Self-control means wanting to be effective at some random point in the infinite radiations of my spiritual existence.

Freedom conceives that the mind and spirit of man can be free only if he be free to pattern his own life, to develop his own talents, free to earn, to spend, to save, to acquire property as the security of his old age and his family.

Find your voice and inspire others to find theirs.

Juvenile crime is not naturally born in the boy, but is largely due either to the spirit of adventure that is in him, to his own stupidity, or to his lack of discipline, according to the nature of the individual.

The only way you gain mental toughness is to do things you’re not happy doing. If you continue doing things that you’re satisfied and make you happy, you’re not getting stronger. You’re staying where you’re at. Either you’re getting better, or you’re getting worse. You’re not staying the same.

We praise a man who feels angry on the right grounds and against the right persons and also in the right manner at the right moment and for the right length of time.

Control thy passions lest they take vengence on thee.

Education doesn’t change life much. It just lifts trouble to a higher plane of regard.

I think who you are in school really sticks with you.

Which government is the best? The one that teaches us to govern ourselves.

All successful people men and women are big dreamers. They imagine what their future could be, ideal in every respect, and then they work every day toward their distant vision, that goal or purpose.

Habit is a second nature that destroys the first. But what is nature? Why is habit not natural? I am very much afraid that nature itself is only a first habit, just as habit is a second nature.

There is no real limit to how much better a person who really commits to getting better can get. Every manager has the potential to become an excellent manager for the rest of his or her career.

Highly functioning self-actualized people simply never imagine what it is that they don’t wish to have as their reality.

Be smarter than other people, just don’t tell them so.

My job is to bring out in people what they wouldn’t dare do themselves.

Our whole life is set up in the path of least resistance. We don’t want to suffer. We don’t want to feel discomfort. So the whole time, we’re living our lives in a very comfortable area. There’s no growth in that.

I liked to write from the time I was about 12 or 13. I loved to read. And since I only spoke to my brother, I would write down my thoughts. And I think I wrote some of the worst poetry west of the Rockies. But by the time I was in my 20s, I found myself writing little essays and more poetry – writing at writing.

When an inner situation is not made conscious, it appears outside as fate.

I didn’t get trained by the school system like other kids, and when I did concentrate on learning, my mind was cluttered and locked by the programming of the system.

When a person cannot deceive himself the chances are against his being able to deceive other people.

No man is free who is not master of himself.

Did you know there’s a difference between being busy and being fruitful? Did you ever stop to think that just being busy – running around in circles all day but not accomplishing anything – is the same as wasting your time? It’s frustrating to expend so much energy and time and not have any fruit from your effort!

No person is important enough to make me angry.

Productivity is being able to do things that you were never able to do before.

Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.

My upbringing was solid because of the people I had around me.

My goal was never to be the loudest or the craziest. It was to be the most entertaining.

My mother was a powerful influence. She made me toe the line. If I didn’t have a perfect report card, she showed her disappointment.

It is more difficult to rule yourself than to rule a city.

The big question about how people behave is whether they’ve got an Inner Scorecard or an Outer Scorecard. It helps if you can be satisfied with an Inner Scorecard.

Well, I don’t think there’s any need for people to focus on my career.

When I am angry I can pray well and preach well.

Self-confidence is the first requisite to great undertakings.

In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.

You have to feel confident. If you don’t, then you’re going to be hesitant and defensive, and there’ll be a lot of things working against you.

I’m not really book-smart.

People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity, no matter how impressive their other talents.

You can start right where you stand and apply the habit of going the extra mile by rendering more service and better service than you are now being paid for.

We can improve our relationships with others by leaps and bounds if we become encouragers instead of critics.

No one lives long enough to learn everything they need to learn starting from scratch. To be successful, we absolutely, positively have to find people who have already paid the price to learn the things that we need to learn to achieve our goals.

I think your values are always influenced by your family and your community.

It generally happens that assurance keeps an even pace with ability.

Nobody can ever say that being negative ever helped them at all – not in any way.

Sometimes I lose my temper.

I do believe in self-help.

There is moderation even in excess.

The final forming of a person’s character lies in their own hands.

It is a strange desire, to seek power, and to lose liberty; or to seek power over others, and to lose power over a man’s self.

Don’t be dependent. At all. Ever. Period.

The man who makes everything that leads to happiness depends upon himself, and not upon other men, has adopted the very best plan for living happily. This is the man of moderation, the man of manly character and of wisdom.

Resistance to the organized mass can be effected only by the man who is as well organized in his individuality as the mass itself.

Once someone has spent enough time cultivating bad habits and biding their time, they are much diminished. Much of what they could have been has dissipated.

I want to be an honest man and a good writer.

My favorite affirmation when I feel stuck or out of sorts is: Whatever I need is already here, and it is all for my highest good. Jot this down and post it conspicuously throughout your home, on the dashboard of your car, at your office, on your microwave oven, and even in front of your toilets!

Silence speaks so much louder than screaming tantrums. Never give anyone an excuse to say that you’re crazy.

You can do the same thing with $20 million that you would do with $50 million. So at a certain point in your life and in your career, you realise that it’s not about the money.

I’m 31 now. I think I’m beginning to understand what life is, what romance is, and what a relationship means.

Consider a tree for a moment. As beautiful as trees are to look at, we don’t see what goes on underground – as they grow roots. Trees must develop deep roots in order to grow strong and produce their beauty. But we don’t see the roots. We just see and enjoy the beauty. In much the same way, what goes on inside of us is like the roots of a tree.

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.

I don’t think I get that upset over things.