Norman Vincent Peale (1898–1993) was an American clergyman, author, and public speaker. He is considered the father of positive thinking, and is one of the most read inspirational writers of all time. His best-known self-help book, The Power of Positive Thinking (1952,) contended that the only thing required for success is a positive attitude.
Born in central Ohio to a Methodist family, Peale received divinity training from Boston University and was ordained by the United Methodist Church in 1922. Starting 1932, for over 50 years, Peale was the pastor of New York City’s Marble Collegiate Reformed Church, where he preached “applied Christianity” and the power of affirmative prayer. In his sermons, lectures, and published works, he persuaded church adherents to think positively. His other notable books include The Art of Living (1937) and The Art of Loving (1948.)
Peale remained popular throughout his life and reached millions of followers through his lectures and writings. He played a principal role in the American religious revival of the 1950s.
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Part of the happiness of life consists not in fighting battles, but in avoiding them. A masterly retreat is in itself a victory.
—Norman Vincent Peale
Topics: Happiness, Adversity, Acceptance
When you pray for anyone you tend to modify your personal attitude toward him.
—Norman Vincent Peale
Topics: Prayer, Forgiveness
The how” thinker gets problems solved effectively because he wastes no time with futile “ifs” but goes right to work on the creative “how”.”
—Norman Vincent Peale
Topics: Attitude, Thoughts, Thought, Thinking
Action is a great restorer and builder of confidence. Inaction is not only the result, but the cause, of fear. Perhaps the action you take will be successful; perhaps different action or adjustments will have to follow. But any action is better than no action at all.
—Norman Vincent Peale
Topics: Action
The first step is to fill your life with a positive faith that will help you through anything. The second is to begin where you are.
—Norman Vincent Peale
Topics: Faith
Don’t write off the importance of hard work, the guts to keep at it, a definite goal, and the ability to have fun in the process. If there’s no fun in it, something’s wrong with all you’re doing.
—Norman Vincent Peale
Joy increases as you give it, and diminishes as you try to keep it for yourself. In giving it, you will accumulate a deposit of joy greater than you ever believed possible.
—Norman Vincent Peale
Have great hopes and dare to go all out for them. Have great dreams and dare to live them. Have tremendous expectations and believe in them.
—Norman Vincent Peale
The only way you can live a truly creative life or know the highest happiness is by developing your own unique potential.
—Norman Vincent Peale
What the mind can conceive and believe, and the heart desire, you can achieve.
—Norman Vincent Peale
Anybody can do just about anything with himself that he really wants to and makes up his mind to do. We are all capable of greater things than we realize.
—Norman Vincent Peale
The tests of life are not meant to break you, but to make you.
—Norman Vincent Peale
There is nothing in life so difficult that it cannot be overcome. This faith can move mountains. It can change people. It can change the world. You can survive all the great storms in your life.
—Norman Vincent Peale
Repetition of the same thought or physical action develops into a habit which, repeated frequently enough, becomes an automatic reflex.
—Norman Vincent Peale
You are not what you think you are, but what you think, you are.
—Norman Vincent Peale
When you affirm big, believe big, and pray big, big things happen.
—Norman Vincent Peale
Topics: Beliefs
It’s always too soon to quit!
—Norman Vincent Peale
Formulate and stamp indelibly on your mind a mental picture of yourself as succeeding. Hold this picture tenaciously. Never permit it to fade. Your mind will seek to develop the picture…Do not build up obstacles in your imagination.
—Norman Vincent Peale
There is only one group of people who don’t have problems and they’re all dead. Problems are a sign of life. So the more problems you have, the more alive you are.
—Norman Vincent Peale
Always remember that problems contain values that have improvement potential.
—Norman Vincent Peale
When you become detached mentally from yourself and concentrate on helping other people with their difficulties, you will be able to cope with your own more effectively. Somehow, the act of self-giving is a personal power-releasing factor.
—Norman Vincent Peale
Those who are fired with an enthusiastic idea and who allow it to take hold and dominate their thoughts find that new worlds open for them. As long as enthusiasm holds out, so will new opportunities.
—Norman Vincent Peale
Our happiness depends on the habit of mind we cultivate. So practice happy thinking every day. Cultivate the merry heart, develop the happiness habit, and life will become a continual feast.
—Norman Vincent Peale
Topics: Happiness
The person who sends out positive thoughts activates the world around him positively and draws back to himself positive results.
—Norman Vincent Peale
Topics: Thoughts, Thought, Thinking
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