You show me anybody that's great in anything they do, I'll show you somebody that's persevered, demonstrated that mental toughness to overcome some obstacles and adversity.

The capacity to surmount failure without being discouraged is the chief asset of every person who attains outstanding success in any calling.

Failure is man-made circumstance. It is never real until accepted by man as permanent.

The majority of people are ready to throw their aims and purposes overboard, and give up at the first sign of opposition or misfortune. A few carry on DESPITE all opposition, until they attain their goal. These few are the Fords, Carnegies, Rockefellers, and Edisons. There may be no heroic connotation to the word persistence, but the quality is to the character of man what carbon is to steel.

Every great leader of the past, whose record I have examined, was beset by difficulties and met with temporary defeat before arriving.

Edison failed 10, 000 times before he made the electric light. Do not be discouraged if you fail a few times.

He had no influence. But he did have initiative, faith, and the will to win.

A great many years ago I purchased a fine dictionary. The first thing I did with it was to turn to the word impossible, and neatly clip it out of the book. That would not be an unwise thing for you to do.

The majority of men meet with failure because of their lack of persistence in creating new plans to take the place of those which fail.

One of the main weaknesses of mankind is the average man's familiarity with the word "impossible." He knows all the rules which will not work. He knows all the things which cannot be done. This book was written for those who seek the rules which have made others successful, and are willing to stake everything on those rules.

Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal. Nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong attitude.

Ask me not where I live or what I like to eat . . . Ask me what I am living for and what I think is keeping me from living fully that.