If I’m a star, then the people made me a star.

Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying the basic fundamentals.

Each doctor makes a much, much more important job than I do, but at the end, nobody talks about him. We all know about it, but we don’t really think about it.

Well I think any author or musician is anxious to have legitimate sales of their products, partly so they’re rewarded for their success, partly so they can go on and do new things.

Ridicule is the tribute paid to the genius by the mediocrities.

Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance.

My success rate speaks for itself.

I have to admit I’ve found myself doing the same things that a lot of other rock stars do or are forced to do. Which is not being able to respond to mail, not being able to keep up on current music, and I’m pretty much locked away a lot. The outside world is pretty foreign to me.

The way to know life is to love many things.

There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.

I’ve never had that much trouble with the paparazzi, but I don’t run the same circles that a lot of these people that do get hounded by the paparazzi.

There is more credit and satisfaction in being a first-rate truck driver than a tenth-rate executive.

Being acknowledged for your work is always a great accomplishment, whether it’s people in my city, kids in the street, all the way up to the Grammys.

A little more persistence, a little more effort, and what seemed hopeless failure may turn to glorious success.

We will be more successful in all our endeavors if we can let go of the habit of running all the time, and take little pauses to relax and re-center ourselves. And we’ll also have a lot more joy in living.

Nothing will work unless you do.

I guess we all like to be recognized not for one piece of fireworks, but for the ledger of our daily work.

What good is it being Marilyn Monroe? Why can’t I just be an ordinary woman?

You would think that a rock star being married to a supermodel would be one of the greatest things in the world. It is.

What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?

I feel like whatever you’ve done in your career, good or bad, it’s nothing but preparation for the big events to come.

One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today.

When you see something that is technically sweet, you go ahead and do it and you argue about what to do about it only after you have had your technical success. That is the way it was with the atomic bomb.

If past history was all there was to the game, the richest people would be librarians.

Flaming enthusiasm, backed up by horse sense and persistence, is the quality that most frequently makes for success.

Success is like reaching an important birthday and finding you’re exactly the same.

One secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes.

Success is often achieved by those who don’t know that failure is inevitable.

We’ve had three big ideas at Amazon that we’ve stuck with for 18 years, and they’re the reason we’re successful: Put the customer first. Invent. And be patient.

Don’t work for recognition, but do work worthy of recognition.

Some artists are working to buy the mansion or whatever the element of fame must bear, but I spend all my money on my show.

We give speeches and pin ribbons onto uniforms, etch names into walls. And all that is fine, but too often, all those tributes, all those words aren’t always backed up by action. And that felt like such a stark contrast to me, because, as we all know, our military is all about action.

Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.

I just feel like, with rappers, there’s so much complacency. It’s like, ‚Oh, I’m a rapper. I’m successful. I make money. That’s all that matters.‘ But there’s a lot of stuff going on in the world. Whether or not you’re aware of it, it’s happening.

In reading the lives of great men, I found that the first victory they won was over themselves… self-discipline with all of them came first.

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

I firmly believe that unless one has tasted the bitter pill of failure, one cannot aspire enough for success.

When I won the first Grammy, there was no other feeling like that feeling. It just made me feel like I came so far, like that was just a dream a few years before that, and then it was happening right then.

Every man has a right to be conceited until he is successful.

I was sure I’d set the world on fire, and it was hard for a young feller like me to realize the truth – that I hadn’t set the world on fire, and I was totally unprepared to handle the consequences if ‚The Big Trail‘ had been a success and launched me as a star.

I never could get over the fact that The Pixies formed, worked and separated without America taking them to its heart or even recognizing their existence for the most part.

What life half gives a man, posterity gives entirely.

If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.

Giving responsibility is the key to success with boys, especially with the rowdiest and most difficult boys.

If you have a success you have it for the wrong reasons. If you become popular it is always because of the worst aspects of your work.

As long as somebody finances you, can make a film and get it seen any place and in any language; then, hopefully, it’s a success.

I would rather earn 1% off a 100 people’s efforts than 100% of my own efforts.

Teamwork is so important that it is virtually impossible for you to reach the heights of your capabilities or make the money that you want without becoming very good at it.

Necessity is the mother of taking chances.

Only stupid people are changed by success.

I try to make it look easy, but the behind-the-scenes stuff is the challenge.

When people protest and are upset with a movie, it becomes a big hit. They hated Passion of The Christ, it worked out pretty well for the box office. So let’s get that going.

The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.

The postman wants an autograph. The cab driver wants a picture. The waitress wants a handshake. Everyone wants a piece of you.

I met my husband before I became a star, and he doesn’t care about any of it.

A great mind becomes a great fortune.

When I’m surfing, I’m sure not thinking about the paparazzi. I guess if they start getting on floaties and coming out there in the water, then I might be a little upset.

Small aim is a crime; have great aim.

When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.

The starting point of all achievement is desire.

Achievement brings its own anticlimax.