"We increase whatever we praise. The whole creation responds to praise, and is glad"
About this Quote
Praise, in Fillmore's hands, isn't etiquette; it's a lever. "We increase whatever we praise" turns a social nicety into a theory of causality: attention as fertilizer. The line is engineered to feel both practical and mystical. It invites you to notice a pattern anyone can test (encouragement changes behavior, gratitude reframes experience) while smuggling in a larger metaphysical claim: reality itself is responsive, almost conversational.
The subtext is about agency. Fillmore, a major figure in the New Thought movement, lived in an era when American self-improvement culture was being industrialized: metaphysics packaged as method, spiritual practice translated into outcomes. In that context, praise becomes a discipline of perception. What you repeatedly name as good, you start to see more clearly; what you keep seeing, you start to cultivate. It's a loop that sounds like faith but behaves like habit formation.
"The whole creation responds to praise" is the boldest move. He's not just talking about children, students, or coworkers; he's expanding the audience to everything. That overreach is the point: it elevates a daily practice into a cosmic posture. The phrase "and is glad" softens the claim, giving the universe a gentle emotional temperature. It's hard to argue with, because it sidesteps proof and appeals to an felt sense many people recognize: life gets more livable when you train your attention on what deserves to grow.
Fillmore's intent is less to win a debate than to install a practice. Praise, here, is a technology of focus dressed up as spiritual truth.
The subtext is about agency. Fillmore, a major figure in the New Thought movement, lived in an era when American self-improvement culture was being industrialized: metaphysics packaged as method, spiritual practice translated into outcomes. In that context, praise becomes a discipline of perception. What you repeatedly name as good, you start to see more clearly; what you keep seeing, you start to cultivate. It's a loop that sounds like faith but behaves like habit formation.
"The whole creation responds to praise" is the boldest move. He's not just talking about children, students, or coworkers; he's expanding the audience to everything. That overreach is the point: it elevates a daily practice into a cosmic posture. The phrase "and is glad" softens the claim, giving the universe a gentle emotional temperature. It's hard to argue with, because it sidesteps proof and appeals to an felt sense many people recognize: life gets more livable when you train your attention on what deserves to grow.
Fillmore's intent is less to win a debate than to install a practice. Praise, here, is a technology of focus dressed up as spiritual truth.
Quote Details
| Topic | Gratitude |
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