Orison Swett
Orison Swett
success perseverance children
Success is the child of drudgery and perseverance. It cannot be coaxed or bribed; pay the price and it is yours.
trust hands excellence
There is only one thing for us to do, and that is to do our level best right where we are every day of our lives; To use our best judgment, and then to trust the rest to that Power which holds the forces of the universe in his hands.
success running inspiration
The quality of your work, in the long run, is the deciding factor on how much your services are valued by the world.
attitude world whole
You will find the whole world will change to you when you change your attitude toward it.
pain taken men
It is certain that the greatest poets, orators, statesmen, and historians, men of the most brilliant and imposing talents, have labored as hard, if not harder, than day laborers; and that the most obvious reason why they have been superior to other men is that they have taken more pains than other men.
life simple simplicity
The waste of life occasioned by trying to do too many things at once is appalling.
optimism tears done
Pessimism has never done anything but tear down and destroy what optimism has built up.
successful men vaccines
The influential man is the successful man, whether he be rich or poor.
humble ambition character
The sculptor will chip off all unnecessary material to set free the angel. Nature will chip and pound us remorselessly to bring out our possibilities. She will strip us of wealth, humble our pride, humiliate our ambition, let us down from the ladder of fame, will discipline us in a thousand ways, if she can develop a little character. Everything must give way to that. Wealth is nothing, position is nothing, fame is nothing, manhood is everything.
successful men ideas
The successful men of today are men of one overmastering idea, one unwavering aim, men of single and intense purpose.
laughter eye air
Laughter brightens the eye, increases the perspiration, expands the chest, forces the poisoned air from the least-used cells, and tends to restore that exquisite poise or balance which we call health.
opportunity excuse weak
The lack of opportunity is ever the excuse of the weak.
hands giving excellence
Make it a life-rule to give your best to whatever passes through your hands. Stamp it with your manhood. Let superiority be your trademark...
dream giving-up block
There is a legend of an artist who long sought for a piece of sandalwood, out of which to carve a Madonna. He was about to give up in despair, leaving the vision of his life unrealized, when in a dream he was bidden to carve his Madonna from a block of oak wood which was destined for the fire. He obeyed and produced a masterpiece from a log of common firewood. Many of us lose great opportunities in life by waiting to find sandalwood for our carvings, when they really lie hidden in the common logs that we burn.