In 2006, a feature-length documentary called The Secret introduced millions of viewers to the "law of attraction" — the claim that thought is the most powerful force in the universe, and that a person's dominant thoughts and feelings act like a magnet, drawing back matching experiences. Rhonda Byrne followed the film with this book, published in 2007, which lays out the same idea in fuller form.
Structured around practical areas of life — money, health, relationships, and happiness — the book combines Byrne's own explanation of the principle with commentary from a recurring cast of self-help teachers, coaches, and entrepreneurs she interviewed for the film. Its central instruction is simple and repeated throughout: identify what you want, believe you already have it, and feel grateful for it, and the universe will respond in kind. Byrne has said she was inspired to write it after reading Wallace Wattles' 1910 book The Science of Getting Rich.
The Secret sold over 30 million copies and spent 190 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller list, boosted by heavy promotion from Oprah Winfrey. It has been credited by supporters with a genuine shift in how they approach setbacks and goals, and criticized by scientists and some religious commentators for its claims about thought literally shaping physical outcomes. It remains widely read as an entry point to the broader self-help and manifestation genre Byrne went on to build with several sequels, including The Power, The Magic, and Hero.