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

When men speak ill of thee, live so as nobody may believe them.

Some people have a hard time getting rid of stuff. If that’s you, pray for God to give you the courage to get rid of things you don’t really need or things He wants you to give away. This will help keep your surroundings organized and clutter-free.

Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me. Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful, that’s what matters to me.

Do something everyday for no other reason than you would rather not do it, so that when the hour of dire need draws nigh, it may find you not unnerved and untrained to stand the test.

It’s very unnatural to be someone for so many people. But of course it’s very nice.

Fame is ultimately about the cycles of desire and how to do away with them or manage them well.

There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self.

Praise, like gold and diamonds, owes its value only to its scarcity.

The man with insight enough to admit his limitations comes nearest to perfection.

Anytime someone tells me that I can’t do something, I want to do it more.

Few women, I fear, have had such reason as I have to think the long sad years of youth were worth living for the sake of middle age.

I deeply regret any harm, or any perceived harm, that I may have done to anyone by any behaviour of mine.

If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.

I’m not the smartest fellow in the world, but I can sure pick smart colleagues.

Every day we have plenty of opportunities to get angry, stressed or offended. But what you’re doing when you indulge these negative emotions is giving something outside yourself power over your happiness. You can choose to not let little things upset you.

Idleness is the beginning of all vice, the crown of all virtues.

Catering to bad feelings feeds and empowers them.

Enjoy the satisfaction that comes from doing little things well.

My philosophy in life is, Decide what you want to do. You have to have something to hope for.

It takes time to persuade men to do even what is for their own good.

Nothing is so strongly fortified that it cannot be taken by money.

If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.

Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself.

The possibilities are numerous once we decide to act and not react.

Is life not a thousand times too short for us to bore ourselves?

The Bible tells us to be perfect. This is likely a scary thought for many people. It used to scare me. I didn’t think I could ever get there, no matter how hard I tried.

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

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.

I have never felt that the one thing that I am ‚known for‘ is what I am.

When your dream is bigger than you are, you only have two choices: give up or get help.

I know my flaws before other people point them out to me.

Know that any and all thoughts that you have regarding your own skills, interests, and inclinations are valid. To reinforce the validity of your thoughts, keep them private. Tell yourself that they’re between you and God.

I cannot always control what goes on outside. But I can always control what goes on inside.

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.

Transforming yourself into a deep listener will not only prove more amusing as you open your mind to their mind, but you will gain the most invaluable lessons about human psychology.

My message, especially to young people is to have courage to think differently, courage to invent, to travel the unexplored path, courage to discover the impossible and to conquer the problems and succeed. These are great qualities that they must work towards. This is my message to the young people.

Words are powerful; if you change your words, you can change your life.

Barack Obama would not be President if he were dark skin. You know what I mean? That’s just the truth. I might not be as successful as I am now if I was dark skin.

Most of one’s life is one prolonged effort to prevent oneself thinking.

What is great in man is that he is a bridge and not a goal.

We are twice armed if we fight with faith.

Adversity is sometimes hard upon a man; but for one man who can stand prosperity, there are a hundred that will stand adversity.

Do your damnedest in an ostentatious manner all the time.

If one dream dies, dream another dream. If you get knocked down, get back up and go again.

It’s true hard work never killed anybody, but I figure, why take the chance?

In inner-city, low-income communities of color, there’s such a high correlation in terms of educational quality and success.

The very substance of the ambitious is merely the shadow of a dream.

Prison life, fortunately, I spent a lot of years, about 18 years with other prisoners, and, as I say, they enriched your soul.

Of course it would be nice for everybody and myself if we could win but we can still have a personal or a team win if we achieve a target that is effectively a win for us.

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.

All of our problems start in our minds.

We must act out passion before we can feel it.

You need to understand what works best for your own body.

Never despair, but if you do, work on in despair.

The highest result of education is tolerance.

I don’t like to read things that people write about me. I’d rather read what kids have to say about me because it’s not their profession to do that.

Eradications are special. Zero is a magic number. You either do what it takes to get to zero and you’re glad you did it; or you get close, give up and it goes back to where it was before, in which case you wasted all that credibility, activity, money that could have been applied to other things.

Bring your desires down to your present means. Increase them only when your increased means permit.

You were not created to just get by with an average, unrewarding, or unfulfilling life. God created you to leave your mark on this generation.

Life is a matter of really tough choices.