As a Man Thinketh
Assessment by Bella Maina (Kenya)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The main message from “As a Man Thinketh” is that your thought patterns have a significant influence on your quality of life. Our ability to control our thoughts can give rise to great achievements, peace of mind, and even happiness. Our minds and what we think about can also lead to our destruction. Bad thinking can lead to terrible mistakes that harm us and others.
Allen explains this in several parts of the book by comparing thought to a seed, it’s the beginning that leads to a result. What we think triggers an emotion, which often encourages an action. For example, if you feel inspired, you might be moved to start something new. The more you act a certain way, the more it becomes natural to you. Over time, those actions shape your character and influence your circumstances.
Allen uses the phrase, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he,” to remind us that we become what we think. Our thoughts not only shape who we are but also influence the circumstances in our lives.
Allen explains this with a simple analogy: a plant can’t grow without a seed. In the same way, our actions can’t happen without thoughts behind them. Just like a seed leads to a plant, our thoughts lead to actions. It’s like the idea of cause and effect; every result begins with something that triggered it.
Through this explanation, Allen encourages us to reflect on our own lives. If we experience success, wellness, or peace, it’s not just mere chance; it’s probably the result of the way we’ve been thinking. Just like if we fill our minds with negative thoughts, that too can influence our reality and even lead to our destruction. Even in moments of weakness or hardship, the direction of our thoughts matters. Allen believes that by becoming aware of what we’re thinking and choosing more positive or productive thoughts, we can begin to change our situation for the better. Similar to how our thoughts affect our character, they also affect our circumstances. Allen makes this clear through the analogy of a garden. When a gardener cultivates his plot, he removes the weeds and all the bad stuff so that his flowers and fruit can grow well. We need to do the same with our thoughts, pruning the bad and unhelpful ones so we can cultivate good lives.
That doesn’t mean bad things can’t happen to us even if we have good thoughts. It means the way we handle these circumstances and the outcomes we get are often connected to how we think. As Allen emphasizes several times in the book, things don’t happen by chance, we are where we are because of how we think. We can become the masters of our lives once we realize the power our thoughts have on our circumstances.
If we cherish our dreams and the things we want to achieve, we’re more likely to reach them. Allen suggests this is because when we obsess over our visions, we feel like we have to act, we can’t rest until we work toward making them real. For example, Columbus likely discovered other parts of the world because he was so consumed by his vision of another world, he couldn’t stop until he found it.
Allen encourages you to cherish all the good visions you have for yourself. In doing so, you’ll likely achieve them. Even if your current circumstances seem bad, they won’t stay that way if you allow yourself to dream of beautiful possibilities. We should recognize that the people around us who reached their goals did so because of the power of thought. Their thoughts stayed locked onto their vision, despite challenges and setbacks. Their belief gave them strength and the will to keep pushing forward.
2. What were the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List these seven ideas followed by an explanation after each one as to why it was important to you. Use personal examples from your own life.
i. Calmness is True Power
A calm, peaceful mind is the ultimate jewel of wisdom. Serenity isn’t passivity, but rather a mastery over your emotions. When you stop worrying and truly understand the cause-and-effect nature of your thoughts, you develop unshakeable inner strength, influence, and personal power
ii. Achievement is the Result of Effort
Success does not come by mere luck or random chance. Everything you achieve or fail to achieve is a direct result of your own directed thought and continuous effort. You must be willing to sacrifice small, short-term animalistic indulgences and distractions to achieve higher goals
iii. Dreams and Purpose are Essential
You are limited only by the thoughts and visions you allow yourself to hold. A life without a clearly defined purpose inevitably leads to worry, failure, and self-pity. When you anchor your life to a strong purpose and couple it with disciplined action, you will accomplish great things
iv. Your Thoughts Affect Your Health and Body
Your physical body is a servant to your mind. Thoughts of anxiety, anger, and fear drain physical energy and manifest as sickness. Conversely, thoughts of peace, joy, and love promote healing, vitality, and overall physical well-being
v. The Mind is Like a Garden and should be well taken care
Your mind requires conscious cultivation. Just as a gardener weeds out unwanted plants and nurtures beautiful flowers, you must intentionally weed out negative, useless, and impure thoughts. You must actively feed your mind with thoughts of virtue, focus, and ambition.
vi. Thoughts Determine Your Circumstances and nurture your future
Circumstances don’t make a person; they reveal who they truly are. There is a strict cause-and-effect relationship between your mental world and your physical life. By cultivating positive and constructive thoughts, you organically attract positive outcomes and better life situations
vii. Thoughts Shape Character and behavior
Your character is the sum of all your thoughts. Every action you take starts as a thought pattern. If you want to change your outward behavior or improve your personality, you must first change the way you think at your core
3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in a practical way, both in your daily personal life and in helping you to create a better world? If so, how?
These ideas will help me nurture my mind and cultivate it by reading more books that motivates me to achieve my dreams and goals.
4. Quotes: Are there any statements which the author made that particularly got your attention? If so, please quote them and comment as to why they were important to you.
On the Power of Thoughts over Actions
“As the plant springs from, and could not be without, the seed, so every act of a man springs from the hidden seeds of thought.”
Explanation: Every action is a result of a prior thought; to change your life, you must change the roots of your thinking.
On Circumstances and Character
“Circumstance does not make the man; it reveals him to himself.”
Explanation: External situations act as a mirror, showing you your true inner character rather than creating it
On the Mind as a Garden
“Just as a gardener cultivates his plot, keeping it free from weeds… so may a man tend the garden of his mind.”
Explanation: Actively cultivate positive thoughts and eliminate negativity, otherwise, mental “weeds” of fear will take over.
On Taking Responsibility
“Man is made and unmade by himself… He also creates the tools with which he will build for himself.”
Explanation: You are not a victim of circumstance, but the architect of your own destiny, using your mind as your tool.
On the Nature of Fear
“He who has conquered doubt and fear has conquered failure.”
Explanation: Fear and doubt are the real causes of failure, which can be overcome by fixing your thoughts on a clear purpose.
On the Connection Between Thought and Life
“As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.”
Explanation: Your inner mental state directly dictates your outward circumstances
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so, why?
The book is well covered and good to read
6. Did the book contain exercises for the reader to complete? If so, did you complete all of the exercises and did you find them helpful?
The book contained a lot of life exercise because it is talking about our thinking which is a daily basis activity, and natural so the exercise is all about in our mind and thinking critically before we speak out to others.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions? If so, please comment.
The book is very clear and well understood.
Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1 to 10. Ten is good and one is poor.
A. How interesting was it to read? 10
B. How helpful were the contents? 10
C. How easy was it to understand? 9
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 10
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Assessment by Bella Maina (Kenya)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
This book is about Jonathan Livingston Seagull, one of the many seagulls from the Breakfast Flock colony. The gulls dodged and fought for food off the fishing boats, except for Jonathan Livingston, who would practice soaring into the sky, doing various maneuvers not intended for gulls. Jonathan would soar and then glide. Though he stalled and fell many times, he picked himself up and practiced some more. He learned from his mistakes and kept on “course correcting.”
Though Jonathan failed many times, got discouraged and tried to conform, the passion, fire in his belly, and the drive to be better, forced him to try harder. Being a very introspective gull, he would deconstruct to determine what he did and make improvements. One day he went too far, so thought the Council Gathering who summoned him to Stand to Center for Shame. Jonathan was banished from the colony.
Though Jonathan Livingston Seagull had to leave the flock because he was banished, he believed in his dream and continued to live it. He kept on practicing his flight. Eventually he met other seagulls who were banished as well from other colonies. And he took the time to train them. Jonathan continued to learn. He was able to master himself. He also learned about love. He went back to his Flock, to see if there were other outcasts who he could help.
2. What were the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List these seven ideas followed by an explanation after each one as to why it was important to you. Use personal examples from your own life.
i. Refuse to Accept Self-Imposed Limitations
Jonathan’s primary goal was to master the art of flying, ignoring the flock’s belief that flight was only for scavenging food. The book teaches that the boundaries holding us back are often illusions created by our own minds. Believing you are capable of more is the first step to achieving it
ii. Embrace Failure as a Stepping Stone to Mastery
Jonathan crashes, fails, and falls out of the sky countless times while attempting advanced acrobatics. The lesson here is that mistakes are not signs to quit, but essential parts of the learning process. Continuous practice and devotion are what turn potential into mastery
iii. Be True to Yourself Despite Rejection
When Jonathan’s obsession with flight disrupts the flock’s traditional way of life, he is cast out and exiled. The book’s narrative emphasizes the importance of individuality and integrity. It teaches that staying true to your core values is vital for personal fulfillment, even if it means standing alone for a while.
iv. True Freedom is a State of Mind
Early in the story, Jonathan realizes that a “seagull is an unlimited idea of freedom”. True freedom is not just the absence of external rules, but the release of fear, anger, and boredom. It is the realization that your potential is dictated by your thoughts, not your physical circumstances
v. Be Teachable and Open to Mentorship
Even after mastering flight techniques on his own, Jonathan is eventually guided by wiser, more advanced gulls who teach him about spiritual planes and perfection. The lesson is that no matter how skilled you become, you should remain humble and open to guidance, as the right mentors appear when you are truly ready to learn
vi. The Responsibility of Passing on Knowledge
After ascending to a higher level of existence, Jonathan makes the deliberate choice to return to the world to teach the younger, exiled outcasts. This demonstrates the importance of mentorship. It teaches that acquiring knowledge isn’t meant just for personal glory, but to help uplift and elevate others
vii. Love and Forgiveness are the Highest Virtues
Jonathan is exiled, ridiculed, and eventually targeted by his own flock, yet he returns to them not with anger, but with love and forgiveness. The book highlights that practicing patience and seeing the “really good” in others, even those who have hurt you, is the ultimate form of enlightenment
3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in a practical way, both in your daily personal life and in helping you to create a better world? If so, how?
These ideas will help me understand that i have the potential to do what i want to do in life without asking permission from anyone cause i am the master of my life and i know what i want in life
4. Quotes: Are there any statements which the author made that particularly got your attention? If so, please quote them and comment as to why they were important to you.
“Don’t believe what your eyes are telling you. All they show is limitation. Look with your understanding. Find out what you already know and you will see the way to fly.”
“You have the freedom to be yourself, your true self, here and now, and nothing can stand in your way”.”
“You will begin to touch heaven, Jonathan, in the moment that you touch perfect speed. And that isn’t flying a thousand miles an hour, or a million, or flying at the speed of light. Because any number is a limit, and perfection doesn’t have limits. Perfect speed, my son, is being there.”
“Your whole body, from wingtip to wingtip,” Jonathan would say, other times, “is nothing more than your thought itself, in a form you can see. Break the chains of your thought, and you break the chains of your body, too.”
“Jonathan Seagull discovered that boredom and fear and anger are the reasons that a gull’s life is so short, and with those gone from his thought, he lived a long fine life indeed.”
“Heaven is not a place, and it is not a time. Heaven is being perfect. -And that isn’t flying a thousand miles an hour, or a million, or flying at the speed of light. Because any number is a limit, and perfection doesn’t have limits. Perfect speed, my son, is being there.”
“He spoke of very simple things- that it is right for a gull to fly, that freedom is the very nature of his being, that whatever stands against that freedom must be set aside, be it ritual or superstition or limitation in any form.
“Set aside, came a voice from the multitude, even if it be the Law of the Flock?”
“The only true law is that which leads to freedom,” Jonathan said. “There is no other.”
“Why, Jon, why?” his mother asked. “Why is it so hard to be like the rest of the flock, Jon? Why can’t you leave low flying to the pelicans, the alhatross? Why don’t you eat? Son, you’re bone and feathers! I don’t mind being bone and feathers mom. I just want to know what I can do in the air and what I can’t, that’s all. I just want to know.”
“Sully,for shame! Jonathan said in reproach, and don’t be foolish! What are we trying to practice everyday? If our friendship depends on things like space and time, we’ve destroyed our own brotherhood! But overcome space, and all we have left is Here. Overcome time, and all we have left is Now. And in the middle of Here and Now, don’t you think that we might see each other once or twice?”
“Instead of our drab slogging forth and back to the fishing boats, there’s reason to live!
We can lift ourselves out of ignorance, we can find ourselves as creatures of excellence and intelligence and skill. We can learn to be free! we can learn to fly!”
“Why is it,” Jonathan puzzled, “that the hardest thing in the world is to convince a bird that he is free, and that he can prove it for himself if he’d just spend a little time practicing? Why should that be so hard?”
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so, why?
The book is well covered and good to read.
6. Did the book contain exercises for the reader to complete? If so, did you complete all of the exercises and did you find them helpful?
There is a lot of exercise in this book, because everything in life is all about practice until you master the game, so we need to practice on what we want and be consistence in doing it.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions? If so, please comment.
The book is very clear and well understood.
Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1 to 10. Ten is good and one is poor.
A. How interesting was it to read? 10
B. How helpful were the contents? 9
C. How easy was it to understand? 9
D. Would you recommend it to others? 9
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 10