Phineas Parkhurst Quimby

1802 -1866
Father of New Thought

Phineas Parkhurst Quimby, born in Lebanon, New Hampshire on February 16, 1802, was the sixth of the seven children of Jonathan and Susanna Quimby. Jonathan Quimby, a blacksmith, moved his family to Belfast, Maine when Phineas was two years old. The blacksmith shop was across the road from the family home, and both home and shop were located on top of Quimby Hill with a lovely view of Belfast Bay.

Because there was little available formal schooling in that area, Phineas was largely self-taught, however he had an extraordinary mind and exceptional reasoning ability. He retained easily all that he read and studied. As a youth, with his older brother, William, he apprenticed with the first clockmaker in Belfast, Abel Eastman. The brothers later took over the business themselves, and gained renown as a clockmakers.

The following three paragraphs are quoted from the present day website of the Belfast Historical Society and Museum:
(http://www.ppquimby.com/ron/brochure.htm )

An original P. P. Quimby clock is a rare and highly desirable treasure.

In 1836, Quimby teamed up with another clockmaker, Timothy Chase, and together they designed, built, and installed the tower clock in the First Church of Belfast on October 3rd of that year. The iron-work for the clock mechanism was made in a machine shop at the Head of The Tide in Belfast. This clock is the fourth oldest tower clock in the State of Maine and the oldest tower clock built by Maine clockmakers. As of this writing in 2004, 168 years later, the Quimby & Chase tower clock is still marking the passage of time atop the FirstChurch.

During his lifetime, Quimby obtained four letters of patent on his inventions. President Andrew Jackson personally signed two of those patents. Professionally, he was a clockmaker, a jeweler, a daguerreo-typist, merchant, philosopher, mesmerist, and finally, a Healing Physician.
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It is about his life as a “Healing Physician” that we wish to speak here. He was the discoverer and originator of truths set forth and used by many modern day religious organizations and churches, such as Christian Science, Unity, Divine Science, Science of Mind, and Eschatology, as well as those philosophical ideas propounded in the “The Secret,” a recent phenomenon in the video and book world.

Phineas Parkhurst Quimby is recognized by many scholars as the founder and father of the “new thought” in America. It is our belief that even though others may claim the title of “originator of the truth” it appears to this writer after exhaustive research, that to Phineas Parkhurst Quimby go the honors for having uncovered and rediscovered what was for centuries lost, and that is -- that our lives are what we believe them to be; that all health, wealth and happiness comes from our thoughts and feelings; and that we have control over our lives simply by what we believe to be true.

He believed that what Jesus of Nazareth taught was absolute truth that was lost for centuries by being swallowed up by the politics of organized religion. He unfolded this truth slowly but toward the end of his life on this plane of existence he had unfolded a preponderance of the truth that had been lost for so long a time.

Dr. Quimby claimed that all mental and most physical diseases were the result of faulty reasoning. He said "the explanation is the cure." He treated over 12,000 people in the last 8 years of his life, using his own unique process which he termed "The Quimby System." He also found that many religious beliefs and opinions were the root cause of a great percentage of all the diseases he treated. Quimby claimed that disease is not the cause of illness, but is the effect of a conflict existing within the mind.

His philosophy is set forth in his own words as follows:

MY THEORY: The trouble is in the mind, for the body is only the house for the mind to dwell in. . .If your mind has been deceived by some invisible enemy into a belief, you have put it into the form of a disease, with or without your knowledge. By my theory of truth I come in contact with your enemy and restore you to health and happiness. – Volume 3, page 208 of Quimby’s Complete Writings

Some today whose philosophy was founded upon the truths taught by Dr. Quimby deny that he had anything to do with what they teach. However, most churches such as Science of Mind, Unity and others give credit where credit is due.

While searching the web one of the most straight-forward, succinct, and loving affirmations of Dr.Quimby’s life and work was discovered by this writer at http://www.secaucus.org/quimby.html the website of The Quimby Community Church of Secaucus, New Jersey, and is copied here from that site as follows:

Who is Quimby?

Phineas Parkhurst Quimby (1802-1866) was a nineteenth century mystic, healer, humanitarian, scientist who initiated a contemporary philosophy and called it, "The Science of Health and Happiness." His insight into the relationship between beliefs held in mind and the experience were well in advance of his time.

Quimby is known as the father of New Thought, practical metaphysics and practical Christianity. His work laid the foundation for such movements as Divine Science, Christian Science, Unity, Religious Science and many more. He believed disease is an error in the mind and could be corrected by the understanding of the right relation between the divine and the human.

Quimby's philosophy covered certain ideas which enrich life in all ways.

Beliefs determine happiness or the lack of it.
Beliefs can be changed.
Life responds to our beliefs.
We exist within the One Presence, the One Spirit.
We have access to the One
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We wish to end this short biography of a great man by printing here the last three paragraphs from an article written in The New England Magazine in 1888 by Dr Quimby’s son, George A. Quimby that will be found in a longer transcript of that writing at http://www.answers.com/topic/phineas-quimby
An hour before he breathed his last, he said to the writer: "I am more than ever convinced of the truth of my theory. I am perfectly willing for the change myself, but I know you all will feel badly, and think I am dead; but I know that I shall be right here with you, just as I always have been. I do not dread the change any more than if I were going on a trip to Philadelphia."

His death occurred January 16, 1866, at his residence in Belfast, at the age of sixty-four years, and was the result of too close application to his profession and of overwork.
A more fitting epitaph could not be accorded him than in these words: "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." For if ever a man did lay down his life for others, that man was Phineas Parkhurst Quimby.

~ George Albert Quimby (son) written in 1888 ~
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It is hoped that the resurgence of worldwide interest in “New Thought” (as brought about by the phenomenon of the recent movie “The Secret”) will bring many into touch with the history of this kind, loving man who dedicated his life to helping others.