15 Manifestation Teachers and Authors Similar to Neville Goddard 

Joseph Murphy 

Joseph Murphy was a Divine Science minister and author. He was taught by the same teacher who taught Neville Goddard, Abdullah.

Murphy’s main teaching is the law of belief. The law of belief states that whatever you believe, with feeling, becomes reality. 

This is very similar to the law of assumption, which was what Neville Goddard taught.

Joseph Murphy’s most popular book on manifesting is The Power of Your Subconscious Mind. It is one of the most thoughtful and beloved spiritual self-help works of all time. 

Similarity Score: 8/10

Murphy and Goddard have a high similarity score because they both learned from the same teacher, Abdullah.

They both:

• Taught the same principle of the law of belief or assumption.
• Emphasized the importance of feeling as the secret of manifestation.
• Used biblical stories and quotations to support their teachings.
• Wrote many books and gave many lectures on how to use the power of your subconscious mind to create your reality.

Differences

• The main difference between them is that Murphy was more focused on healing and practical applications of the law of belief. Goddard was more focused on metaphysical interpretation and mystical experiences of the law of assumption.
• Murphy also used more scientific and psychological terms to explain his teachings, while Neville Goddard used more poetic and symbolic language to express his insights.

Florence Scovel Shinn

Florence Scovel Shinn was an American artist and New Thought teacher from the 1920s through the 40s.

Scovel Shinn taught the power of the word. She believed that words have a vibratory power that will attract whatever is voiced. 

Her most popular book on manifesting is The Game of Life and How to Play It. This book details how she helped her students create their own personal affirmations that changed their entire lives. She was also known for her witty and humorous writing style, which makes her books very enjoyable to read.

Similarity score: 7/10

Scovel Shinn and Goddard have a moderate similarity score because they both taught the power of the word or the spoken word as a tool for manifestation.

• Both believed that words have a creative force that can shape your reality according to your desires.
• Both used affirmations, decrees, and prayers as methods for changing your beliefs.
• Both wrote in a simple and engaging manner that appealed to many readers.

Differences

• The slight difference between them is that Scovel Shinn was more focused on using positive and avoiding negative words. Goddard was more about imagining your desire as if it’s already a reality, feeling the emotions and sensations associated with it. 
• Her approach was focused on “practical” manifestations like health, money, relationships, and self-expression. Goddard emphasized the spiritual side of manifestation as something more important. He used examples and stories from the Bible and other ancient texts to explain how manifestation works. 

Abdullah

Abdullah was Neville Goddard’s mentor for five years in New York City. He had a profound impact on Neville.

Abdullah was a mystical Ethiopian rabbi who taught Neville about the law of assumption and the Kabbalah. In fact, Neville’s core messages come from Abdullah’s teachings. 

Abdullah taught Neville how to use his imagination and feelings to create his reality. As well as how to interpret the Bible as a symbolic and allegorical story of the human psyche.

Abdullah was a master of manifestation, and he demonstrated his power to Neville many times. For example, he helped Neville manifest his trip to Barbados by telling him to sleep as if he was already there. He also predicted the exact date of Neville’s departure and return. Abdullah was a great influence on Neville, and he helped him awaken his true identity as God.

Similarity score: 9/10

As a mentor and student, Abdullah and Neville have a very high similarity score.  

• Both shared the same principle of the law of assumption.
• Both emphasized the importance of feeling as the secret of manifestation.
• Both interpreted biblical stories and quotations to explain how manifestation works.

Differences

• Abdullah was secretive and private about his work, unlike Neville, who was very public. As a result, not much information is available about Abdullah.
• Abdullah had more knowledge and experience in the Kabbalah and other ancient wisdom traditions.

Napoleon Hill

Napoleon Hill is one of the founding fathers of manifesting financial abundance. His best-selling book, Think and Grow Rich, has helped many people around the world become millionaires.

Hill interviewed over 500 successful people, including Andrew Carnegie, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and Alexander Graham Bell, to discover their secrets to success. He found out that they all had one thing in common: they used their imagination and faith to achieve their goals. 

Hill also coined the term “mastermind group,” which is a group of like-minded people who support each other in achieving their dreams.

Similarity score: 5/10

• Both Hill and Goddard get into the power of imagination and faith as keys to success. However, they have different definitions and applications of these terms.

Differences

• Napoleon Hill teaches that imagination is the ability to form mental images of things that are not present to the senses. Goddard, on the other hand, teaches that imagination is the creative power of God within man.
• Hill asserts that faith is a state of mind that can be induced by affirmation or auto-suggestion. Goddard defines faith as loyalty to unseen reality.
• Furthermore, Hill focuses mostly on manifesting material wealth and worldly success. Goddard focuses more on spiritual aspects.

Earl Nightingale

Earl Nightingale was a radio personality, speaker, and author who was inspired by Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich.

Nightingale’s main teaching is the strangest secret, which he revealed in his famous audio recording – “The Strangest Secret.” The strangest secret is this: 

“You become what you think about.”

Nightingale also taught that success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal, meaning that anyone who is working towards a goal that they believe in is successful.

Similarity score: 5/10

•  They both teach about the power of thought as a creative force. However, they have different ways of explaining and applying it.

Differences

• Earl Nightingale teaches that you become what you think about most of the time. Conversely, Goddard teaches that you become what you feel as real.
• In addition, Nightingale teaches that success is measured by your progress towards your goal. Goddard explains how when you feel the end result as real, time doesn’t matter, and your desire will manifest.
• Nightingale utilizes more logical and rational language to convey his message, while Goddard uses metaphysical language to express his.

Wayne Dyer

Wayne Dyer was a motivational coach and writer who was influenced by Goddard, among others. 

His main teaching is the power of intention, which he defined as “the ability to co-create your world your way.”

The way he teaches usually fuses together Buddhist, Tao, and Confucian concepts from both Western and Eastern perspectives.

Dyer taught that you can connect with the universal source of all creation and manifest your desires by aligning your thoughts and feelings with your highest self.

His most popular book on manifesting is The Power of Intention. The book explains how to utilize the power of intention to manifest a life that you love.

Similarity score: 7/10

• Dyer and Goddard both teach about the power of intention and alignment as keys to manifestation.
• Both believe that you create your reality with the universal mind or God. So, to get your desire, you have to align with your true self or I AM.
• Likewise, both have a spiritual and inspirational tone in their message.

Differences

• The main difference between them is that Dyer focuses on the power of intention as a force that attracts what you want, and Goddard on the power of assumption as a state that you enter to manifest what you want. 
• Dyer argues that there are various levels of intention, from personal to impersonal. In contrast, Goddard’s interpretation is that there is only one intention, which is God’s intention.
• Goddard leans more on ancient and esoteric language to convey his message. In comparison, Dyer’s language is more accessible. 

Joe Dispenza

Joe Dispenza is a neuroscientist, author, and speaker. He teaches how to rewire your brain and recondition your body to create lasting changes in your life.

Dispenza’s main teaching is to break the habit of being yourself. This means that you have to stop identifying with your old self and start developing a new self that matches your desired reality.

According to Dispenza, you can use meditation, visualization, and emotional regulation to change your brain waves, alter your gene expression, and influence your quantum field. His most popular book on manifesting is Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself, which guides you through a step-by-step process of personal transformation.

Similarity score: 6/10

Dispenza and Goddard have a moderate similarity score because they both teach about the power of imagination and feeling as tools for creating your reality. 

They both:

• Believe that you can change your body and your environment with your mind.
• Claim that you have to feel as if your desire is already fulfilled.
• Offer a lot of explanations and evidence for their teachings. 

Differences

• Dispenza focuses on neuroscience, while Goddard focuses on metaphysics. Dispenza talks about changing your brain chemistry and biology to change your reality. Goddard focuses solely on changing your consciousness and awareness.
• Dispenza explains how you have to break the habit of being yourself, and Goddard that you have to remember who you really are.

Catherine Ponder

Catherine Ponder is a minister and author who is one of the leading prosperity teachers of the New Thought movement.

Her main philosophy is the dynamic laws of prosperity, which are universal principles that govern the flow of abundance in our lives.

Her most popular book on manifesting is The Dynamic Laws of Prosperity, which contains hundreds of affirmations and techniques for prosperity.

Similarity score: 7/10

• Ponder and Goddard both believe that words have a creative force that can shape your reality according to your desires.
• Both use affirmations, decrees, and prayers as methods for changing your beliefs and attracting your desires.
• Both write in an engaging manner that appeals to many readers.

Differences

• Ponder focuses on dynamic laws of prosperity, and Goddard on the law of assumption.
• Likewise, Ponder focuses more on manifesting material wealth and worldly success, while Goddard focuses more on manifesting spiritual awakening.

Seth by Jane Roberts 

Seth is a non-physical entity channeled by Jane Roberts. He is considered to be one of the most influential teachers of the New Age movement. His philosophy is based on the premise that “you create your own reality.”

Seth teaches that we are multidimensional beings who have unlimited potential and free will. We can create our reality by choosing our beliefs, thoughts, emotions, and actions.

Seth talks about the nature of consciousness, reincarnation, parallel realities, probable events, and the inner senses. His most popular book on manifesting is Seth Speaks. The book covers various topics related to the nature of reality and how to create it.

Similarity score: 6/10 

• Seth by Jane Roberts and Neville Goddard both teach about the power of imagination and feeling as tools for creating your own reality.
• Both explain how you are the creator of your own experience and that you can change your reality by changing your inner state first. 
• Both offer metaphysical explanations and examples for their teachings.

Differences

• The main difference between them is that Seth teaches from a non-physical perspective, while Neville Goddard teaches from a human perspective.
• Seth explains how you are a multidimensional being who exists in many realities at once. Goddard teaches that also, but he puts a twist on it by stating that you are God. You can access the infinite possibilities of your imagination.

Louise Hay

Louise Hay was a self-help author and founder of Hay House Publishing.

Hay’s main teaching is that you can heal your life by changing thoughts and affirmations.

In her books, Louise Hay spoke about how every physical illness has a mental cause. By changing your thoughts, you can heal your body.

She also taught about the power of self-love and gratitude as essential ingredients for manifesting your desires. Her most popular book on manifesting is You Can Heal Your Life, which contains positive affirmations for every area of life.

Similarity score: 5/10

• Hay and Goddard both teach about the power of thought and affirmation as tools for healing and manifestation, but they have different ways of using them.

Differences

• Louise Hay teaches that you have to use positive thoughts and affirmations to replace negative ones. Goddard puts more emphasis on living in the end.
• Hay focuses mostly on healing physical ailments and emotional issues, unlike Goddard, who focuses more on manifesting spiritual awakening and divine union.

Abraham Hicks

“Abraham”  is a group of non-physical entities channeled by Esther Hicks.

Active from the 80s, Abraham still continues to be one of the most sought-after manifestation teachers to this day.

The promise of Abraham’s teachings is that you can be, do, and have anything you desire. Abraham teaches the law of attraction, which states that whatever you focus on, you attract more of. Abraham highlights the importance of feeling good and aligning with your inner being.

Abraham’s most popular book on manifesting is Ask and It Is Given, which contains 22 powerful processes for improving your point of attraction.

Similarity score: 6/10

• Abraham Hicks and Goddard both teach about the power of feeling and alignment as essential factors for manifestation.
• Both consider positive emotions to be the key to attracting your desires. 
• Both offer practical and easy exercises for tuning into your inner guidance.

Differences

• The main difference between them is that Abraham Hicks teaches the law of attraction, while Neville Goddard teaches the law of assumption. More about the differences between these two principles you can find out in the blog post: Law of Assumption vs Law of Attraction: Which One Works Better?
• Abraham talks about how you attract what you focus on. On the other hand, Goddard teaches that you create what you assume.
• Abraham Hicks explains that there is a time lag between your thoughts and manifestations. Goddard focuses more on clarifying that there is no time or space in the realm of imagination. Of course, from the metaphysical point, both are correct. The only difference is how they approach the subject. 

Bob Proctor

Bob Proctor is a Canadian self-help author and lecturer who was impacted by Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich.

Proctor talks about all universal laws, but perhaps mainly about the law of vibration, which states that everything in the universe has a frequency or vibration. By changing your vibration, you can attract what you want.

Proctor’s most popular book on manifesting is “You Were Born Rich.” This book is a guide to unlocking the infinite potential and abundance already within you.

Similarity score: 6/10

• Proctor and Goddard both teach about the power of positive beliefs and feelings as essential factors for manifestation.
• They both believe that changing your state of consciousness is the key to manifesting your desires. 

Differences

• Bob Proctor emphasizes the law of vibration, while Goddard focuses on the law of assumption.
• Proctor also teaches that there are different levels of vibration. Goddard’s teachings talk about different states of consciousness and don’t mention vibration.

Phineas Quimby

Phineas Quimby was a clockmaker, mesmerist, and healer who is considered to be the founder of the New Thought movement.

Quimby’s main teaching is mental healing, which states that illness is caused by false beliefs and that by correcting them, one can restore health. He used hypnosis and suggestion to heal his patients. Also, he taught them how to heal themselves with their own minds.

Phineas Quimby did not write any books per se, but his writings were collected and published as The Quimby Manuscripts, which contain his theories and case studies of his healing practice.

Similarity Score: 5/10

• Quimby and Goddard both teach about the power of mind over matter.
• According to Quimby, matter is an illusion that can be overcome by altering your perception. Goddard states that matter is a manifestation of our consciousness. 

Differences

• They have different focuses and approaches in their teachings.
• Phineas Quimby focuses more on healing physical ailments and emotional issues. Goddard covers a range of topics and places greater emphasis on facilitating spiritual enlightenment.