''The Master Key System'' is a personal development book by Charles F. Haanel (1866–1949) that was originally published as a 24-week

correspondence course Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at a school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance. Traditionally, this usually in ...

in 1912, and then in book form in 1916. The ideas it describes and explains come mostly from New Thought philosophy. It was one of the main sources of inspiration for

Rhonda Byrne Rhonda Byrne ( ; née Izon; born 1951, Melbourne, Australia) is an Australian television writer and producer. Her book '' The Secret'' is based on the belief of the pseudoscientific law of attraction, which claims that thoughts can change a p ...

's film and book '' The Secret'' (2006).

General description

The book describes many New Thought beliefs such as the law of attraction,

creative visualization Creative visualization is the cognitive process of purposefully generating visual mental imagery, with eyes open or closed, simulating or recreating visual perception, in order to maintain, inspect, and transform those images, consequently modi ...

and man's unity with God, and teaches the importance of truth, harmonious thinking and the ability to concentrate. Each of the 24 chapters contains an introduction, followed by a sequentially numbered section which includes an exercise towards the end, followed by a section with questions and answers. At the beginning of the book is a ''Psychological Chart'' which readers are encouraged to complete, providing a self-evaluation of their creative power, time efficiency, health, mental ability and capacity to concentrate. The book ends with a glossary and general question-and-answers section. Every chapter includes a quotation from people such as Jonathan Edwards,

Lilian Whiting Lilian Whiting (October 3, 1847 – April 30, 1942) was an American journalist, editor, and author of poetry and short stories. Her father was Illinois State Senator Lorenzo D. Whiting. She served as literary editor of the ''Boston Evening Tr ...

and

Amos Bronson Alcott Amos Bronson Alcott (; November 29, 1799 – March 4, 1888) was an American teacher, writer, philosopher, and reformer. As an educator, Alcott pioneered new ways of interacting with young students, focusing on a conversational style, and a ...

Exercises

Each chapter ends with an exercise which the reader is encouraged to undertake every day for the following 4–7 days. The exercises are meditations that require the reader to first sit comfortably in a chair. The sequence of exercises in each chapter is as follows: # Sitting still # Inhibiting all thought combined with previous exercise # Releasing physical tension combined with previous exercises # Letting go of all negative emotions combined with previous exercises # Visualising a pleasant place # Remembering details from a photo of someone # Visualising positive facial expressions on the face of a friend # Visualising everything that leads to the construction of a battleship # Visualising a flower growing from seed # Visualising certain geometric forms # Concentrating on a quote from the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts ...

;

Mark Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * F ...

11:24 # Contemplating your unity with

Omnipotence Omnipotence is the quality of having unlimited power. Monotheistic religions generally attribute omnipotence only to the deity of their faith. In the monotheistic religious philosophy of Abrahamic religions, omnipotence is often listed as one ...

# Contemplating being part of the Whole # Focusing on harmony # Contemplating the fact that knowledge needs to be applied to be useful # Contemplating that happiness and harmony are states of consciousness # Focusing on the object of your desire # Focusing on your power to create – create a logical basis for your faith # Total concentration on what you want # Focusing on ''"In Him we live and move and have our being"'' # Focusing on truth # Concentration on a

Tennyson Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of his ...

quote: ''"Speak to Him, thou, for He hears, and spirit with spirit can meet, Closer is He than breathing, and nearer than hands and feet."'' # Contemplating the fact that man is a spirit with a body # Realising that this is a wonderful world

Themes

The ideas behind the book mainly come from New Thought philosophy, but there are influences from other sources such as

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

, Masonism and

Rosicrucian Rosicrucianism is a spiritual and cultural movement that arose in Europe in the early 17th century after the publication of several texts purported to announce the existence of a hitherto unknown esoteric order to the world and made seeking it ...

teachings,

Theosophy Theosophy is a religion established in the United States during the late 19th century. It was founded primarily by the Russian Helena Blavatsky and draws its teachings predominantly from Blavatsky's writings. Categorized by scholars of religion ...

, and the

Influence

Along with ''

The Science of Getting Rich ''The Science of Getting Rich'' is a book written by the New Thought Movement writer Wallace Wattles, Wallace D. Wattles and published in 1910 by the Elizabeth Towne Company. The book is still in print. According to ''USA Today'', the text is "di ...

'', by Wallace D. Wattles, ''The Master Key System'' inspired much of the content of

's film '' The Secret'' (2006), which was later followed by a book of the same name.'' The Secret of The Secret: Unlocking the Mysteries of the Runaway Bestseller, page 91'' (2007) Kelly, Karen, Macmillan, It is claimed on the website haanel.com that Charles Haanel received a letter in 1919 from

Napoleon Hill Oliver Napoleon Hill (October 26, 1883 – November 8, 1970) was an American self-help author. He is best known for his book ''Think and Grow Rich'' (1937), which is among the best-selling self-help books of all time. Hill's works insisted th ...

, who later went on to write one of the best-selling books of all time, ''

Think and Grow Rich ''Think and Grow Rich'' is a book written by Napoleon Hill in 1937 and promoted as a personal development and self-improvement book. He claimed to be inspired by a suggestion from business magnate and later-philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. Firs ...

'', saying that his own success was due to the principles laid down in ''The Master Key System''.

Terry Crews Terry Alan Crews (born July 30, 1968) is an American actor, television host, and former American footballer. He played Julius Rock in the UPN/ CW sitcom ''Everybody Hates Chris'', which aired from 2005 to 2009, and portrayed Terry Jeffords ...

has described ''The Master Key System'' as his favorite book among hundreds of personal development books, saying that it showed him "how to visualize, contemplate, and focus on what I really wanted" and that he rereads it "probably once a month to keep my vision clear".

Variations

There are many editions of the book. Modern editions mostly do not include the three-part introduction, the psychological chart, the question-and-answers section at the end of the book, or the glossary. Some modern editions also include 4 additional chapters which come from chapters 11-14 of another book Haanel wrote called ''A book about you''. The first

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...

edition, printed in 1933 by The Master Key Publishing Company, is called ''The Master Key'' with no mention of the word "system".

Quotations

The book contains many quotations. Some are printed at the end of chapters while others are in the main body of the text. This list shows all the people quoted in the 1919 edition, and the chapter or part of the book in which the quotes are found. Some editions arrange the quotations in slightly different orders and some have quotes that do not appear in the 1919 edition; for example, many have a quote by Benjamin Disraeli at the end of chapter 23. *

Seneca Seneca may refer to: People and language * Seneca (name), a list of people with either the given name or surname * Seneca people, one of the six Iroquois tribes of North America ** Seneca language, the language of the Seneca people Places Extrat ...

, Introduction *

James J. Hill James Jerome Hill (September 16, 1838 – May 29, 1916) was a Canadian-American railroad director. He was the chief executive officer of a family of lines headed by the Great Northern Railway, which served a substantial area of the Upper Midwes ...

, Introduction *

Elbert Gary Elbert Henry Gary (October 8, 1846August 15, 1927) was an American lawyer, county judge and business executive. He was a founder of U.S. Steel in 1901, bringing together partners J. P. Morgan, Andrew Carnegie, and Charles M. Schwab. The city o ...

, Introduction *

Walter Colton Reverend Walter Colton (May 7, 1797 – January 22, 1851) was an American clergyman and writer from Vermont who served as the first American Alcalde (mayor) of Monterey, California. He worked as an editor for newspapers in Washington, D.C. and ...

, 1 * Professor Davidson, 2 * James Allen, 2,7 *

Prentice Mulford Prentice Mulford (April 5, 1834 – c. May 30, 1891) was an American literary humorist and California author. In addition, he was pivotal in the development of the thought within the New Thought movement. Many of the principles that would becom ...

, 2,16 *

Thomas Troward Thomas Troward (1847–1916) was an English author whose works influenced the New Thought Movement and mystic Christianity. Background Troward was a divisional Judge in Punjab in British-administered India. His avocation was the study of com ...

, 3 *

Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803April 27, 1882), who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, abolitionist, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was seen as a champ ...

, 3,5,10,17 & 19 * Walker, 3 *

Herbert Spencer Herbert Spencer (27 April 1820 – 8 December 1903) was an English philosopher, psychologist, biologist, anthropologist, and sociologist famous for his hypothesis of social Darwinism. Spencer originated the expression " survival of the fi ...

, 4 *

Lyman Abbott Lyman J. Abbott (December 18, 1835 – October 22, 1922) was an American Congregationalist theologian, editor, and author. Biography Early years Lyman J. Abbott was born at Roxbury, Massachusetts on December 18, 1835, the son of the prolific ...

, 4 * Helen Wilmans, 4 * Christian D. Larson, 6 *

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

, 6 *

Nikola Tesla Nikola Tesla ( ; ,"Tesla"
''

George Matthew Adams George Matthew Adams (August 23, 1878 – October 29, 1962) was an American newspaper columnist and founder of the George Matthew Adams Newspaper Service, which syndicated comic strips and columns to newspapers for five decades. His own writings ...

, 8,14 * Kālidāsa, 8 * Frederick Andrews, 9 *

James McCosh James McCosh (April 1, 1811 – November 16, 1894) was a philosopher of the Scottish School of Common Sense. He was president of Princeton University 1868–88. Biography McCosh was born into a Covenanting family in Ayrshire, a ...

, 9 * A. B. Alcott, 9 * Henry Drummond, 10 *

Thomas Huxley Thomas Henry Huxley (4 May 1825 – 29 June 1895) was an English biologist and anthropologist specialising in comparative anatomy. He has become known as "Darwin's Bulldog" for his advocacy of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. The stor ...

, 10 * John Tyndall, 10 * Lillian Whiting, 10 * Floyd Baker Wilson, 12 * Herbert Kaufman, 13 *

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...

, 13 *

Charles Mackay Charles (or Charlie) Mackay, McKay, or MacKay may refer to: * Charles Mackay (author) (1814–1889), Scottish poet, journalist, author, anthologist, novelist, and songwriter * Charles McKay (1855–1883), American naturalist and explorer * Charles ...

, 13 *

Jacques Loeb Jacques Loeb (; ; April 7, 1859 – February 11, 1924) was a German-born American physiologist and biologist. Biography Jacques Loeb, firstborn son of a Jewish family from the German Eifel region, was educated at the universities of Berlin, Munic ...

, 15 * Horatio Bonar, 15 * Henry Flagler, 16 * H. W. Beecher, 16 * William Dunkerley, 16 * Christian Bovee, 17 *

John Ambrose Fleming Sir John Ambrose Fleming FRS (29 November 1849 – 18 April 1945) was an English electrical engineer and physicist who invented the first thermionic valve or vacuum tube, designed the radio transmitter with which the first transatlantic ra ...

, 18 * G. A. Sala, 18 * Marcus Antonius, 18 * South, 19 * Johann Lavater, 20 *

Johann Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism There are many ...

, 20 *

Orison Swett Marden Dr. Orison Swett Marden (1848–1924) was an American inspirational author who wrote about achieving success in life and founded ''SUCCESS'' magazine in 1897. His writings discuss common-sense principles and virtues that make for a well-rou ...

, 21 * Frank Haddock, 21 * Alfred T Shofield, 22 *

Alfred Tennyson Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of his ...

, 22 *

Alexander Pope Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 O.S. – 30 May 1744) was an English poet, translator, and satirist of the Enlightenment era who is considered one of the most prominent English poets of the early 18th century. An exponent of Augustan literature, ...

, 22 * William Channing, 22 *

William Walker Atkinson William Walker Atkinson (December 5, 1862 – November 22, 1932) was an attorney, merchant, publisher, and author, as well as an occultist and an American pioneer of the New Thought movement. He is the author of the pseudonymous works attribut ...

, 23 * Francis Larimer Warner, 23 * Samuel Smiles, 24 * Isaac Funk. Glossary *

Alexander Winchell Alexander Winchell (December 31, 1824, in North East, New York – February 19, 1891, in Ann Arbor, Michigan) was a United States geologist who contributed to this field mainly as an educator and a popular lecturer and author. His views on evol ...

. Glossary * G. C. Robertson. Glossary *

William Inge William Motter Inge (; May 3, 1913 – June 10, 1973) was an American playwright and novelist, whose works typically feature solitary protagonists encumbered with strained sexual relations. In the early 1950s he had a string of memorable Broad ...

. General questions & answers * Jonathan Edwards. General questions & answers *

Joseph Joubert Joseph Joubert (; 6 May 1754 in Montignac, Périgord – 4 May 1824 in Paris) was a French moralist and essayist, remembered today largely for his ''Pensées'' (''Thoughts''), which were published posthumously. Biography From the age of f ...

. On 'Go Slow' page, printed 12 times throughout book. In addition to these quotations, the book quotes the

23 times.

Derivative works

* ''Abundance and Prosperity - The Master Key System Decoded'', by Prof. C. W. Haanel Mentz * ''The Electronic Master Key System in 24 Parts - Re-Edited'', by Anthony R. Michalski. * ''Master Key Arcana'', by Anthony R. Michalski. * ''Master Key System (28 Part Complete Deluxe Edition)'' - Ishtar Publishing (July 2007) * ''The Master Key System 2012 Centenary Edition'', edited, illustrated and annotated by Helmar Rudolph (January 2011) . * ''Tapping the Source'' (2010), by William Gladstone, Richard Greninger, John Selby and

Jack Canfield Jack Canfield (born August 19, 1944) is an American author, motivational speaker, corporate trainer, and entrepreneur. He is the co-author of the ''Chicken Soup for the Soul'' series, which has more than 250 titles and 500 million copies in prin ...

, * ''The Master Key System Summarized & the Science of Getting Rich Decoded'', by George Mentz. * ''Masters of the Secrets Expanded'', by Wallace Wattles, Charles Haanel,

, C. Wattles Haanel Mentz.

Other books by Haanel

Note, Master Key System and Mental Chemistry, being published prior to 1923, are considered to be in

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable. Because those rights have expired, ...

, but several of his other books, being currently in distribution, are still covered by

copyright A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, educatio ...

law timeframe. *''Mental Chemistry'' *''The New Psychology'' *''A book about You'' *''The Amazing Secrets of the Yogi''

External links

The Master Key System, in free weekly lessons
Psi-Tek

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Master Key System, The New Thought literature Self-help books 1912 non-fiction books 1916 non-fiction books