[Sidenote:  Self-Control]

Sometimes a quick thinker will purposely develop the habit of making very deliberate motions.  This trait is the result of his determined repression of a recognized inclination to act on impulse.  He has accomplished perfect self-control in order to guard against the danger of making up his mind too quickly on his first thoughts.  But his slowed-down movements will be so precise and certain as to indicate his characteristic of self-control and that his mind has moved in advance of his acts.

If you have occasion to size up such a man, you should perceive that the movements of his muscles do not correspond with the rate of his mental activity, as a superficial observer might mistakenly conclude.  If your prospect sits or stands immobile; or if his actions give no indication of what he is thinking, watch his eyes and his facial muscles of expression.  Eyes that fairly dart from one object to another, expressions that flash on and off the face; prove swift mental activity, no matter how quietly the body may be held.  For instance, a strong, quick thinker may have his muscles under such perfect control that he will pick up a pencil very deliberately because he has trained himself to repress his impulses.  But when he has finished using the pencil, he will drop it cleanly and not let it slip slowly from his fingers.  His self-training in precaution applies only to what he does before acting on a purpose.  The moment he is done writing, he also is done with the pencil.  His hand does not linger with it over the paper.  Unconsciously his characteristic quickness manifests itself in his inclination to get rid at once of the tool he has finished using.

[Sidenote:  Tightened Thoughts]

Any indication of muscular tensity suggests a tightening of the mind on thoughts.  It is often a sign of mental resistance or of persistency.  If, when talking to a man you observe that his muscles seem taut, avoid forcing the idea you want him to accept, for his mind is opposing it strongly just then.  Perhaps he has a persistent thought of his own, at variance with yours.  Either give him a chance to express his idea in words, so you can dispose of it, or switch him away from it by changing the trend of the conversation.  When you perceive that his muscles are normally relaxed, you may safely return to the postponed point.  You will encounter lessened mental resistance.  Very likely he will then have no impulse to persist in the thought he previously had fixed in his mind.

[Sidenote:  What a Man’s Walk Shows]

Note how your prospect walks forward to meet you, or how he moves about his office.  If his stride is long and free and easy, it proves that the back muscles of his thighs are strong.  Those muscles function in direct co-ordination with the mental action of willing.  Therefore when a man walks easily with a long, free stride he indicates that he has a strong will.  He may be sized up confidently as a fighter for his rights, as a man with a great deal of resolution once he makes up his mind.