Nuggets of the New Thought

Nuggets of the New Thought is a book by William Walker Atkinson, first published in 1902. The volume collects short, practical essays and aphorisms drawn from the New Thought tradition — concise, action-oriented pieces that aim to train attention, strengthen will, and encourage healing and success through disciplined thought and mental habit.

The writing is brisk and deliberately portable: each “nugget” is intended to be read, reflected on, and applied, making the book useful for readers seeking straightforward mental techniques and encouragement rather than abstruse metaphysics.

Placed in the context of early twentieth-century self-help and metaphysical literature, the book reflects Atkinson’s role as one of the movement’s most prolific popularisers. His work helped shape later positive-thinking and mind-power traditions (including ideas that would later be framed as the Law of Attraction), and this compact collection exemplifies the plain-spoken, practical side of New Thought — short lessons in attention, affirmation, visualization, and habit formation presented for everyday use.