Man can make or break himself

     "Man is made or unmade by himself; in the armory of thought he forges the weapons by which he destroys himself. He also fashions the tools with which he builds for himself heavenly mansions of joy and strength and peace. By the right choice and true application of thought, man ascends to the Divine Perfection; by the abuse and wrong application of thought, he descends below the level of the beast. Between these two extremes are all the grades of character, and man is their maker and master.." -James Allen

     Man is always the master, even in his weakest and most abandoned state; but in his weakness and degradation he is the foolish master who misgoverns his "household." When he begins to reflect upon his condition, and to search diligently for the Law upon which his being is established, he then becomes the wise master, directing his energies with intelligence, and fashioning his thoughts to fruitful issues. Such is the conscious master, and man can only thus become by discovering within himself the laws of thought; which discovery is totally a matter of application, self-analysis, and experience." -James Allen

     I believe that this quote is talking about how man has the power to make or break himself. He can either do things that will ruin himself and his future, or he can become one who is happy and have good motives. For example, a lot of small mistakes will result in a build-up of misery. But, if he were to fix his mistakes, he will save himself of the misery. All of this can also affect his mental and physical state. If his misery builds up, then he will begin to have a negative outlook towards everything. He will also feel more drained and exhausted as his misery continues to pile up. However, if he were to start building up his happiness, then he will being to be more optimistic and cheerful. He will also feel more energetic as he gets happier. But when man is in a state of great sadness, he can gradually build himself up and become happy. However, this process can take a long time to build up, yet a very very short time to break down.

      For example, let's use a guy named Jim. Jim has always been sad and miserable because he always failed at everything he tried and he never tried to change his habits to improve. But, when he changes his habits and starts succeeding, he gradually becomes happier. After a few years, Jim is as happy as can be, but he begins to slack off. As a result, all his success plummets in a few days and hes back to where he started. This is an example of how it can take a long time to build up happiness, but a very short time to break it down.