Much has already been said about the content of this book so I'll just share some random thoughts after being absent for months on here since I've been busy with work, studies, life, pandemic...

I wanted to read this because I remember when it came out, everyone were talking about it and reading it. My older brother had a copy and my younger brother (Who is not a reader) borrowed it to read it too (I remember he DNF it though lol). My community has a tendency to stay away from reading or reading not so bright books when they do so. I don’t like self-help books, I don’t judge anyone who reads them but I stay away from them because they have the overly positive and happy tone and they are as far as possible from reality, this is just a personal opinion of course. If you are complaining, the law of attraction will powerfully bring into your life more situations for you to complain about.”– Rhonda Byrne, The Secret

Don't get me wrong, The Secret has some valid points. You should envision your dreams. You should think about your goals constantly and imagine what you would do if you ever achieved them. But you should also think about and envision the steps you need to take to get there. Then you should act. Do something! The world is not just going to hand you what you want. You get to choose what you want, but you must get clear about what you want. This is your work. If you're not clear, then the law of attraction cannot bring you what you want. You will be sending out a mixed frequency and you can only attract mixed results. For the first time in your life perhaps, work out what it is you really want. Now that you know you can have, be, or do anything, and there are no limits, what do you want? What you’re thinking right now is creating your future. You’re always thinking, and you are always creating.”– Rhonda Byrne, The Secret The Secret is the law of attraction! Everything that’s coming into your life you are attracting into your life. And it’s attracted to you by virtue of the images you’re holding in your mind. It’s what you’re thinking. Whatever is going on in your mind you are attracting to you.”– Rhonda Byrne, The Secret

The disturbing part comes in statements such as the one, early in the book, that says people killed in disasters or crimes brought it upon themselves. According to this book's reasoning, if you find yourself gassed to death with millions of other people it's because you were following negative thoughts and unable to see the Universe's path to your salvation. This is, at least, the conclusion I draw from the book's teachings. It shifts blame from other people, or life's chaos, onto yourself. Contracted cancer? Your fault. Robbed and shot in the head? Your fault. Became a millionaire? You are in tune with the Universe. Marie Diamond, internationally-known Feng Shui mistress. Diamond, a Caucasian, speaks with an inexplicably strong Asian accent, a la Seinfeld's Donna Chang. There is no such thing as a hopeless situation. Every single circumstances of your life can change!” The only reason why people do not have what they want is because they are thinking more about what they don’t want than what they do want. Listen to your thoughts, and listen to the words you are saying. The law is absolute and there are no mistakes.”– Rhonda Byrne, The SecretJohn Assaraf, "a former street kid…who has dedicated the last twenty-five years to researching the human brain, quantum physics, and business strategies, as they relate to achieving success in business and life." In the film, John relates an account about the power of visualization whose denouement has him crumpled on the floor and weeping, the former street kid, because he found a picture of a house in a box. It doesn't work for me because it requires a pretty contorted view on existence as far as I can tell and its focus on material goods leaves me cold. It also doesn't just recommend ignoring a good chunk of the normal experience of human life but recommends vigorous self censorship to achieve a kind of cargo cult effect - only through the thorough imitation of the assumed thought habits of the rich and famous can one achieve the unlimited power to alter the geology of Belize.

Nothing can come into your experience unless you summon it thought persistent thoughts.” Damn, those Jews were pretty careless before WW2, weren't they? Pruning shears of revision” –Neville Goddard, 1954—“Each night replay the events of the day; if they didn’t go the way you wanted replay them in a way that thrills you.” --- This cleans up the frequencyDecide what you want. Believe you can have it. Believe you deserve it. Believe it’s possible for you.”– Rhonda Byrne, The Secret Most of the leaders in the past missed the great part of The Secret, which is to empower and share with others.