James Allen was a British philosophical writer and poet and a pioneer of the self-help movement. At the turn of the 20th century, he was one of the most popular writers on spirituality, his many books comforting millions of readers with their simple, unpretentious wisdom about living a joyful life.

“Man is the doer of his own deeds; as such he is the maker of his own character; and as the doer of his deeds and the maker of his character, he is the molder and shaper of his destiny. He has the power to modify and alter his deeds, and every time he acts he modifies his character, and with the modification of his character for good or evil, he is predetermining for himself new destinies— destinies disastrous or beneficent in accordance with the nature of his deeds.” –James Allen