The Game of Life and How to Play It
A warm, practical New Thought guide to affirmations, faith and the spoken word.
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This book is in the public domain. Download the PDF, or read it online at the source library.
About the book
Published in 1925, The Game of Life and How to Play It presents life as a game of giving and receiving, governed by spiritual laws that anyone can learn to work with. Florence Scovel Shinn teaches that our words and mental images carry real power, and she builds her lessons around affirmations, faith, non-resistance and forgiveness. What sets the book apart is its tone: rather than lecturing, Shinn illustrates each principle with short, memorable anecdotes drawn from the everyday problems of the people she counselled — money, work, love and health.
The result is one of the most approachable books of its era, still read today as a gentle introduction to the idea that changing your inner language can change your circumstances.
About the author
Florence Scovel Shinn (1871–1940) was an American artist and book illustrator in New York City who became a popular New Thought teacher and lecturer. She wrote in a plain, encouraging style aimed at ordinary readers, and her books have remained quietly influential; the author and teacher Louise Hay credited Shinn's work as an early inspiration for her own career.
Why it still matters
Shinn helped popularize ideas — affirmations, positive self-talk, the power of the spoken word — that are now everywhere in modern self-help and coaching. Her friendly, story-driven approach makes this a natural first book for anyone curious about the New Thought tradition, and as a public-domain classic it is free for everyone to read and share.