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Thought Vibration · Annotated Edition
My Working Creed
I believe that the mind of Man contains the greatest of all forces—that Thought is one of the greatest manifestations of energy.
◆ Insight
Atkinson presents his creed not as dogma but as a personal working hypothesis—a set of operational beliefs to be tested through practice. The word “working” is crucial: these are not abstract articles of faith but principles intended for daily application.
I believe that the man who understands the use of Thought-force can make of himself practically what he will.
◇ Compare
Wallace Wattles expressed an almost identical conviction: “There is a thinking stuff from which all things are made, and which, in its original state, permeates, penetrates, and fills the interspaces of the universe. A thought in this substance produces the thing that is imaged by the thought.”
— Wallace Wattles, The Science of Getting Rich (1910)
I believe that not only is one’s body subject to the control of the mind, but that, also, one may change environment, “luck,” circumstances, by positive thought taking the place of negative. I know that the “I Can and I Will” attitude will carry one forward to Success that will seem miraculous to the man on the “I Can’t” plane.
I believe that “thoughts are things,” and that the Law of Attraction in the thought world will draw to one just what he desires or fears.
◆ Historical
The phrase “Thoughts are Things” was popularized by Prentice Mulford’s 1889 essay collection of the same name. By 1906 it had become the unofficial motto of the entire New Thought movement. Atkinson’s use of quotation marks acknowledges its status as a recognized doctrine rather than his own coinage.
I believe in the gospel of work—in “hustling.”
I believe in the I DO, as well as the I AM. I know that the man who will take advantage of the Power of the Mind, and who will manifest that power in action, will go forward to Success as surely and as steadily as the arrow from the bow of the skilled archer.
◆ Insight
“I DO, as well as the I AM” is one of Atkinson’s most important distinctions. While many New Thought writers emphasized the mystical “I AM” consciousness, Atkinson insists on pairing contemplation with action. Thought without effort is impotent; he demands both the vision and the hustle.
I believe in the brotherhood of Man.
I believe in being Kind.
I believe in everyone minding his own business—and allowing everyone else the same privilege.
I believe that we have no right to condemn—“let him who is without sin cast the first stone.”
I believe that he who Hates is an assassin; that he who covets is a thief; that he who lusts is an adulterer; that the gist of a crime is in its desire. Seeing this—looking into our own hearts—how can we condemn?
○ Modern
Atkinson’s claim that “the gist of a crime is in its desire” anticipates modern cognitive-behavioral psychology. CBT research demonstrates that habitual thought patterns (cognitive schemas) precede and drive behavior. Atkinson grasped—decades before Beck and Ellis formalized it—that the mental act precedes and shapes the physical one.
I believe that Evil is but ignorance.
I believe that “to know all is to forgive all.”
I believe that there is good in every man; let us help him to manifest it.
I believe in the absolute equality of the Man and the Woman—sometimes I think that the odds are slightly in favor of the Woman.
◆ Historical
Gender equality was a progressive stance in 1906. Women would not gain the right to vote in the United States until 1920 (19th Amendment). The New Thought movement was notably ahead of its time on gender issues, with many prominent women leaders including Emma Curtis Hopkins, Myrtle Fillmore, and Malinda Cramer.
I believe in the sacredness of Sex—but I also believe that Sex manifests on the Spiritual and Mental planes as well as on the Physical. And I believe that to the pure all things are pure.
I believe that man is immortal—that the Real Self is Spirit, which uses mind and body as its tools, and manifests itself according to the fitness of the tools.
I believe that Man is rapidly growing into a new plane of consciousness, in which he will know himself as he is—will recognize the I AM—the Something Within.
◇ Compare
Charles Haanel shared this vision of an expanding consciousness: “The Universal Mind is not only Intelligence, but it is Substance, and this Substance is the attractive force which brings electrons together by the Law of Attraction so they form atoms.”
— Charles Haanel, The Master Key System (1912)
I believe that there is an Infinite Power in, and of, all things.
I believe that, although today we have but the faintest idea of that Power, still we will steadily grow to comprehend it more fully—will get in closer touch with it. Even now we have momentary glimpses of its existence—a momentary consciousness of Oneness with the Absolute.
I believe that the greatest happiness consists in maintaining toward the Absolute the attitude of the trusting child, who, feeling no doubt of the parent’s love—no doubt of his wisdom—places his little hand in that of the parent, and says “Lead Thou me on.”
I believe that he who feels towards the Absolute, the trustfulness of the babe which places its little tired head close to the breast of the mother, will also be conscious of the tender answering pressure, as the babe is drawn just a little closer to the mother-heart.
◆ Insight
The Creed’s final image shifts from the assertive “I Can and I Will” to tender surrender. Atkinson holds both poles simultaneously: fierce individual will and childlike trust in the Infinite. This paradox—self-reliance within cosmic dependence—is the emotional heart of his philosophy.
William Walker Atkinson
Chapter Summary
Key Principles
Core ideas from My Working Creed
Key Principles:
- Thought is energy—the greatest force available to humanity.
- The “I DO” is as important as the “I AM”: action must accompany vision.
- The Law of Attraction draws to us what we habitually think—both desires and fears.
- Evil is ignorance; understanding leads to compassion rather than condemnation.
- The highest state balances fierce individual will with trusting surrender to the Infinite.
Key Quotes
Sentences to Remember
Four essential passages from My Working Creed
“I believe that the mind of Man contains the greatest of all forces—that Thought is one of the greatest manifestations of energy.”
The opening declaration—Atkinson’s foundational axiom. Everything that follows in the book rests on this single premise: thought is not merely passive reflection but active energy.
“I believe in the I DO, as well as the I AM.”
Atkinson’s decisive break from passive mysticism. Vision without action is impotent; the “hustle” is as sacred as the meditation.
“I believe that he who Hates is an assassin; that he who covets is a thief; that he who lusts is an adulterer; that the gist of a crime is in its desire.”
A radical moral equation: the mental act carries the same weight as the physical one. This is not guilt-tripping but an invitation to self-honesty—and, through it, to compassion.
“I believe that the greatest happiness consists in maintaining toward the Absolute the attitude of the trusting child.”
The Creed’s emotional climax. After twenty-one paragraphs of assertive declarations, Atkinson ends in surrender—the fierce “I Will” dissolving into the gentle “Lead Thou me on.”
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The complete 16 chapters with modern annotations, comparative voices,
and 270+ key quotes are available as an e-book from major retailers.
and 270+ key quotes are available as an e-book from major retailers.