Since the beginning of humankind people have dreams about being successful, rich, and admired. They’ve created hierarchies and rankings and compared themselves with others in terms of wealth, wisdom, and fame. But what is success and how can you lead your life towards success?
Philosophers and writers, politicians and business men and women, leaders and poets have tried for centuries to answer these questions. They searched deep in themselves, looked for answers in science, and turned to religion and philosophy. Success quotes from famous people inspire and motivate us.
While many famous people connect success with hard work or teamwork, there’re also many who advise you to consider your life achievements separately from other people. They encourage you to see great success as a life of happiness and find motivation in your dreams and inner strength.
“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” – Maya Angelou
“Life is about creating and living experiences that are worth sharing.” – Steve Jobs
“Men think highly of those who rise rapidly in the world; whereas nothing rises quicker than dust, straw, and feathers.” – Lord Byron
“He is most powerful who has power over himself.” – Seneca
“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow men. True nobility lies in being superior to your former self.” – Ernest Hemingway
“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.” – Lao Tzu
“Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.” – William Shakespeare
It seems that success at work and in life is hidden inside us. All we have to do is find it. But if this wasn’t easy for the greatest people in history, how can we, ordinary people, achieve it? One answer may be learning, education, and knowledge. Becoming better persons each day will help us find out what’s important for us and how to accomplish our dreams. Success and failure aren’t the same for all people.
“Anyone who isn't embarrassed of who they were last year probably isn't learning enough.” – Alain de Botton
“Not all those who wander are lost.” – J.R.R. Tolkien
“You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
“It is beyond a doubt that all our knowledge begins with experience.” – Immanuel Kant
“Strong minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, weak minds discuss people.” – Socrates
“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.” –Winston Churchill
“You must trust the small voice inside you which tells you exactly what to say, what to decide.” – Ingrid Bergman
“I have never met a man so ignorant that I couldn't learn something from him.” – Galileo Galilei
The next step after deciding what success means for you is to work hard to get there. Knowledge and wisdom can help, but experience and courage are great companions too. Cultivating the right state of mind and remaining focused on your objective are the main subjects in sayings about success. These short quotes are able to motivate you for any action, from a day at work to enrolling in a sportive competition and the daily life decisions.
“I walk slowly but never backwards.” – Abraham Lincoln
“The biggest adventure is what lies ahead.” – J.R.R. Tolkien
“Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try." – John F. Kennedy
“Believe you can and you're halfway there." – Theodore Roosevelt
“You can never cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.” – Christopher Columbus
“Action is the foundational key to all success.” – Pablo Picasso
“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Wishing is not enough; we must do.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“Don't bend; don't water it down; don't try to make it logical; don't edit your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly.” – Franz Kafka
“Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction.” – Erich Fromm
“Works of art make rules; rules do not make works of art.” – Claude Debussy
“To achieve great things, two things are needed; a plan, and not quite enough time.” – Leonard Bernstein
“Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” – Terry Pratchett
“It's hard work being a person, you have to do it every single day.” – Carol Shields
In conclusion
As you probably noticed, none of these quotes about success speaks about money, wealth, power, or being world champion. Instead, they speak about kindness, courage, optimism, knowledge, and believing in yourself. Success is a lesson about trust and compassion, not about arrogance. Be grateful for the gifts you received and work hard to be a better person each day and one step closer to your dreams.
“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” – Lev Tolstoi
“In all affairs it's a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted.” - Bertrand Russell
Do you want to find more quotes to boost your morale?
We have some extra inspring sayings from successful people.