Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything.
—Napoleon Hill (1883–1970) American Author, Journalist, Attorney, Lecturer
Somehow I can’t believe that there are any heights that can’t be scaled by a man who knows the secrets of making dreams come true. This special secret, it seems to me, can be summarized in four Cs. They are curiosity, confidence, courage, and constancy, and the greatest of all is confidence. When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionably.
—Walt Disney (1901–66) American Entrepreneur
To spend life for something which outlasts it.
—William James (1842–1910) American Philosopher, Psychologist, Physician
You will soon break the bow if you keep it always stretched.
—Plato (428 BCE–347 BCE) Ancient Greek Philosopher, Mathematician, Educator
Man can climb to the highest summits but he cannot dwell there long.
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950) Irish Playwright
Personal development is your springboard to personal excellence. Ongoing, continuous, non-stop personal development literally assures you that there is no limit to what you can accomplish.
—Brian Tracy (b.1944) American Author, Motivational Speaker
The great accomplishments of man have resulted from the transmission of ideas and enthusiasm.
—Thomas J. Watson, Sr. (1874–1956) American Business Executive
Stick with your own perception of yourself—living in your own world—and letting your reality, not the reality presented by other people or particular situations, control your performance.
—John Eliot (b.1971) American Psychologist, Academic
Picture yourself in your minds eye as having already achieved this goal. See yourself doing the things you’ll be doing when you’ve reached your goal.
—Earl Nightingale (1921–89) American Motivational Speaker, Author
We shall never achieve harmony with land, any more than we shall achieve absolute justice or liberty for people. In these higher aspirations, the important thing is not to achieve but to strive.
—Aldo Leopold (1887–1948) American Ecologist, Conservationist
Hell begins on the day when God grants us a clear vision of all that we might have achieved, of all the gifts which we might have wasted, of all that we might have done which we did not do.
—Gian Carlo Menotti (1911–2007) Italian-born American Composer
A difficult time can be more readily endured if we retain the conviction that our existence holds a purpose – a cause to pursue, a person to love, a goal to achieve.
—John C. Maxwell (b.1947) American Christian Professional Speaker, Author, Clergyman
Spectacular achievement is always preceded by unspectacular preparation.
—Robert H. Schuller (1926–2015) American Christian Televangelist, Author
The results you achieve will be in direct proportion to the effort you apply.
—Denis Waitley (b.1933) American Motivational Speaker, Author
My most brilliant achievement was my ability to be able to persuade my wife to marry me.
—Winston Churchill (1874–1965) British Head of State, Political leader, Historian, Journalist, Author
We always take credit for the good and attribute the bad to fortune.
—Jean de La Fontaine (1621–95) French Poet, Short Story Writer
You cannot expect to achieve new goals or move beyond your present circumstances unless you change.
—Les Brown
Achievement is not always success while reputed failure often is. It is honest endeavor, persistent effort to do the best possible under any and all circumstances.
—Orison Swett Marden (1850–1924) American New Thought Writer, Physician, Entrepreneur
The mode in which the inevitable comes to pass is through effort.
—Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (1841–1935) American Jurist, Author
Stress is the high-level performers PowerBar.
—John Eliot (b.1971) American Psychologist, Academic
For what is the best choice, for each individual is the highest it is possible for him to achieve.
—Aristotle (384BCE–322BCE) Ancient Greek Philosopher, Scholar
Nothing resists a human will that stakes its very existence upon the achievement of its purpose.
—Benjamin Franklin (1706–90) American Political Leader, Inventor, Diplomat
It is the easiest thing in the world to obey God when He commands us to do what we like, and to trust Him when the path is all sunshine. The real victory of faith is to trust God in the dark, and through the dark.
—Theodore L. Cuyler (1822–1909) American Presbyterian Clergyman, Writer
God will not look you over for medals, degrees, or diplomas, but for scars.
—Elbert Hubbard (1856–1915) American Writer, Publisher, Artist, Philosopher
Disciplining yourself to do what you know is right and important, although difficult, is the highroad to pride, self-esteem, and personal satisfaction.
—Margaret Thatcher (1925–2013) British Head of State
We succeed only as we identify in life, or in war, or in anything else, a single overriding objective, and make all other considerations bend to that one objective.
—Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969) American Head of State, Military Leader
The top players in every field think differently when all the marbles are on the line. Great performers focus on what they are doing, and nothing else…They let it happen, let it go. They couldn’t care less about the results.
—John Eliot (b.1971) American Psychologist, Academic
The measure of a man is the way he bears up under misfortune.
—Plutarch (c.46–c.120 CE) Greek Biographer, Philosopher
Personal relationships are the fertile soil from which all advancement, all success, all achievement in real life grows.
—Ben Stein (b.1944) American Lawyer, Writer, Economist, Humorist
Our chief want in life is somebody who will make us do what we can.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82) American Philosopher