Here’s the first entry for our Knowledge Build Collection, a review of The Science of Being Great by Wallace D. Wattles, written way back in 1911. Well known for his classic The Science of Getting Rich, Professor Wattles was a genius in every sense of the word: his writings are some of the most mentally expanding works I’ve come across. To find out more about Wallace Wattles, click here, and to find out more about the Knowledge Build Book Review in general, see the original post.

The Science of Being Great (also known as How to Be A Genius) is exactly that, a spiritually enlightening treatise explaining how each of us can develop the genius and greatness deep within our souls. That’s why I chose this as the initial text to set things off – it’s directly in tune with what we’re doing here at DoTheKnowledge.com. Wattles comes strong with the subject matter, and delivers it directly with a style so profound and precise that you can feel his Spirit speaking through the pages. In twenty-two short chapters (about 3-4 pages each), Wallace comes with the science in a way that’s bound to awaken and inspire.

Let’s get straight into the wisdom:

The first chapter is called Any Person May Become Great, and this is where Today’s Jewel comes from. Wattles explains that there is a “Principle of Power” within each of us, the triggering of which gives rise to our innate greatness.

The “Principle of Power” is the divine source of conscious growth – an ability open to the human species alone. While plants and animals grow along certain fixed lines, humanity has a power over its growth and a dominion over its reality unavailable to all other living things. According to Wattles, mastering the unique ability to command and direct growth (what is also called “constant elevation,” or “perpetual transformation”) is the purpose of life : “Man is formed for growth,” he says, “…it is essential to his happiness that he should continuously advance.”

Also, this Principle of Power – the essence of conscious growth – gives us only the power that we demand of it. So by undertaking small things, we gain power to accomplish the minuscule only, but if we attempt towards greatness, “it gives us all the power there is.”

From here, Wallace Wattles discusses two mental attitudes we all must choose from:

1) The first is compared to a football – something with resilience that can travel far when thrown, but can never act by itself. People with this mentality allow themselves to be controlled by their environment and their circumstances, they’re reactors who respond only to external forces and “never speak or act from within.”

2) The second mental attitude is compared to a flowing spring. Here:

Circumstances cannot keep you down once you correct your mental attitude and become determined to rise. You may have been dealt a tough hand in life, but it’s the only hand you’ve got, and you have no choice but to play it. (Wattles uses a story about Abraham Lincoln to illustrate this).

The chapter concludes:

Let’s leave it at that for now, and continue on with Chapter 3, The Source of Power, this Wednesday.

To keep the posts from becoming too extensive, I’m covering two or three chapters of a book twice a week (Sundays and Wednesdays). This allows us to break the text down into detail, rather than compress or oversimplify things.

What do you think? Would you prefer more chapters in a longer post, or the format above?

Peace,