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He can who Thinks he can, and Other Papers on Success in Life

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This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

264 pages, Hardcover

First published August 8, 2015

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About the author

Orison Swett Marden

1,649 books174 followers
Orison Swett Marden (1850-1924) was an American writer associated with the New Thought Movement. He also held a degree in medicine, and was a successful hotel owner.

Marden was born in Thornton Gore, New Hampshire to Lewis and Martha Marden. When he was three years old, his mother died at the age of 22, leaving Orison and his two sisters in the care of their father, a farmer, hunter, and trapper. When Orison was seven years old, his father died from injuries incurred while in the woods, and the children were shuttled from one guardian to another, with Orison working as a "hired boy" to earn his keep. Inspired by an early self-help book by the Scottish author Samuel Smiles, which he found in an attic, Marden set out to improve himself and his life circumstances. He persevered in advancing himself and graduated from Boston University in 1871. He later graduated from Harvard with an M.D. in 1881 and an LL.B. degree in 1882. He also studied at the Boston School of Oratory and Andover Theological Seminary.

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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
Profile Image for Eunice.
7 reviews14 followers
January 29, 2013
This is not just a simple motivational book on achieving your goals. It also helps the readers understand the reason why they find their job unsatisfying. It will help you gain a greater sense of your priorities and your ambitions.
Profile Image for Adrian Starks.
56 reviews2 followers
June 24, 2017
Completed reading this book for a second time! Such valuable gems of wisdom that should be applied to every person's life!
Profile Image for Mauricio Mesén.
Author 114 books3 followers
October 3, 2013
King Solomon says in Proverbs that there is nothing new under the sun.
For thousands of years, life has been teaching us the same lessons over and over. Through war and peace; through rags and riches; through stories of hope and of despair; through tragedies and failure that end in triumph and success…
The lessons are simple, as simple are the values that originate them: Courage, Perseverance, Faith, Love, Truthfulness, Decision, Good Stewardship, Happiness…
Countless sages of the ages have tried to convey the messages and lessons in different ways and formulas: from Pythagoras to Plato; from Dante, to Da Vinci and Goethe; from Bacon to Shakespeare and Emerson; from Joan D’Arc to Helen Keller; from Franklin to Lincoln…
But we just keep ignoring wisdom, and making the same mistakes…
Orison Swett Marden dedicated his life to gather those messages and transfer them into dozens of volumes and thousands of pages, each and every one a true gem of the ages. In them, Marden is able to capture the essence of life, self-development and true success, and therefore, his books are considered ‘the premiere self-help collection of all times’.
Although they are one hundred years old, the message is so current that it seems to have been written precisely for our time. A time where, more than ever, we need values, we need achievers, we need happiness and we need love. The broadness of Marden’s education in history, philosophy, spirituality and more, and his ability to condense and transmit knowledge with remarkable clarity -in an entertaining and engaging way, make these readings a requirement for whoever in this life is searching for success, or just looking for life’s answers.
He Can who Thinks He Can, is a treaty on Happiness, Originality, Luck, Dreams, Standing for your ideas… The author tells us that “You cannot succeed while doubting yourself or thinking thoughts of failure. Cling to success thoughts. Fill your mind with cheerful, optimistic pictures,—pictures of achievement. This will scatter the spectres of doubt and fear and send a power through you which will transform) you into an achiever. No matter how poor or how hemmed in you may be, stoutly deny the power of adversity or poverty to keep you down. Constantly assert your superiority to environment. Believe in yourself; feel that you are to dominate your surroundings. Resolve that you will be the master and not the slave of circumstances. This very assertion of superiority; this assumption of power; this affirmation of your ability to succeed,—the attitude that claims success as an inalienable birthright,—will strengthen the whole man and give great added power to the combination of faculties which doubt, fear and lack of confidence undermine.
After you read this incredible masterpiece, you will realize that the power of “can do it” is completely within yourself!


Merged review:

King Solomon says in Proverbs that there is nothing new under the sun.
For thousands of years, life has been teaching us the same lessons over and over. Through war and peace; through rags and riches; through stories of hope and of despair; through tragedies and failure that end in triumph and success…
The lessons are simple, as simple are the values that originate them: Courage, Perseverance, Faith, Love, Truthfulness, Decision, Good Stewardship, Happiness…
Countless sages of the ages have tried to convey the messages and lessons in different ways and formulas.
From Pythagoras to Plato; from Dante, to Da Vinci and Goethe; from Bacon to Shakespeare and Emerson; from Joan D’Arc to Helen Keller; from Franklin to Lincoln…
But we just keep ignoring them, and making the same mistakes…
Marden, a true believer in humanity, decided to give us another chance.
He committed his life to gather the messages engraved in the wisdom of the ages, and to transfer them into dozens of volumes and thousands of pages, each and every one of them a true gem.
He brilliantly captured the essence of life, self-development and true success, and therefore, his books are considered ‘the premiere self-help collection of all times’.
Although they are one hundred years old, his books are so current that they seem to have been written precisely for our time. A time where, more than ever, we need achievement, we need balance, perseverance and faith; we need happiness and cheerfulness, but above it all, we need LOVE...
Profile Image for Alejandro.
20 reviews42 followers
February 7, 2017
An outstanding book on developing and maintaining a right and joyous inner attitude for a rich and successful life. A very well thought out and written book that will certainly elevate your personal development to the next level.
1 review
August 2, 2017
Very motivating

This was an inspirational read. I needed this book in my life to help me get through a challenging time.
Profile Image for Navneet Singh.
2 reviews
June 18, 2021
If you are not prepared to look anybody and everybody in the eye without blinking and tell them that you are the best at what you do and that you believe in your dreams and know your stuff, somebody is going to kick you and send you home early!

It's another Orison Swett Marden classic that intrigues any man's grit who is on his way to wring success out of life. One of my favorite self-help books written over a century ago, it's principles are as eternal as the universe itself.

Main postulates of the book:
1. All great leaders have colossal faith in themselves.
2. Your success will never rise higher than your confidence in yourself.
3. Resolve that you will be the master and not the slave of your circumstances.
4. Every child must be taught to expect success and to believe that he was born to achieve something big in life!

Marden clearly states that the world or the government does not owe you a living. Only idle men expect themselves to be taken care of. The idle man is like the idle machine, it destroys itself very quickly.

The food that you feed to your mind and the company with which you associate will trigger success or failure values in your soul. Surround yourself with good books, to begin with! Be with friends who are watching for ability in you, who believe in you, encourage and praise you and not with those who keep throwing cold water at your aspirations! Get into a stimulating and encouraging environment today.

Man was made for growth. It is the object and explanation of his being. Education is not limited to the school syllabus or college texts. The best-educated people are those who are always learning and absorbing knowledge from every possible source. The world is the greatest university!

Finally Marden wraps up his masterpiece by saying that: "If there is anything in the world a person should fight for, it is the freedom to pursue his dream."

If you think you can, you can. Ultimately it's your calling to the universe which shall be registered by providence.
Profile Image for Serge Larose.
141 reviews
October 1, 2024
Very insightful and brings one back to reality.
There were many striking passages and writings in this book. Especially the brutally honest self-reflective moments when we feel like things are owed to us. Orison wrote it best when he said, 'When I, we feel like the world owes us, remember everything that happened before, everyone who perished and all the technology that we benefit from today' That put my mind back in it's place and brought me to a place of gratitude !
Profile Image for Andy Febrico Bintoro.
3,628 reviews30 followers
October 29, 2020
A classic motivation book about being success in life, go out from poverty. The content was general if you already read many motivation books, but the example here surely from different age than this time. There is a wisdom behind simple motivation principles that run through the ages.
Profile Image for Alexandra Y.  C. A.
129 reviews5 followers
August 20, 2020
It makes me feel so tiny and woke me up on spiritual and working in process. So poweful words and direct to the point in order to fullfil your dreams and start to doit right now.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews

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