Who was Wallace Wattles? He was an American author around 1900. He wrote a book that became the central to the New Thought movement, which is still very influential in the self-help movement today. The book promotes thinking in a “certain way”, meaning being positive and certain about what you think. He suggested people should try it for themselves, rather than take his word for it. The New Thought movement was very popular in American during the period 1900 to 1930.
It was this book, “The Science of Getting Rich”, given to Rhonda Byrne by her teenage daughter, that began her quest for self-help information and eventually became the Secret. Interestingly, Wallace Wattles is not listed on the website as one of the people “Behind the Secret” nor is his book listed in the resources on the Law of Attraction.
Not much is known about Wattles himself. After his death, his daughter described him as having been excluded from the world of commerce, but having become wealthy in the 3 years before his untimely death. She said he was extremely frail. He died at age 51.
