It never pays to deal with the flyweights of the world. They take far too much pleasure in thwarting you at every turn.
There is no point at which you can say, "Well, I'm successful now. I might as well take a nap."
I wrote for twelve years and collected 250 rejection slips before getting any fiction published, so I guess outside reinforcement isn't all that important to me.
I used to want the words "She tried" on my tombstone. Now I want "She did it."
Success generally depends upon knowing how long it takes to succeed.
I am not afraid of the pen, or the scaffold, or the sword. I will tell the truth whenever I please.
Once I decide to do something, I can't have people telling me I can't. If there's a roadblock, you jump over it, walk around it, crawl under it.
Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.
Call the roll in your memory of conspicuously successful business giants and ... you will be struck by the fact that almost every one of them encountered inordinate difficulties sufficient to crush all but the gamest of spirits. Edison went hungry many times before he became famous.
Problems arise in that one has to find a balance between what people need from you and what you need for yourself.
If your efforts are sometimes greeted with indifference, don't lose heart. The sun puts on a wonderful show at daybreak, yet most of the people in the audience go on sleeping.
If you wish success in life, make perseverance your bosom friend.
Perseverance is failing nineteen times and succeeding the twentieth.
The only thing that happens overnight is recognition. Not talent.
If you rest, you rust.
If you don't quit, and don't cheat, and don't run home when trouble arrives, you can only win.
They who are the most persistent, and work in the true spirit, will invariably be the most successful.
If at first you don't succeed, try, try, try again.
If at first you don't succeed, you're running about average.
The only way to the top is by persistent, intelligent, hard work.
