Ambition is pitiless. Any merit that it cannot use it finds despicable.

Hollywood has a way of making everything seem like an overnight success.

Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can’t lose.

Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them.

Commit yourself to a mighty purpose.

If there is anything that a man can do well, I say let him do it. Give him a chance.

Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow.

The best people renounce all for one goal, the eternal fame of mortals; but most people stuff themselves like cattle.

If you look at the history of Notre Dame, if you hire a coach who’s been successful at another college program, they’re going to be ultra successful at Notre Dame because the talent will always be there.

Take time to deliberate, but when the time for action has arrived, stop thinking and go in.

There are millions of Americans outside Washington who are tired of stale political arguments and are moving this country forward. They believe, and I believe, that here in America, our success should depend not on accident of birth, but the strength of our work ethic and the scope of our dreams.

Only those who want everything done for them are bored.

Everyone, no doubt, remains first and foremost a man of his own country and continues to draw from it his motive force.

It needs time. Nobody wants to hear it, but that’s the truth: if you want to have success in the future, you have to be ready to work now.

What good are fans? You can’t eat applause for breakfast. You can’t sleep with it.

As much as it might look like, to someone else, that I’m successful, I never feel like I’m anywhere. The further I go, I still feel equally further from my eventual goal. Because as I grow, I get more goals. I’m never content.

I stayed true to my dreams and, eventually, they came true.

My dad was like a stage mother he always pushed me to do what I wanted.

A goal is not always meant to be reached, it often serves simply as something to aim at.

The eye of the master will do more work than both his hands.

Natural ability without education has more often attained to glory and virtue than education without natural ability.

When I was writing the Destiny’s Child songs, it was a big thing to be that young and taking control. And the label at the time didn’t know that we were going to be that successful, so they gave us all control. And I got used to it.

It’s lack that gives us inspiration. It’s not fullness.

Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.

If you don’t drive your business, you will be driven out of business.

The rich are those who play to win. The middle class plays not to lose.

Anything’s possible if you’ve got enough nerve.

As soon as the fear approaches near, attack and destroy it.

Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.

Really, you don’t lose until you stop trying.

I want kids to know: Don’t wait for somebody to come along and tell you you’re special. Because that may never happen.

Must is a hard nut to crack, but it has a sweet kernel.

Positive anything is better than negative nothing.

Do the thing you fear to do and keep on doing it… that is the quickest and surest way ever yet discovered to conquer fear.

Why do I talk about the benefits of failure? Simply because failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy into finishing the only work that mattered to me.

Old age is like everything else. To make a success of it, you’ve got to start young.

If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on.

I think it all comes down to motivation. If you really want to do something, you will work hard for it.

I grew up where, when a door closed, a window didn’t open. The only thing I had was cracks. I’d do everything to get through those cracks – scratch, claw, bite, push, bleed. Now the opportunity is here. The door is wide open, and it’s as big as a garage.

Never complain and never explain.

The best morale exist when you never hear the word mentioned. When you hear a lot of talk about it, it’s usually lousy.

I believe that one person can make a difference.

The great thing about America is that you can come from the worst circumstances and become something remarkable.

I’ve had a lot of success; I’ve had failures, so I learn from the failure.

I used to feel unsafe right in the moment of an accomplishment – I felt the ground fall from under my feet because this could be the end. And even now, while everyone is celebrating, I’m on to the next thing. I don’t want to get lost in this big cushion of success.

You can’t think; you just gotta do things.

Didn’t get promoted? Good. More time to get better.

Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.

Even those who write against fame wish for the fame of having written well, and those who read their works desire the fame of having read them.

This industry has been really good to me. It’s been a great life. I’m not through yet. I’m ready when you are, Mr. DeMille.

Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‚I’m possible‘!

I want to put a ding in the universe.

Pretension is a poor joke that you play on yourself. Snap out of it. Recognise your strengths, work on your weaknesses. Real achievement is liking what you see in the mirror every morning.

It was high counsel that I once heard given to a young person, ‚always do what you are afraid to do.‘

Faith activates God – Fear activates the Enemy.

Often people become our friend or follower with an undercurrent of resentment in our having more success than they have. They secretly desire the opportunity to take us down a notch; they have a nose for any misstep on our part they can exploit.

He who waits to do a great deal of good at once will never do anything.

Microsoft has had two goals in the last 10 years. One was to copy the Mac, and the other was to copy Lotus‘ success in the spreadsheet – basically, the applications business. And over the course of the last 10 years, Microsoft accomplished both of those goals. And now they are completely lost.

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

This is no time for ease and comfort. It is time to dare and endure.

We will not waver; we will not tire; we will not falter, and we will not fail. Peace and Freedom will prevail.