Nuggets For The Noggin

EVERY MAN A KING

How To Control Thought and Exercise the Power of Self-Faith Over Others

Written by Orison Swett Marden in 1906

A Book Review by Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, September 7, 2018

Note:  Anything appearing in BLUE or RED is a link to a reference on the subject

DISCLAIMER:  I discovered Orison Swett Marden (1850 – 1924) a couple of years ago and have been reading his books ever since.  None of his writings have disappointed me; they are all great!  What surprised me was that they were all written in the late 1890s-1915.  The lessons contained in his writings are truly priceless.

Every Man A King has to be read with the date it was published kept in mind, 1906.  King refers to the top and not just a man as do his reference to "man", "men", etc.  The lessons apply to both men and women of all ages.

It would be fruitless of me to think I could write an adequate review of this book.  Every chapter, every paragraph, every sentence packs powerful messages that can literally lead someone from the darkness of uncertainty to the light of success.  The lessons apply to everyone.  It is hard to read this book and not be affected in a very positive way.  You can purchase the book as a Kindle read on Amazon for just 99 cents. Maybe the best $1.00 you will ever spend.

Here is an excerpt from this wonderful book:

“Your thought will carry only the force of your conviction, the weight of your decision, the power of your confidence. If these are weak, your thought will be weak and your work futile. Some people are incapable of strong, deep conviction; they are all surface, and liable to be changed by the opinions of everybody else. If they resolve upon a certain course, their resolution is so superficial that the first obstacle they strike deflects them. They are always at the mercy of the opposition, or of people who do not agree with them. Such people are shifty and unreliable; they lack strength of decision, positiveness of resolution. What is a man good for if he hasn’t strength of resolution? If his convictions are on the surface, he stands for nothing; nobody has confidence in him. He may be a good man, personally, but he does not inspire confidence. No one would think of calling upon him when anything of importance was at stake. Unless conviction takes hold of one’s very being, there will be very little achievement in life. It is the man whose conviction is rooted deep and takes hold of his very life-blood, the man who is strong and persistent in his determination, that can be depended upon. He is the man of influence, who carries weight; he is above the influence of any man who happens to have a different opinion.”

“If young people only knew the power of affirmation, of the habit of holding in the mind persistently and affirming that they are what they wish to be, that they can do what they have attempted, it would revolutionize their whole lives, it would exempt them from most of their ills and troubles, and carry them to heights of which they scarcely dream.”

Who should read it?  Everyone from the age of 8 on up but especially teenagers!  How the world would be different if Marden's wisdom was actually taught in our schools.  As time goes by ageless wisdoms like his books will become lost in time and therein IS the pity!

Would I read it again?  Absolutely

Would I buy it as a gift?  Absolutely