As Man Thinketh (1903) is more than a century old, and it shows. James Allen, the author of the supposed self-help book, harbors on the idea that circumstances are products of mindset: “A man does not come to the almshouse or the jail by the tyranny of fate or circumstance but by the pathway of groveling thoughts and base desires.” Moreover, Allen argues that one can choose how to think and, therefore, can shape his destiny: “A man cannot directly choose his circumstances, but he can choose his thoughts, and so indirectly, yet surely, shape his circumstances.” His adage “So You will be what you will be” is catchy and has its merits but is generally a poorly put generalization in modern self-development studies.
Migo Aguado 