The gospel is for lifeboats, not showboats, and a man must make up his mind which boat he is going to operate.

It is the man who carefully advances step by step...who is bound to succeed in the greatest degree.

Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.

If it were given to a man to see virtue's reward in the next world, he would occupy his intellect, memory and will in nothing but good works, careless of danger or fatigue.

The men who succeed best in public life are those who take the risk of standing by their own convictions.

Procrastination is illogical from every viewpoint. It is like the man who wanted to cross the stream, so he sat on the bank to wait for all the water to run by.

What we hope ever to do with ease, we must learn first to do with diligence.

The positive side of willpower is the power to do and to frame all of your I won'ts as being in the service of those higher I wills. Once you do that, you're no longer using your willpower to oppress and disappoint half of yourself. You're using it to create the future self that you really care about. Thus, willpower is really just being as kind as you can to the man you want to become.

There are no weeds, and no worthless men. There are only bad farmers.

Good actions are the invisible hinges on the doors of heaven.

He had slipped, climbed, rolled, searched, walked, persevered, that is all. Such is the secret of all triumphs.

If we wish to be happy, monsieur, we must never comprehend duty; for, as soon as we comprehend it, it is implacable. One would say that it punishes you for comprehending it; but no, it rewards you for it; for it puts you into a hell where you feel God at your side.