The Game of Life and How to Play It (Paperback Book) (penguin classics) Paperback – January 1, 2025

'The Game of Life and How to Play It' is a booklet of barely 100 pages that looks rather insignificant but turns out to be a real treasure of spiritual wisdom and prosperity secrets. Every single word counts and has meaning; there is not a single sentence that could be traced out. It’s a highly condensed read and a very convincing lecture. One of the most precious prosperity books that I have found.This book shows that it’s really nothing new to think and write about prosperity, as it’s so much a fashion today. I would boldly allege that the best that was written about the subject was written about it in the first half of the 20th century. Think only of James Allen who published ‘As a Man Thinketh’ in 1902, Charles Haanel who published ‘The Master Key System’ in 1916 and Ernest Holmes who published ‘The Science of Mind’ in 1927. We may today prefer to read secondary literature about these books, we may resort to sampler reviews in the style Tom Butler-Bowden published them, or we may even consider watered-down approaches, reading republished versions of some of those books that were adding comments and bold text for highlighting important passages. All this is of course legitimate but does it convey the original intention of the author? Some argue that the older English was hard to read, that expressions could be misleading, that the spelling was confusing, or that language had to be updated to the standard of the ‘psychological thinking’ of today’s world.I regard all these arguments as off-topic. There is nothing more refreshing and instructive than reading original texts, from whatever period of time and in whatever language we can muster to decipher. Let me point this out clearly here: my reviews are not written in the intention to replace the lecture of the original books. I believe we need to read the original, always, and without exception, in order to truly understand what an author has to convey. That’s why I often quote authors because I believe we cannot always accurately paraphrase what others have written.This being said, the author puts a real stress on the power of the word, actually in all her books. To my knowledge, all leadership and success authors stress this point, in particular also Napoleon Hill and Joseph Murphy. Murphy gives a number of equally striking examples in his books, as we have seen already. This is perhaps the single most important fact to know about the workings of the subconscious mind. It carries out literally what we affirm, if only we affirm it often enough to impress the subconscious on a consistent basis. Another example the author cites is a woman who had a lot of money but liked to joke about ‘getting ready for the poorhouse.’ In a few years down the road, then, she was almost destitute, the author reports, because she had impressed her subconscious mind with the picture of lack and limitation.But fortunately, as I mentioned already, this law works in both ways, so if we are aware of such a situation, we can change it for the better once again by using appropriate positive affirmations, repeating them often enough to impression the inner mind.Now, let us ask, once again, why are words exhibiting such a powerful force in the universe? Why can they move the world? Charles W. Leadbeater, and later other members of the Theosophical Society, have inquired deeply into this question and found that all language, every single syllable, every letter, carry a unique and specific vibrational code. The Jewish tradition knows this truth since millennia: all the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet have been assigned a ‘tone’, a vibration that carries through from the subconscious to the conscious world, thereby deploying creational power.The author reports the words of Isaiah ‘My word shall not return unto me void, but shall accomplish that where unto it is sent.’ She speaks of words and thoughts as being ‘a tremendous vibratory force, ever moulding man’s body and affairs.’ /15Some life coaches speak of ‘setting an act’, which in spiritual circles is called ‘making a demonstration.’ It is the fact that an act of faith has the most astonishing consequences. As the author reports it in her book, a woman was looking for an apartment in NYC during a period of great shortage and her friends were sorry to tell her that she will have to store her furniture and live in a hotel. She denied the fact and simply affirmed: ‘Infinite Spirit, open the way for the right apartment.’ Then she went to a department store and bought bedsheets while her negative inner voice said something on the lines of ‘You will have no use of these blankets as you won’t get an apartment anyway … ‘. Although there were over two hundred other applicants, she got an apartment. Indeed, we can only receive what we allow ourselves to receive. This is what an act of faith is all about.We already learned that the spoken word has creative power. This has been called the Law of Command or the Law of Decree. In addition, we have seen that for the world to unfold its creational power, there must be nonresistance. However, there is something magic about it for when you look up to a situation fearlessly, there is no more situation to face. The author reports the example of a woman who was deadly afraid to walk under a ladder. One day she had to take something out of her safe-deposit vault in her bank but workers had put a ladder right in the way to it, so she turned around and went out of the building in fear. However, as the author had previously told her to walk fearlessly under the next ladder she was facing, she remembered her words, turned back, and fiercely decided to walk under the ladder. But there was no more ladder. It had been taken away!On the same line of reasoning, to idly chat about ‘hard times’ means to harness the power of the spoken word negatively and destructively. The author mentions the old saying that the spoken word should be used only for three purposes, to ‘heal, bless or prosper,’ for what we say of others will be said about us, and what we wish for another, we are wishing for ourselves. Sickness can be brought about through using negative language. For example, the author reports that criticism can produce rheumatism, ‘as critical, inharmonious thoughts cause unnatural deposits in the blood, which settle in the joints.’ /27The law of nonresistance can be put in the formula: ‘Resist not evil, be not overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.’ When we see children attracting fatal diseases, we may wonder why, as their innocent minds are not yet stricken with negative thoughts. But the problem is that they are sensitive and receptive toward the thoughts of others around them, and thereby manifest the fears of their parents. As their subconscious mind is especially open to receive suggestions, they are easily manipulated into forms of behavior that are not for their best.In a chapter entitled ‘Casting the Burden’, the author gives advice about how to impress the subconscious. She compares it to the winding-up of a victrola: we must wind ourselves up with the spoken word. But this requires us to transmute fear into faith; then we can ‘make believe’ the subconscious with an act that expresses that faith, and thereby manifests the desired outcome. In the next chapter about ‘Love’, Florence Shinn declares that suffering is not necessary for our evolution, ‘but few people seem able to rouse themselves from their ‘soul sleep’ without it.’ /58In this same chapter she expresses what all prosperity authors say, namely that money must be kept to flow, and that hoarding brings about losses. However, she also says that saving money brings about its loss. This is in contradiction to what we have seen is said by Napoleon Hill who spent a whole chapter on the power of saving money. I think to resolve this apparent contradiction, we need to again remind ourselves of the mindfulness required for any action that is set to improve our lives. Saving money can be done in two different states of mind. It can be done in a ‘hoarding’ state of mind, as an act of withholding flow and depriving others from the benefits an outflow of resources produces, but it can also be done with a mindset of abundance that is set to prevent waste.When we spend money lavishly, which is a prosperous behavior generally, there is a borderline that is easy to trespass: that borderline is the one that separates management from waste. Resource management should avoid the hoarding of resources but it must be done with the intention to avoid waste, for otherwise the door would be open to squandering wealth.Another important principle for building prosperity and basic happiness in life is to refrain from judging. In the Bible we read: ‘Condemn not lest ye also be condemned.’ Such a result is a simple outflow of the law of karma. In addition, judging is an attitude that blocks the flow of the vital energies, and in so doing blocks the flow of money. And it’s quite staggering how a karmic spear can hit home. The author gives the example of a woman who was extremely judgmental about another woman who had an affair with her husband. The author told her to stop condemning that woman, for otherwise she would attract the same situation for herself. And this really happened. A year or two later, the author reports, that woman became deeply interested in a married man herself.To close this book review I would like to tell the reader that a list of prayers—denials and affirmations—is contained at the end of the highly useful booklet.

Florence Scovel Shinn’s 1925 classic is a concise, uplifting guide to mastering life through spiritual laws. With practical affirmations and real-life examples, she shows how faith, words, and mindset shape our reality. It’s a quick read packed with timeless wisdom—perfect for anyone exploring manifestation or personal growth.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️The Game of Life & How to Play It by Florence Scovel Shinn is a timeless classic on success, prosperity, and spiritual alignment. This new annotated edition by Ancient Wisdom Institute takes it to the next level, making it the best version available today.What makes this edition stand out?Faithful to the Original. The complete, unaltered text is beautifully preserved, ensuring that Shinn’s wisdom remains intact.Enhanced with Commentary. The annotations by Ancient Wisdom Institute provide deeper insights, clarifications, and practical applications, helping modern readers fully grasp and apply these transformative teachings.Clean & Professional Formatting. Unlike many poorly formatted editions, this version is easy to read, well-structured, and free of errors or missing content.Practical Exercises & Affirmations. This edition includes actionable exercises that allow readers to integrate Shinn’s principles into daily life for manifestation, personal growth, and financial success.If you’re new to this book, this is the edition to get. If you’ve read it before, this version adds even more depth and usability. Highly recommended for anyone looking to master the laws of success, faith, and prosperity!

The Game of Life and How to Play It, offers profound insights into the power of positive thinking and spiritual affirmations.The book is structured into clear and concise chapters, each addressing different aspects of life such as health, wealth, love, and personal growth. Shinn's writing style is straightforward, making it easy to grasp and apply in daily life. She frequently uses real-life examples and anecdotes to illustrate her points, which adds a practical dimension to her spiritual advice.I love her holistic approach, and I find it an easy read to add her advice to my life.

An eye opener for a person who’s never believed in the power of words. Enjoy your awakening during this read.

This book uses a lot of scripture and I recommend to know the word of God for yourself. Read the Bible in its fullness. There is some truth here. But God is not a magic genie. A few things she said were bordering on blasphemy, not sure she meant that way but be careful in my opinion and eat the fish while spitting out the bones. Just my personal opinion. 🙂

Love the principles in this book. Highly recommended. Will be a book I continue to review at least once a year.

Very good book. I definitely recommend. Its simple and directs founded in biblical principles and laws that help readers to see the simplicity in achieving anything in life with the right mental attitude, perception and knowledge.