# I put the author of "The Secret" and everyone who quotes it. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 8, 2012, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-the-author-of-the-secret-and-everyone-who-quotes-it/618183 "2012-04-08T16:27:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![living\_in\_hell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@living\_in\_hell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/living_in_hell)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2012, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-the-author-of-the-secret-and-everyone-who-quotes-it/618183/1 "2012-04-08T16:27:32Z")
Enough already. Yes I know about the golden rule and you get what you give and sugar versus vinegar and even ACT-informed therapy…religion and philosophy have drilled this into our heads for centuries. But seriously, that movie (I think it’s a book too; poor trees) is one of the most annoying things I’ve ever seen and I’m so sick of people quoting from it like they’ve discovered the holy grail. It’s like nails on a chalkboard, and when I hear people mention it not only do I want to laugh in their faces, but I start to question why I’m friends with them. Of course, if I roll my eyes there’s always a part of me that wonders if they’re thinking “this is WHY this book was written–for negative people like you.” Rant over. “pit” not “put.” thanks autocorrect. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2012, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-the-author-of-the-secret-and-everyone-who-quotes-it/618183/2 "2012-04-08T16:55:34Z")
First, a little housekeeping - I believe you can edit your title if you go into Edit, then go into Go Advanced - you should be able to edit a title of a post or thread there. Second, I think “The Secret” is kind of dumb, too. Positive thinking is a good, powerful thing, no doubt, but I don’t think expecting a lottery win is going to make you win the lottery. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2012, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-the-author-of-the-secret-and-everyone-who-quotes-it/618183/3 "2012-04-08T16:58:51Z")
The way I’ve heard “The Secret” explained, it sounds just like prayer . . . only you leave God out of it . . . so it sounds just like wishing. And a quarter tossed in a wishing-well is cheaper than the book or the DVD. ---
**Author:** ![living\_in\_hell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@living\_in\_hell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/living_in_hell)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2012, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-the-author-of-the-secret-and-everyone-who-quotes-it/618183/4 "2012-04-08T17:00:29Z")
What if as soon as I posted this edit I was wishing I knew how to edit my typo? Would the ironic joke be on me? Crap. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2012, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-the-author-of-the-secret-and-everyone-who-quotes-it/618183/5 "2012-04-08T17:02:12Z")
> [@living\_in\_hell](#): > > What if as soon as I posted this edit I was wishing I knew how to edit my typo? Would the ironic joke be on me? > > Crap. This is a place where you can “wish” for information and the wish will be granted (overgranted, usually) without reference to your offline moral character or conduct. ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2012, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-the-author-of-the-secret-and-everyone-who-quotes-it/618183/6 "2012-04-08T17:05:20Z")
> [@living\_in\_hell](#): > > What if as soon as I posted this edit I was wishing I knew how to edit my typo? Would the ironic joke be on me? > > Crap. You’ve got to \*believe \*that you can do it. ---
**Author:** ![living\_in\_hell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@living\_in\_hell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/living_in_hell)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2012, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-the-author-of-the-secret-and-everyone-who-quotes-it/618183/7 "2012-04-08T17:06:42Z")
CW: granter of secret wishes. 😉 Wait if it’s a secret how do people know? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2012, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-the-author-of-the-secret-and-everyone-who-quotes-it/618183/8 "2012-04-08T17:12:14Z")
Relevant [xkcd](http://xkcd.com/240/). ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2012, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-the-author-of-the-secret-and-everyone-who-quotes-it/618183/9 "2012-04-08T17:14:31Z")
Is that book _still_ being talked about? I haven’t anybody discussing it at all for the last five years or so. ---
**Author:** ![living\_in\_hell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@living\_in\_hell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/living_in_hell)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2012, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-the-author-of-the-secret-and-everyone-who-quotes-it/618183/10 "2012-04-08T17:15:53Z")
Almost daily at my workplace…by one of the nice but stupid types…it’s a rough trade off. ---
**Author:** ![Imago](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/85e7bf/32.png) [@Imago](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Imago)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2012, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-the-author-of-the-secret-and-everyone-who-quotes-it/618183/11 "2012-04-08T17:23:00Z")
People. Actually believe. That expecting a lottery win will make their ticket a winning one? My brain, broken. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2012, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-the-author-of-the-secret-and-everyone-who-quotes-it/618183/12 "2012-04-08T17:33:35Z")
> [@living\_in\_hell](#): > > Almost daily at my workplace…by one of the nice but stupid types…it’s a rough trade off. If it were not _The Secret_ it would be something else. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2012, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-the-author-of-the-secret-and-everyone-who-quotes-it/618183/13 "2012-04-08T17:38:51Z")
> [@living\_in\_hell](#): > > What if as soon as I posted this edit I was wishing I knew how to edit my typo? Would the ironic joke be on me? > > Crap. Blowing my mind, dude. > [@BrainGlutton](#): > > This is a place where you can “wish” for information and the wish will be granted (overgranted, usually) without reference to your offline moral character or conduct. Well, if you’re lucky, they’ll throw those in, too. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2012, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-the-author-of-the-secret-and-everyone-who-quotes-it/618183/14 "2012-04-08T17:42:33Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > First, a little housekeeping - I believe you can edit your title if you go into Edit, then go into Go Advanced - you should be able to edit a title of a post or thread there. > > Second, I think “The Secret” is kind of dumb, too. Positive thinking is a good, powerful thing, no doubt, but I don’t think expecting a lottery win is going to make you win the lottery. Assuming for a moment that it does work as advertised using the lottery to disprove it doesn’t work. Because no one actually expects to win the lottery they simply hope and pray and wish they don’t really expect, and genuine expectation is key. Taking it outside the realm of the fantastical for a moment, if you think about it you’ll see that people really do get what they genuinely expect. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2012, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-the-author-of-the-secret-and-everyone-who-quotes-it/618183/15 "2012-04-08T17:53:52Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > Assuming for a moment that it does work as advertised using the lottery to disprove it doesn’t work. Because no one actually expects to win the lottery they simply hope and pray and wish they don’t really expect, and genuine expectation is key. Taking it outside the realm of the fantastical for a moment, if you think about it you’ll see that people really do get what they genuinely expect. There’s a certain amount of truth to that; self-fulfilling prophecies (both negative and positive) do exist. If you’re expecting something to not work, you won’t put a lot of effort into making it work, then it isn’t a big surprise when it doesn’t work. If you expect something to work and you put all your efforts into it, it has a better chance of actually working. Disclaimer: I haven’t read “The Secret” so I am not speaking from a position of knowledge (just what I think it’s about). ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2012, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-the-author-of-the-secret-and-everyone-who-quotes-it/618183/16 "2012-04-08T18:05:58Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > There’s a certain amount of truth to that; self-fulfilling prophecies (both negative and positive) do exist. If you’re expecting something to not work, you won’t put a lot of effort into making it work, then it isn’t a big surprise when it doesn’t work. If you expect something to work and you put all your efforts into it, it has a better chance of actually working. Even the lottery?! ---
**Author:** ![Lasciel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2012, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-the-author-of-the-secret-and-everyone-who-quotes-it/618183/17 "2012-04-08T18:47:41Z")
She’s fucking “written” two sequels now, so it’s apparently working out for her. [The Power](http://www.amazon.com/The-Secret-Power-Rhonda-Byrne/dp/1439181780/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1333910772&sr=8-2) and [The Magic](http://www.amazon.com/The-Magic-Secret-Rhonda-Byrne/dp/1451673442/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333910772&sr=8-1) If you really want to feel sick about your fellow humans, read the reviews. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2012, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-the-author-of-the-secret-and-everyone-who-quotes-it/618183/18 "2012-04-08T20:08:00Z")
> [@Lasciel](#): > > She’s fucking “written” two sequels now, so it’s apparently working out for her. > > [The Power](http://www.amazon.com/The-Secret-Power-Rhonda-Byrne/dp/1439181780/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1333910772&sr=8-2) and [The Magic](http://www.amazon.com/The-Magic-Secret-Rhonda-Byrne/dp/1451673442/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333910772&sr=8-1) > > If you really want to feel sick about your fellow humans, read the reviews. Reading that people are embracing having a positive view, coming from gratitude, expecting the best doesn’t make me sick at all, whether its blended with a belief in a supernatural force or not. Faith in something unprovable isn’t sickening to me, especially when it is part of something which is coming from a very positive place. Cynicism, meanness, cruelty…those kinds of things make me sick about my fellow humans. ---
**Author:** ![Lasciel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2012, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-the-author-of-the-secret-and-everyone-who-quotes-it/618183/19 "2012-04-08T20:20:24Z")
That’s just sweet of you to be sickened by obvious cruelty. What about cruelty that disguises itself as a guide to improving lives? Because that sickens me. What sickens me is people profiting off of making gullible people believe that they have access to a universal “secret,” “power,” or “magic” ability to alter reality on a basis which is not reflected in reality. News flash: prayer, positive thinking, and other magical-thinking-attempts to alter reality do not, of themselves, DO ANYTHING to alter reality! I don’t care how positive the woo sounds, it isn’t positive to tell people to do something that isn’t going to help them any! Which is more positive in reality? “My kid is really sick and coughing up blood!” “Think positive thoughts - I know you have the power to help him!” OR “My kid is really sick and coughing up blood!” “Here is a phone, dial 911, and I’ll pull the car around to help you bring them to the ER.” It doesn’t matter what it’s dressed up as - if you’re \*\*\*selling \*\*\*something to people that purports to make their lives better, it should damn well actually have the _ **power** _ to actually make their lives better! In addition, I am especially sickened by the resulting implication that if things go badly for persons, it is their own fault for not availing themselves of the aforementioned universal “secret,” “power,” or “magic” ability which would make everything hunky dory and super perfect in their lives. It is the worst sort of insidious victim-blaming, and I hate it with the passion of a thousand burning suns. You have fun hating the obvious stuff - I’ve got plenty of hate for this shit to cover you too. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2012, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-the-author-of-the-secret-and-everyone-who-quotes-it/618183/20 "2012-04-08T20:52:01Z")
> [@Lasciel](#): > > “My kid is really sick and coughing up blood!” > “Think positive thoughts - I know you have the power to help him!” > > OR > “My kid is really sick and coughing up blood!” > “Here is a phone, dial 911, and I’ll pull the car around to help you bring them to the ER.” Except its not an either/or proposition. This isn’t Christian Science. > [@](#): > > It doesn’t matter what it’s dressed up as - if you’re \*\*\*selling \*\*\*something to people that purports to make their lives better, it should damn well actually have the _ **power** _ to actually make their lives better! You said reading the comments made you sick about the people who wrote the comments, or so it seemed. Were _they_ selling something, or were they suffering from having been foolish enough to pay attention to the books and reporting how damaging it was in their lives, making you feel sick? Or were they reporting that they found the books helpful to them? If it’s the latter, then I don’t see how that fits into your statement that reading the reviews would make someone feel sick about their fellow humans. > [@](#): > > In addition, I am especially sickened by the resulting implication that if things go badly for persons, it is their own fault for not availing themselves of the aforementioned universal “secret,” “power,” or “magic” ability which would make everything hunky dory and super perfect in their lives. Again, did you see that it the comments section you found so sickening? Were people sharing how these books made them feel miserable and ashamed for their inadequacies? I’m trying to tie these explanations to > [@Lasciel](#): > > If you really want to feel sick about your fellow humans, read the reviews. And I’m just not seeing it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-the-author-of-the-secret-and-everyone-who-quotes-it/618183.md?page=2)