Man finds “$40 million worth of checks” in thrift store book—with a catch

A man must have thought it was his lucky day after opening a book in a thrift store only to find a series of checks worth $40 million.

However, he quickly realized all was not as it seemed.

Brian Davis, from Guelph, Ontario, was browsing the books at his local thrift store when he spotted a copy of The Secret.

“I’d never actually looked at the book before, and I wanted to see what it was like,” Davis told Newsweek.

The Book That Promised Wealth and Success

Published in 2006, Rhonda Byrne’s The Secret was a bestselling self-help book that popularized the “law of attraction”—the idea that focusing on positive thoughts and visualizing success can help bring wealth, health, happiness, and other desired outcomes into your life.

The book became a global phenomenon at its peak between 2006 and 2008, boosted by endorsements from Oprah Winfrey, and has since sold more than 30 million copies worldwide.

A $40 Million Surprise

Opening the book, Davis was confronted by an unexpected sight: “$40 million worth of checks.”

“The checks were tucked neatly within the pages,” he said. “My first reflex was that it felt like finding cash, but of course I also knew that someone else’s checks would be worthless to me.”

The checks were “Magic Checks,” a manifestation tool promoted by The Secret franchise. Followers fill in a check with their name and a desired amount of money, then use it as a visualization exercise, believing that gratitude and positive thinking will help attract financial success through the book’s “law of attraction” philosophy.

“It’s exactly the sort of thing the book suggests will work,” Davis said. “It’s not just hopeful thinking. This person was following through on the book’s instructions for gaining success.”

Skeptical of Manifestation

The concept isn’t one Davis is entirely convinced by.

“I think there’s something to be said for being conscious of your goals, but simply asking and then waiting isn’t going to help anyone,” he said.

“I guess if you believe that the universe rewards the bold, then you ask for the biggest thing you can, and then if you find a $20 bill in an old jacket, it worked? Being bold in this context is asking for a handout rather than taking real action to improve your life.”

Why ‘The Secret’ Was Controversial

Davis isn’t alone in his criticism of the book.

At its peak, one of the main criticisms of The Secret was that the “law of attraction” concept lacked scientific evidence. Critics argued that there is no proof that simply thinking positive thoughts can directly attract wealth, health, or success, as the book claims. Many described the concept as pseudoscientific.

The book was also criticized for implying that people are responsible for negative events in their lives because of their thoughts. Some suggested this message could lead to toxic positivity, victim-blaming, and a dangerous dismissal of external and systemic realities.

What Happened to the Original Owner?

Davis believes the checks may have ended up in the thrift store because of one of two very different outcomes.

“The optimistic take is to assume that these things got donated because the previous owner didn’t need them anymore,” he said. “The pessimistic take is that the person gave up on the effort.”

He said there’s a chance whoever owned the book and wrote the checks “gave up on an active hope,” but there’s an equal chance that the previous owner simply never bought into the idea.

“Maybe someone else gifted them the book and prompted them to write the checks, and the person never believed at all,” he said.

A Piece of Cultural History

Whatever the case, Davis likes to think the person who donated the book to the thrift store did so because they were “finally ready to start seeking solutions in reality.”

“I genuinely hope whoever wrote those checks is happy, but if they are, I know it has nothing to do with the book or the checks,” he said.

Davis did end up buying the book—not because of the checks or a desire to learn more about The Secret, but because he views it as a “piece of cultural history.”

He’s not expecting any $40 million checks to fall into his lap anytime soon.

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Rebecca Flood and Emma Lee-Sang