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Norman Vincent Peale died on Christmas Eve, 1993, at the age of 95. He was one of the most popular preachers of the twentieth century. His famous book The Power of Positive Thinking has sold almost 20 million copies in 41 languages. It was on the United States best-seller list for a full year following its publication in 1952. Peale pastored the Marble Collegiate Church, a Reformed Church in America congregation in New York City, from 1932 until 1984. At the time of his retirement the church had 5,000 members, and tourists lined up around the block to hear Peale preach. For 54 years Peale’s weekly radio program, “The Art of Living,” was broadcast on NBC. His sermons were mailed to 750,000 people a month. His popular Guidepost magazine has a circulation of more than 4.5 million, the largest for any religious publication. His life was the subject of a movie in 1964 entitled One Man’s Way.

“Change your thoughts and you change the world.”

“Empty pockets never held anyone back. Only empty heads and empty hearts can do that.”

“There is a real magic in enthusiasm. It spells the difference between mediocrity and accomplishment.”

“Become a possibilitarian. No matter how dark things seem to be or actually are, raise your sights and see possibilities — always see them, for they’re always there.”

“The Gateway to Christianity is not through an intricate labyrinth of dogma, but by a simple belief in the person of Christ.”

“Every problem has in it the seeds of its own solution. If you don’t have any problems, you don’t get any seeds.”