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Power Through Constructive Thinking

by Emmet Fox

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1613168,412 (4.17)None
One of the First Books to Demonstrate the Power of Positive Thoughts Fresh with contemporary relevance, this classic of positive thinking from one of the world's greatest motivational writers offers stirring insights on self-transformation. Based on Emmet Fox's simple message that "thoughts are things" and all potential rests in their creative and constructive use, these thirty-one inspiring essays show how to have it all--health, success, happiness, and a liberated spirit--through the power of constructive thought. First published in 1940, Power Through Constructive Thinking has been a never-failing source of strength and renewal for generations of readers.… (more)
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This book shows that your destiny is really in your own hands, because it is impossible to think one thing and produce another, and that by selection of correct thought a harmonious and happy life is produced.
  PendleHillLibrary | Feb 29, 2024 |
Similarly as with Richard, (although they differ on some things), with Emmet I went through this vague catch-a-catch-phrase phase, (below, incidentally), and then went through a period of marked disillusionment (mercifully deleted), and now I feel like I’ve somewhat arrived at least at a true beginning to understanding the doctrine of “life building through constructive thought”. (Yes, thesis, antithesis, and synthesis: like Hegel living, dying and rising again with Christ in his mind—imitating Paul, imitating Christ.)

Anyway, the key for me (the classifier: words are not everything, although many scientists are in love with words and names and form, although apparently another scientist, a Richard Feynman, a physicist, who might not directly be in spirituality, reminded people that names are not everything, to which another scientist in a different field—if you’ll permit me—rather stupidly said that Richard F does not understand /his/ field, because in his own /distinct/ field (ecology), words Are Indeed everything. But that’s science for you—or scientists. Society thinks science is survival—“the best thing”—so somebody has to do science, preferably somebody else, but maybe more somebody else’s than are really needed, perhaps, but then they’re to be got in by success-and-survival-through-science, and then as soon as they’re in the door they’re to be driven out again (like the old, You must marry! followed by But who do you think will marry you, you rotten whore! The nerve of you! LOL), by science-cannot-be-applied, it’s not philosophy or religion or culture (unless I like it—uptight repressed white boys from the 50s, maybe, but only because they’re so worthless), it’s just…. Science! So join science today, because…. (ad runs), you know. It’s just for the sake of Knowledge, through what it means we cannot interpret correctly, because we cannot interpret at all, because I forbid you to interpret it, because it’s Just Science, and that’s the correct interpretation. 👌

I’m sure that sounds bitter. But when you like people, you tell them what you think of them. When you stop loving people, you stop telling them what you think of them, because what’s there to be gained?…. And, you know, for all the perils of recentism, society does need to change, and science represents change for a lot of people, and is a sort of change, so…. But I digress. Emmet has a minimalist approach to everything—even the Bible, and certainly philosophy and science. He didn’t bother. He had his trade.)

ANYWAY, the key for me, the classifier, is that Emmet is not so much a practical preacher, as a very spiritual success coach. One’s not better than the other; there are many gifts. Some are created practical preachers, others spiritual success coaches. It’s just important to know what you’re reading. The Bible is very important to him, but he’s not really defending or milling about the castle of Christianity, defending the intellectual system of Christianity, even though he’s using the Bible. A theologian, certainly, and even most preachers and Bible commentators, would sit around discuss Is it permissible, and would come to the conclusion (for example) It is permissible, and would dismiss you. But that’s not business. Emmet equally isn’t a preacher, and much of the system of the church is left out of his message. But if it’s permissible to go to work in the morning, it’s surely permissible to make work more holy, even if your success coach isn’t teaching you everything that your spiritual director does.

I really think that a lot of both false praise (this sounds great…. Wait, was it about business?) and false blame (ugly mammon! Ugly mammon! Now, get out of my sight! And, while you’re at it—get off of welfare! And give money to the church!) would be avoided, you know.

…. “And what would all your practical learning be like, if you didn’t know the place of God in your business,” said the ant; “and how godly would you be in all your affairs, if you willfully decided not to take care of yourself,” said the fox.

Ant-Fox! Ant-Fox!

🐜 🦊

…. There is no kind of potato we can’t grow if we believe that we can learn how, and put it in the earth, and wait for it to grow.
  goosecap | Apr 19, 2023 |
I’ve read the essay on the Lord’s Prayer several times, both at the beginning of this book and at the end of “The Sermon on the Mount”, but it is a rich mine, and the gold goes deep. What struck me this time is that it is good not just to refrain from un-forgiveness, but to not consider oneself separate from the rest of mankind, since God is the Father of all, “Our Father”, and since all are children, all are siblings. Therefore, even to hold one’s self aloof from one’s brothers and sisters is not excellence, although how I do with that is not for me to say, right.

And just in general, I still get more out of it, knowing more about the Bible than the last time I read it, and I affirm again this second time the book’s worth.

.......................

It’s really beyond my ability to take a thread from the ball of yarn to try to describe it, although I wish I could.
  smallself | Sep 26, 2019 |
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One of the First Books to Demonstrate the Power of Positive Thoughts Fresh with contemporary relevance, this classic of positive thinking from one of the world's greatest motivational writers offers stirring insights on self-transformation. Based on Emmet Fox's simple message that "thoughts are things" and all potential rests in their creative and constructive use, these thirty-one inspiring essays show how to have it all--health, success, happiness, and a liberated spirit--through the power of constructive thought. First published in 1940, Power Through Constructive Thinking has been a never-failing source of strength and renewal for generations of readers.

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