Nothing is so strong as gentleness; nothing so gentle as real strength.
—Francis de Sales (1567–1622) French Catholic Saint
There is always room for a man of force, and he makes room for many. Society is a troop of thinkers, and the best heads among them take the best places.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82) American Philosopher
What is strength without a double share of wisdom? Vast, unwieldy, burthensome, proudly secure, yet liable to fall by weakest subtleties; strength’s not made to rule, but to subserve, where wisdom bears command.
—John Milton (1608–74) English Poet, Civil Servant, Scholar, Debater
Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well. There is nothing more potent than thought. Deed follows word and word follows thought. The word is the result of a mighty thought, and where the thought is mighty and pure the result is always mighty and pure.
—Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869–1948) Indian Hindu Political leader
Self-trust is the first secret of success.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82) American Philosopher
Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor.
—Truman Capote (1924–84) American Novelist
An empowered organization is one in which individuals have the knowledge, skill, desire, and opportunity to personally succeed in a way that leads to collective organizational success.
—Stephen Covey (1932–2012) American Self-help Author
There is nothing stronger in the world than gentleness.
—Han Suyin (b.1917) Chinese-born Eurasian Novelist, Writer, Physician
Look well into thyself; there is a source of strength which will always spring up if thou wilt always look there.
—Marcus Aurelius (121–180) Emperor of Rome, Stoic Philosopher
The limitations of my endurance were expanded over and over. At times I felt that if I did not sit down I would collapse. Then something would happen to attract my attention…miraculously, the distraction always provided wings, carrying new strength, a second wind.
—Marlo Morgan (1937–98) American Novelist, Author
O, it is excellent to have a giant’s strength, but it is tyrannous to use it like a giant.
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616) British Playwright
I believe that the true road to preeminent success in any line is to make yourself master of that line.
—Andrew Carnegie (1835–1919) Scottish-American Industrialist
Rudeness is the weak man’s imitation of strength.
—Eric Hoffer (1902–83) American Philosopher, Author
Greatness lies, not in being strong, but in the right using of strength; and strength is not used rightly when it serves only to carry a man above his fellows for his own solitary glory. He is the greatest whose strength carries up the most hearts by the attraction of his own.
—Henry Ward Beecher (1813–87) American Clergyman, Writer
Confront the dark parts of yourself, and work to banish them with illumination and forgiveness. Your willingness to wrestle with your demons will cause your angels to sing. Use the pain as fuel, as a reminder of your strength.
—August Wilson (1945–2005) American Playwright
You can do anything you wish to do, have anything you wish to have, be anything you wish to be.
—Robert Collier (1885–1950) American Self-Help Author
Strength of mind rests in sobriety; for this keeps your reason unclouded by passion.
—Pythagoras (570–495 BCE) Greek Philosopher
There is one thing stronger than all the armies in the world, and that is an idea whose time has come.
—Victor Hugo (1802–85) French Novelist
Our real problem, then, is not our strength today; it is rather the vital necessity of action today to ensure our strength tomorrow.
—Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969) American Head of State, Military Leader
The road to success is not to be run upon by seven-leagued boots. Step by step, little by little, bit by bit—that is the way to wealth, that is the way to wisdom, that is the way to glory. Pounds are the sons, not of pounds, but of pence.
—Charles Buxton (1823–71) British Politician, Writer
He knows not his own strength that hath not met adversity.
—Ben Jonson (1572–1637) English Dramatist, Poet, Actor
People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves they have the first secret of success.
—Norman Vincent Peale (1898–1993) American Clergyman, Self-Help Author
New opinions are always suspected, and usually opposed, without any other reason but because they are not already common.
—John Locke (1632–1704) English Philosopher, Physician
If A equals success, then the formula is A equals X plus Y and Z, with X being work, Y play, and Z keeping your mouth shut.
—Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born Physicist
He who has injured thee was either stronger or weaker than thee. If weaker, spare him; if stronger, spare thyself.
—Seneca the Younger (Lucius Annaeus Seneca) (c.4 BCE–65 CE) Roman Stoic Philosopher, Statesman, Tragedian
It is never too late to be what you might have been.
—George Eliot (Mary Anne Evans) (1819–80) English Novelist
Gentleness corrects whatever is offensive in our manner.
—Hugh Blair (1718–1800) Scottish Preacher, Scholar, Critic
Success doesn’t come to you—you go to it.
—Marva Collins (b.1936) American Educator
Only strong natures can really be sweet ones; those that seem sweet are in general only weak, and may easily turn sour.
—Francois de La Rochefoucauld (1613–80) French Writer
At times to think of one’s outer helplessness is good, but to think always of one’s inner strength is infinitely better.
—Sri Chinmoy (1931–2007) Indian Yoga Teacher
Success means accomplishments as the result of our own efforts and abilities. Proper preparation is the key to our success. Our acts can be no wiser than our thoughts. Our thinking can be no wiser than our understanding.
—George Samuel Clason (1874–1957) American Businessperson, Author
Tenderness is a virtue.
—Oliver Goldsmith (1730–74) Irish Novelist, Playwright, Poet
The burden is equal to the horse’s strength.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
Concentration is the secret of strength in politics, in war, in trade, in short, in all management of human affairs.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82) American Philosopher
Men give me credit for some genius. All the genius I have lies in this: When I have a subject in hand, I study it profoundly. Day and night it is before me. I explore it in all its bearings. My mind becomes pervaded with it. Then the effort which I have made is what people are pleased to call the fruit of genius. It is the fruit of labor and thought.
—Alexander Hamilton (c.1757–1804) American Federalist Politician, Statesman
I could do nothing without problems, they toughen me my mind. In fact I tell my assistants not to bring me their successes for they weaken me; but rather to bring me their problems, for they strengthen me.
—Charles F. Kettering (1876–1958) American Inventor, Entrepreneur, Businessperson
Three things give us hardy strength: sleeping on hairy mattresses, breathing cold air, and eating dry food.
—Welsh Proverb
It is the nature, and the advantage, of strong people that they can bring out the crucial questions and form a clear opinion about them. The weak always have to decide between alternatives that are not their own.
—Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906–45) German Lutheran Pastor, Theologian
The awareness of our own strength makes us modest.
—Paul Cezanne (1839–1906) French Painter
I’m not going to lie down and let trouble walk over me.
—Ellen Glasgow (1873–1945) American Novelist
Try not to become a man of success, but rather to become a man of value. He is considered successful in our day who gets more out of life than he puts in. But a man of value will give more than he receives.
—Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born Physicist
When we are strong, we are always much greater than the things that happen to us.
—Thomas Merton (1915–68) American Trappist Monk
It is for us to pray not for tasks equal to our powers, but for powers equal to our tasks, to go forward with a great desire forever beating at the door of our hearts as we travel toward our distant goal.
—Helen Keller (1880–1968) American Author
Health, happiness and success depend upon the fighting spirit of each person. The big thing is not what happens to us in life – but what we do about what happens to us.
—George E. Allen (1896–1973) American Sportsperson
Men are strong so long as they represent a strong idea they become powerless when they oppose it.
—Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) Austrian Psychiatrist, Psychoanalytic
One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation.
—Arthur Ashe (1943–93) American Tennis Player
Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.
—Arnold Schwarzenegger (b.1947) Austrian-American Athlete, Actor, Politician
On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the lowest, imagine you are a person with a level 2 strength of character and attitude looking at a level 5 problem. Would this problem appear to be big or little? From a level 2 perspective, a level 5 problem would seem like a big problem. Now imagine you’ve grown yourself and become a level 8 person. Would the same level 5 problem be a big problem or a little problem? Magically, the identical problem is now a little problem
Finally, imagine that you’ve really worked hard on yourself and become a level 10 person. Now, is this same level 5 problem a big problem or a little problem? The answer is that it’s no problem. It doesn’t even register in your brain as a problem. There’s no negative energy around it. It’s just a normal occurrence to handle, like brushing your teeth or getting dressed.
—T. Harv Eker (b.1954) American Motivational Speaker, Lecturer, Author
First principle: one must need strength, otherwise one will never have it.
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900) German Philosopher, Scholar, Writer
There are admirable potentialities in every human being. Believe in your strength and your youth. Learn to repeat endlessly to yourself, ‘It all depends on me’.
—Andre Gide (1869–1951) French Novelist