The phrase Law of Attraction, although used widely by esoteric writers, has a variety of definitions. Turn of the century references conceptualized the law of attraction as relating to physical structure and to how matter develops. ?Waves in water, Air and Either,? delivered in 1902, at the Royal Institution, by J. A. Fleming "?All branches of physical science demonstrate the fact that every completed manifestation, of whatever kind and on whatever scale, is started by the establishment of a nucleus, infinitely small but endowed with an unquenchable energy of attraction, causing it to steadily increase in power and definiteness of purpose, until the process of growth is completed and the matured form stands out as an accomplished fact." A more modern consensus among New Thought thinkers is that the Law of Attraction says people's thoughts (both conscious and unconscious) dictate the reality of their lives, whether or not they're aware of it. Essentially "if you really want something and truly believe it's possible, you'll get it", but putting a lot of attention and thought onto something you don't want means you'll probably get that too. Whittaker, S. Secret attraction, The Montreal Gazette, May 12th 2007.Redden, Guy, Magic Happens: A New Age Metaphysical Mystery Tour, Journal of Australian Studies: 101

Widespread popular interest for the law of attraction reached its peak after the release of the The Secret (2006 film). After the film's release, the book, Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham, by Esther Hicks and Jerry Hicks The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham,By (Spirit) Abraham, Abraham, Esther Hicks, Jerry Hicks,Published by Hay House, 2006,ISBN 1401912273, 9781401912277 made the New York Times Best Sellers list, drawing more attention and interest to this topic. Prior to this, the couple had been in the field since the '80s. In 2007, Oprah Winfrey began a series of interviews during her talk show on the law of attraction.

Since many of the claims of the law of attraction appear impossible without violating established scientific principles and our understanding of the universe, it has received criticism from the scientific community.Scientific American; Jun2007, Vol. 296 Issue 6, p39-39: "The brain does produce electrical activity from the ion currents flowing among neurons during synaptic transmission, and in accordance with Maxwell's equations any electric current produces a magnetic field. But as neuroscientist Russell A. Poldrack of the University of California, Los Angeles, explained to me, these fields are minuscule and can be measured only by using an extremely sensitive superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) in a room heavily shielded against outside magnetic sources. Plus, remember the inverse square law: the intensity of an energy wave radiating from a source is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from that source. An object twice as far away from the source of energy as another object of the same size receives only one-fourth the energy that the closer object receives. The brain's magnetic field of 10-15 tesla quickly dissipates from the skull and is promptly swamped by other magnetic sources, not to mention the earth's magnetic field of 10-5 tesla, which overpowers it by 10 orders of magnitude!" Physicist Ali Alousi, for instance, criticized it as unmeasurable (and therefore unscientific) as well as questioning the likelihood that thoughts can affect anything outside the head . The Associated Press is also quoted as saying that "some medical professionals suggest it could even lead to a blame-the-victim mentality and actually be dangerous to those suffering from serious illness or mental disorders".[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,286537,00.html Critics Express Concern About 'The Secret'] Associated Press, June 25th 2007.

Optimism is an outlook on life such that one maintains a view of the world as a positive place. It is the philosophical opposite of pessimism. Optimists generally believe that people and events are inherently good, so that most situations work out in the end for the best.

A common conundrum illustrates optimism-versus-pessimism with the question, does one regard a given glass of water, filled to half its capacity, as half full or as half empty? Conventional wisdom expects optimists to reply, "Half full," and pessimists to respond, "Half empty" (assuming that "full" is considered good, and "empty", bad).

Another paradox sometimes associated with optimism is that the only thing an optimist cannot view as positive is a pessimist. Pessimism, however, as it acts as a check to recklessness, may even then be viewed in a positive light.

The Science of Getting Rich is a book written by the New Thought Movement writer Wallace D. Wattles; it was published in 1910 by Elizabeth Towne. The book is still in print after almost 100 years. It was a major inspiration for Rhonda Byrne's bestselling book and film and book The Secret (2006 film).The Secret of the Secret: Unlocking the Mysteries of the Runaway Bestseller (2007) Kelly, Karen, Macmillan,ISBN 0312377908 p.13 According to USA Today, the text is "divided into 17 short, straight-to-the-point chapters that explain how to overcome mental barriers, and how creation, not competition, is the hidden key to wealth attraction."

As a Man Thinketh is a literary work of James Allen, published in 1902. The title is influenced by a verse in the Bible from the Book of Proverbs chapter 23 verse 7, ?As a man thinketh in his heart, so he is.?

However, this is taken out of context. The full passage, taken from the King James Version, is as follows:

"Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats:

For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:

Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words."

The passage seems to suggest that one should consider the true motivations of a person who is being uncharacteristically generous before accepting his generosity - a far cry from Allen's extrapolations.

It is now in the public domain within the United States and most other countries. It was released the 1st of October 2003 as a Project Gutenberg eText edition.

This book is written in terms of responsibility assumption.

The lyrics to the song Good Thoughts, Bad Thoughts by Funkadelic are loosely based on this book.

The book opens with the statement:

: Mind is the Master power that moulds and makes,

: And Man is Mind, and evermore he takes

: The tool of Thought, and, shaping what he wills,

: Brings forth a thousand joys, a thousand ills:?

: He thinks in secret, and it comes to pass:

: Environment is but his looking-glass.

Chapter 1 starts with the quote from Dhammapada where effect of karmas is explained.