Florence Scovel Shinn's 1925 New Thought primer treats life as a game governed by spiritual laws — particularly the law of attraction and the affirmation of spoken word — and teaches readers to use vivid mental images and short verbal formulas to alter outer circumstances. The prose is colloquial and example-driven, drawn from her practice as a metaphysical teacher in New York between the wars.
One of the foundational texts of the New Thought movement, the book circulates as a primary source in prosperity-spirituality and Law of Attraction reading. Louise Hay and the modern affirmation industry trace direct lineage through her short prose works. Critics inside and outside academic religion have flagged the same issue every generation: the framework offers no accountability for affirmations that don't materialise, and the case studies are unverifiable anecdotes from her own practice.
Your word is your wand.
Chapter 3, "The Power of the Word"
First lines
Most people consider life a battle, but it is not a battle, it is a game. It is a game, however, which cannot be played successfully without the knowledge of spiritual law, and the Old and the New Testaments give the rules of the game with wonderful clearness.
Contents
The Game
The Law of Prosperity
The Power of the Word
The Law of Nonresistance
The Law of Karma and the Law of Forgiveness
Casting the Burden — Impressing the Subconscious
Love
Intuition or Guidance
Perfect Self-Expression or the Divine Design
Denials and Affirmations
Reception
One of the foundational texts of the New Thought movement and a continuous-print classic for a hundred years; her short books circulate inside prosperity-spirituality and Law of Attraction circles as primary sources. Louise Hay and the modern affirmation industry trace lineage directly through her. Critics inside and outside academic religion have flagged the same issue every generation: the framework offers no accountability for affirmations that don't materialise, and the case studies are unverifiable anecdotes from her own practice.
Frequently asked
What is The Game of Life and How to Play It about?
A short 1925 New Thought primer arguing that outer circumstances respond to the spoken word and to vivid mental images. The ten chapters move from "The Game" and "The Law of Prosperity" through forgiveness, love, intuition and the divine design, closing with sample denials and affirmations.
How did Florence Scovel Shinn influence later authors?
She is one of the direct sources of the twentieth-century affirmation tradition. Louise Hay credited Shinn as an influence, and her short prose books continue to circulate inside prosperity-spirituality and Law of Attraction reading as primary New Thought texts.
Is the book in the public domain?
Yes — the original 1925 L.N. Fowler edition entered the public domain decades ago and is freely available in full on the Internet Archive. Modern reprints exist from many publishers; the text itself is unchanged.