Robert Collier (April 19, 1885 - 1950) was an author of self help, and New Thought metaphysical books in the 20th century. Collier was born in St. Louis, Missouri on April 19, 1885. He was the nephew of Peter Fenelon Collier, founder of Collier's Weekly. He was involved in writing, editing, and research for most of his life. His book, The Secret of the Ages, sold over 300,000 copies during his life. Collier wrote about the practical psychology of abundance, desire, faith, visualization, confident action, and becoming your best. Robert Collier Publications, Inc., still exists through the efforts of his widow and now his children and grandchildren and now even his great grandchildren. Collier's Books have recently been brought back to prominence from being referenced in the popular metaphysical movie The Secret. In the book "The Secret" Rhonda Byrne writes: The glimpse came in a hundred-year-old book, given to me by my daughter Hayley." Moreover, Robert Collier's books have been popular with self help and New thought. After overcoming an illness he became fascinated with the power of the mind and how to use it to create success in every area. Quotes by Robert Collier: * "You must intensify and render continuous by repeatedly presenting with suggestive ideas and mental pictures of the feast of good things, and the flowing fountain, which awaits the successful achievement or attainment of the desires." * "The first principle of success is desire--knowing what you want. Desire is the planting of your seed. Very few persons, comparatively, know how to Desire with sufficient intensity. They do not know what it is to feel and manifest that intense, eager, longing, craving, insistent, demanding, ravenous Desire which is akin to the persistent, insistent, ardent, overwhelming desire of the drowning man for a breath of air; of the shipwrecked or desert-lost man for a drink of water; of the famished man for bread and meat... " * "See things as you would have them be instead of as they are" * "The great successful men of the world have used their imagination...they think ahead and create their mental picture in all its details, filling in here, adding a little there, altering this a bit and that a bit, but steadily building - steadily building." * "The first essential, of course, is to know what you want."