The Secret of the Ages: A Classic Guide to Prosperity, Mind Power, and Personal Achievement

A classic work of New Thought success literature, The Secret of the Ages presents Robert Collier’s teachings on desire, imagination, faith, persistence, and the creative power of the mind.

Collier argues that human beings possess far greater inner resources than they usually recognize. Through focused thought, disciplined imagination, definite purpose, and confidence in unseen creative law, he teaches that readers can reshape their circumstances and move toward health, prosperity, achievement, and spiritual confidence. His method is practical but deeply rooted in New Thought ideas: the belief that the mind is not merely a passive observer of life, but an active force that helps determine what a person becomes and accomplishes.

First published in 1926, The Secret of the Ages became one of Collier’s best-known works and remains a major title in the tradition of positive thinking, prosperity writing, and mental science. Its message is direct, energetic, and optimistic: success begins with a clear inner picture, sustained belief, and action aligned with purpose. For readers interested in classic self-help, the law of attraction, New Thought, personal development, and the early literature of success, this book offers one of the enduring statements of the genre.

About the Author

Robert Collier (1885–1950) was an American author, publisher, and advertising writer best known for his influential books on success, prosperity, and the power of thought. After overcoming illness in his youth, Collier became interested in metaphysical religion, New Thought, mental science, and the practical use of faith and imagination. His writing combined spiritual optimism with the direct, persuasive style of early twentieth-century advertising and motivational literature.

Collier’s major works include The Secret of the Ages, The God in You, The Magic Word, and The Robert Collier Letter Book. He wrote for readers who wanted practical guidance rather than abstract theory, emphasizing desire, visualization, persistence, confidence, and the disciplined direction of thought. His ideas helped shape later success literature and remain connected to the traditions now often described as positive thinking and the law of attraction.

What made Collier distinctive was his ability to translate metaphysical ideas into plain, usable instruction. He treated imagination as a working faculty, faith as a practical force, and purpose as the beginning of achievement. Though written in the language of its era, his work continues to attract readers interested in prosperity consciousness, self-command, creative thought, and the long history of American motivational writing.

Robert Collier (1885-1950) was an American author and publisher associated with early twentieth-century success philosophy and New Thought thought. Drawing upon both scriptural interpretation and contemporary psychology, Collier developed a body of work centered on the practical application of belief and disciplined thought. The Secret of the Ages remains his most widely read work and continues to influence modern personal development literature.