life an! # ha%e
not wante! for the money necessary to carry out my instructions.
*he part of this e6perience which impresses me most is the ingenuity
with which the compact was so !esigne! that it ga%e me both the pri%ilege
of becoming the master an! the responsibility of being the ser%ant. Literally
this compact ma!e me the 7Master of my own fate the Captain of my own
soul7
n! right here is an appropriate place at which to call attention to a real
benefit which anyone may e6perience by !eliberately focusing attention upon
any form of constructi%e !esire. *he min! acts upon one4s !ominating or
most pronounce! !esires. *here is no escape from this fact. #t is a fact in!ee!.
7Be careful what you set your heart upon for it surely shall be yours.7
'i! *hey Spea5 From the :ra%eE
"hile # was passing through the age of 7heroworship7 # foun! myself
trying to imitate those whom # most a!mire!. Moreo%er # !isco%ere! that
the element of faith with which # en!ea%ore! to imitate my i!ols ga%e me
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great capacity to !o so @uite successfully.
# ha%e ne%er @uite !i%este! myself of this habit of hero worship although
# ha%e passe! the age commonly gi%en o%er to such state of being. My
e6perience has taught me that the ne6t best thing to being truly great is to
emulate the great by feeling an! action as nearly as possible. # ha%e ne%er
5nown of this habit !oing anyone any harm.
Long before the L" ;F S3CC0SS philosophy was complete! before
# ha! e%er written a line for publication or en!ea%ore! to !eli%er a speech in
public # followe! the habit of reshaping my own character by trying to
imitate the nine men whose li%es an! lifewor5s ha! been most impressi%e to
me. *hese nine men were 0merson aine 0!ison 'arwin Lincoln
Burban5 Napoleon For! an! Carnegie. 0%ery night o%er a long perio! of
years # hel! an imaginary council meeting with this group whom # calle! my
7#n%isible Counselors7.
*he proce!ure was this9 Gust before going to sleep at night # woul! shut
my eyes an! see in my imagination this group of men seate! with me aroun!
my council table. Here # ha! not only an opportunity to sit among those whom
# consi!ere! to be great but # actually !ominate! the group by ser%ing as the
chairman an! lea!er.
# ha! a %ery !efinite purpose in in!ulging my imagination through these
nightly meetings. My purpose was to rebuil! my own character so it woul!
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represent a composite of my imaginary counselors. $ealizing as # !i! early
in life that # ha! to o%ercome the han!icap of a lowly birth in an en%ironment
of ignorance an! superstition # !eliberately assigne! myself the tas5 of
%oluntary rebirth through the metho! here !escribe!.
Re%$!,!n- Chara"ter Thro$-h A$to4S$--est!on
Ha%ing been an earnest stu!ent of psychology # 5new of course that all
people become what they are because of their !ominating thoughts an!
!esires. # 5new that e%ery !eeply seate! !esire may be transmute! into its
physical counterpart. # 5new that selfsuggestion was a powerful factor in the
buil!ing of characterA that it was in fact the sole principle through which
character is built
"ith this 5nowle!ge of the principles of min! operation # was fairly well
arme! with the e@uipment nee!e! in rebuil!ing my character. #n these
imaginary council meetings # calle! on my Cabinet members for the
5nowle!ge an! the traits of character # wishe! each to contribute a!!ressing
myself to each member in au!ible wor!s as follows9
Mr. 0merson # !esire to ac@uire from you the mar%elous un!erstan!ing
of Nature which !istinguishe! your life. # as5 that you ma5e an impress
upon my subconscious min! of whate%er @ualities you possesse! which
enable! you to un!erstan! an! a!apt yourself to the laws of Nature. # as5
that you assist me in reaching an! !rawing upon whate%er sources of
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5nowle!ge are a%ailable to this en!.
Mr. Burban5 # re@uest that you pass on to me the 5nowle!ge which
enable! you to so harmonize the laws of Nature that you cause! the
cactus to she! its thorns an! become an e!ible foo!. :i%e me access to
the 5nowle!ge which enable! you to ma5e two bla!es of grass grow
where but one grew before an! helpe! you to blen! the coloring of the
flowers with more splen!or an! harmony. For you alone ha%e
successfully painte! the lily.
Napoleon # !esire to ac@uire from you by emulation the mar%elous
ability you possesse! to inspire men an! to arouse them to a greater an!
more !etermine! spirit of action. lso to ac@uire the spirit of en!uring
faith which enable! you to turn !efeat into %ictory an! to surmount
staggering obstacles. 0mperor of Fate King of Chance Man of 'estiny
# salute you
Mr. aine # !esire to ac@uire from you the free!om of your thought an!
the courage an! clarity with which to e6press your con%ictions which so
!istinguishe! you
Mr. 'arwin # wish to ac@uire from you the mar%elous patience an!
ability to stu!y cause an! effect without bias or pre>u!ice so e6emplifie!
by you in the fiel! of natural science.
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Mr. Lincoln # !esire to buil! into my own character the 5een sense of
>ustice the untiring spirit of patience the sense of humor the spirit of
human un!erstan!ing an! the tolerance which were your !istinguishing
characteristics.
Mr. Carnegie # am alrea!y in!ebte! to you for my choice of a lifewor5
which has brought me great happiness an! peace of min!. # wish to
ac@uire a thorough un!erstan!ing of the principles of organize! effort
which you use! so effecti%ely in the buil!ing of a great in!ustrial
enterprise.
Mr. For! you ha%e been among the most helpful of the men who ha%e
supplie! much of the material out of which the philosophy of
achie%ement is being built. # wish to ac@uire your spirit of persistence
your !etermination your poise an! your selfconfi!ence with which
you ha%e mastere! po%erty organize! !irectness unifie! an! simplifie!
human effort so # may help others to follow in your footsteps.
Mr. 0!ison # ha%e seate! you nearest to me at my right because of the
personal cooperation you ha%e gi%en me !uring my research into the
causes of success an! failure. # wish to ac@uire from you the mar%elous
spirit of faith with which you ha%e unco%ere! so many of Nature4s
secrets an! the spirit of unremitting toil with which you ha%e so often
wreste! %ictory from !efeat.7
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My metho! of a!!ressing the members of my imaginary Cabinet woul!
%ary accor!ing to the traits of character in which # was for the moment most
intereste! in ac@uiring. # stu!ie! the recor!s of their li%es with painsta5ing
care. fter some three months of this sort of nightly proce!ure # was
astoun!e! by the !isco%ery that these imaginary figures became apparently
real.
0ach of these nine men !e%elope! in!i%i!ual characteristics which
surprise! me. For e6ample Lincoln !e%elope! the habit of being always late
then wal5ing aroun! the table in a solemn para!e. "hen he came he wal5e!
%ery slowly with his han!s claspe! behin! him an! once in a while he woul!
stop at my seat as he passe! an! rest his han! momentarily upon my shoul!er.
He always wore an e6pression of seriousness upon his face. $arely !i! # see
him smile. *he cares of a sun!ere! nation ha! ma!e him gra%e.
*hat was not true of the others. Burban5 an! aine often in!ulge! in
witty repartee which seeme! at times to shoc5 the other members of my
Cabinet.
;ne night aine suggeste! that # prepare a lecture on 7*he ge of
$eason7 an! !eli%er it from the pulpit of a church which # formerly atten!e!.
Many aroun! the table laughe! heartily at the suggestion. But Napoleon !i!
not. He !rew his mouth !own at the corners an! groane! so lou!ly that they
all turne! an! loo5e! at him with amazement. *o him the church was but a
pawn of the State not to be reforme! but to be use! as a con%enient inciter
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to mass acti%ity by the people.
;n one occasion Burban5 was late. "hen he came he was e6cite! with
enthusiasm an! e6plaine! that he ha! been !elaye! because of an e6periment
he was ma5ing through which he hope! to be able to grow apples on most
any sort of tree.
aine chi!e! him by remin!ing him that it was an apple which starte! all
the trouble between man an! woman.
'arwin chuc5le! heartily as he suggeste! that aine shoul! watch out
for little serpents when he went out into the forest to gather apples as they
ha! the habit of growing into big sna5es.
0merson obser%e! 7No serpents no apples.7 n! Napoleon remar5e!
7No apples no state7
;nce # ha! a lo%e affair with a young la!y whose name was Gosephine.
"e ha! a misun!erstan!ing an! agree! to !iscontinue our lo%e affair. *hat
e%ening at the meeting Napoleon smile! as he remin!e! me that he too ha!
gi%en up a cherishe! possession whose name was Gosephine an! a!monishe!
me to reestablish myself in the young la!y4s goo! graces. # !i! not follow the
a!%ice.
=ears later # met the young la!y after she ha! marrie! another man an!
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she tol! me that shortly after she an! # ha! our brea5 she ha! a !ream in
which Napoleon appeare! an! strongly urge! her to recant an! in%ite me to
!o the same.
Lincoln !e%elope! the habit of being always the last one to lea%e the
table after each meeting. ;n one occasion he leane! across the en! of the
table on his fol!e! arms an! remaine! in that position for se%eral minutes. #
ma!e no attempt to !isturb him.
Finally he lifte! his hea! slowly got up an! wal5e! to the !oor then
turne! aroun! came bac5 an! lai! his han! on my shoul!er an! sai! 7My
boy you will nee! much courage if you remain stea!fast in carrying out your
purpose in life. But remember when !ifficulties o%erta5e that the common
people ha%e common sense. !%ersity will !e%elop it.7
;ne e%ening 0!ison arri%e! ahea! of all the others. He seate! himself
at my left where 0merson was accustome! to sit.
0!ison you are !estine! to witness the !isco%ery of the secret of life.
"hen the time comes you will obser%e that life consists of great swarms
of energy or entities each as intelligent as human beings belie%e
themsel%es to be.
*hese units of life group themsel%es together li5e hi%es of bees an!
remain together until they !isintegrate through lac5 of harmony. *hese
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units ha%e !ifferences of opinion >ust as !o human beings an! often they
fight among themsel%es.
*hese meetings which you are con!ucting will be %ery helpful to you.
*hey will bring to your rescue some of the same units of life which
ser%e! the members of your Cabinet whose physical bo!ies ha%e been
!iscar!e!. *hese units are eternal. *hey ne%er !ie
=our own thoughts an! !esires ser%e as the magnet which attracts units
of life from the great ocean of life. ;nly the frien!ly units which
harmonize with the nature of your !esires are attracte!.
*he other members of the Cabinet began to enter the room. 0!ison rose
an! slowly wal5e! aroun! to his own seat. 0!ison was still li%ing when this
happene!. #t impresse! me so greatly that # went to see him an! tol! him
about the e6perience. He smile! broa!ly an! sai!9 7=our !ream was more a
reality than you may imagine it to ha%e been.7 He a!!e! no further
e6planation to his statement.
*hese meetings became so realistic that # became fearful of their
conse@uence an! !iscontinue! them for se%eral months. *he e6periences
were so uncanny that # was afrai! my min! might become unbalance! if #
continue! them or that # woul! become a fanatic on the sub>ect an! lose sight
of the fact that these meetings were purely e6periences of my imagination.
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Some si6 months after # ha! !iscontinue! the practice # was awa5ene!
one night or thought # was when # saw Lincoln stan!ing at my be!si!e. He
sai! 7*he worl! will soon nee! your ser%ices. #t is about to un!ergo a perio!
of chaos which will cause men an! women to lose faith an! become panic
stric5en. :o ahea! with your wor5 an! complete your philosophy. *hat is
your mission in life. #f you neglect it for any cause whatsoe%er you will be
re!uce! to a primal state an! be compelle! to retrace the cycles through
which you ha%e passe! !uring thousan!s of years.7
# was unable to tell when morning came whether # ha! !reame! this or
ha! actually been awa5e an! # ha%e ne%er since foun! out which it was but
# !o 5now that the !ream 8 if it were a !ream 8 was so %i%i! in my min! the
ne6t !ay that # resume! my meetings the following night an! ha%e e%er since
continue! them.
t our ne6t meeting the members of my Cabinet all file! into the room
together an! stoo! at their accustome! places at the council table while
Lincoln raise! a glass an! sai! 7:entlemen let us !rin5 a toast to a frien!
of man. He has returne! to the fol!.7
fter that # began to a!! new members to my Cabinet until now it
consists of more than fifty among them :alileo Copernicus ristotle lato
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12
;3*"#**#N: *H0 '0#L
Socrates Homer oltaire Bruno Spinoza 'rummon! Kant Schopenhauer
Newton Confucius 0lbert Hubbar! Brann #ngersoll "ilson an! "illiam
Games.
*his is the first time that # ha%e ha! the courage to mention this chapter
of my life. Heretofore # ha%e remaine! @uiet on the sub>ect because # 5new
from my own attitu!e in connection with such matters that # woul! be
bran!e! as a pious frau! if # !escribe! my unusual e6periences.
# ha%e been embol!ene! by time to re!uce my e6periences to the printe!
page because the philosophy of achie%ement which # ha%e ha! the pri%ilege
of organizing has been accepte! as being soun! an! practical by a great army
of men an! women in practically e%ery wal5 of life.
lso # am now less concerne! about what 7they will say7 than # was in
the past. ;ne of the blessings of maturity is that it sometimes brings one
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