Orison Swett Marden · 1922
Quotes from Prosperity: How to Attract It
20 lines from the book, in the order they appear. Each one leads to its chapter.
When Christ emphasized the fact that the kingdom of heaven is within us, he meant that this kingdom within is identical with the Divine Mind, and that it is there man taps the source of all power, of all supply. The kingdom within is the kingdom of power, where all man's creative work is started. It is there he connects with the universal substance, the great creative energy; and thought is the invisible tool with which he fashions his creations. Acting upon the hidden, mysterious substance from which everything in the universe is evolved, the thought tool directs, controls, creates according to his desires. It finds its material in the unseen world, and in proportion as the mind grasps the reality of the unseen, the power and the possibilities are there. It is in the unseen world that man, animated and inspired by the consciousness of his partnership with Divinity, is beginning to find some of the secrets of the universe — lifting the race from animalism and drudgery, changing the face of the world, pushing civilization up to new and more glorious heights.
A little money in the bank is a great friend both in time of need and in time of opportunity.
Many of us think if we only had some other person's talent or opportunities; if we only had the advantages of some other fellows near us; if only we were superbly equipped with facilities for our particular work, that we would do wonderful things. Now, the Creator never sent anyone into this world without equipping him with just the tools required for the job He meant him to do, the job which He qualified him in every respect to do. He didn't sharpen the tools for us, because if He had done that He would have deprived us of the very thing that is designed for our expansion and growth. It is by drawing out all that is in us, by bettering our work each day, by overcoming obstacles, clearing away the rubbish and mental debris that choke our growth, and always reaching up to the attainment of our highest ideal, that, day by day, we unfold layer after layer of the wealth of ability that is enfolded in every human being, no matter what his apparent disabilities or handicaps.
Your dress, your bearing, your conversation, your conduct, should all square with your ambition. All of these things are aids to your achievement, and you cannot afford to ignore any one of them. The world takes you at your own valuation. If you assume the victorious attitude toward it, it will give you the right of way.
The moment you resolve to make your life dream come true, you have taken the first step towards its realization, but you will stop there if your efforts cease.
One of the marks of a strong soul, one who is anchored in faith, is the ability to conquer discouragement, melancholia, the "blues," all tendencies to cowardice and self-pity. No matter what happens, what obstacles or trials push such souls back, or for a time press them down, they never lose hope or give way under disappointments and failures. It is not that they do not feel those things, but that they will not suffer them to turn them aside from their purpose, to defeat their ambition.
Your subconscious mind is like a garden, and you must be very careful what you plant there. Every thought, every emotion, every suggestion is a seed planted in the subconscious soil, and will bring you a harvest like itself. It doesn't matter what kind of thought seeds you plant, whether poverty or prosperity, failure or success, happiness or misery, you will reap a harvest in kind.
Next to life itself, I am the greatest gift God has given to man; the millionaire who has lost me in piling up his fortune would give all his millions to get me back again.
Faith makes light of obstacles, because it increases ability and multiplies power. Joan of Arc multiplied herself ten thousand times by her faith; multiplied her ability a million times by her conviction that she was God-ordained to restore the throne of France and drive the enemy from her soil. She was ready to make any sacrifice to save her country, and every sacrifice she made, every obstacle she overcame, made her stronger to accomplish the great task she had undertaken. Without work we know that faith is of no avail. Everything depends on the "hustle" with which we back it. The only real power one ever gains is won in the struggle to overcome obstacles. It is the effort of brain and muscle put forth in the actual doing of the thing, the downright hard working, the vigorous thinking and planning that make the strong man, the man who reaches the goal of his ambition.
Crossing bridges before they come to them puts more victims in the great failure army, in the ranks of the unhappy and inefficient, than almost anything else. The fear of to-morrow, anticipation of the trials and troubles just ahead, robs multitudes of the strength and enthusiasm that would enable them to make to-day a glorious success.
How many of us might learn a lesson from the poor little girl living in the slums of a great city who took a prize at a flower show. When asked how she managed to raise her beautiful plant in the dark alley where her home was, she answered that there was a little space between two tall buildings through which a bit of sunshine came in, and that by moving the plant as the sun moved she had managed to keep it in the sunshine and to produce the prize flower. We all have at least a little sunshine in our lives, something to be thankful for, and by turning our faces to it, we could manage somehow to keep growing, but we don't make the most of the little sun we do have, as the little girl did.
Concentration without genius will accomplish more than genius without concentration.
The lives and work of multitudes of the world's benefactors prove that no matter what investment a man may make in life, there is none so satisfactory as self-investment, — coining bits of leisure into knowledge and power.
Every important decision involves the letting go of something, and the more one tries to get away from the difficulty, the more he thinks over the thing to be decided, the more he entangles the whole situation.
Thrift means wise management of what you have - money, time, energies, opportunities.
When I was graduated from a New Hampshire academy my greatest stimulus to further endeavor was my favorite teacher's belief in me. Taking me by the hand at parting, as he bade me good-bye, he said: "My boy, I expect to hear from you, that the world will hear from you, in the future. Don't disappoint me. I believe in you, and can see something in you that you do not see in yourself."
True economy is not parsimony, miserliness. It is neither extravagance nor meanness. It means a wise expenditure, an expenditure which brings the largest results. It is being good to ourselves in as large and scientific a way as possible. It means that we should always have the best we can possibly afford when the thing has any reference to our physical and mental health, to our growth in efficiency and power. It often means very liberal spending. It is a perpetual protest against putting the emphasis on the wrong thing.
Some people never get out of the world of pennies into the world of dollars. They work so hard to save the cents that they lose the dollars and also the larger growth, the richer experience and the better opportunity.
Those who haven't the money cannot, of course, always do that which will contribute to their highest comfort and efficiency; but many people overestimate the advantage of saving a dollar in comparison with their physical well-being. Power is the goal of the highest ambition. Anything which will add to one's power, to one's growth, no matter how much it costs, if it is within possible reach, is worth its price.
Not what you have done, or have failed to do, but what you are capable of doing now; not what you are, but what you are capable of becoming, — these are the important facts in your life. It doesn't matter so much what others think of you; what they believe is possible to you; it is what you think of yourself; what you believe you have the ability to do that counts. This is of immense importance to you, because you will not begin to touch your possibilities until you make the acquaintance of your real self, the bigger possible "me" in you.
