To begin to think with purpose, is to enter the ranks of those strong ones who only recognize failure as one of the pathways to attainment.

Allen links “purposeful” thinking with moral and practical strength: to direct the mind toward a chosen aim is, in his view, to join a disciplined minority who treat setbacks as instructive rather than defeating. The line reflects the core of his New Thought–inflected philosophy—character and circumstance are shaped by habitual thought, and perseverance is a mental stance before it is an external achievement. “Failure” is reframed as a stage in growth, a necessary route by which skill, self-knowledge, and resolve are tested and refined. The quote thus encourages intentionality, resilience, and a long view of progress.