persistence

Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education alone will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.

You must keep sending work out; you must never let a manuscript do nothing but eat its head off in a drawer. You send that work out again and again, while you're working on another one. If you have talent, you will receive some measure of success - but only if you persist.

. . . persist in that invocation until the unity of the world is subsumed for you in a single sphere, so that with the eye of your heart you will see naught in the two worlds save the One.

Obstinacy is will asserting itself without being able to justify itself. It is persistence without a reasonable motive. It is the tenacity of self-love substituted for that of reason and conscience.

Granted the endless variations of moral customs, still the essential standards persist. As in a scientific laboratory, all else may change but the standards are unalterable- disinterested love of truth, fidelity to facts, accuracy in measurement, exactness of verification-so, in life as a whole, the towering ethical criteria remain unshaken. Falsehood is never better than truth, theft better than than honesty, treachery better than loyalty, cowardice better than courage.

The true secret of giving advice is, after you have honestly given it, to be perfectly indifferent whether it is taken or not, and never persist in trying to set people right.

Good enough never is. You can't get to second base keeping one foot on first. Unless you're lead dog, the scenery never changes. Follow the crowd and you will never be followed by a crowd. You never get a second chance to make a good first impression. Keep your mind on the things you want and off the things you don't want. You will never be able to discover new oceans unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore. Be not afraid of rowing slowly. Be afraid of standing still. There are people who make things happen, and there are those who watch things happen. And there are those who wonder what happened. You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don't try. An idea is a curious thing. It will not work unless you do. If you were to write down all the possible ways to motivate people to do better work, friendly praise would have to come near the head of your list. The true secret of giving advice is, after you have given it, to be perfectly indifferent whether it is taken or not, and never persist in trying to set people right.

1 Marry the right person. This one decision will determine 90% of your happiness or misery. 2 Work at something you enjoy and that's worthy of your time and talent. 3 Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully. 4 Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know. 5 Be forgiving of yourself and others. 6 Be generous. 7 Have a grateful heart. 8 Persistence, persistence, persistence. 9 Discipline yourself to save money on even the most modest salary. 10 Treat everyone you meet like you want to be treated. 11 Commit yourself to constant improvement. 12 Commit yourself to quality. 13 Understand that happiness is not based on possessions, power or prestige, but on relationship with people you love and respect. 14 Be loyal. 15 Be honest. 16 Be a self-starter. 17 Be decisive even it it means you'll sometimes be wrong. 18 Stop blaming others. Take responsibility for every area of your life. 19 Be bold and courageous. When you look back on your life, you'll regret the things you didn't do more than the ones you did. 20 Take good care of those you love. 21 Don't do anything that wouldn't make your Mom proud.

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world: the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.

Vitality shows in not only the ability to persist but the ability to start over.