 Preface of the Eight Pillars of Prosperity He who would build both strong and high must first of all dig deep and low, so rose the spire against the sky, and so doth skill and knowledge grow. So with well-ordered strenuousness, raise thou thy structure of success. Preface It is popularly supposed that a greater prosperity for individuals or nations can only come through a political and social reconstruction. This cannot be true apart from the practice of the moral virtues in the individuals that comprise a nation. Better laws and social conditions will always follow a higher realization of morality among the individuals of a community, but no legal enactment can give prosperity to nay, it cannot prevent the ruin of a man or a nation that has become lax and decadent in the pursuit and practice of virtue. The moral virtues are the foundation and support of prosperity as they are the soul of greatness. They endure forever and all the works of man which endure are built upon them, without them there is neither strength, stability, or substantial reality, but only ephemeral dreams. To find moral principles is to have found prosperity, greatness, truth, and is therefore to be strong, valiant, joyful, and free. James Allen Chapter 1 of The Eight Pillars of Prosperity Prosperity rests upon a moral foundation. It is popularly supposed to rest upon an immoral foundation, that is upon trickery, sharp practice, deception, and greed. One commonly hears even an otherwise intelligent man declare that, no man can be successful in business unless he is dishonest. Thus regarding business prosperity a good thing, as the effect of dishonesty a bad thing. Such a statement is superficial and thoughtless, and reveals a total lack of knowledge of moral causation, as well as a very limited grasp of the facts of life. It is as though one should sow henbane and reap spinach or erect a brick house on a quagmire. Things impossible in the natural order of causation, and therefore not to be attempted. The spiritual or moral order of causation is not different in principle, but only in nature. The same law obtains in things unseen, in thoughts and deeds, as in things seen in natural phenomena. Man sees the processes in natural objects and acts in accordance with them, but not seeing the spiritual processes he imagines that they do not obtain, and so he does not act in harmony with them. Yet these spiritual processes are just as simple and just as sure as the natural processes. They are indeed the same natural modes manifesting in the world of mind. All the parables and a large number of the sayings of the great teachers are designed to illustrate this fact. The natural world is the mental world made visible. The scene is the mirror of the unseen. The upper half of a circle is in no way different from the lower half, but its sphericity is reversed. The material and the mental are not two detached arcs in the universe. They are the two halves of a complete circle. The natural and the spiritual are not at eternal enmity, but in the true order of the universe are eternally at one. It is in the unnatural, in the abuse of function and faculty, where division arises, and where man is wrestled back with repeated sufferings from the perfect circle from which he has tried to depart. Every process in matter is also a process in mind. Every natural law has its spiritual counterpart. Take any natural object and you will find its fundamental processes in the mental sphere if you rightly search. Consider for instance the germination of a seed and its growth into a plant with a final development of a flower and back to seed again. This also is a mental process. Seeds are seeds which falling in the soil of the mind germinate and develop until they reach the completed stage, blossoming into deeds good or bad, brilliant or stupid, according to their nature and ending as seeds of thought to be again sown in other minds. A teacher is a sower of seed, a spiritual agriculturalist, while he who teaches himself is the wise farmer of his own mental plot. The growth of thought is as the growth of a plant. The seed must be sown seasonably and time is required for full development into the plant of knowledge and the flower of wisdom. While writing this I pause and turn to look through my study window and there a hundred yards away is a tall tree, in the top of which some enterprising rook from a rookery hard by has for the first time built its nest. A strong northeast wind is blowing so that the top of the tree is swaying violently to and fro by the onset of the blast. Yet there is no danger to that frail thing of sticks and hair and the mother bird sitting upon her eggs has no fear of the storm. Why is this? It is because the bird has instinctively built her nest in harmony with principles which ensure the maximum strength and security. First a fork is chosen as the foundation for the nest and not a space between two separate branches so that however great may be the swaying of the tree top the position of the nest is not altered nor is its structure disturbed. Then the nest is built on a circular plan so as to offer the greatest resistance to any external pressure as well as to obtain more perfect compactness within in accordance with its purpose and so however the tempest may rage the birds rest in comfort and security. This is a very simple and familiar object and yet in the strict obedience of its structure to mathematical law it becomes to the wise a parable of enlightenment teaching them that only by ordering one's deeds in accordance with fixed principles is perfect surety, perfect security and perfect peace obtained amid the uncertainty of events and the turbulent tempests of life. A house or a temple built by man is a much more complicated structure than a bird's nest yet it is erected in accordance with those mathematical principles which are everywhere evidenced in nature and here is seen how man in material things obeys universal principles. He never attempts to put up a building in defiance of geometrical proportions for he knows that such a building would be unsafe and that the first storm would in all probability level it to the ground if indeed it did not fall about his ears during the process of erection. Man in his material building scrupulously obeys the fixed principles of circle, square and angle and aided by rule, plumb line and compasses he raises a structure which will resist the fiercest storms and afford him a secure shelter and safe protection. All this is very simple the reader may say yes it is simple because it is true and perfect so true that it cannot admit the smallest compromise and so perfect that no man can improve upon it. Man through long experience has learned these principles of the material world and sees the wisdom of obeying them and I have thus referred to them in order to lead up to a consideration of those fixed principles in the mental or spiritual world which are just as simple and just as eternally true and perfect yet are at present so little understood by man that he daily violates them because ignorant of their nature and unconscious of the harm he is all the time inflicting upon himself. In mind as in matter in thoughts as in things indeed as in natural processes there is a fixed foundation of law which if consciously or ignorantly ignored leads to disaster and defeat. It is indeed the ignorant violation of this law which is the cause of the world's pain and sorrow. In matter this law is presented as mathematical in mind it is perceived as moral but the mathematical and the moral are not separate and opposed they are but two aspects of a united whole. The fixed principles of mathematics to which all matter is subject are the body of which the spirit is ethical while the external principles of morality are mathematical truisms operating in the universe of mind. It is impossible to live successfully apart from moral principles as to build successfully while ignoring mathematical principles. Characters like houses only stand firmly when built on a foundation of moral law and they are built up slowly and laboriously deed by deed for in the building of character the bricks are deeds. Characters and all human enterprises are not exempt from the eternal order but can only stand securely by the observance of fixed laws. Prosperity to be stable and enduring must rest on a solid foundation of moral principle and be supported by the adamantine pillars of sterling character and moral worth. In the attempt to run a business in defiance of moral principles disaster of one kind or another is inevitable. The permanently prosperous men in any community are not its tricksters and deceivers but is reliable and upright men. The Quakers are acknowledged to be the most upright men in the British community and although their numbers are small they are the most prosperous. The Giants in India are similar both in number and sterling worth and they are the most prosperous people in India. Men speak of building up a business and indeed a business is as much a building as a brick house or a stone church albeit the process of building is a mental one. Prosperity like a house is a roof over a man's head affording him protection and comfort. A roof presupposes a support and a support necessitates a foundation. The roof of prosperity then is supported by the following eight pillars which are cemented in a foundation of moral consistency. One energy. Two economy. Three integrity. Four system. Five sympathy. Six sincerity. Seven impartiality. Eight self-reliance. A business built upon the faultless practice of all these principles would be so firm and enduring as to be invincible. Nothing could injure it nothing could undermine its prosperity nothing could interrupt its success or bring it to the ground but that success would be assured with incessant increase so long as the principles were adhered to. On the other hand where these principles were all absent there could be no success of any kind there could not even be a business at all for there would be nothing to produce the adherence of one part with another but there would be that lack of life that absence of fiber and consistency which animates and gives body and form to any object whatsoever. Picture a man with all these principles absent from his mind his daily life and even if your knowledge of these principles is but slight and imperfect yet you could not think of such a man as doing any successful work you could picture him as leading the confused life of a shiftless tramp but to imagine him at the head of a business as the center of an organization or as a responsible and controlling agent in any departments of life this you could not do because you realize its impossibility. The fact that no one of moderate morality and intelligence can think of such a man as commanding any success should to all those who have not yet grasped the import of these principles and therefore declare that morality is not a factor but rather a hindrance in prosperity be a sound proof to them that their conclusion is totally wrong for if it was right then the greater the lack of these moral principles the greater would be the success. These eight principles then in greater or lesser degree are the causative factors in all success of whatsoever kind underneath all prosperity they are the strong supports and how so ever appearances may be against such a conclusion a measure of them informs and sustains every effort which is crowned with the excellence which men name success. It is true that comparatively few successful men practice in their entirety and perfection all these eight principles but there are those who do and they are the leaders the teachers and the guides of men the supports of human society and the strong pioneers in the van of human evolution but while few achieve that moral perfection which ensures the acme of success all lesser successes come from the partial observance of these principles which are so powerful in the production of good results that even perfection in any two or three of them alone is sufficient to ensure an ordinary degree of prosperity and maintain a measure of local influence at least for a time while the same perfection in two or three with partial excellence in all or nearly all the others will render permanent that limited success and influence which will necessarily grow and extend in exact ratio with a more intimate knowledge and practice of those principles which at present are only partially incorporated in the character the boundary lines of a man's morality mark the limits of his success so true is this that to know a man's moral status would be to know to gauge mathematically his ultimate success or failure the temple of prosperity only stands in so far as it is supported by its moral pillars as they are weakened it becomes insecure in so far as they are withdrawn it crumbles away and totters to ruin ultimate failure and defeat are inevitable where moral principles are ignored or defied inevitable in the nature of things as cause and effect as a stone thrown upward returns to the earth so every deed good or bad returns upon him that sent it forth every un-moral or immoral act frustrates at the end at which it aims and every such succeeding act puts it further and further away as an achieved realization on the other hand every moral act is another solid brick in the temple of prosperity another round of strength and sculptured beauty in the pillars which support it individuals families nations grow and prosper in harmony with their growth in moral strength and knowledge they fall and fail in accordance with their moral decadence mentally as physically only that which has form and solidity can stand and endure the un-moral is nothingness and from it nothing can be formed it is the negation of substance the immoral is destruction it is the negative of form it is a process of spiritual denudation well it undermines and disintegrates it leaves the scattered material ready for the wise builder to put it into form again and the wise builder is morality the moral is substance form and building power in one morality always builds up and preserves for that is its nature being the opposite of immorality which always breaks down and destroys morality is the master builder everywhere whether in individuals or nations whether in the world or in the universe morality is invincible and he who stands upon it to the end stands upon an impregnable rock so that his defeat is impossible his triumph is certain he will be tried and that to the uttermost for without fighting there can be no victory and so only can his moral powers be perfected and it is in the nature of fixed principles as of everything finally and perfectly wrought to have their strength tested and proved the steel bars which are to perform the strongest and best uses in the world must be subjected to a severe strain by the iron master as a test of their texture and efficiency before they are sent from his foundry the brickmaker throws aside the bricks which have given way under the severe heat so he who is to be greatly and permanently successful will pass through the strain of adverse circumstances and the fire of temptation with his moral nature not merely not undermined but strengthened and beautified he will be like a bar of well wrought steel fit for the highest use and the universe will see as the iron master his finally wrought steel that the use does not escape him immorality is a saleable at every point and he who tries to stand upon it sinks into the morass of desolation even while his efforts seem to stand they are crumbling away the climax of failure is inevitable while the immoral man is chuckling over his ill-gotten gains there is already a hole in his pocket through which his gold is falling while he who begins with morality yet deserts for gain in the hour of trial is like the brick which breaks on the first application of heat he is not fit for use and the universe casts him aside yet not finally for he is a being and not a brick and he can live and learn can repent and be restored moral force is the life of all success and the sustaining element in all prosperity but there are various kinds of success and it is frequently necessary that a man should fail in one direction that he may reach up to a greater and more far-reaching success if for instance a literary artistic or moral genius should begin by trying to make money it may be and often is to his advantage and the betterment of his genius that he should fail therein so that he may achieve that more sublime success wherein lies his real power many a millionaire would doubtless be willing to barter his millions for the literary success of a Shakespeare or the spiritual success of a Buddha and would therefore consider that he had made a good bargain exceptional moral success is rarely accompanied with riches yet financial success cannot in any way compare with it in greatness and grandeur but i am not in this book dealing with the success of the saint or moral genius such being dealt with in other of my books but with that success which concerns the welfare well-being and happiness of the broadly average man and woman in a word with the prosperity of the mass of mankind a success and prosperity which while being more or less connected with money being present and temporal yet is not confined there to but extends to and embraces all human activities and which particularly relates to that harmony of the individual with his circumstances which produces that satisfaction called happiness and that comfort known as prosperity to the achievement of this end so desirable to the mass of mankind let us now see how the eight principles operate how the roof of prosperity is raised and made secure upon the pillars by which it is supported end of chapter one chapter two of the eight pillars of prosperity by james allen the sleeper box recording is in the public domain the first pillar energy energy is the working power in all achievement inert coal it converts to fire and water it transmutes into steam it vivifies and intensifies the commonest talent until it approaches to genius and when it touches the mind of the dullard it turns into a living fire that which before was sleeping in inertia energy is a moral virtue it's opposing vice being laziness as a virtue it can be cultivated and the lazy man can become energetic by forcibly arousing himself to exertion compared with the energetic man the lazy man is not half alive even while the latter is talking about the difficulty of doing a thing the former is doing it the active man has done a considerable amount of work before the lazy man has roused himself from sleep while the lazy man is waiting for an opportunity the active man has gone out met and utilized half a dozen opportunities he does things while the other is rubbing his eyes energy is one of the primal forces without it nothing can be accomplished it is the basic element in all forms of action the entire universe is a manifestation of tireless though inscrutable energy energy is indeed life and without it there would be no universe no life when a man has ceased to act when the body lies inert and all the functions have ceased to act then we say he is dead and in so far as a man fails to act he is so far dead man mentally and physically is framed for action and not for swinish ease every muscle of the body being a lever for exertion is a rebuke to the lazy man every bone and nerve is fashioned for resistance every function and faculty is there for a legitimate use all things have their end in action all things are perfected in use this being so there is no prosperity for the lazy man no happiness no refuge and no rest for him there is not even the ease which he covets for he at last becomes a homeless outcast a troubled harried despised man so that the proverb wisely puts it that the lazy man does the hardest work in that avoiding the systemic labor of skill he brings upon himself the hardest lot the man of energy exerts himself to the accomplishment of some end or ends the end may be a good one or a bad one but if a bad one that is the abuse of energy which reacts destructively on the doer like one striking a wall with his fist and only injures his own hand energy is always good but it is only useful when applied to good ends and those ends when reached constitute happiness success and prosperity yet energy misapplied is better than no energy at all this is powerfully put by saint john in the words i would have you either hot or cold if you are luke warm i will spew you out of my mouth the extremes of heat and cold here symbolize the transforming agency of energy in its good and bad aspects the luke warm stage is colorless lifeless useless it can scarcely be said to have either virtue or vice and is merely barren empty fruitless the man who applies his abounding energy to bad ends has at least one saving virtue the virtue of exertion and the very power with which he strives to acquire his selfish ends will bring upon him such difficulties pains and sorrows that will compel him to learn by experience and so at last to refashion his base of action at the right moment when his mental eyes open to better purposes he will turn around and cut new and proper channels for the outflow of his power and will then be just as strong and good as he formerly was in evil this truth is beautifully crystallized in the old proverb the greater the sinner the greater the saint energy is power and without it there will be no accomplishment there will not even be virtue for virtue does not only consist of not doing evil but also and primarily of doing good there are those who try yet fail through insufficient energy their efforts are too feeble to produce positive results such are not vicious and because they never do any deliberate harm are usually spoken of as good men that fail but to lack the initiative to do harm is not to be good it is only to be weak and powerless he is the truly good man who having the power to do evil yet chooses to direct his energies in ways that are good without a considerable degree of energy therefore there will be no moral power what good there is will be latent and sleeping there will be no going forth of good just as there can be no mechanical motion without the motive power energy is the informing power in all doing in every department of life and whether it be along material or spiritual lines the call to action which comes not only from the soldier but from the lips or pen of every teacher in every grade of thought is a call to men to rouse their sleeping energy and to do vigorously the task at hand even the men of contemplation and meditation never cease to rouse their disciples to exertion in meditative thought energy is alike needed in all spheres of life and not only are the rules of the soldier the engineer and the merchant rules of action but nearly all the precepts of the saviors sages and saints are precepts of doing the advice of one of the great teachers to his disciples keep wide awake tersely expresses the necessity for tireless energy if one's purpose is to be accomplished and is equally good advice to the salesman as to the saint eternal vigilance is the price of liberty and liberty is the reaching of one's fixed end it was the same teacher who said if anything is to be done let a man do it at once let him attack it vigorously the wisdom of this advice is seen when it is remembered that action is creative that increase and development follow upon legitimate use to get more energy we must use to the full that which we already possess only to him that hath is given only to him that puts his hand vigorously to some task do power and freedom come but energy to be productive must not only be directed towards good ends it must be carefully controlled and conserved the conservation of energy is a modern term expressive of that principle in nature by which no energy is wasted or lost and the man whose energies are to be fruitful and results must work intelligently upon this principle noise and hurry are so much energy running to waste more haste less speed the maximum of noise usually accompanies the minimum of accomplishment with much talk there is little doing working steam is not heard it is the escaping steam which makes a great noise it is the concentrated powder which drives the bullet to its mark in so far as a man intensifies his energies by conserving them and concentrating them upon the accomplishment of his purpose just so far does he gain in quietness and silence in repose and calmness it is a great delusion that noise means power there is no greater baby than the blustering boaster physically a man he is but an infant mentally and having no strength to do anything and no work to show he tries to make up for it by loudly proclaiming what he has done or could do still waters run deep and the great universal forces are inaudible where calmness is there is the greatest power calmness is the sure indication of a strong well trained patiently disciplined mind the calm man knows his business be sure of it his words are few but they tell his schemes are well planned and they work true like a well balanced machine he sees a long way ahead and makes straight for his object the enemy difficulty he converts into a friend and makes profitable use of him for he has studied well how to agree with his adversary while he is in the way with him like a wise general he has anticipated all emergencies indeed he is the man who is prepared beforehand in his meditations in the councils of his judgment he has conferred with causes and has caught the bent of all contingencies he is never taken by surprise he is never in a hurry is safe in the keeping of his own steadfastness and is sure of his ground you may think you have got him only to find the next moment that you have tripped in your own haste and that he has got you or rather that you wanting calmness have hurried yourself into the dilemma which you had prepared for him your impulse cannot do battle with his deliberation but is foiled at the first attack your uncurbed energy cannot turn aside the wisely directed steam of his concentrated power he is armed at all points by a mental jujitsu acquired through self-discipline he meets opposition in such a way that it destroys itself abrade him with angry words and the reproof hidden in his gentle reply searches to the very heart of your folly and the fire of your anger sinks into the ashes of remorse approach him with a vulgar familiarity and his look at once fills you with shame and brings you back to your senses as he is prepared for all events so he is ready for all men though no men are ready for him all weaknesses are portrayed in his presence and he commands by an inherent force which calmness has rendered habitual and unconscious calmness distinguished from the dead placidity of langer is the acme of concentrated energy there is a focused mentality behind it in agitation and excitement the mentality is dispersed it is irresponsible and is without force or weight the fussy peevish irritable man has no influence he repels and not attracts he wonders why his easygoing neighbor succeeds and is sought after while he who is always hurrying worrying and troubling he miscalls it striving fails and is avoided his neighbor being a calmer man not more easygoing but more deliberate gets through more work does it more skillfully and is more self possessed and manly this is the reason of his success and influence his energy is controlled and used while the other man's energy is dispersed and abused energy then is the first pillar in the temple of prosperity and without it as the first and most essential equipment there can be no prosperity no energy means no capacity there is no aptitude for work and therefore no manly self-respect and independence amongst the unemployed will be found many who are unemployable through sheer lack of this first essential of work energy the man that stands many hours a day at a street corner with his hands in his pocket and pipe in his mouth waiting for someone to treat him to a glass of beer is little likely to find employment or to accept it should it come to him physically flabby and mentally inert he is every day becoming more so is making himself more unfit to work and therefore unfit to live the energetic man may pass through temporary periods of unemployment and suffering but it is impossible for him to become one of the permanently unemployed he will either find work or make it for inertia is painful to him and work is a delight and he who delights in work will not long remain unemployed the lazy man does not wish to be employed he is in his element when doing nothing his chief study is how to avoid exertion to vegetate in semi-torpor is his idea of happiness he is unfit and unemployable even the extreme socialist who places all unemployment at the door of the rich would discharge a lazy servant and so add one more to the army of the unemployed for laziness is one of the lowest devices repulsive to all active right-minded men but energy is a composite power it does not stand alone involved in it are qualities which go to the making of vigorous character and the production of prosperity mainly these qualities are contained in the four following characteristics one promptitude to vigilance three industry for earnestness the pillar of energy is therefore a concrete mass composed of these four tenacious elements they are tough and daring and are calculated to withstand the wildest weather of adversity they all make for life power capacity and progress promptitude is a valuable possession it begets reliability people who are alert prompt and punctual are relied upon they can be trusted to do their duty and to do it vigorously and well masters who are prompt are a tonic to their employees and a whip to those inclined to shirk they are a means of wholesome discipline to those who would not otherwise discipline themselves thus while aiding their own usefulness and success they contribute to the usefulness and success of others the perfunctory worker who is ever procrastinating and is always behind time becomes a nuisance if not himself to others and his services come to be regarded as of little economic value deliberation and dispatch handmaids of promptitude are valuable aids in the achievement of prosperity in ordinary business channels alacrity is a saving power and promptness spells profit it is doubtful whether a confirmed procrastinator ever succeeded in business i have not yet met one such though i have known many who have failed vigilance is the guard of all the faculties and powers of the mind it is the detective that prevents the entrance of any violent and destructive element it is the close companion and protector of all success liberty and wisdom without this watchful attitude of mind a man is a fool and there is no prosperity for a fool the fool allows his mind to be ransacked and robbed of its gravity serenity and judgment by mean thoughts and violent passions as they come along to molest him he is never on his guard but leaves open the doors of his mind to every nefarious intruder he is so weak and unsteady as to be swept off his balance by every gust of impulse that overtakes him he is an example to others of what they should not be he is always a failure for the fool is an offense to all men and there is no society that can receive him with respect as wisdom is the acme of strength so folly is the other extreme of weakness the lack of vigilance is shown in thoughtlessness and in a general looseness in the common details of life thoughtlessness is but another name for folly it lies at the root of a great deal of failure and misery no one who aims at any kind of usefulness and prosperity for usefulness in the body politic and prosperity to oneself cannot be served can afford to be asleep with regard to his actions and the effect of those actions on others and reactively on himself he must at the outset of his career wake up to a sense of his personal responsibility he must know that wherever he is in the home the counting house the pulpit the store in the school room or behind the counter in company or alone at work or at play his conduct will materially affect his career for good or bad for there is a subtle influence in behavior which leaves its impress on every man woman and child that it touches and that impress is the determining factor in the attitude of persons towards one another it is for this reason that the cultivation of good manners plays such an important part in all coherent society if you carry about with you a disturbing or disagreeable mental defect it needs not to be named and known to work its poison upon your affairs its corrosive influence will eat into all your efforts and disfigure your happiness and prosperity as a powerful acid eats into and disfigures the finest steel on the other hand if you carry about an assuring and harmonious mental excellence it needs not that those about you understand it to be influenced by it they will be drawn towards you in goodwill often without knowing why and that good quality will be the most powerful support in all your affairs bringing you friends and opportunities and greatly aiding in this success of all your enterprises it will even write your mistakes and largely neutralize the bad effects of your minor incapacities covering a multitude of faults that's we receive at the hands of the world according to the measure of our giving for bad bad for good good for defective conduct in different influence and imperfect success for superior conduct lasting power and consummate achievement we act in the world responds when the foolish man fails he blames others and sees no error in himself but the wise men watches and corrects himself and so is assured of success the man whose mind is vigilant and alert has thereby a valuable equipment in the achievement of his aims and if he be fully alive and wide awake on all occasions to all opportunities and against all marring defects of character what event what circumstance what enemy shall overtake him and find him unprepared what shall prevent him from achieving the legitimate and at which he aims industry brings cheerfulness and plenty vigorously industrious people are the happiest members of the community they are not always the richest if by riches is meant the super fluidity of money but they are always the most lighthearted and joyful and the most satisfied with what they do and have and are therefore the richer if by richer we mean more abundantly blessed active people have no time for moping and brooding or for dwelling selfishly upon their ailments and troubles things most used are kept the brightest and people most employed best retain their brightness and buoyancy of spirit things unused tarnish quickest and the time killer is attacked with ennui and morbid fancies to talk of having to kill time is almost like a confession of imbecility for who in the short life at his disposal and in a world so flooded with resources of knowledge and usefulness can have too much time people with sound heads and good hearts can fill up every moment of every day usefully and happily and if they refer to time at all it is to the effect that it is all too short to enable them to do all that they would like to do industry to promotes health and well-being the active man goes to bed tired every night his rest is sound and sweet and he wakes up early in the morning fresh and strong for another day's delightful toil his appetite and digestion are good he has an excellent sauce in recreation and a good tonic in toil what companionship can such a man have with moping and melancholy such morbid spirits hang around those who do little and dine excessively people who make themselves useful to the community receive back from the community their full share of health happiness and prosperity they brighten the daily task and keep the world moving they are the gold of the nation and the salt of the earth earnestness said a great teacher is the path of immortality they who are in earnest do not die they who are not an earnest are as if dead already earnestness is the dedication of the entire mind to its task we live only in what we do earnest people are dissatisfied with anything short of the highest excellence in whatever they do and they always reach that excellence there are so many that are careless and half-hearted so satisfied with poor performance that the earnest ones shine apart as it were in their excellence there are always plenty of vacancies in the ranks of usefulness in service for earnest people there never was and never will be a deeply earnest man or woman who did not feel successfully some suitable sphere such people are scrupulous conscientious and painstaking and cannot rest in ease until the very best is done and the whole world is always on the lookout to reward the best it always stands ready to pay the full price whether in money fame friends influence happiness scope or life for that which is of surpassing excellence whether it be in things material intellectual or spiritual whatever you are whether shopkeeper or saintly teacher you can safely give the very best to the world without any doubt or misgiving if the indelible impress of your earnestness be on your goods in one case or your words in the other your business will flourish or your precepts will live earnest people make rapid progress both in their work and their character it is thus that they live and do not die for stagnation only is death and where there is incessant progress and ever ascending excellence stagnation and death are swallowed up in activity and life thus are the making and masonry of the first pillar explained he who builds it well and sets it firm and straight will have a powerful and enduring support in the business of his life and a chapter two chapter three of the eight pillars of prosperity by james allen the sleeper box recording is in the public domain second pillar economy it is said of nature that she knows no vacuum she also knows no waste in the divine economy of nature everything is conserved and turned to good account even excreta are chemically transmuted and utilized in the building up of new forms nature destroys every foulness not by annihilation but by transmutation by sweetening and purifying it and making it serve the ends of things beautiful useful and good that economy which in nature is a universal principle is in man a moral quality and it is that quality by which he preserves his energies and sustains his place as a working unit in the scheme of things financial economy is merely a fragment of this principle or rather it is a material symbol of that true economy which is purely mental and its transmutations spiritual the financial economist exchanges coppers for silver silver for gold gold for notes and the notes he converts into the figures of a bank account by these conversions of money into more readily transmissible forms he is the gainer in the financial management of his affairs the spiritual economist transmutes passions into intelligence intelligence into principles principles into wisdom and wisdom is manifested in actions which are few but of powerful effect by all these transmutations he is the gainer in character and in the management of his life true economy is the middle way in all things whether material or mental between waste and undue retention that which is wasted whether money or mental energy is rendered powerless that which is selfishly retained and hoarded up is equally powerless to secure power whether of capital or mentality there must be concentration but concentration must be followed by legitimate use the gathering up of money or energy is only a means the end is use and it is use only that produces power an all-round economy consists in finding the middle way in the following seven things money food clothing recreation rest time and energy money is the symbol of exchange and represents purchasing power he who is anxious to acquire financial wealth as well as he who wishes to avoid debt must study how to apportion his expenditure in accordance with his income so as to leave a margin of ever-increasing working capital or to have a little store ready in hand for any emergency money spent in thoughtless expenditure in worthless pleasures or harmful luxuries is money wasted in power destroyed for although a limited and subordinate power the means and capacity for legitimate and virtuous purchase is nevertheless a power and one that enters largely into the details of our everyday life the spend thrift can never become rich but if he begins with riches must soon become poor the miser with all his stored away gold cannot be said to be rich for he is in want and his gold lying idle is deprived of its power of purchase the thrifty and prudent are on the way to riches for while they spend wisely they save carefully and gradually enlarge their sphere as their growing means allow the poor man who is to become rich must begin at the bottom and must not wish nor try to appear affluent by attempting something far beyond his means there is always plenty of room and scope at the bottom and it is a safe place from which to begin as there is nothing below and everything above many a young businessman comes at once to grief by swagger and display which he foolishly imagines are necessary to succeed but which deceiving no one but himself lead quickly to ruin a modest and true beginning in any sphere will better ensure success than an exaggerated advertisement of one's standing and importance the smaller the capital the smaller should be the sphere of operations capital and scope are hand and glove and they should fit concentrate your capital within the circle of its working power and however circumscribed that circle may be it will continue to widen and extend as the gathering momentum of power presses for expression above all take care always to avoid the two extremes of parsimony and prodigality food represents life vitality and both physical and mental strength there is a middle way in eating and drinking as in all else the man who is to achieve prosperity must be well nourished but not overfed the man that starves his body whether through miserliness or asceticism both forms of false economy diminishes his mental energy and renders his body to enfeebled to be the instrument for any strong achievement such a man courts sickly mindedness a condition conducive only to failure the glutton however destroys himself by excess his bestialized body becomes a stored up reservoir of poisons which attract disease and corruption while his mind becomes more and more brutalized and confused and therefore more incapable gluttony is one of the lowest and most animal vices and is obnoxious to all who pursue a moderate course the best workers and most successful men are they who are most moderate and eating and drinking by taking enough nourishment but not too much they attain the maximum physical and mental fitness being thus well equipped by moderation they are enabled vigorously and joyfully to fight the battle of life clothing is covering and protection for the body though it is frequently rested from this economic purpose and made a means of vain display the two extremes we avoided here are negligence and vanity custom cannot and need not be ignored and cleanliness is all important the ill dressed unkept man or woman invites failure and loneliness a man's dress should harmonize with his station in life and it should be of good quality and be well made and appropriate clothing should not be cast aside while comparatively new but should be well worn if a man be poor he will not lose in either self-respect or the respect of others by wearing threadbare clothing if it be clean and his whole body be clean and neat but vanity leading to excessive luxury and clothing is a vice which should be studiously avoided by virtuous people i knew a lady who had 40 dresses in her wardrobe also a man who had 20 walking sticks about the same number of hats and some dozen macintoshes while another had some 20 or 30 pairs of boots rich people who thus squander money on piles of superfluous clothing are courting poverty for it is waste and waste leads to want the money so heedlessly spent could be better used for suffering abounds and charity is noble and obtrusive display and clothing and jewelry bespeaks a vulgar and empty mind modest and cultured people are modest and becoming in their dress and their spare money is wisely used in further enhancing their culture and virtue education and progress are of more importance to them than vain and needless apparel and literature art and science are encouraged thereby a true refinement is in the mind and behavior and a mind adorned with virtue and intelligence cannot add to its attractiveness though it may detract from it by an ostentatious display of the body time spent and uselessly adorning the body could be more fruitfully employed simplicity in dress as in other things is the best it touches the point of excellence in usefulness comfort and bodily grace and bespeaks true taste and cultivated refinement recreation is one of the necessities of life every man and woman should have some definite work as the main object of life and to which a considerable amount of time should be devoted and he should only turn from it at given and limited periods for recreation and rest the object of recreation is greater buoyancy of both body and mind with an increase of power in one's serious work it is therefore a means not an end and this should ever be born in mind for too many some forms of recreation innocent and good in themselves becomes so fascinating that they are in danger of making them the end of life and of thus abandoning duty for pleasure to make of life a ceaseless round of games and pleasures with no other object in life is to turn living upside down as it were and it produces monotony and innovation people who do it are the most unhappy of mortals and suffer from linger on we and peevishness as sauce is an aid to digestion and can only produce sickness if taken as food so recreation is a refreshment in the intervals of labor and can only lead to misery when made the work of life when a man has done his day's duty he can turn to his recreation with a freed mind and a light heart and both his work and his pleasure will be to him a source of happiness it is a true economy in this particular neither to devote the whole of one's time to work nor to recreation but to a portion to each its time in place and so fill out life with those changes which are necessary to a long life and a fruitful existence all agreeable change is recreation and the mental worker will gain both in the quality and quantity of his work by laying it down at the time appointed for restful and refreshing recreation while the physical worker will improve in every way by turning to some form of study as a hobby or means of education as we do not spend all our time in eating or sleeping or resting neither should we spend it in exercise or pleasure but should give recreation its proper place as a natural tonic in the economic scheme of our life rest is for recuperation after toil every self-respecting human being should do sufficient work every day to make his sleep restful and sweet and his rising up fresh and bright enough sleep should be taken but not too much over indulgence on the one hand or deprivation on the other are both harmful it is an easy matter to find out how much sleep one requires by going to bed early and getting up early rising a little earlier every morning if one has been in the habit of spending long hours in bed one can very soon accurately gauge and adjust the number of hours he or she requires for complete recuperation it will be found as the sleeping hours are shortened that the sleep becomes more and more sound and sweet and the waking up more and more alert and bright people who are to prosper in their work must not give way to ignoble ease and over indulgence in sleep fruitful labor and not ease is the true end of life and ease is only good in so far as it subserves the ends of work sloth and prosperity can never be companions can never even approach each other the sluggard will never overtake success but failure will speedily catch up with him and leave him defeated rest is to fit us for greater labor and not to pamper us in indolence when the bodily vigor is restored the end of rest is accomplished a perfect balance between labor and rest contributes considerably to health happiness and prosperity time is that which we all possess in equal measure the day is not lengthened for any man we should therefore see to it that we do not squander its precious minutes in unprofitable waste he who spends his time in self-indulgence and the pursuit of pleasure presently finds himself old and nothing has been accomplished he who feels full with useful pursuits the minutes as they come and go grows old in honor and wisdom and prosperity abides with him money wasted can be restored health wasted can be restored but time wasted can never be restored it is an old saying that time is money it is in the same way health and strength and talent and genius and wisdom in accordance with the manner in which it is used and to properly use it the minutes must be seized upon as they come for once they are past they can never be recalled the day should be divided into portions and everything work leisure meals recreation should be attended to in its proper time and the time for preparation should not be overlooked or ignored whatever a man does he will do it better and more successfully by utilizing some small portion of the day in preparing his mind for his work the man who gets up early in order to think and plan that he may weigh and consider and forecast will always manifest greater skill and success in his particular pursuit than the man who lies in bed till the last moment and only gets up just in time to begin breakfast an hour spent in this way before breakfast will prove of the greatest value in making one's efforts fruitful it is a means of calming and clarifying the mind and of focusing one's energies so as to render them more powerful and effective the best and most abiding success is that which is made before eight o'clock in the morning he who is at his business at six o'clock will always all other conditions being equal be a long way ahead of the man who is in bed at eight the liar bed heavily handicaps himself in the race of life he gives his early rising competitor two or three hours start every day how can he ever hope to win with such a self-imposed tax upon his time at the end of a year that two or three hours start every day is shown in a success which is the synthesis of accumulated results what then must be the difference between the efforts of these two men at the end say of 20 years the liar bed two after he gets up is always in a hurry trying to regain lost time which results in more loss of time for hurry always defeats its own end the early riser who thus economizes his time has no need to hurry for he is always ahead of the hour is always well up with his work he can well afford to be calm and deliberate and to do carefully and well whatever is in hand for his good habit shows itself at the end of the day in the form of a happy frame of mind and in bigger results in the shape of work skillfully and successfully done in the economizing of time too there will be many things which a man will have to eliminate from his life some of the things and pursuits which he loves and desires to retain will have to be sacrificed to the main purpose of his life the studied elimination of non-essentials from one's daily life is a vital factor in all great achievement all great men are adept in this branch of economy and it plays an important part in the making of their greatness it is a form of economy which also enters into the mind the actions and the speech eliminating from them all that is superfluous and that impedes and does not subserve the end aimed at foolish and unsuccessful people talk carelessly and aimlessly act carelessly and aimlessly and allow everything that comes along good and bad and indifferent to lodge in their mind the mind of the true economist is a sieve which lets everything fall through except that which is of use to him in the business of his life he also employs only necessary words and does only necessary actions thus vastly minimizing friction and waste of power to go to bed be time and to get up be time to fill every working minute with purposeful thought and effective action this is the true economy of time energy is economized by the formation of good habits all vices are a reckless expenditure of energy sufficient energy is thoughtlessly wasted in bad habits to enable men to accomplish the greatest success if conserved and used in right directions if economy be practiced in the six points already considered much will be done in the conservation of one's energies but a man must go still further and carefully husband his vitality by the avoidance of all forms of vice and by vice is meant not only all forms of physical self indulgences and impurities but also all those mental vices such as hurry worry excitement despondency anger complaining and envy which deplete the mind and render it unfit for any important work or admirable achievement they are common forms of mental dissipation which a man of character should study how to avoid and overcome the energy wasted in frequent fits of bad temper would have controlled and properly directed give a man strength of mind force of character and much power to achieve the angry man is a strong man made weak by the dissipation of his mental energy he needs self control to manifest his strength the calm man is always his superior in any department of life and will always take precedence of him both in his success and in the estimation of others no man can afford to disperse his energies and fostering bad habits and bad tendencies of mind every vice however apparently small will tell against him in the battle of life every harmful self indulgence will come back to him in the form of some trouble or weakness every moment of riot or pandering to his lower inclinations will make his progress more laborious and will hold him back from scaling the high heaven of his wished for achievement on the other hand he who economizes his energies and bends them towards the main task of his life will make rapid progress and nothing will prevent him from reaching the golden city of success it will be seen that economy is something far more profound and far reaching than the mere saving of money it touches every part of our nature in every phase of our life the old saying take care of the pence and the pounds will take care of themselves may be regarded as a parable for the lower passions of men are not bad of themselves when regarded as native energy it is the abuse of that energy that is bad and if this passion energy is taken care of and stored up and transmuted it reappears as force of character to waste this valuable energy in the pursuit of vices like wasting the pence and so losing the pounds but to take care of it for good uses is to store up the pence of passions and so gain the golden pounds of good take care therefore of the lower energies and the higher achievements will take care of themselves the pillar of economy when soundly built will be found to be composed largely of these four qualities one moderation two efficiency three resourcefulness four originality moderation is the strong core of economy it avoids extremes finding the middle way in all things it also consists in abstaining from the unnecessary and the harmful there can be no such thing as moderation in that which is evil for that would be excess a true moderation abstains from evil it is not a moderate use of fire to put our hands into it but to warm them by it at a safe distance evil is a fire that will burn a man though he but touch it a harmful luxury is best left severely alone smoking snuff taking alcoholic drinking gambling and other such common vices although they have dragged thousands down to ill health misery and failure have never helped one towards health happiness and success the man who issues them will always be ahead of the man that pursues them their talents and opportunities being equal healthy happy and long live people are always moderate and abstinious in their habits by moderation the life forces are preserved by excess they are destroyed men also who carry moderation into their thoughts allying their passions and feelings avoiding all unwholesome extremes and morbid sensations and sentiments add knowledge and wisdom to happiness and health and thereby attain to the highest felicity and power the moderate destroy themselves by their own folly they weaken their energies and stultify their capabilities and instead of achieving an abiding success reach only at best a fitful and precarious prosperity efficiency proceeds from the right conservation of one's forces and powers all skill is the use of conserved energy superior skill as talent and genius is a higher degree of concentrated force men are always skillful in that which they love because the mind is almost ceaselessly centered upon it skill is the result of that mental economy which transmutes thought into invention and action there will be no prosperity without skill and one's prosperity will be in the measure of one's skill by a process of natural selection the inefficient fall into their right places among the badly paid or unemployed for who will employ a man who cannot or will not do his work properly an employer may occasionally keep such a man out of charity but this will be exceptional as places of business offices host halls and all centers of organized activity are not charitable institutions but industrial bodies which stand or fall by the fitness and efficiency of their individual members skill is gained by thoughtfulness and attention aimless and inattentive people are usually out of employment to wit the lounger at the street corner they cannot do the simplest thing properly because they will not rouse up the mind to thought and attention recently an acquaintance of mine employed a tramp to clean his windows but the man had refrained from work and systematic thought for so long that he had become incapable of both and could not even clean a window even when shown how to do it he could not follow the simple instructions given this is an instance too of the fact that the simplest thing requires a measure of skill and doing efficiency largely determines a man's place among his fellows and leads one on by steps to hire in higher positions as greater powers are developed the good workman is skillful with his tools while the good man is skillful with his thoughts wisdom is the highest form of skill aptitude is incipient wisdom there is one right way of doing everything even the smallest and a thousand wrong ways skill consists in finding the one right way and in hearing to it the inefficient bundle confusedly about among the thousand wrong ways and do not adopt the right even when it is pointed out to them they do this in some cases because they think in their ignorance that they know best thereby placing themselves in a position where it becomes impossible to learn even though it be only to learn how to clean a window or sweep a floor thoughtlessness and inefficiency are all too common there is plenty of room in the world for thoughtful and efficient people employers of labor know how difficult it is to get the best workmanship the good workmen whether with tools or brain whether with speech or thought will always find a place for the exercise of his skill resourcefulness is the outcome of efficiency it is an important element in prosperity for the resourceful man is never confounded he may have many falls but he will always be equal to the occasion and will be on his feet again immediately resourcefulness has its fundamental cause in the conservation of energy it is energy transmuted when a man cuts off certain mental or bodily vices which have been depleting him of his energy what becomes of the energy so conserved it is not destroyed or lost for energy can never be destroyed or lost it becomes productive energy it reappears in the form of fruitful thought the virtuous man is always more successful than the vicious man because he is teeming with resources his entire mentality is alive and vigorous a bounding with stored up energy what the vicious man wastes in vicious indulgence the virtuous man uses in fruitful industry a new life and a new world abounding with all fascinating pursuits and pure delights open up to the man who shuts himself off from the old world of animal vice and his place will be assured by the resources which will well up within him barren seed perishes in the earth there is no place for it in the fruitful economy of nature barren minds sink in the struggle of life human society makes for good and there is no room in it for the emptiness endured by vice but the barren mind will not sink forever when it wills it can become fruitful and regain itself by the very nature of existence by the eternal law of progress the vicious man must fall but having fallen he can rise again he can turn from vice to virtue and stand self-respecting and secure upon his own resources the resourceful man invest discover initiate they cannot fail for they are in the stream of progress they are full of new schemes new methods new hopes and their life is so much fuller and richer thereby they are men of supple minds when a man fails to improve his business his work his methods he falls out of the line of progress and has begun to fail his mind has become stiff and inert like the body of an aged man and so fails to keep pace with the rapidly moving ideas and plans of resourceful minds a resourceful mind is like a river which never runs dry and which affords refreshment and supplies new vigor in times of drought men of resources are men of new ideas and men of new ideas flourish where others fade and decay originality is resourcefulness ripened and perfected where there is originality there is genius and men of genius are the lights of the world whatever work a man does he should fall back upon his own resources and doing it while learning from others he should not slavishly imitate them but should put himself into his work and so make it new and original original men get the ear of the world they may be neglected at first but they are always ultimately accepted and become patterns for mankind once a man has acquired the knack of originality he takes his place as a leader among men in his particular department of knowledge and skill but originality cannot be forced it can only be developed and it is developed by proceeding from excellence to excellence from ascending in the scale of skill by the full and right use of one's mental powers let a man consecrate himself to his work let him so consecrated concentrate all his energies upon it and the day will come when the world will hail him as one of its strong sons and he too like Balzac who after many years of strenuous toil one day exclaimed I am about to become a genius will at last discover to his joy that he has joined the company of original minds the gods who lead mankind into newer higher and more beneficial ways the composition of the second pillar is thus revealed it's building awaits the ready workmen who will skillfully apply his mental energies and a chapter three chapter four of the eight pillars of prosperity by James Allen the sleeper box recording is in the public domain the third pillar integrity there is no striking a cheap bargain with prosperity it must be purchased not only with intelligent labor but with moral force as the bubble cannot endure so the fraud cannot prosper he makes a feverish spurt in the acquirement of money and then collapses nothing is ever gained ever can be gained by fraud it is but rested for a time to be again returned with heavy interest but fraud is not confined to the unscrupulous windler all who are getting or trying to get money without giving an equivalent are practicing fraud whether they know it or not men who are anxiously scheming how to get money without working for it are frauds and mentally they are closely allied to the thief and swindler under whose influence they come sooner or later and who deprives them of their capital what is a thief but a man who carries to its logical extreme the desire to possess without giving a just return that is unlawfully the man that counts prosperity must in all his transactions whether material or mental study how to give a just return for that which he receives this is the great fundamental principle in all sound commerce well in spiritual things it becomes the doing to others that which we would have them due to us and applied to the forces of the universe it is scientifically stated in the formula action and reaction are equal human life is reciprocal not rapacious and the man who regards all others as his legitimate prey will soon find himself stranded in the desert of ruin far away from the path of prosperity he is too far behind in the process of evolution to cope successfully with honest men the fittest the best will always survive and he being the worst cannot therefore continue his end unless he change in time is sure it is the jail the filthy hovel or the place of the deserted outcast his efforts are destructive and not constructive and he thereby destroys himself it was Carlisle who referring to Muhammad being then universally regarded by Christians as an imposter exclaimed an imposter found a religion an imposter couldn't build a brick house an imposter a liar a cheat the man of dishonesty cannot build as he has neither tools nor materials with which to build he can no more build up a business a character a career a success then he can found a religion or build a brick house he not only does not build but all his energies are bent on undermining what others have built but this being impossible he undermines himself without integrity energy and economy will at last fail but aided by integrity their strength will be greatly augmented there is not an occasion in life in which the moral factor does not play an important part sterling integrity tells wherever it is and stamps its hallmark on all transactions and it does this because of its wonderful cohesion and consistency and its invincible strength for the man of integrity is in line with the fixed laws of things not only with the fundamental principles on which human society rests but with the laws which hold the vast universe together who shall see these at not who then shall undermine the man of unblemished integrity he is like a strong tree whose roots are fed by perennial springs and which no tempest can lay low to be complete and strong integrity must embrace the whole man and extend to all the details of his life and it must be so thorough and permanent as to withstand all temptations to swerve into compromise to fail in one point is to fail in all and to admit under stress a compromise with falsehood howsoever necessary and insignificant it may appear is to throw down the shield of integrity and to stand exposed to the onslaughts of evil the man who works as carefully and conscientiously when his employer is away as when his eye is upon him will not long remain in an inferior position such integrity and duty in performing the details of his work will quickly lead him into fertile regions of prosperity the shirker on the other hand he who does not scruple to neglect his work when his employer is not about thereby robbing his employer of the time and labor for which he is paid will quickly come to the barren region of unemployment and will look in vain for needful labor there will come a time too to the man who is not deeply rooted in integrity when it will seem necessary to his prospects and prosperity that he should tell a lie or do a dishonest thing i say to the man who is not deeply rooted in this principle for a man of fixed and enlightened integrity knows that lying and dishonesty can never under any circumstance be necessary therefore he neither needs to be tempted in this particular nor can he possibly be tempted but the ones who tempted must be able to cast aside the subtle insinuation of falsehood which in a time of indecision and perplexity arises within him and he must stand firmly by the principle being willing to lose and suffer rather than sink into obliquity in this way only can he become enlightened concerning this moral principle and discover the glad truth that integrity does not lead to loss and suffering but to gain and joy that honesty and deprivation are not and cannot be related as cause and effect it is this willingness to sacrifice rather than be untrue that leads to enlightenment in all spheres of life and the man who rather than sacrifice some self-ashame will lie or deceive has forfeited his right to moral enlightenment and takes his place lower down among the devotees of deceit among the doers of shady transactions and men of no character and no reputation a man is not truly armored with integrity until he has become incapable of lying or deceiving either by gesture word or act until he sees clearly openly and freed from all doubt the deadly effects of such moral turpitude the man so enlightened is protected from all quarters and can no more be undermined by dishonest men than the sun can be pulled down from the heaven by madmen and the arrows of selfishness and treachery that may be poured upon him will rebound from the strong armor of his integrity and the bright shield of his righteousness leaving him unharmed and untouched a lying tradesman will tell you that no man can thrive and be honest in these days of keen competition how can such a man know this seeing that he has never tried honesty moreover such a man has no knowledge of honesty and his statement is therefore a statement of ignorance and ignorance and falsehood so blind a man that he foolishly imagines all are as ignorant and false as himself i have known such tradesmen and i have seen them come to ruin i once heard a businessman make the following statement in a public meeting no man can be entirely honest in business he can only be approximately honest he imagined that his statement revealed the condition of the business world it did not it revealed his own condition he was merely telling his audience that he was a dishonest man but his ignorance moral ignorance prevented him from seeing this approximate honesty is only another term for dishonesty the man who deviates a little from the straight path will deviate more he has no fixed principle of right and is only thinking of his own advantage that he persuades himself that his particular dishonesty is of a white and harmless kind and that he is not so bad as his neighbor is only one of the many forms of self delusion which ignorance of moral principles create right doing between man and man in the varied relations and transactions of life is the very soul of integrity it includes but is more than honesty it is the backbone of human society in the support of human institutions without it there would be no trust no confidence between men and the business world would topple to its fall as the liar thinks all men are liars and treats them as such so the man of integrity treats all men with confidence he trusts them and they trust him his clear eye and open hand shame the creeping fraud so that he cannot practice his fraud on him as emerson has so finally put it trust men and they will be true to you even though they make an exception in your favor to all their rules of trade the upright man by his very presence commands the morality of those about him making them better than they were men are powerfully influenced by one another and as good is more powerful than evil the strong and good man both shames and elevates by his contact the weak and bad the man of integrity carries about with him an unconscious grandeur which both Oz and inspires having lifted himself above the petty the mean and the false these coward vices slink from his presence in confusion the highest intellectual gift cannot compare with this lofty moral grandeur in the memory of men and the estimation of the world the men of integrity occupies a higher place than the man of genius buck minister says the moral grandeur of an independent integrity is the sublimest thing in nature it is the quality in man which produces heroes the man of unswerving rectitude is intrinsically always a hero it only needs the occasion to bring out the heroic element he is always too possessed of a permanent happiness the man of genius may be very unhappy but not so the man of integrity nothing nor sickness nor calamity nor death can deprive him of that permanent satisfaction which inheres in uprightness rectitude leads straight to prosperity by four successive steps first the upright man wins the confidence of others second having gained their confidence they put trust in him third this trust never being violated produces a good reputation and fourth a good reputation spreads further and further and so brings about success dishonesty has the reverse effect by destroying the confidence of others it produces in them suspicion and mistrust and these bring about a bad reputation which culminates in failure the pillar of integrity is held together by these four virile elements one honesty two fearlessness three purposefulness and four invincibility honesty is the surest way to success the day at last comes when the dishonest man repents and sorrow and suffering but no man ever needs to repent of having been honest even when the honest man fails as he does sometimes through lacking other of these pillars such as energy economy or system his failure is not the grievous thing it is to the dishonest man for he can always rejoice in the fact that he has never defrauded a fellow being even in his darkest hour he finds repose in a clear conscience ignorant men imagine that dishonesty is a shortcut to prosperity this is why they practice it the dishonest man is morally short-sighted like the drunkard who sees the immediate pleasure of his habit but not the ultimate degradation he sees the immediate effect of the dishonest act a larger profit but not its ultimate outcome he does not see that an accumulated number of such acts must inevitably undermine his character and bring his business toppling about his ears and ruin while pocketing his gains and thinking how cleverly and successfully he is imposing on others he is all the time imposing on himself and every coin thus gained must be paid back with added interest and from this just retribution there is no possible loophole of escape this moral gravitation is as sure and unvarying as the physical gravitation of a stone to the earth the tradesmen who demands of his assistance that they shall lie and misrepresent his goods to customers is surrounding himself on all hands with suspicion mistrust and hatred even the moral weaklings who carry out his instructions despise him while defiling themselves with his unclean work how can success thrive in such a poisonous atmosphere the spirit of ruin is already in such a business and the day of its fall is ordained an honest man may fail but not because he is honest and his failure will be honorable and will not injure his character and reputation his failure to resulting doubtless from his incapacity in the particular direction of his failure will be a means of leading him into something more suited to his talents and thus to ultimate success fair dealing is admired by all even the dishonest admire it and others and he who deals justly with others in all his business transactions who speaks the truth and abides by his contracts even when they turn out to his own loss such a man need fear no evil for his actions can only result in good to himself and all with whom he is concerned fearlessness accompanies honesty the honest man has a clear eye and in unflinching gaze he looks his fellow man in the face and his speech is direct and convincing the liar and cheat hangs his head his eye is muddied and his gaze oblique he cannot look another man in the eye and his speech arouses mistrust for it is ambiguous and unconvincing when a man is fulfilled his obligations he has nothing to fear all his business relations are safe and secure his methods and actions will endure the light of day should he pass through a difficult time and get into debt everybody will trust him and be willing to wait for payment and all his debts will be paid dishonest people try to avoid paying their debts and they live in fear but the honest man tries to avoid getting into debt but when debt overtakes him he does not fear but redoubling his exertions his debts are paid the dishonest are always in fear they do not fear debt but they fear that they will have to pay their debts they fear their fellow men fear the established authorities fear the results of all that they do and they are in constant fear of their misdeeds being revealed and the consequences which may at any moment overtake them the honest man is rid of all this burden of fear he is lighthearted and walks erect among his fellows not assuming a part and sulking and cringing but being himself and meeting eye to eye not deceiving or injuring any there are none to fear and anything said against him can only redound to his advantage and this fearlessness is in itself a tower of strength in a man's life supporting him through all emergencies enabling him to battle manfully with difficulties and in the end securing for him that success of which he cannot be dispossessed purposefulness is the direct outcome of that strength of character which integrity fosters the man of integrity is the man of direct aims and strong and intelligent purposes he does not guess and work in the dark all his plans have in them some of that moral fiber of which his characters rot a man's work will always in some way reflect himself and the man of sound integrity is the man of sound plans he weighs in considers and looks ahead and so is less likely to make serious mistakes or to bungle into a dilemma from which it is difficult to escape taking a moral view of all things and always considering moral consequences he stands on a firmer and more exalted ground than the man of mere policy and expedience and while commanding a more extended view of any situation he wields a greater power which a more comprehensive grasp of details with the principles involved confers upon him morality always has the advantage of expediency its purposes always reached down far below the surface and are therefore more firm and secure more strong and lasting there is a native directness to about integrity which enables the man to go straight to the mark in whatever he does and which makes failure almost impossible strong men have strong purposes and strong purposes lead to strong achievements the man of integrity is above all men strong and his strength is manifested in that thoroughness with which he does the business of his life a thoroughness which commands respect admiration and success invincibility is a glorious protector but it only envelops the man whose integrity is perfectly pure and unassailable never to violate even in the most insignificant particular the principle of integrity is to be invincible against all the assaults of innuendo slander and misrepresentation the man who has failed in one point is vulnerable and the shaft of evil entering that point will lay him low like the arrow in the heel of achilles pure and perfect integrity is proof against all attack and injury enabling its possessor to meet all opposition and persecution with dauntless courage and sublime equanimity no amount of talent intellect or business acumen can give a man that power of mind and peace of heart which come from an enlightened acceptance in observance of lofty moral principles moral force is the greatest power let the seeker for a true prosperity discover this force let him foster and develop it in his mind and in his deeds and as he succeeds he will take his place among the strong leaders of the earth such is the strong and adamantine pillar of integrity blessed and prosperous above all men will be he who builds its incorruptible masonry into the temple of his life end of chapter four