A Destiny Controlled by Thought

Essay by pierce3215High School, 11th gradeA+, August 2004

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The transcendental quote that I have selected is from Walden written by Henry Thoreau. He states: "What a man thinks of himself, that it is which determines, or rather indicates, his fate." I believe Thoreau was trying to say that if you control your thoughts then you also control your destiny; your opinion of yourself creates the long pathway to your destiny. Thoreau is making the effort to tell society that nobody has a preset destiny or fate; it is totally in one's control through mental reinforcement. Consequently, if one thinks well about himself then it may be his fate to live a longer and more fulfilling life. Also, if one thinks he can not do anything in his life, it may be his fate to not accomplish anything in the course of his lifetime. The more a person thinks positively, the more likely he will succeed and make a name for himself and a contribution to society.

On the other hand, a negative and unconfident analysis of one's self might drive him to ruin. Therefore, every thought, whether positive or negative, respectively reveals with time one's fate or destiny.

Over a century later, the genius of Henry Thoreau is still relevant. For instance, Bill Gates thought confidently and positively his entire life and never wandered off the path of optimism. As a result, his ingenuity has made him one of the world's most successful and well known men today. Because he possesses a positive outlook on life and is confident about himself, Mr. Gates' fate has been set to be extremely successful and widely known; society has benefited from his positive attitude. On the other hand, Michael Jackson has always been self weary of his looks and has rarely thought positively of his visual appearance; this has...