I think you can have 10,000 explanations for failure, but no good explanation for success.

Do your duty and a little more and the future will take care of itself.

Success is only meaningful and enjoyable if it feels like your own.

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.

If you hear a voice within you say ‚you cannot paint,‘ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.

Nothing will work unless you do.

I am impelled, not to squeak like a grateful and apologetic mouse, but to roar like a lion out of pride in my profession.

A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.

The great question of our time is, ‚Will we be motivated by materialistic philosophy or by spiritual power?‘

To have a comeback, you have to have a setback.

You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.

There’s definitely going to be things that I’m not very good at, things I can improve.

People have to go through trials and tribulations to get where they at. Do your thing – continue to rock it – because obviously, God wants you here.

Applause waits on success.

Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking.

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?

I never learn anything talking. I only learn things when I ask questions.

Wood burns because it has the proper stuff in it; and a man becomes famous because he has the proper stuff in him.

My powers are ordinary. Only my application brings me success.

I’ve never met a genius. A genius to me is someone who does well at something he hates. Anybody can do well at something he loves – it’s just a question of finding the subject.

I want to rethink ‚surrender‘ as an active verb.

You may be always victorious if you will never enter into any contest where the issue does not wholly depend upon yourself.

Of course, violence will not end with our combat mission. Extremists will continue to set off bombs, attack Iraqi civilians and try to spark sectarian strife. But ultimately, these terrorists will fail to achieve their goals.

I realised a little bit to my astonishment that I can give a lecture for a thousand people, and there will be this tumultuous applause, so, you know, I have the feeling well, it can’t be all that bad.

Failure at some point in your life is inevitable, but giving up is unforgivable.

The man who has the will to undergo all labor may win to any good.

When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.

Ordinary people seem not to realize that those who really apply themselves in the right way to philosophy are directly and of their own accord preparing themselves for dying and death.

In other words, don’t expect to always be great. Disappointments, failures and setbacks are a normal part of the lifecycle of a unit or a company and what the leader has to do is constantly be up and say ‚we have a problem, let’s go and get it‘.

Success is blocked by concentrating on it and planning for it… Success is shy – it won’t come out while you’re watching.

There has to be something in every role that interests you.

The attempt and not the deed confounds us.

I don’t believe in pessimism. If something doesn’t come up the way you want, forge ahead. If you think it’s going to rain, it will.

I had noticed that many of these successful people, historical and contemporary, shared certain common traits. They had a way of thinking that was exceptionally fluid; they could adapt to almost any circumstance; when confronted with problems, they could look at them from novel perspectives and solve them.

This is Sunday, and the question arises, what’ll I start tomorrow?

I’ve played with IVs before, during and after games. I’ve played with a broken hand, a sprained ankle, a torn shoulder, a fractured tooth, a severed lip, and a knee the size of a softball. I don’t miss 15 games because of a toe injury that everybody knows wasn’t that serious in the first place.

It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one.

Anyone who proposes to do good must not expect people to roll stones out of his way, but must accept his lot calmly, even if they roll a few stones upon it.

As unique as we all are, an awful lot of us want the same things. We want to shake up our current less-than-fulfilling lives. We want to be happier, more loving, forgiving and connected with the people around us.

What the country needs is dirtier fingernails and cleaner minds.

Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others. He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.

No one should be ashamed to admit he is wrong, which is but saying, in other words, that he is wiser today than he was yesterday.

I believe every human has a finite number of heartbeats. I don’t intend to waste any of mine.

Character is power.

The older you get, the better you get.

What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight – it’s the size of the fight in the dog.

My interest in life comes from setting myself huge, apparently unachievable challenges and trying to rise above them.

Crime when it succeeds is called virtue.

I hope to stand firm enough to not go backward, and yet not go forward fast enough to wreck the country’s cause.

The barriers are not erected which can say to aspiring talents and industry, ‚Thus far and no farther.‘

Life is a series of experiences, each one of which makes us bigger, even though sometimes it is hard to realize this. For the world was built to develop character, and we must learn that the setbacks and grieves which we endure help us in our marching onward.

When I was 50 years old, I actually decided to draw up a list of half a dozen things that I really hadn’t done very well, and I was going to make efforts to improve. One of them was skiing, and I really did become a very much better skier.

Love is the answer to everything. It’s the only reason to do anything. If you don’t write stories you love, you’ll never make it. If you don’t write stories that other people love, you’ll never make it.

Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates. There’s plenty of movement, but you never know if it’s going to be forward, backwards, or sideways.

We will always tend to fulfill our own expectation of ourselves.

Don’t give in to excuses that can keep you from really living the best life God has for you.

To not to have entirely wasted one’s life seems to be a worthy accomplishment, if only for myself.

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

Your energy, your spirit are important considerations. Feeling petty and frustrated can have reverberating consequences for your ability to think strategically and reach your goals.

I pity the fool who just gives up.

Never interrupt someone doing what you said couldn’t be done.