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All that has just been said concerns the speculative mind, the mind that learns. But learning
is only one aspect of mental activity; the other, which is at least equally important, is the
constructive faculty, the capacity to form and thus prepare action. This very important part
of mental activity has rarely been the subject of any special study or discipline. Only those
who want, for some reason, to exercise a strict control over their mental activities think of
observing and disciplining this faculty of formation; and as soon as they try it, they have
to face difficulties so great that they appear almost insurmountable.

And yet control over this formative activity of the mind is one of the most important aspects
of self-education; one can say that without it no mental mastery is possible. As far as study
is concerned, all ideas are acceptable and should be included in the synthesis, whose very
function is to become more and more rich and complex; but where action is concerned, it
is just the opposite. The ideas that are accepted for translation into action should be strictly
controlled and only those that agree with the general trend of the central idea forming the
basis of the mental synthesis should be permitted to express themselves in action. This means
that every thought entering the mental consciousness should be set before the central idea;
if it finds a logical place among the thoughts already grouped, it will be admitted into the
synthesis; if not, it will be rejected so that it can have no influence on the action. This work
of mental purification should be done very regularly in order to secure a complete control
over one’s actions.

For this purpose, it is good to set apart some time every day when one can quietly go over
one’s thoughts and put one’s synthesis in order. Once the habit is acquired, you can maintain
control over your thoughts even during work and action, allowing only those which are

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