Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
THOUGHTS
A COLLECTION OF MOTIVATIONAL
QUOTATIONS, SAYINGS, AND POEMS
I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I need to
be.
Douglas Adams (1952-2001) British humorist & science fiction novelist
We can accomplish almost anything within our ability if we but think that we can.
George Matthew Adams (1872-1962) American writer
[5, pg. 235]
Inside of a ring or out, ain't nothing wrong with going down. It's staying down that's
wrong.
Muhammad Ali (1942- _____ ) heavyweight boxing champion
[5, pg. 414]
If you have the will to win, you have achieved half your success; if you don't, you have
achieved half your failure.
David V. A. Ambrose
[5, pg. 235]
Desire is the key to motivation, but it's the determination and commitment to an
unrelenting pursuit of your goal– a commitment to excellence– that will enable you to
attain the success you seek.
Mario Andretti (1940- _____ ) race car driver
3
I count him braver who overcomes his desires, than him who conquers his enemies; the
hardest victory is the victory over self.
Aristotle (384-322 BC) Greek philosopher
[5, pg. 155]
We learn by doing.
Aristotle (384-322 BC) Greek philosopher
[9, pg. 26]
You can always tell when you're on the right road, when it's all uphill.
The Atlanta Star (derivative)
God brings men into deep waters not to drown them, but to cleanse them.
Aughey
[5, pg. 65]
The successful man is one who had the chance and took it.
Roger Babson (1875-1967) business forecaster & statistician
[5, pg. 370]
Nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that
something inside them was superior to circumstance.
Bruce Barton (1886-1967) advertising executive
[4, pg. 64]
Hold yourself responsible to a higher standard than anyone else expects of you.
Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887) American religious leader
[13, pg. 11]
If you do not find peace in yourself, you will never find it anywhere else.
Paula A. Bendry
[5, pg. 28]
Old age is like climbing a mountain. You climb from ledge to ledge. The higher you get,
the more tired and breathless you become, but your views become more extensive.
Ingrid Bergman (1915-1982) actress
Adversity has the same effect on a man that severe training has on the pugilist: it
reduces him to his fighting weight.
Josh Billings (pen name, real name Henry Wheeler Shaw) (1818-1885) American writer
[5, pg. 65]
5
Your success depends mainly upon what you think of yourself and whether you believe
in yourself.
William J. H. Boetcker (1873-1962) American religious leader
[5, pg. 156]
The only conquests which are permanent, and leave no regrets, are our conquests over
ourselves.
Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) French military leader
I would rather walk with God in the dark than go alone in the light.
Mary Gardiner Brainard (1837-1905) American poet
[5, Pg. 110]
Success is a state of mind. If you want success, start thinking of yourself as a success.
Dr. Joyce Brothers (1927-_____ ) psychologist & columnist
[4, pg. 19]
Life doesn't require that we be the best, only that we do our best.
H. Jackson Brown, Jr. (American writer)
[13, pg. 8]
You are where you are today because you have chosen to be there.
Harry Browne (1933-2006) American writer & politician
[4, pg. 26]
What matters is not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.
Paul "Bear" Bryant (1913-1983) University of Alabama college football coach
[13, pg. 18]
8
Lord, grant that I may always desire more than I can accomplish.
Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) Italian artist
[2, pg. 26]
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
Edmund Burke (1729-1797) English Statesman
[17, pg. 59]
Let us do or die.
Robert Burns (1759-1796) Scottish poet
Every action we take, everything we do, is either a victory or defeat in the struggle to
become what we want to be.
Anne Byrhhe (1906-1981) Norwegian family counselor
[2, pg. 39]
Be bold and be strong; for God has not planned any defeat for you...only victory.
Rev. David Candole (Pastor of Solid Rock Church International in Harrisburg, PA)
The block of granite, which was an obstacle in the path of the weak, becomes a
stepping stone in the path of the strong.
Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) Scottish writer & historian
[5, pg. 408]
9
The only people who never fail are those who never try.
Ilka Chase (1900-1978) American actress & novelist
[18, pg. 50]
Be wiser than other people if you can; but do not tell them so.
Lord Philip Chesterfield (1694-1773) English Statesman
The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials.
Chinese proverb
[4, pg. 160]
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul...
Jesus Christ (Matthew 10:28)
If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
Jesus Christ (Mark 9:23)
It is necessary to try to surpass one's self always; this occupation ought to last as long
as life.
Queen Christine of Sweden (1626-1689)
[2, Pg. 38]
10
Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large
or petty– never give in.
Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British statesman
[2, Pg. 50]
Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the hard
may be; for without victory there is no survival.
Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British statesman
[5, pg. 363]
The difference between men who succeed or fail is their ability to handle pressure.
Edwin Louis Cole (1922-2002) author & founder of Christian Men's Network
[10, Pg. 26]
The man without an organized system of thought will always be at the mercy of the man
who has one.
Edwin Louis Cole (1922-2002) author & founder of Christian Men's Network
[10, pg. 27]
There are times when silence is golden, others when it is just plain yellow.
Edwin Louis Cole (1922-2002) author & founder of Christian Men's Network
[10, pg. 28]
Faith is believing that what you cannot see will come to pass. Fear is believing that what
you cannot see will come to pass.
Edwin Louis Cole (1922-2002) author & founder of Christian Men's Network
[10, pg. 41]
A reason some men fail and others succeed is their attention to detail.
Edwin Louis Cole (1922-2002) author & founder of Christian Men's Network
[10, pg. 93]
The man who knows how will always have a job. The man who knows why will always
be his boss.
Edwin Louis Cole (1922-2002) author & founder of Christian Men's Network
[10, pg. 125]
Champions are not men who never fail, but men who never quit.
Edwin Louis Cole (1922-2002) author & founder of Christian Men's Network
[11, pg. 148]
You don't drown by falling in the water, you drown by staying there.
Edwin Louis Cole (1922-2002) author & founder of Christian Men's Network
In every defeat there is a lesson showing you how to win the victory the next time.
Robert Collier (1885-1950) American writer & publisher
[4, pg. 31]
When difficulties confront you, baptize them opportunity and set the man inside you to
finding the way to turn them from difficulties into opportunities.
Robert Collier (1885-1950) American writer & publisher
[4, pg. 34]
Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out...
Robert Collier (1885-1950) American writer & publisher
[4, pg. 70]
You can have anything you want– if you want it badly enough. You can be anything you
want to be, have anything you desire, accomplish anything you set out to accomplish– if
you hold to that desire with singleness of purpose...
Robert Collier (1885-1950) American writer & publisher
[4, pg. 89]
See things as you would have them be, instead of as they are.
Robert Collier (1885-1950) American writer & publisher
[4, pg. 192]
12
If you make the unconditional commitment to reach your most important goals, if the
strength of your decision is sufficient, you will find the way and the power to achieve
your goals.
Bob Conklin
[4, pg. 84]
Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.
Confucius (551-479 BC) Chinese philosopher
[4, pg. 242]
Facing it, always facing it, that's the way to get through. Face it.
Joseph Conrad (1857-1924) Polish-born British writer
[2, pg. 53]
The ultimate victory in competition is derived from the inner satisfaction of knowing that
you have done your best and that you have gotten the most out of what you had to give.
Howard Cosell (1918-1995) attorney & sports broadcaster
Obstacles are things a person sees when he takes his eyes off his goal.
E. Joseph Cossman (American marketing entrepreneur)
13
The most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is
not to have conquered but to have fought well.
Baron Pierre De Coubertin (1863-1937) founder of the modern Olympics
[4, pg. 3]
You can't have any successes unless you can accept failure.
George Cukor (1899-1983) movie director
[5, pg. 356]
To be nobody but yourself– in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make
you everybody but yourself– means to fight the hardest battle which any human being
can fight, and never stop fighting.
Edward Estlin Cummings (1894-1962) American poet
[16, pg. 63]
As long as the world shall last there will be wrongs, and if no man objected and no man
rebelled, these wrongs would last forever.
Clarence S. Darrow (1857-1938) American attorney
[1, pg. 190]
I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be
moved.
David (Psalms 16:8)
The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I
will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. I will call upon
the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.
David (Psalms 18:2-3)
14
Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord
our God. They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright.
David (Psalms 20:7-8)
I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
David (Psalms 34:4)
Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the
righteous to be moved.
David (Psalms 55:22)
In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.
David (Psalms 56:11)
I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.
David (Psalms 118:17)
The first and great commandment is, don't let them scare you.
Elmer Davis (1890-1958) American writer
[1, pg. 195]
Defeat teaches you that the things which don't kill you make you stronger– both
mentally and physically.
Dr. Jonathan Davis (boxing cornerman)
[13, pg. 96]
The only thing that stands between a man and what he wants from life is often merely
the will to try it and the faith to believe that it is possible.
Richard M. DeVos (1926- _____ ) founder of Amway (now Alticor)
[4, pg. 17]
You have to believe in yourself. And you have to, down deep within the bottom of your
soul, feel that you can do the job that you've set out to do.
William Castle DeVries (1943 - _____ ) cardiothoracic surgeon
[4, pg. 4]
The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes.
Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English statesman
[4, pg. 79]
The achievement of your goal is assured the moment you commit yourself to it.
Mack R. Douglas (motivational writer)
[4, pg. 84]
A person who doubts himself is like a man who would enlist in the ranks of his enemies
and bear arms against himself.
Alexandre Dumas (1824-1895) French novelist
[5, pg. 315]
I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward.
Thomas A. Edison (1847-1931) American inventor
[4, pg. 14]
To dream anything that you want to dream. That is the beauty of the human mind. To
do anything that you want to do. That is the strength of the human will. To trust yourself
to test your limits. That is the courage to succeed.
Bernard Edmonds (1910-2003) British writer
The world is a dangerous place to live in, not because of the people who do evil, but
because of the people who just sit and let it happen.
Albert Einstein (1879-1955) German-born American physicist
Nature arms each man with some faculty which enables him to do easily some feat
impossible to any other.
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American poet
[5, pg. 275]
Our greatest glory consists not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American poet
[5, pg. 404]
One does not have to stand against the gale. One yields and becomes part of the wind.
Emmanuel
[5, pg. 56]
First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.
Epictetus (1st-2nd century BC) Greek philosopher
[4, pg. 221]
Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.
William Feather (1889-1981) American author & publisher
[4, pg. 238]
Seize the day, and put the least possible trust in tomorrow.
Quintus Horatius Flaccus (or Horace, 65-8 BC) Roman poet
[5, pg. 193]
History has demonstrated that the most notable winners usually encountered
heartbreaking obstacles before they triumphed. They won because they refused to
become discouraged by their defeats.
Bertie Charles Forbes (1880-1954) financial journalist, founder of Forbes magazine
[4, pg. 238]
If you've had a good time playing the game, you're a winner even if you lose.
Malcolm S. Forbes (1919-1990) publisher of Forbes magazine
[5, pg. 358]
What I can do, plus what God can do, equals enough.
Free Methodist
[9, pg. 14]
I am in earnest; I will not equivocate; I will not excuse; I will not retreat a single inch; and
I will be heard.
William Lloyd Garrison (1805-1879) American abolitionist
[5, pg. 376]
Don't be afraid to take a big step if one is indicated. You can't cross a chasm in two
small steps.
David Lloyd George (1863-1945) British prime minister
[9, pg. 26]
We improve ourselves by victories over ourself. There must be contests, and we must
win.
Edward Gibbon (1737-1794) English historian
[2, pg. 48]
There are many wonderful things that will never be done if you do not do them.
Charles D. Gill
[16, pg. 49]
You can preach a better sermon with your life than with your lips.
Oliver Goldsmith (1730-1774) English author
[4, pg. 27]
If you want to succeed in the world, you must make your own opportunities.
John B. Gough (1817-1886) temperance activist
[5, Pg. 370]
Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often
stiffened.
Billy Graham (1918 - _____ ) American religious leader
[16, pg. 20]
SEE IT THROUGH
by Edgar A. Guest (It Can Be Done: Poems of Inspiration, collected by Joseph Morris
and St. Clair Adams, George Sully & Company: New York, NY, 1921, pg. 62; reprinted
from Just Folks, The Reilly & Lee Co.)
I am only one, but I am one. I can't do everything, but I can do something. And what I
can do, I ought to do. And what I ought to do, by the Grace of God, I shall do.
Edward Everett Hale (1822-1909) son of patriot Nathan Hale
There are no great men, only great challenges that ordinary men are forced by
circumstances to meet.
Admiral William F. Halsey (1882-1959) American Naval Officer
To will is to select a goal, determine a course of action that will bring one to that goal,
and then hold to that action till the goal is reached. The key is action.
Michael Hanson (1863-1908) American mathematician
[2, pg. 46]
Be what you are. This is the first step toward becoming better than you are.
Julius Charles Hare (1795-1855) English theologian & writer
[5, Pg. 270]
The bravest thing you can do when you are not brave is to profess courage and act
accordingly.
Corra Harris (1869-1935) American writer
[2, pg. 52]
Winners are men who have dedicated their whole lives to winning.
Wayne Woodrow "Woody" Hayes (1913-1987) Ohio State University football coach
[5, pg. 372]
If you think you can win, you can win. Faith is necessary to victory.
William Hazlitt (1778-1830) English writer
[4, pg. 109]
24
Once we have a war there is only one thing to do. It must be won. For defeat brings
worse things than any that can ever happen in war.
Ernest Hemingway (1898-1961) American writer
[1, pg. 311]
What the mind of man can conceive and believe, the mind of man can achieve.
Napoleon Hill (1883-1970) American author
[4, pg. 18]
Effort only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to quit.
Napoleon Hill (1883-1970) American author
[4, pg. 239]
It is not the size of a man but the size of his heart that matters.
Evander Holyfield (1962- _____ ) American heavyweight boxing champion
Knowledge is power,
Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) English philosopher
[3. pg. 175]
DON'T QUIT
by Clinton Howell (The Best Loved Poems of the American People, selected by Hazel
Felleman, Doubleday & Company, Inc.: 1540 Broadway, New York, NY 10036, 1936,
pg. 113-114; The Speaker's Sourcebook: Quotes, Stories and Anecdotes for Every
Occasion, by Glenn Van Ekeren, Prentice Hall, Business & Professional Division,
Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632, 1988, pg. 274.)
How many a man has thrown up his hands at a time when a little more effort, a little
more patience, would have achieved success.
Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American writer
[4, pg. 239]
There is one thing stronger than all the armies in the world, and that is an idea whose
time has come.
Victor Hugo (1802-1885) French novelist and poet
To see one's goal and drive toward it, steeling one's heart, is most uplifting.
Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906) Norwegian poet
[18, pg. 80]
27
A man should be like tea, his real strength appearing when he gets in hot water.
The Irish Digest
Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great
multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's.
Isaiah (2 Chronicles 20:15)
Ye shall not need to fight in this battle; set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the
salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed;
tomorrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you.
Isaiah (2 Chronicles 20:17)
With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God to help us, and to fight our
battles.
Isaiah (2 Chronicles 32:8)
But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with
wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Isaiah (Isaiah 40:31)
Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen
thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my
righteousness.
Isaiah (Isaiah 41:10)
No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise
against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn.
Isaiah (Isaiah 54:17)
When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard
against him.
Isaiah (Isaiah 59:19)
The pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist, the opportunity in
every difficulty.
Lawrence Pearsall Jacks (1860-1955) British educator
[4, pg. 33]
In everything you do, aim to excel; for what's worth doing, is worth doing well.
Robert F. Jackson, Harrisburg (PA) High School administrator
Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences of
any misfortune.
William James (1842-1910) psychologist and philosopher
[4, pg. 112]
We're still not where we're going, but we're not where we were.
Natash Josefowitz (Jewish author & poet)
[5, pg. 360]
I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) 3rd President of the U.S.
[4, pg. 227]
Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal.
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) 3rd President of the U.S.
[13, pg. 52]
And they shall fight against thee: but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with
thee, saith the Lord, to deliver thee.
Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:19)
And I will make thee unto this people a fenced brasen wall: and they shall fight against
thee, but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee to save thee and to
deliver thee, saith the Lord.
Jeremiah (Jeremiah 15:20)
29
Most people plot and plan themselves into mediocrity, while now and again somebody
forgets himself into greatness.
E. Stanley Jones
The men who try to do something and fail are infinitely better than those who try to do
nothing and succeed.
Lloyd Jones (1955 - _____ ) New Zealand author
[4, pg. 12]
The world stands aside to let anyone pass who knows where he is going.
David Starr Jordan (1861-1964) American educator
[5, pg. 289]
Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord
thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
Joshua (Joshua 1:9)
One man of you shall chase a thousand: for the Lord your God, he it is that fighteth for
you, as he hath promised you.
Joshua (Joshua 23:10)
In the end, we do battle only with ourselves. Once we understand this and focus our
energy on what we can do to control our lives...we begin to gain important insights into
how life works.
H. Stanley Judd
[4, pg. 48]
I wish it, I command it. Let my will take the place of reason.
Decimus Junius Juvenalis (60-140 AD) Roman poet
[5, pg. 279]
We choose to go to the moon and do other things, not because they are easy, but
because they are hard.
John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) 35th President of the U.S.
Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.
Robert F. Kennedy (1925-1968) American statesman
[5, pg. 321]
I don't want men of experience working for me. The experienced man is always telling
me why something can't be done. The fellow who has not had any experience is so
dumb he doesn't know a thing can't be done– and he goes ahead and does it.
Charles F. Kettering (1876-1958) Electrical Engineer & Manufacturer
Victory becomes, to some degree, a state of mind. Knowing ourselves superior to the
anxieties, troubles, and worries which obsess us, we are superior to them.
Basil King (pen name, real name William Benjamin Basil, 1859-1928) American novelist
[4, pg. 66]
We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope.
Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968) American religious leader
[5, pg. 50]
You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there.
Stephen King (1947- _____ ) American fiction writer
[10, pg. 37]
THE FIGHTER
by Samuel E. Kiser (The Best Loved Poems of the American People, selected by Hazel
Felleman, Doubleday & Company, Inc.: 1540 Broadway, New York, NY 10036, 1936,
pg. 132-133; reprinted from Glorious Day published by George Sully & Co. and The
New York American)
32
UNSUBDUED
by Samuel E. Kiser (It Can Be Done: Poems of Inspiration, collected by Joseph Morris
and St. Clair Adams, George Sully & Company: New York, NY, 1921, pg. 17; reprinted
from Poems That Have Helped Me, P. F. Volland & Co., Chicago, IL)
Press on. Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.
Ray A. Kroc (1902-1984) founder of the McDonald's restaurant chain
[16, pg. 42]
True courage is to do without witness everything that one is capable of doing before all
the world.
Duc Francois de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer
[15, pg. 71]
Victory is won not in miles, but in inches. Win a little now, hold your ground, and later
win a little more.
Louis L'Amour (fiction writer)
[5, Pg. 393]
The Lord gave us two ends– one to sit on and the other to think with. Success depends
on which one we use the most.
Ann Landers (1918- _____ ) advice column writer
Let not the sun set upon any given day without being satisfied that we have snatched
every opportune moment and squeezed every ounce of advantage.
G. T. Lawrence
I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.
Stephen Leacock (1869-1944) Canadian economist & writer
[16, pg. 45]
Like the cobra, you remain coiled in a loose but compact position and your strike should
be felt before it is seen.
Bruce Lee (1940-1973) actor and martial arts expert
[12, pg. 39]
34
We are told that talent creates its own opportunities. Yet, it sometimes seems that
intense desire creates not only its own opportunities, but its own talents as well.
Bruce Lee (1940-1973) actor and martial arts expert
[12, pg. 207]
Knowing is not enough, you must apply it. Being willing is not enough, you must do it.
Bruce Lee (1940-1973) actor and martial arts expert
Courage...is when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and
you see it through no matter what.
Nelle Harper Lee (1926- _____ ) American fiction writer
[15, pg. 43]
We have fought this fight as long, and as well, as we know how. We have been
defeated...there is now but one course to pursue. We must accept the situation.
Robert E. Lee (1807-1870) American Confederate general
[5, pg. 356]
I do the very best I know how– the very best I can; and I mean to keep on doing so until
the end.
Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) 16th President of the U.S.
[4, pg. 293]
Without the assistance of the Divine Being...I cannot succeed. With that assistance I
cannot fail.
Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) 16th President of the U.S.
[5, pg. 109]
To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards out of men.
Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) 16th President of the U.S.
It's not whether you get knocked down, it's whether you get up again.
Vince Lombardi (1913-1970) Green Bay Packers coach
[4, pg. 242]
35
The spirit, the will to win, and the will to excel are the things that endure.
Vince Lombardi (1913-1970) Green Bay Packers coach
The man who succeeds above his fellows is the one who early in life clearly discerns
his object, and towards that object habitually directs his powers.
Edward George Bulwer-Lytton (1803-1873) English politician and novelist
[4, pg. 37]
It doesn't matter how many times you have failed...What matters is the successful
attempt.
Maxwell Maltz (1899-1975) American cosmetic surgeon & author
[4, pg. 14]
Remember you will not always win. Some days, the most resourceful individual will
taste defeat. But there is, in this case, always tomorrow– after you have done your best
to achieve success today.
Maxwell Maltz (1899-1975) American cosmetic surgeon & author
[4, pg. 115]
Success is not measured by what a man accomplishes, but by the opposition he has
encountered, and the courage with which he has maintained the struggle against
overwhelming odds.
Orison Swett Marden (1850-1924) American writer
[4, pg. 2]
Many a one has finally succeeded only because he has failed after repeated efforts. If
he had never met defeat he would never have known any great victory.
Orison Swett Marden (1850-1924) American writer
[4, pg. 12]
We fail to see that we can control our own destiny; make ourselves do whatever is
possible; make ourselves become whatever we long to be.
Orison Swett Marden (1850-1924) American writer
[4, pg. 22]
The hopeful man sees successes where others see failure, sunshine where others see
shadows and storm.
Orison Swett Marden (1850-1924) American writer
[4, pg. 32]
37
To know how to wring victory from defeat, and make stepping-stones of our stumbling
blocks, is the secret of success.
Orison Swett Marden (1850-1924) American writer
[4, pg. 33]
What are stumbling blocks and defeat to the weak and vacillating are but stepping-
stones to victory to the determined soul.
Orison Swett Marden (1850-1924) American writer
[4, pg. 33]
The giants of the race have been men of concentration, who have struck sledge-
hammer blows in one place until they have accomplished their purpose. The successful
men of today are men of one overmastering idea, one unwavering aim, men of single
and intense purpose.
Orison Swett Marden (1850-1924) American writer
[4, Pg. 37]
There can be no great courage where there is no confidence or assurance, and half the
battle is in the conviction that we can do what we undertake.
Orison Swett Marden (1850-1924) American writer
[4, pg. 44]
No man is beaten until his hope is annihilated, his confidence is gone. As long as a man
faces life hopefully, confidently, triumphantly, he is not a failure; he is not beaten until he
turns his back on life.
Orison Swett Marden (1850-1924) American writer
[4, pg. 114]
Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them
great...weak men wait for opportunities; strong men make them.
Orison Swett Marden (1850-1924) American writer
[4, pg. 228]
All men who have achieved great things have been dreamers.
Orison Swett Marden (1850-1924) American writer
[4, pg. 322]
We conquer by continuing.
George Matheson (1842-1906) Scottish therologian
[5, pg. 397]
You can learn little from victory. You can learn everything from defeat.
Christy Mathewson (1880-1925) N. Y. Giants pitcher
[5, pg. 423]
39
It is a very funny thing about life: if you refuse to accept anything but the best you very
often get it.
William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) British writer
[16, pg. 25]
Courage is when you do what you have to do though people don't think you can.
Courage is when you think you can't do something, but you do it. Courage is when you
are down and out and all the odds are against you, and you come out on top; it's when
you stare your worst fear or toughest obstacle in the face and beat it. Courage is when
you take on the impossible or fight an unwinnable fight. That's what courage is.
Alan McCord
[15, pg. 40-41]
You just keep pushing. You just keep pushing. I made every mistake that could be
made. But I just kept pushing.
Rene McPherson
[4, pg. 240
I will not fear, for you (God) are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my
perils alone.
Thomas Merton (1915-1968) American clergyman
[5, pg. 110]
Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off the goal.
Hannah More (1745-1833) writer
[5, pg. 289]
The first step toward getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay
where you are.
John J. B. Morgan & Ewing T. Webb (motivational authors)
[4, pg. 99]
The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.
Moses (Exodus 14:14)
Dread not, neither be afraid of them. The Lord your God which goeth before you, he
shall fight for you...
Moses (Deuteronomy 1:29-30)
Ye shall not fear them: for the Lord your God he shall fight for you.
Moses (Deuteronomy 3:22)
For the Lord your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies,
to save you.
Moses (Deuteronomy 20:4)
41
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change
the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971) American theologian
[5, pg. 50]
Grant me the courage not to give up, even though I think it is hopeless.
Admiral Chester W. Nimitz (1885-1966) American naval leader
[5, pg. 405]
A man is not finished when he's defeated; he's finished when he quits.
Richard M. Nixon (1913-1994) 37th President of the U.S.
[4, pg. 245]
Experience is not what happens to a man, it's what a man does with what happens to
him.
Roger von Oech (inventer, author & speaker)
You have to take it as it happens, but you should try to make it happen the way you
want to take it.
old German proverb
[5, pg. 50]
42
To have striven, to have made the effort, to have been true to certain ideals– this alone
is worth the struggle.
Sir William Osler (1849-1919) Canadian physician
[4, pg. 245]
Who is not satisfied with himself will grow; who is not sure of his own correctness will
learn many things.
Palestinian maxim
[2, pg. 36]
Better that we should die fighting than be outraged and dishonored. Better to die than to
live in slavery.
Emmeline Pankhurst (1858-1928) British women's rights activist
[5, pg. 323]
The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.
Dolly Parton (1946- _____ ) American singer
43
Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goals: my strength lies solely in my
tenacity.
Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) French chemist
[5, pg. 398]
Accept the challenge, so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory.
Gen. George S. Patton (1885-1945) American general
The fixed determination to have acquired the warrior soul, to either conquer or perish
with honor, is the secret of victory.
Gen. George S. Patton (1885-1945) American general
[5, pg. 324]
The courageous man is the man who forces himself, in spite of his fear, to carry on.
Gen. George S. Patton (1885-1945) American general
[15, pg. 37]
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who
are the called according to his purpose.
Paul (Romans 8:28)
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the
devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against
powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in
high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to
withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Paul (Ephesians 6:12-13)
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound
mind.
Paul (2 Timothy 1:7)
I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.
Paul (2 Timothy 4:7)
If a door slams shut it means that God is pointing to an open door further on down.
Anna Delaney Peale (mother of Norman Vincent Peale)
[5, pg. 140]
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exult you in
due time. Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Peter (1 Peter 5:6-7)
If a task is once begun, never leave it till it's done. Be the labor great or small, do it well
or not at all.
James Cash Penney (1875-1971) founder of the J. C. Penney department store chain
Success...it is focusing the full power of all you are on what you have a burning desire
to achieve.
Wilferd Arlan Peterson (1900-1995) American author
[4, pg. 38]
You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing that we call 'failure' is
not the falling down, but the staying down.
Mary Pickford (1893-1979) American actress
[4, pg. 242]
45
You must be resolutely determined that whatever you do shall always be the best of
which you are capable.
Charles E. Popplestone
The great are only great because we are on our knees. Let us rise.
Pierre J. Proudhon (1809-1865) French journalist
[3, pg. 124]
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all
thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
Proverbs 30:5
Any individual can be, in time, what he earnestly desires to be, if he but set his face
steadfastly in the direction of that one thing and bring all his powers to bear upon its
attainment.
J. (John) Herman Randall, Sr. (American clergyman)
[4, pg. 37]
If you're not big enough to lose, you're not big enough to win.
Walter Reuther (1907-1970) American labor leader
[4, pg. 112]
46
Courage is doing what you're afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you are
scared.
Edward V. Rickenbacker (1890-1973) American aviator
[2, pg. 55]
I do not think there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality
of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature.
John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937) American oil magnate & financier
[4, pg. 238]
Even if you're on the right track you'll get run over if you just sit there.
William Penn Adair Rogers (1879-1935) American humorist
[16, pg. 30]
47
You have to accept whatever comes, and the only important thing is that you meet it
with courage and with the best you have to give.
Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962) wife of Franklin D. Roosevelt
[15, pg. 77]
We, too, born to freedom and believing in freedom, are willing to fight to maintain
freedom. We, and all others who believe as deeply as we do, would rather die on our
feet, than live on our knees.
Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945) 32nd President of the U.S.
[1, pg. 346]
When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.
Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945) 32nd President of the U.S.
[5, pg. 401]
If we stand idly by, if we seek merely swollen, slothful ease, and ignoble peace, if we
shrink from the hard contests where men must at hazard of their lives and at the risk of
all they hold dear, then the bolder and stronger peoples will pass us by and will win for
themselves the domination of the world.
Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) 26th President of the U.S.
[1, pg. 595]
My hat's in the ring. The fight is on and I'm stripped to the buff.
Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) 26th President of the U.S.
[1, pg. 597]
48
Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.
Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) 26th President of the U.S.
[5, pg. 169]
The credit belongs to those who are actually in the arena, who strive valiantly; who
know the great enthusiasm, the great devotions, and spend themselves in a worthy
cause; who at their best, know the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst,
if they fail, fail while daring greatly, so that their place shall never be with those cold and
timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.
Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) 26th President of the U.S.
[13, pg. 29]
Keep your eyes on the stars, keep your feet on the ground.
Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) 26th President of the U.S.
[16, pg. 13]
Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered
by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much,
because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.
Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) 26th President of the U.S.
[16, pg. 43]
The only man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything.
Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) 26th President of the U.S.
The unforgivable crime is soft hitting. Do not hit at all if it can be avoided but never hit
too softly.
Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) 26th President of the U.S.
Let us rather run the risk of wearing out than rusting out.
Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) 26th President of the U.S.
Creating success is tough. But keeping it is tougher. You have to keep producing, you
can't ever stop.
Pete Rose (1941- _____ ) Cincinnati Reds baseball player and manager
[5, pg. 361]
Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.
Jim Ryun (1947- ______ ) track star & U.S. Congressman
All successful employers are stalking men who will do the unusual, men who think, men
who attract attention by performing more than is expected of them.
Charles M. Schwab (1862-1939) American industrialist
[4, pg. 102]
A man can succeed at almost anything for which he has unlimited enthusiasm.
Charles M. Schwab (1862-1939) American industrialist
Believe big. The size of your success is determined by the size of your belief. Think little
goals and expect little achievements. Think big goals and win big success. Remember
this too. Big ideas and big plans are often easier– certainly no more difficult– than small
ideas and small plans.
David Joseph Schwartz (motivational speaker)
Why not go out on a limb? Isn't that where the fruit is?
Frank Scully (American columnist in 1940s & 1950s)
If thou art a man, admire those who attempt great things, even though they fail.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca (4 BC - AD 65) Roman writer
[2, pg. 15]
But be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness and some
have greatness thrust upon 'em.
William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English playwright
[3, pg. 124]
You see things; and say, "Why?" But I dream things that never were; and I say, "Why
not?"
George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) British writer
[4, pg. 326]
I have always believed that anybody with a little guts and the desire to apply himself can
make it, can make anything he wants to make of himself.
William Lee "Willie" Shoemaker (1931-2003) legendary jockey
[4, pg. 88]
51
Fear of losing is what makes competitors so great. Show me a gracious loser and I'll
show you a permanent loser.
O. J. Simpson (1947- _____ ) Buffalo Bills running back
[5, pg. 307]
The day you stop making excuses is the day you start to the top.
O. J. Simpson (1947- _____ ) Buffalo Bills running back
[9, pg. 27]
The battle of life is, in most cases, fought uphill; and to win it without a struggle were
perhaps to win it without honour. If there were no difficulties there would be no success;
if there were nothing to struggle for, there would be nothing to be achieved.
Samuel Smiles (1812-1904) Scottish writer
[4, pg. 4]
No pains, no gains.
Samuel Smiles (1812-1904) Scottish writer
[4, pg. 2]
The work of many of the greatest men, inspired by duty, has been done amidst suffering
and trial and difficulty. They have struggled against the tide, and reached the shore
exhausted...
Samuel Smiles (1812-1904) Scottish writer
[4, pg. 160]
The man who cannot believe in himself cannot believe in anything else.
Roy L. Smith (theologian)
[5, pg. 156]
Never desert your own line of talent. Be what nature intended you for, and you will
succeed.
Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English clergyman & writer
[5, pg. 275]
Welcome every problem as an opportunity. Each moment is the greatest challenge, the
best thing that ever happened to you. The more difficult the problem, the greater the
challenge in working it out.
Grace Speare (self-help author)
[4, pg. 34]
I believe there's an inner power that makes winners or losers. And the winners are the
ones who really listen to the truth of their hearts.
Sylvester Stallone (1946- _____ ) American actor and writer
[5, pg. 270]
I am not the smartest or most talented person in the world, but I succeeded because I
keep going, and going, and going.
Sylvester Stallone (1946- _____ ) American actor and writer
You cannot run away from a weakness. You must sometimes fight it out or perish; and if
that be so, why not now, and where you stand?
Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) Scottish writer
[5, pg. 303]
Keep your fears to yourself, but share your courage with others.
Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) Scottish writer
[16, pg. 48]
53
You are a product of your environment. So choose the environment that will best
develop you toward your objective. Analyze your life in terms of its environment. Are the
things around you helping you toward your success– or are they holding you back?
William Clement Stone (1902-2002) businessman & self-help author
[4, pg. 98]
Never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.
Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896) American writer
[4, pg. 239]
Do not follow where the path may lead. Go, instead, where there is no path and leave a
trail.
Muriel Strode (also attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson)
The great are great only because we are on our knees. Let us rise.
Max Stirner (1806-1856) German writer
[1, pg. 664]
Believe that you can whip the enemy, and you have won half the battle.
Gen. J. E. B. Stuart (1833-1864) American confederate general
[5, pg. 156]
By visualizing your goals, you can get your subconscious to work toward making these
mental pictures come true.
Success magazine
[4, pg. 192]
Some people want it to happen; some wish it would happen...others make it happen.
Successories
[6, item # 730102]
In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins...not
through strength, but through persistence.
Successories
[6, item # 732158]
The race is not always to the swift...but to those who keep on running.
Successories
[6, item # 732220]
The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a
lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will.
Successories
[6, item # 732232]
Sometimes there is no next time, no second chance, no time out. Sometimes...it's now
or never.
Successories
[6, item # 732360]
Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest
lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the
slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn't matter whether you are a lion or a
gazelle...when the sun comes up, you'd better be running.
Successories
[6, item # 732344]
Expect to win.
Successories
[6, item # 744004]
Make it happen.
Successories
[6, item # 750058]
Some people make things happen, some watch things happen, while others wonder
what has happened.
Successories
[6, item # 756024]
VICTORY
by Miriam Teichner (It Can Be Done: Poems of Inspiration, collected by Joseph Morris
and St. Clair Adams, George Sully & Company: New York, NY, 1921, pg. 121)
If you want the fire of God, you must become the fuel of God. Fire doesn't fall on empty
altars.
Tommy Tenney (1956- _____ ) revivalist & writer
You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.
Margaret Thatcher (1925- _____ ) British prime minister
[5, pg. 406]
You can do what you want to do. You can be what you want to be.
Rex David Thomas (1932-2002) founder of Wendy's restaurant chain
[4, pg. 23]
I think the harder you work, the more luck you have.
Rex David Thomas (1932-2002) founder of Wendy's restaurant chain
[4, pg. 227]
57
If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams and endeavors to live the life
he imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.
Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American philosopher
[2, pg. 14]
I know of no more encouraging facts than the unquestioned ability of a man to elevate
his life by conscious endeavor.
Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American philosopher
[2, pg. 40]
Success is never final and failure is never fatal. It's courage that counts.
George Tilton
[18, pg. 83]
Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that,
but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.
Mark Twain (1835-1910) American humorist
[2, pg. 14]
When you go to your knees. God will help you stand up to anything.
Unknown
[5, pg. 139]
If it is to be, it is up to me.
Unknown
[5, pg. 159]
Hope sees the invisible, feels the intangible and achieves the impossible.
Unknown
[5, pg. 242]
A genius is one who shoots at something no one else can see– and hits it.
Unknown
[5, pg. 243]
If you have no will to change it, you have no right to criticize it.
Unknown
[5, Pg. 251]
Set short-term goals and you'll win games. Set long-term goals and you'll win
championships.
Unknown
[5, pg. 290]
No guts, no glory.
Unknown
[5, pg. 323]
59
Yard by yard, it's very hard. But inch by inch, it's a cinch.
Unknown
[5, pg. 393]
I'm not there yet, but I'm closer than I was yesterday.
Unknown
[5, pg. 401]
A man can fail many times, but he isn't a failure until he gives up.
Unknown
[9, pg. 148]
60
Within you lies a power greater than what lies before you.
Unknown
[9, Pg. 388]
Courage is not defined by those who fought and did not fall, but by those who fought,
fell, and rose again.
Unknown
[13, pg. 5]
Aim high, aim far; your goal the sky, your aim the stars.
Unknown (from a plague at Williams College, in Williamstown, MA)
[14, pg. 2]
Learn as if you were to live forever; live as if you were to die tomorrow.
Unknown
[18, pg. 106)
Show me a man who cannot bother to do little things and I'll show you a man who
cannot be trusted to do big things.
Unknown
People may doubt what you say, but they will believe what you do.
Unknown
The will of God will never lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you.
Unknown
One of the greatest pleasures in life is doing what people say you cannot do.
Unknown
The world is not interested in the storms you encountered, but did you bring in the ship.
Unknown
by Unknown Author (A Roundup of the World's Best Loved Poems: A Varied Selection
of Poems for your Inspiration and Enjoyment, compiled by J. Royce Thomason, Box
24636, Dallas, TX 75224, pg. 50)
62
I CAN DO SOMETHING
I am but one,
But I am one.
I cannot do everything,
But I can do something.
What I can do,
I ought to do.
And what I ought to do,
With God's help,
I will do.
by Unknown Author (The Speaker's Sourcebook: Quotes, Stories and Anecdotes for
Every Occasion, by Glenn Van Ekeren, Prentice Hall, Business & Professional Division:
Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632, 1988, pg. 384)
DARE TO DREAM
by Unknown Author (item # 01039, "Paula: Special Gifts For Special People," Desk
Plaque by C. M. Paula Company, Cincinnati, OH 45249)
If you could get up the courage to begin, you have the courage to succeed.
David Viscott (1938-1996) psychiatrist & author
[4, pg. 198]
In the end, the only people who fail are those who do not try.
David Viscott
[4, pg. 244]
63
If you don't know where you are going, how can you expect to get there?
Basil S. Walsh
[4, pg. 153]
Failure is delay, but not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead-end street.
William Arthur Ward (1921-1994) American clergyman & author
[5, pg. 413]
If you can imagine it, you can achieve it; If you can dream it, you can become it.
William Arthur Ward (1921-1994) American clergyman & author
I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has
reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.
Booker T. Washington (1856-1915) American inventor & educator
[1, pg. 724]
What on earth would a man do with himself if something did not stand in his way?
H. G. Wells (1866-1946) British writer
Progress always involves risks. You can't steal second base and keep your foot on first.
Frederick B. Wilcox
[5, pg. 322]
GO FOR IT!
by Bruce B. Wilmer (Light Lines Originals, item # SC-247, Wilmer Graphics, Inc.: P. O.
Box 140, Huntington, NY 11743, 1992)
65
by Bruce B. Wilmer (Wallet Stuffer, item # 151, Light Lines Originals, Wilmer Graphics,
Inc.: Box 140, Huntington, NY 11743, 1993)
Walter D. Wintle
Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.
John Wooden (1910- _____ ) UCLA basketball coach)
[4, pg. 10]
67
I know the price of success: dedication, hard work, and an unremitting devotion to the
things you want to see happen.
Frank Lloyd Wright (1869-1959) American architect
[5, pg. 356]
QUOTATION SOURCES
[13] A Hero In Every Heart: Champions from all walks of life share powerful messages to
inspire the hero in each of us
Jackson Brown, Jr. and Robyn Spizman (Thomas Nelson Publishers: P. O. Box 141000, 506
Nelson Place, Nashville, TN 37214, 1996, 149 pgs.)
[14] Bits & Pieces: a monthly mixture of horse sense and common sense about working
with people
(The Economic Press, Inc.: 12 Daniel Road, Fairfield, NJ 07004-2565, September 12, 1996, 24
pgs.)
[2] The Book of Success: Time-Tested Thoughts On How To Enjoy A Rich And Fulfilling Life
Richard Shea (Editor) (Rutledge Hill Press: 211 Seventh Avenue, Nashville, TN 37219, 1993,
192 pgs.)
[17] Breaking Intimidation: How to Overcome Fear and Release the Gifts of God in Your Life
John Bevere (Creation House: 600 Rinehart Road, Lake Mary, FL 32746, 1995, 207 pgs.)
[10] Manhood 101: How to Be a Man of Courage and Integrity in a World of Compromise
Edwin Louis Cole (Honor Books, Inc.: P. O. Box 55388, Tulsa, OK 74155, 1995, 157 pgs.)
[ 9] The Speaker's Sourcebook: Quotes. Stories and Anecdotes for Every Occasion
Glenn Van Ekeren (Prentice Hall: Business & Professional Division, Englewood Cliffs, NJ
07632, 1988, 393 pgs.)