Every man who is high up loves to think that he has done it all himself; and the wife smiles, and lets it go at that.
—J. M. Barrie (1860–1937) Scottish Novelist, Dramatist
I … am always glad to touch the living rock again and dip my hand in the high mountain air.
—Isaac Asimov (1920–92) Russian-born American Writer, Scientist
Success isn’t how far you got, but the distance you traveled from where you started.
—Unknown
That man is successful who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much, who has gained the respect of the intelligent men and the love of children; who has filled his niche and accomplished his task; who leaves the world better than he found it, whether by an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul; who never lacked appreciation of earth’s beauty or failed to express it; who looked for the best in others and gave the best he had.
—Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–94) Scottish Novelist
Success is the child of drudgery and perseverance. It cannot be coaxed or bribed; pay the price and it is yours.
—Orison Swett Marden (1850–1924) American New Thought Writer, Physician, Entrepreneur
A man may fail many times, but he isn’t a failure until he begins to blame somebody else.
—John Burroughs (1837–1921) American Naturalist, Writer
Success with money, family, relationships, health, and careers is the ability to reach your personal objectives in the shortest time, with the least effort and with the fewest mistakes. The goals you set for yourself and the strategies you choose become your blueprint or plan. Strategies are like recipes: choose the right ingredients, mix them in the correct proportions, and you will always produce the same predictable results: in this case financial success. The success strategies for managing money and building wealth are called Money Strategies. By learning to use money strategies as a part of your day-to-day life, financial frustration and failure will become a thing of the past.
—Charles J. Givens (1941–98) American Self-Help Writer
Live daringly, boldly, fearlessly. Taste the relish to be found in competition—in having put forth the best within you.
—Henry J. Kaiser (1882–1967) American Industrialist
Failure is, in a sense, the highway to success, inasmuch as every discovery of what is false leads us to seek earnestly after what is true, and every fresh experience points out some form of error which we shall afterward carefully avoid.
—John Keats (1795–1821) English Poet
Said will be a little ahead, but done should follow at his heel.
—Charles Spurgeon (1834–92) English Baptist Preacher
We fall forward to succeed.
—Mary Kay Ash (1918–2001) American Entrepreneur, Businessperson
The ladder of success is never crowded at the top.
—Napoleon Hill (1883–1970) American Author, Journalist, Attorney, Lecturer
I concede!
—Richard Nixon (1913–94) American Head of State, Lawyer
The great secret of success is to go through life as a man who never gets used up.
—Albert Schweitzer (1875–1965) French Theologian, Musician, Philosopher, Physician
There’s always something about your success that displeases even your best friends.
—Mark Twain (1835–1910) American Humorist
Every failure, obstacle or hardship is an opportunity in disguise. Success in many cases is failure turned inside out. The greatest pollution problem we face today is negativity. Eliminate the negative attitude and believe you can do anything. Replace ‘if I can, I hope, maybe’ with ‘I can, I will, I must.’
—Mary Kay Ash (1918–2001) American Entrepreneur, Businessperson
It is easy to hate and it is difficult to love. This is how the whole scheme of things works. All good things are difficult to achieve; and bad things are very easy to get.
—Morarji Desai (1896–1995) Indian Statesman, Nationalist Leader
Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell em, “Certainly I can!”—and get busy and find out how to do it.
—Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) American Head of State, Political leader, Historian, Explorer
Success isn’t necessarily permanent—but neither is failure.
—Unknown
Would you live with ease, do what you should, and not what you please. Success has ruined many a man.
—Benjamin Franklin (1706–90) American Political Leader, Inventor, Diplomat
Ours is a world where people don’t know what they want and are willing to go through hell to get it.
—Don Marquis (1878–1937) American Humorist, Journalist, Author
Even on the most exalted throne in the world we are only sitting on our own bottom.
—Michel de Montaigne (1533–92) French Essayist
Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.
—Albert Schweitzer (1875–1965) French Theologian, Musician, Philosopher, Physician
You already have every characteristic necessary for success if you recognize, claim, develop and use them.
—Zig Ziglar (1926–2012) American Author
Subdue fate by exerting human strength to the maximum; and if, when the effort has been made and success is not achieved, no one else can be blamed.
—The Hitopadesha Indian Collection of Fables
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
A full cup must be carried steadily.
—English Proverb
Every inordinate cup is unblessed, and the ingredient is the devil.
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616) British Playwright
No great deed is done by falterers who ask for certainty.
—George Eliot (Mary Anne Evans) (1819–80) English Novelist
Success is simply a matter of luck. Ask any failure.
—Earl Nightingale (1921–89) American Motivational Speaker, Author
Take a chance! All life is a chance. The man who goes the furthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare. The “sure thing” boat never gets far from shore.
—Dale Carnegie (1888–1955) American Self-Help Author
The measure of a man is the way he bears up under misfortune.
—Plutarch (c.46–c.120 CE) Greek Biographer, Philosopher
There is no royal road; you’ve got to work a good deal harder than most people want to work.
—Charles Erwin Wilson (1886–1972) American Businessperson
The greatest things are accomplished by individual people, not by committees or companies.
—Alfred A. Montapert (1906–97) American Engineer, Philosopher
No man succeeds without a good woman behind him. Wife or mother, if it is both, he is twice blessed indeed.
—Harold Macmillan (1894–1986) British Head of State
Would that there were an award for people who come to understand the concept of enough. Good enough. Successful enough. Thin enough. Rich enough. Socially responsible enough. When you have self-respect, you have enough.
—Gail Sheehy (1936–2020) American Writer, Journalist
Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome.
—Arthur Ashe (1943–93) American Tennis Player
There is a good side to every situation.
—David J. Schwartz (1927–87) American Self-help Author
Success occurs when opportunity meets preparation.
—Indian Proverb
The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking places.
—Unknown
Formula for Success… and then some. The top people do what’s expected of them, and then some. They are thoughtful and considerate of others, and then some. They meet their obligations and responsibilities fairly and squarely, and then some. They are good friends to their friends, and then some. They can be counted on in an emergency, and then some. And so it is when we do what is assigned to us in our lives and in the church, and then some; then the Lord pays in full, and then some.
—Unknown
The majority of men meet with failure because of their lack of persistence in creating new plans to take the place of those which fail.
—Napoleon Hill (1883–1970) American Author, Journalist, Attorney, Lecturer
If you want greater prosperity in your life, start forming a vacuum to receive it.
—Catherine Ponder (b.1927) American Clergywoman
Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing.
—Abraham Lincoln (1809–65) American Head of State
It has always seemed strange to me…The things we admire in men, kindness and generosity, openness, honesty, understanding and feeling, are the concomitants of failure in our system. And those traits we detest, sharpness, greed, acquisitiveness, meanness, egotism and self-interest, are the traits of success.
—John Steinbeck (1902–68) American Novelist, Short Story Writer, Journalist
Avoid witicisms at the expense of others.
—Horace Mann (1796–1859) American Educator, Politician, Educationalist
It might be a good idea if the various countries of the world would occasionally swap history books, just to see what other people are doing with the same set of facts.
—Burton Hillis (William E. Vaughan) (1915–77) American Columnist, Author
You don’t pay the price for success. You enjoy the price for success.
—Zig Ziglar (1926–2012) American Author
How a person masters his fate is more important than what his fate is.
—Wilhelm von Humboldt (1767–1835) German Philosopher, Linguist, Statesman
You will soon break the bow if you keep it always stretched.
—Plato (428 BCE–347 BCE) Ancient Greek Philosopher, Mathematician, Educator