food.
Clean thoughts make clean habits. The so-called saint who does not
wash his body is not a saint. He who has strengthened and purified
his thoughts does not need to consider the malevolent microbe.
If you would protect your body, guard your mind. If you would renew
your body, beautify your mind. Thoughts of malice, envy,
disappointment, despondency, rob the body of its health and grace. A
sour face does not come by chance; it is made by sour thoughts.
Wrinkles that mar are drawn by folly, passion, and pride.
I know a woman of ninety-six who has the bright, innocent face of a
girl. I know a man well under middle age whose face is drawn into
inharmonious contours. The one is the result of a sweet and sunny
disposition; the other is the outcome of passion and discontent.
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.
On the faces of the aged there are wrinkles made by sympathy, others
by strong and pure thought, and others are carved by passion: who
cannot distinguish them? With those who have lived righteously, age
is calm, peaceful, and softly mellowed, like the setting sun. I have
recently seen a philosopher on his deathbed. He was not old except
in years. He died as sweetly and peacefully as he had lived.
There is no physician like cheerful thought for dissipating the ills
of the body; there is no comforter to compare with goodwill for
dispersing the shadows of grief and sorrow. 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.
THOUGHT AND PURPOSE
UNTIL thought is linked with purpose there is no intelligent
accomplishment. With the majority the bark of thought is allowed to
"drift" upon the ocean of life. Aimlessness is a vice, and such
drifting must not continue for him who would steer clear of
catastrophe and destruction.
They who have no central purpose in their life fall an easy prey to
petty worries, fears, troubles, and self-pityings, all of which are
indications of weakness, which lead, just as surely as deliberately
planned sins (though by a different route), to failure, unhappiness,
and loss, for weakness cannot persist in a power evolving universe.
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.
Those who are not prepared for the apprehension of a _great_ purpose
should fix the thoughts upon the faultless performance of their
duty, no matter how insignificant their task may appear. Only in
this way can the thoughts be gathered and focussed, and resolution
and energy be developed, which being done, there is nothing which
may not be accomplished.
The weakest soul, knowing its own weakness, and believing this truth
_that strength can only be developed by effort and practice,_ will,
thus believing, at once begin to exert itself, and, adding effort to
effort, patience to patience, and strength to strength, will never
cease to develop, and will at last grow divinely strong.
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 put away aimlessness and weakness, and to begin to think with
purpose, is to enter the ranks of those strong ones who only
recognize failure as one of the pathways to attainment; who make all
conditions serve them, and who think strongly, attempt fearlessly,
and accomplish masterfully.
Having conceived of his purpose, a man should mentally mark out a
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