The superior man makes the difficulty to be overcome his first interest; success only comes later.

We need to do a better job of putting ourselves higher on our own ‚to do‘ list.

It’s certainly not wrong to want to be a better person. God gave us that desire.

He that lives upon hope will die fasting.

The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear.

We do not need to proselytise either by our speech or by our writing. We can only do so really with our lives. Let our lives be open books for all to study.

It’s one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself, to forgive. Forgive everybody.

I think we need more idiot control.

In spite of everything I shall rise again: I will take up my pencil, which I have forsaken in my great discouragement, and I will go on with my drawing.

If you want a quality, act as if you already had it.

Of course there are moments that you wonder how long you should be doing it because there are other aspects which are not nice, of this lifestyle. But I just love winning.

It always seems impossible until it’s done.

I have made the mistaken assumption – and I will attempt to be better at this – of thinking that because somebody is on Twitter and is attacking me that it is open season. And that is my mistake.

The true artist is not proud: he unfortunately sees that art has no limits; he feels darkly how far he is from the goal, and though he may be admired by others, he is sad not to have reached that point to which his better genius only appears as a distant, guiding sun.

Never succumb to the temptation of bitterness.

He that humbleth himself wishes to be exalted.

I will not be concerned at other men’s not knowing me; I will be concerned at my own want of ability.

Keep in mind that no matter how perfectly you get your life in order, you will never be rid of all your problems. Problems are a way of life, always have been, always will be. But how you elect to view those problems is all up to you.

A warrior is not a person that carries a gun. The biggest war you ever go through is right between your own ears. It’s in your mind. We’re all going through a war in our mind, and we have to callus our mind to fight that war and to win that war.

Become aware of your own insufficiency.

There is no failure except in no longer trying.

What I love best in life is new starts.

We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.

If you wish to succeed in life, make perseverance your bosom friend, experience your wise counselor, caution your elder brother, and hope your guardian genius.

Chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken.

It’s never paid to bet against America. We come through things, but its not always a smooth ride.

I know that when I pray, something wonderful happens. Not just to the person or persons for whom I’m praying, but also something wonderful happens to me. I’m grateful that I’m heard.

Could the young but realize how soon they will become mere walking bundles of habits, they would give more heed to their conduct while in the plastic state.

A book should serve as the ax for the frozen sea within us.

What? You seek something? You wish to multiply yourself tenfold, a hundredfold? You seek followers? Seek zeros!

If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.

The best measure of a man’s honesty isn’t his income tax return. It’s the zero adjust on his bathroom scale.

Constant development is the law of life, and a man who always tries to maintain his dogmas in order to appear consistent drives himself into a false position.

People tend to think that life really does progress for everyone eventually, that people progress, but actually only some people progress. The rest of the people don’t.

The best of us must sometimes eat our words.

I think it’s very important to have a feedback loop, where you’re constantly thinking about what you’ve done and how you could be doing it better. I think that’s the single best piece of advice: constantly think about how you could be doing things better and questioning yourself.

Personally I’m always ready to learn, although I do not always like being taught.

Nobody looks like they did when they were 20, so why not take advantage of the fact that you’re changing, emotionally as well as physically?

If the structures of the human mind remain unchanged, we will always end up re-creating the same world, the same evils, the same dysfunction.

It’s physical. If you keep on writing for three years, every day, you should be strong. Of course you have to be strong mentally, also. But in the first place you have to be strong physically. That is a very important thing. Physically and mentally you have to be strong.

Correcting bad habits cannot be done by forbidding or punishment.

The best way to sell yourself to others is first to sell the others to yourself.

Courage – you develop courage by doing small things like just as if you wouldn’t want to pick up a 100-pound weight without preparing yourself.

Before everything else, getting ready is the secret of success.

I know how to swim through backlash. I can tread water through backlash… If anything, that’s all giving me power.

Nothing ever comes to one, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work.

In difficult times, we’re not supposed to quit believing; we’re not supposed to quit growing.

I could not do what I do, and teach a class, and never miss a deadline, never be late for anything if I was a lush, OK? I would really love to read a piece that said, ‚He is not a lush.‘ That would be fabulous, it would be a first, I could show it to people and say, ‚Look!‘

Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.

The place where you made your stand never mattered. Only that you were there… and still on your feet.

I didn’t die young. So I am very lucky. There are other artists and people that didn’t survive certain things… people can imagine that I did the most dangerous, and I did the worst… for many reasons, I shouldn’t be here.

I don’t see how people are comfortable with seeing other people be great. You can be happy for anybody, but what is your excuse to not want to be great? These people are great because they just say, ‚I’ma do that,‘ and they do it. That’s it. There’s no scientifical process.

There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow men. True nobility lies in being superior to your former self.

I’ve taken countless shots in my life, so you know the ones when you’re in rhythm, with a perfect release, and it’s on track, that it’s going in.

You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over.

Just do what must be done. This may not be happiness, but it is greatness.

No one gets away with anything, ever, so take responsibility for your own life.

I’m intimidated by the fear of being average.

There is no doubt that life is given us, not to be enjoyed, but to be overcome; to be got over.

What is true of the individual will be tomorrow true of the whole nation if individuals will but refuse to lose heart and hope.

A lot of people cry and complain and put their hand out and beg. It never goes well.