The Importance of Attitude The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the word "attitude" as "a mental position or feeling with regard to an object." The mental positions or feelings are our thoughts, beliefs and opinions. The object is life. In other words, attitudes encompass all of the thoughts, beliefs and opinions which people have about their lives. Over 2500 years ago, Buddha said, "All that we are is the result of what we have thought; it is founded on our thoughts. If a man speaks or acts with pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him." Buddha also said, "