The Power of Positive Thinking Happiness," published in 1950, and "Inspiring Messages for Daily Living", published in 1955. "The Power of Positive Thinking" appeared at a time when Christian church attendance was drastically increasing, national views of spirituality, individuality, and religion were shifting, and the Cold War was a growing concern for many Americans. These factors, as well as Peale's growing popularity as a motivational public figure and the book's clear prose, propelled "The Power of Positive Thinking" into a self-help book still popular today. Peale begins by stating ten rules for “overcoming inadequacy attitudes and learning to practice faith”. The rules include the following:
Thinking about the immortality of the crab Thinking about the immortality of the crab Thinking about the immortality of the crab () is a Spanish idiom about daydreaming. The phrase is usually a humorous way of saying that one was not sitting idly, but engaged constructively in contemplation or letting one's mind wander. The phrase is usually used to express that an individual was daydreaming, "When I have nothing to do I think about the immortality of the crab" (). It is also used to wake someone from a daydream; "are you thinking about the immortality of the crab?" ("") Dominican Poet and writer Edgar Smith wrote