As a Man Thinketh
Assessment by George Okemwa (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 ourselves 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.
James Allen believes our thoughts influence several areas of our lives, including our character, circumstances, our health and achievements, and whether we can live peacefully. While external factors can seem to control our lives, Allen argues that our mind is the main power. It makes us strong and enables us to overcome anything
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 similar to 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. What we think about can affect our physical health as well as our mental health. When we focus on negative thoughts, like believing we’re not smart enough, the body can start to slow down or underperform. When we’re overwhelmed by anxiety, doubt and fear, it can literally harm our physical state. The impact of bad thoughts goes beyond just causing disease or weakening our physical or mental abilities. It can also influence how others see us. Allen gives an example: if our thoughts are filled with envy, malice, or disappointment, our face can literally start to look sour. That sour look can push people away.
Allen encourages us to maintain good thoughts. When we focus on things like hope, goodwill, and happiness, we may naturally start to glow and attract more positivity into our lives.
Furthermore, positive thinking can even help prevent disease and slow aging. Have you ever met someone older who still looks youthful? Sometimes, it’s simply because they have good inner harmony. Their positive thoughts shine through, either as warmth, lightness, or even fewer wrinkles from a less weary expression.
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. Dreams are seedlings for realities.
You can nurture the dream to eat the fruits later or you can let it stay dormant, choice is yours.
ii. Perfection
To be in the world and yet not of the world is the highest perfection.
iii. Our Thoughts
We may like to imagine that we can keep our thoughts but they soon crystallize into habits and govern our circumstances
iv. Suffering
The sole and supreme use of suffering is to purify, to burn out all that is useless and impure-take example of refining gold from the ore.
v. Control
You are not fit to command and control unless you have succeeded in commanding and controlling yourself.
vi. Happiness
If you are happy, it is because you dwell into happy thoughts; if you are miserable, it is because you dwell in debilitating thoughts.
vii. Desiring more Time
It is useless to desire more time, if you are already wasting what little you already have. More time for you would only grow more indolent and waste.
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?
This book is a wonderful tool to awaken my brain and my thoughts.
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.
“A man’s mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild; but whether cultivated or neglected, it must, and will, bring forth. If no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless weed-seeds will fall therein, and will continue to produce their kind.”
“Good thoughts and actions can never produce bad results; bad thoughts and actions can never produce good results. This is but saying that nothing can come from corn but corn, nothing from nettles but nettles. Men understand this law in the natural world, and work with it; but few understand it in the mental and moral world (though its operation there is just as simple and undeviating), and they, therefore, do not cooperate with it.”
“Man is made or unmade by himself; in the armory of thought he forges the weapons by which he destroys himself; he also fashions the tools with which he builds for himself heavenly mansions of joy and strength and peace.”
“Cherish your visions; cherish your ideals; cherish the music that stirs in your heart, the beauty that forms in your mind, the loveliness that drapes your purest thoughts, for out of them will grow all delightful conditions, all heavenly environment; of these, if you but remain true to them, your world will at last be built.”
“As the physically weak man can make himself strong by careful and patient training, so the man of weak thoughts can make them strong by exercising himself in right thinking.”
“To live continually in thoughts of ill will, cynicism, suspicion, and envy, is to be confined in a self-made prison hole. But to think well of all, to be cheerful with all, to patiently learn to find the good in all; such unselfish thoughts are the very portals of heaven; and to dwell day by day in thoughts of peace toward every creature will bring abounding peace to their possessor.”
“As you cannot have a sweet and wholesome abode unless you admit the air and sunshine freely into your rooms, so a strong body and a bright, happy, or serene countenance can only result from the free admittance into the mind of thoughts of joy and goodwill and serenity.”
“Thought allied fearlessly to purpose becomes creative force: he who knows this is ready to become something higher and stronger than a mere bundle of wavering thoughts and fluctuating sensations; he who does this has become the conscious and intelligent wielder of his mental powers.”
“A man should conceive of a legitimate purpose in his heart, and set out to accomplish it. He should make this purpose the centralizing point of his thoughts. It may take the form of a spiritual ideal, or it may be a worldly object, according to his nature at the time being; but whichever it is, he should steadily focus his thought forces upon the object which he has set before him. He should make this purpose his supreme duty, and should devote himself to its attainment, not allowing his thoughts to wander away into ephemeral fancies, longings, and imaginings. This is the royal road to self-control and true concentration of thought. Even if he fails again and again to accomplish his purpose (as he necessarily must until weakness is overcome), the strength of character gained will be the measure of his true success, and this will form a new starting point for future power and triumph.”
“Only the wise man, only he whose thoughts are controlled and purified, makes the winds and the storms of the soul obey him.”
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 written 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 is a life changer because nothing can happen well if we do not nurture or brain and thoughts.
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.
A very nice book for everyone to read.
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? 10
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 10
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Assessment by George Okemwa (Kenya)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
Jonathan Livingston Seagull follows Jonathan, a seagull who strives to transcend ordinary life by mastering flight. This parable is divided into sections that trace Jonathan’s journey of self-discovery and spiritual growth.
Jonathan starts by focusing on perfecting flight, unlike his Flock, which uses flying solely for survival. His determination creates tension with the Flock, and he eventually faces exile. Freed from traditional constraints, Jonathan advances his skills alone.
Later, Jonathan meets two ethereal gulls who take him to a higher realm. There, he meets mentors Sullivan and Elder Chiang, who guide him toward understanding freedom beyond physical limits. Jonathan learns teleportation and expands his spiritual knowledge.
Equipped with new wisdom, Jonathan returns to teach others. He mentors Fletcher Lynd Seagull, sparking a community interested in breaking through personal limitations. Jonathan’s teachings on individuality and freedom gain traction. After an important moment with Fletcher, Jonathan leaves, passing the responsibility to Fletcher. As Fletcher and his community continue spreading Jonathan’s message, they pursue ongoing enlightenment and personal excellence.
In Jonathan Livingston Seagull, the theme of freedom represents both physical and spiritual liberation. Jonathan’s flights symbolize breaking away from tradition and constraints, reflecting the joy of self-expression and the risks of challenging established beliefs. His journey goes beyond survival instincts, serving as a metaphor for self-actualization and the search for deeper meaning. Innovation against tradition stands out as Jonathan experiments with new flight techniques. This underscores the spirit of progress amidst stagnant conventions. The narrative demonstrates that true progress often requires defying established norms.
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. Follow your true passion
Do not just do what everyone else does. Find what you love and spend your time doing it.
ii. Break your own limits
Most rules and limits are just in your head. You can achieve much more if you try to go past them.
iii. Do not fear failure
Failing is part of learning. Every mistake helps you get better and master your skills.
iv. It is okay to be different
Society might judge you or push you away if you do not fit in. Being true to yourself brings real freedom.
v. Use quiet time to grow
Being alone or lonely can be a good thing. It gives you the space to learn, think, and improve yourself.
vi. True freedom is self-discovery
Freedom is not doing whatever you want. It is understanding who you are and mastering your mind and body.
vii. Help and teach others
Once you learn something valuable, share it. True greatness means lifting other people up with you.
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 gives me hope that whatever I want to do I can do it without fear or justification from any person.
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.”
“Most gulls don’t bother to learn more than the simplest facts of flights – how to get from shore to food and back again. For most gulls, it is not flying that matters, but eating. For this gull, though, it was not eating that mattered, but flight. More than anything else, Jonathan Livingston Seagull loved to fly.”
“We can lift ourselves out of ignorance, we can find ourselves as creatures of excellence and intelligence and skill.”
“Do you have any idea how many lives we must have gone through before we even got the first idea that there is more to life than eating, or fighting, or power in the Flock? A thousand lives, Jon, ten thousand!”
“We choose our next world through what we learn in this one. Learn nothing, and the next world is the same as this one, all the same limitations and lead weights to overcome.”
“To begin with, he said heavily, you’ve got to understand that a seagull is an unlimited idea of freedom, an image of the Great Gull, and your whole body, from wingtip to wingtip, is nothing more than your thought itself.”
“You have the freedom to be yourself, your true self, here and now, and nothing can stand in your way. It is the Law of the Great Gull, the Law that Is.”
“You don’t love hatred and evil, of course. You have to practice and see the real gull, the good in every one of them, and to help them see it in themselves. That’s what I mean by love. It’s fun, when you get the knack of it.”
“His one sorrow was not solitude, it was that other gulls refused to believe the glory of flight that awaited them; they refused to open their eyes and see.”
“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.”
“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 albatross? Why don’t you eat? Son, you’re bone and feathers!”
“It’s all so pointless, he thought, deliberately dropping a hard-won anchovy to a hungry old gull chasing him. I could be spending all this time learning to fly. There’s so much to learn!”
“Unlike the other seagulls, Jonathan is not content with a purely physical existence centered on fighting for small pieces of fish. Although he tries to obey his parents and fit in with the Flock, he’s unable to suppress his urge to fly, which is itself symbolic of his desire to learn and grow beyond his prior limits.”
“Seagulls never fly in the dark! Jonathan remembers that seagulls never fly at night while he is in fact flying at night, thus proving the Flock’s teaching to be more a matter of convention or superstition than actual wisdom; the success of his own flight suggests that there’s no reason for gulls not to fly at night beyond the fact that it’s simply not done. The passage is therefore a turning point for Jonathan, who had previously resolved to “be a normal gull” after another failed attempt at diving.”
“One who has touched excellence in his learning has no need of that kind of promise.”
“His thought was triumph. Terminal velocity! A seagull at two hundred fourteen miles per hour! It was a breakthrough, the greatest single moment in the history of the Flock, and in that moment a new age opened for Jonathan Gull.”
“We can lift ourselves out of ignorance, we can find ourselves as creatures of excellence and intelligence and skill. We can be free! We can learn to fly! But you, Jon,’ he said, ‘learned so much at one time that you didn’t have to go through a thousand lives to reach this one.”
“The trick was to know that his true nature lived, as perfect as an unwritten number, everywhere at once across space and time.”
“To fly as fast as you thought, to anywhere that is,’ he said, “you must begin by knowing that you have already arrived. We are free to go where we wish and to be what we are,’ Jonathan answered, and he lifted from the sand and turned east, toward the home grounds of the Flock.”
“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 articulated 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 a lot of life time exercise in our day to day activity.
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.
This book is a classic for good reason. There are no wasted words, and the simple story of a Seagull might just be one of the most uplifting things you will ever read, that is unless you are just another Seagull squawking scraps of fish and bread like everybody else
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