The first chapter of Your Mind and How to Use It (1911) includes a succinct definition of the mind that suggests the difficulty of dealing with something that is abstract by its very nature.

“Mind is defined as “the faculty or power whereby thinking creatures, feel, think, and will.” This definition is inadequate and circular in nature, but this is unavoidable, for mind can be defined only in its own terms and only by reference to its own processes. Mind, except in reference to its own activities, cannot be defined or conceived. It is known to itself only through its activities.”

Fortunately modern psychology has focused on what we can know, and in this book the author “bends all its energies upon discovering the laws of mental activities and states and developing methods whereby the mind may be trained to perform better and more work, to conserve its energies, and to concentrate its forces.” The first section treats the mechanics of the mental states produced by the nervous system, the brain, and the sense organ. The second group describes the facts of consciousness and its planes. The third delves into the many mental processes and faculties that taken together comprise what we think of as “the mind”. It is meant to be a handbook that the reader will use continuously, revisiting sections as understanding enlarges and self-control improves, as countless readers have done for over 100 years.

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