As a Man Thinketh is a literary essay of James Allen, the title is influenced by a verse in the Bible from the Book of Proverbs chapter 23 verse 7, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” James Allen was a British philosophical writer known for his inspirational books and poetry and as a pioneer of the self-help movement, he was born in Leicester, England, into a working-class family, Allen was the elder of two brothers. His mother could neither read nor write while his father, William, was a factory knitter. In 1903, Allen published his third and most famous book As a Man Thinketh. ‘’Men do not attract what they want, but what they are.’’ ‘’A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts.’’ ’’Cherish your visions. Cherish your ideals.