The author of As a Man Thinketh, James Allen, was born in 1864 in Leicester, England. He left his schooling and began working at 15 after his father was murdered while seeking work in the US (“James Allen.” PenguinRandomhouse.Com, Penguin Random House). According to author Mitch Horowitz, who wrote the introduction to an anthology of Allen’s work titled The Wisdom of James Allen, Allen was a successful student and profuse reader, but he had to give up on his intellectual dreams to support his family in his father’s absence (Horowitz, Mitch. “Working-Class Sage, the Power and Progress of James Allen.” Medium, 2020). Allen worked as a factory knitter for nine years but kept up with his studies, reading Shakespeare and ethical and religious texts from his father’s collection, even though he often worked 15-hour days (Horowitz).

Allen’s life changed significantly when he was 24 after he read the epic poem The Light of Asia by Edwin Arnold and discovered the teachings of Buddhism, which inspired him to pursue religious self-development and “inner refinement” (Horowitz). In 1889, Allen took a job as a private secretary in London and shortly thereafter met his wife, fellow writer Lily L. Allen (nee Oram). They married in 1895 and had their daughter the next year. In 1898, Allen began writing for a vegetarian and animal rights journal, inspired by the tenets of Buddhism, and his magazine writing kick-started his creative career. In 1901, he published his first book, From Poverty to Power, and he followed it up by creating his own magazine, The Light of Reason, which he renamed The Epoch in 1902 (Horowitz).

In 1903, Allen published As a Man Thinketh before moving to Ilfracombe with his family and producing 19 works in just over a decade in a short yet prolific writing career. Allen’s influence over the New Thought movement was immense, and As a Man Thinketh became widely popular; in fact, the phrase “As a Man Thinketh” became an informal motto for the burgeoning New Thought movement (Horowitz). Horowitz notes that Allen and Lily both wrote for The Epoch and hosted New Thought gatherings while living a Transcendentalist life close to nature. Allen’s health was tenuous, and he died in 1912 at age 47, likely from tuberculosis. Lily kept The Epoch going, while publishing Allen’s work as well as her own books and founding a notable New Thought society, until she died in 1952.

In evaluating the importance of Allen’s legacy in the literary and philosophical fields of the contemporary world, Horowitz describes Allen’s work as a blend of “eastern mysticism, Christian asceticism, and American motivation” (Horowitz). Horowitz notes that Allen’s work inspired numerous notable people, including writers Napoleon Hill and Dale Carnegie, political activist Marcus Garvey, and pop-culture icons like singer Michael Jackson and NFL Hall-of-Famer Curtis Martin. Allen’s core belief that people can control the outcomes of their lives with their own thoughts offers hope to many that they have power over their circumstances. His own life exemplified his teachings, as he elevated himself from a struggling factory worker to a celebrated intellectual and author, adding credence to his philosophical and theological theories.