James Allen was a British philosophical writer and poet and a pioneer of the self-help movement. At the turn of the 20th century, he was one of the most popular writers on spirituality, his many books comforting millions of readers with their simple, unpretentious wisdom about living a joyful life. "THE unceasing change, the insecurity, and the misery of life make it necessary to find some basis of certainty on which to rest if happiness and peace of mind are to be maintained. All science, philosophy, and religion are some many efforts in search of this permanent basis; all interpretations on the universe, whether from the material or spiritual side, are so many attempts to formulate some unifying principle or principles by which to reconcile the fluctuations and contradictions of life." - James Allen