God gives every bird its food, but He does not throw it into the nest.
—Josiah Gilbert Holland (1819–81) American Editor, Novelist
You’re neither right nor wrong because other people agree with you. You’re right because your facts are right and your reasoning is right—and that’s the only thing that makes you right. And if your facts and reasoning are right, you don’t have to worry about anybody else.
—Warren Buffett (b.1930) American Investor
Of the mental hazards, being scared is the worst. When you get scared, you get tense.
—Sam Snead (1912–2002) American Professional Golfer
When one is trying to do something beyond his known powers it is useless to seek the approval of friends. Friends are at their best in moments of defeat.
—Henry Miller (1891–1980) American Novelist
The smallest effort is not lost,
Each wavelet on the ocean tost
Aids in the ebb-tide or the flow;
Each rain-drop makes some floweret blow;
Each struggle lessens human woe.
—Charles Mackay (1814–89) Scottish Poet, Journalist, Songwriter
Winning is not everything, but the effort to win is.
—Zig Ziglar (1926–2012) American Author
The one thing that matters is the effort.
—Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900–44) French Novelist, Aviator
Whether our efforts are, or not, favored by life, let us be able to say, when we come near to the great goal, I have done what I could.
—Louis Pasteur (1822–95) French Biologist
There is no comparison between that which is lost by not succeeding and that which is lost by not trying.
—Francis Bacon (1561–1626) English Philosopher
Everyone confesses in the abstract that exertion which brings out all the powers of body and mind is the best thing for us all; but practically most people do all they can to get rid of it, and as a general rule nobody does much more than circumstances drive them to do.
—Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811–96) American Abolitionist, Author
Fixedness of purpose is at the root of all successful efforts, whether in things worldly or spiritual, and without it man cannot be otherwise than wretched, and dependent upon others for that support which should be found within himself.
—James Allen (1864–1912) British Philosophical Writer
Fanaticism consists in redoubling your efforts when you have forgotten your aim.
—George Santayana (1863–1952) Spanish-American Poet, Philosopher
Each honest calling, each walk of life, has its own elite, its own aristocracy based on excellence of performance.
—James Bryant Conant (1893–1978) American Chemist, Educator
You have to perform at a consistently higher level than others. That’s the mark of a true professional.
—Joe Paterno (1926–2012) American Sportsperson
Let a man with perseverance abstain from doing evil deeds, like person who, not being blind, avoids the uneven roads.
—Buddhist Teaching
It is not the truth that a man possesses, or believes that he possesses, but the earnest effort which he puts forward to reach the truth, which constitutes the worth of a man. For it is not by the possession, but the search after truth that he enlarges his power, wherein alone consists his ever-increasing perfection.
—Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (1729–81) German Writer, Philosopher
Success is almost totally dependent upon drive and persistence. The extra energy required to make another effort or try another approach is the secret of winning.
—Denis Waitley (b.1933) American Motivational Speaker, Author
A winner never stops trying.
—Tom Landry (1924–2000) American Sportsperson
There has never yet been a man in our history who led a life of ease whose name is worth remembering.
—Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) American Head of State, Political leader, Historian, Explorer
If a warrior is to succeed at anything, the success must come gently, with a great deal of effort but with no stress or obsession.
—Carlos Castaneda (1925–98) Peruvian-born American Anthropologist, Author
Push yourself again and again. Don’t give an inch until the final buzzer sounds.
—Larry Bird (b.1956) American Basketball Player
I made up my mind long ago that life was too short to do anything for myself that I could pay others to do for me.
—W. Somerset Maugham (1874–1965) British Novelist, Short-Story Writer, Playwright
It’s the last inch that counts.
—Unknown
The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.
—Vidal Sassoon (1928–2012) Anglo-American Hairstylist, Businessman
The healthiest competition occurs when average people win by putting in above-average effort.
—Colin Powell (1937–2021) American Military Leader
Contrary to what we usually believe … the best moments in our lives, are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times—although such experiences can also be enjoyable, if we have worked hard to attain them. The best moments usually occur when a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.
—Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (1934–2021) Hungarian-American Psychologist
When you do something, you should burn yourself completely, like a good bonfire, leaving no trace of yourself.
—Shunryu Suzuki (1904–71) Zen Buddhist Monk, Author
But instinct is something which transcends knowledge. We have, undoubtedly, certain finer fibers that enable us to perceive truths when logical deduction, or any other willful effort of the brain, is futile.
—Nikola Tesla (1856–1943) Serbian-American Electrical Engineer, Inventor
I’ve got a theory that if you give 100 percent all of the time, somehow things will work out in the end.
—Larry Bird (b.1956) American Basketball Player
Very few people are capable of sustained effort, and that’s the reason why we have comparatively few outstanding successes.
—Roger McDonald (b.1941) Australian Novelist, Poet, Screenwriter, Writer