outwitting the devil, napoleon hill, 284

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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



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!



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!



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



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



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



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!.



# 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)+.



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



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



*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.



# 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



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.



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.



#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



# 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.



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!



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



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.



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



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



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



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



*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



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.



#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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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.



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



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.



# 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!



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



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



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



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



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



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.



'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.



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.



*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



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 #



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!



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



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.



*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



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



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.



< ;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.



< 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.



*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



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



# 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.



< *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



!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



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.



< =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



# 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



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.



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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!



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



# 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.



*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.



< # 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!.



# 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



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



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



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



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



# 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



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.



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



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



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



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.



< "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.



#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



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



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



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



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



*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!



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



#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!



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



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.



*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



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



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



< 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.



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



• '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.



*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



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



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



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!



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



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



%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!



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 #



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



# 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



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



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



=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



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



# 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



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.



< "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



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



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



< *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



*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



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



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



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!



!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



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



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.



# 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.



# 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



=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



< # 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.



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



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!



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.



< '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



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



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.



< *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



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



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.



< 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.



# 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.



#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!



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



=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



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.



=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.



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



< *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



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



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!.



< # 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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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!



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



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.



*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



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



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



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.



*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.



*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



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



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



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



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.



< 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



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



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



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.



*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



"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.



"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



=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



!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



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.



#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.



#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.



< '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



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



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



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.



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



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.



< 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



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



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!



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



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



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



*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



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



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



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.



*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



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.



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



!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



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



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.



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



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!.



*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



!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



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



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.



< *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



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



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



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



;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



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



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



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.



=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



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



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.



*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



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.



< '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.



< "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.



< "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!



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



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.



< #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



=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



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



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



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



#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



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



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



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.



#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.



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



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 #



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



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.



# 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



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



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



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.



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



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



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!.



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



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



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!



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



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.



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



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



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!



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



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.



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



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

outwitting the devil, napoleon hill, 284

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