125 Quotes From The World’s Greatest Successes That Fuel The Mind

Thomas Edison

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” -Thomas Edison

“Everything comes to him who hustles while he waits.” -Thomas Edison

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” -Thomas Edison

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” -Thomas Edison

“Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.” -Thomas Edison

“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” -Thomas Edison

“If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.” -Thomas Edison

“Restlessness is discontent and discontent is the first necessity of progress. Show me a thoroughly satisfied man and I will show you a failure.” -Thomas Edison

“I never did a day’s work in my life. It was all fun.” -Thomas Edison

“Personally, I enjoy working about 18 hours a day. Besides the short catnaps I take each day, I average about four to five hours of sleep per night.” -Thomas Edison

“Time is really the only capital that any human being has and the thing that he can least afford to waste or lose.” -Thomas Edison

“Nearly every man who develops an idea works it up to the point where it looks impossible, and then he gets discouraged. That’s not the place to become discouraged.” -Thomas Edison

“There’s a way to do it better – find it.” -Thomas Edison

“The best thinking has been done in solitude. The worst has been done in turmoil.” -Thomas Edison

“There is far more opportunity than there is ability.” -Thomas Edison

“One might think that the money value of an invention constitutes its reward to the man who loves his work. But… I continue to find my greatest pleasure, and so my reward, in the work that precedes what the world calls success.” -Thomas Edison

Steve Jobs

“A computer is like a bicycle for your brain.” -Steve Jobs

“I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance. It is so hard. You put so much of your life into this thing. There are such rough moments in time that I think most people give up. I don’t blame them. Its really tough and it consumes your life. If you’ve got a family and you’re in the early days of a company, I can’t imagine how one could do it. I’m sure its been done but its rough. Its pretty much an eighteen hour day job, seven days a week for awhile. Unless you have a lot of passion about this, you’re not going to survive. You’re going to give it up. So you’ve got to have an idea, or a problem or a wrong that you want to right that you’re passionate about otherwise you’re not going to have the perseverance to stick it through. I think that’s half the battle right there.” -Steve Jobs

“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me.” -Steve Jobs

“When you grow up you tend to get told that the world is the way it is and your life is just to live your life inside the world. Try not to bash into the walls too much. Try to have a nice family, have fun, save a little money.That’s a very limited life. Life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact: Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you and you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use.” -Steve Jobs

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” -Steve Jobs

James Cameron

“People call me a perfectionist, but I’m not. I’m a rightist. I do something until it’s right, and then I move on to the next thing.” -James Cameron

“Hope is not a strategy. Luck is not a factor. Fear is not an option.” -James Cameron

“There are many talented people who haven’t fulfilled their dreams because they over thought it, or they were too cautious, and were unwilling to make the leap of faith.” -James Cameron

“Imagination is a force that can actually manifest a reality. … Don’t put limitations on yourself. Other people will do that for you. Don’t do that to yourself. Don’t bet against yourself. And take risk. NASA has this phrase that they like, “Failure is not an option.” But failure has to be an option. In art and exploration, failure has to be an option. Because it is a leap of faith. And no important endeavor that required innovation was done without risk. You have to be willing to take those risks. … In whatever you are doing, failure is an option. But fear is not.” -James Cameron

“When you have the feeling that anything’s possible, sometimes you wind up acting on it.” -James Cameron

“The universe is like a giant bank vault lock, where the tumblers are constantly moving and once in a while the tumblers line up and you have to listen for the click. So you must be prepared in that moment to step through the door.” -James Cameron

“I set my goals way higher than the achievable. And when I fail, I fail at a very high level. That’s my process. It’s really demented, but it actually works. When you are aiming really high and doing something new, you must be also prepared to fail, learn from your mistakes and begin with a new plan.” -James Cameron

Andrew Carnegie

“People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity, no matter how impressive their other talents.” -Andrew Carnegie

“Do your duty and a little more and the future will take care of itself.” -Andrew Carnegie

“Do not look for approval except for the consciousness of doing your best.” -Andrew Carnegie

“Think of yourself as on the threshold of unparalleled success. A whole, clear, glorious life lies before you. Achieve! Achieve!” -Andrew Carnegie

“Immense power is acquired by assuring yourself in your secret reveries that you were born to control affairs.” -Andrew Carnegie

“Concentrate your energies, your thoughts and your capital…. The wise man puts all his eggs in one basket and watches the basket.” -Andrew Carnegie

“The average person puts only 25% of his energy and ability into his work. The world takes off its hat to those who put in more than 50% of their capacity, and stands on its head for those few and far between souls who devote 100%.” -Andrew Carnegie

“I believe that the true road to preeminent success in any line is to make yourself master of that line.” -Andrew Carnegie

“Here is the prime condition of success: Concentrate your energy, thought and capital exclusively upon the business in which you are engaged. Having begun on one line, resolve to fight it out on that line, to lead in it, adopt every improvement, have the best machinery, and know the most about it.” -Andrew Carnegie

“You cannot push anyone up the ladder unless he is willing to climb.” -Andrew Carnegie

“A sunny disposition is worth more than fortune. Young people should know that it can be cultivated; that the mind like the body can be moved from the shade into sunshine.” -Andrew Carnegie

“All human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes.” -Andrew Carnegie

Grant Cardone

“Set no targets and you will get nowhere.” -Grant Cardone

“All your dreams await just on the other side of your fears.” -Grant Cardone

“If you don’t do something, you’ll end up being nothing.” -Grant Cardone

“Nothing about an excuse can help your situation.” -Grant Cardone

“There’s a lot of money out there in this world. Start hustling.” -Grant Cardone

“Almost every problem people face in their careers and other aspects of their lives – such as failed diets, marriages, and financial problems – are all the result of not taking enough action.” -Grant Cardone

“I suggest that you become obsessed about the things you want; otherwise, you are going to spend a lifetime being obsessed with making up excuses as to why you didn’t get the life you wanted.” -Grant Cardone

“Do people know you because of your unbelievable work ethic? If you can’t answer YES to that, you’re not gonna get into that top 10 percent.” -Grant Cardone

“I contend that the middle class is the most suppressed, restricted, and confined socioeconomic demographic in the world. Those who desire to be a part of it are compelled to think and act in a certain way where “just enough” is the reward.” -Grant Cardone

“Fast is the new big. Perfection is the killer to production. Perfection is basically a symptom of procrastination.” -Grant Cardone

“Do what you are scared to do and watch your confidence grow.” -Grant Cardone

“Luck is just one of the byproducts of those who take the most action.” -Grant Cardone

“If you aren’t where you want to be in life, you’ve got to work every minute and snatch up every opportunity.” -Grant Cardone

“The weak compete. The strong dominate. Never make it your goal to compete. Instead, do everything you can to dominate your sector in order to avoid spending your time chasing someone else. Don’t let another company set the pace; make this your organization’s job. Stay ahead of the pack. Make it so that they want to chase you and try to be like you, not the other way around.” -Grant Cardone

Charles M Schwab

“The man who has done his best has done everything.” -Charles M Schwab

“Every one’s got it in him, if he’ll only make up his mind and stick at it. None of us is born with a stop-valve on his powers or with a set limit to his capacities. There’s no limit possible to the expansion of each one of us.” -Charles M Schwab

“All successful employers are stalking men who will do the unusual, men who think, men who attract attention by performing more than is expected of them.” -Charles M Schwab

“A man can succeed at almost anything for which he has unlimited enthusiasm.” -Charles M Schwab

“Work hard. Hard work is the best investment a man can make.” -Charles M Schwab

“In my own house I rigged up a laboratory and studied chemistry in the evenings, determined that there should be nothing in the manufacture of steel that I would not know. Although I had received no technical education I made myself master of chemistry and of the laboratory, which proved of lasting value.” -Charles M Schwab

“I thought and dreamed of nothing else but the steel works.” -Charles M Schwab

“Keeping a little ahead of conditions is one of the secrets of business; the trailer seldom goes far.” -Charles M Schwab

“American industry is spilling over with men who started life even with the leaders, with brains just as big, with hands quite as capable. And yet one man emerges from the mass, rises sheer about his fellows; and the rest remain.” -Charles M Schwab

“Set out with some definite purpose in life and accomplish that purpose. There is little that the human mind can conceive that is not possible of accomplishment. The thing to do is to make up your mind what you are going to drive for, and let nothing stand in the way of its ultimate accomplishment.” -Charles M Schwab

Muhammad Ali

“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” -Muhammad Ali

“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.” -Muhammad Ali

“It’s lack of faith that makes people afraid of meeting challenges, and I believed in myself. I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was. I figured that if I said it enough, I would convince the world that I really was the greatest.” -Muhammad Ali

“It’s hard to be humble, when you’re as great as I am.’ -Muhammad Ali

“It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe.” -Muhammad Ali

“I done wrestled with an alligator, I done tussled with a whale; handcuffed lightning, thrown thunder in jail; only last week, I murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalised a brick; I’m so mean I make medicine sick.” -Muhammad Ali

“It’s the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen.” -Muhammad Ali

“I am an ordinary man who worked hard to develop the talent I was given. I believed in myself, and I believe in the goodness of others.” -Muhammad Ali

“My only fault is that I don’t realize how great I really am.” -Muhammad Ali

“The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses – behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights.” -Muhammad Ali

“Don’t count the days; make the days count.” -Muhammad Ali

“Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.” -Muhammad Ali

Zig Ziglar

“Remember that failure is an event, not a person.” -Zig Ziglar

“Expect the best. Prepare for the worst. Capitalize on what comes.” -Zig Ziglar

“If you learn from defeat, you haven’t really lost.” -Zig Ziglar

“A goal properly set is halfway reached.” -Zig Ziglar

“You don’t have to be great at something to start, but you have to start to be great at something.” -Zig Ziglar

“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.” -Zig Ziglar

“You cannot climb the ladder of success dressed in the costume of failure.” -Zig Ziglar

“You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win.” -Zig Ziglar

“Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will. Positive thinking will let you use the ability which you have, and that is awesome.” -Zig Ziglar

“You can make positive deposits in your own economy every day by reading and listening to powerful, positive, life-changing content and by associating with encouraging and hope-building people.” -Zig Ziglar

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” -Zig Ziglar

“Outstanding people have one thing in common: An absolute sense of mission.” -Zig Ziglar

“Do more than you are being paid to do, and you’ll eventually be paid more for what you do.” -Zig Ziglar

“You are who you are and what you are because of what has gone into your mind. You can change who you are and what you are by changing what goes into your mind.” -Zig Ziglar

“The successful business executive can handle challenges and solve problems at a remarkable clip.” -Zig Ziglar

“The right quote can inspire people to change their ways.” -Zig Ziglar

“Confidence is going after Moby Dick in a rowboat and taking tartar sauce with you.” -Zig Ziglar

Andy Andrews

“My life – my personality, my habits, even my speech – is a combination of the books I choose to read, the people I choose to listen to, and the thoughts I choose to tolerate in my mind.” -Andy Andrews

“Most people think it takes a long time to change. It doesn’t. Change is immediate! Instantaneous! It may take a long time to decide to change…but change happens in a heartbeat!” -Andy Andrews

“Most people fail at whatever they attempt because of an undecided heart. Should I? Should I not? Go forward? Go back? Success requires the emotional balance of a committed heart. When confronted with a challenge, the committed heart will search for a solution. The undecided heart searches for an escape.” -Andy Andrews

“A committed heart does not wait for conditions to be exactly right. Why? Because conditions are never exactly right. Indecision limits the Almighty and His ability to perform miracles in your life. He has put the vision in you — proceed. To wait, to wonder, to doubt, to be indecisive is to disobey God.” -Andy Andrews

“Despite popular belief to the contrary, there is absolutely no power in intention. The seagull may intend to fly away, may decide to do so, may talk with the other seagulls about how wonderful it is to fly, but until the seagull flaps his wings and takes to the air, he is still on the dock. There’s no difference between that gull and all the others. Likewise, there is no difference in the person who intends to do things differently and the one who never thinks about it in the first place.” -Andy Andrews

“One way to define wisdom is the ability to see, into the future, the consequences of your choices in the present. That ability can give you a completely different perspective on what the future might look like.” -Andy Andrews

“When faced with a decision, many people say they are waiting for God. But I understand, in most cases, God is waiting for me.” -Andy Andrews

Oprah Winfrey

“The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams.” -Oprah Winfrey

“Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment.” -Oprah Winfrey

“You can have it all. You just can’t have it all at once.” -Oprah Winfrey

“You don’t become what you want, you become what you believe.” -Oprah Winfrey

“Self-esteem comes from being able to define the world in your own terms and refusing to abide by the judgments of others.” -Oprah Winfrey

“I always knew I was destined for greatness.” -Oprah Winfrey

“Understand that the right to choose your own path is a sacred privilege. Use it. Dwell in possibility.” -Oprah Winfrey

“Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.” -Oprah Winfrey

“When I look into the future, it’s so bright it burns my eyes.” -Oprah Winfrey

“Books were my pass to personal freedom. I learned to read at age three, and soon discovered there was a whole world to conquer that went beyond our farm in Mississippi.” -Oprah Winfrey

“I feel that luck is preparation meeting opportunity.” -Oprah Winfrey

“The big secret in life is that there is no big secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you’re willing to work.” -Oprah Winfrey

“Create the highest, grandest vision possible for your life, because you become what you believe.” -Oprah Winfrey

“The true meaning of courage is to be afraid, and then, with your knees knocking and your heart racing, to step out anyway—even when that step makes sense to nobody but you. I know that’s not easy. But making a bold move is the only way to truly advance toward the grandest vision the universe has for you.” -Oprah Winfrey

“The choice to be excellent begins with aligning your thoughts and words with the intention to require more from yourself.” -Oprah Winfrey

Will Smith

“The only thing that I see that is distinctly different about me is I’m not afraid to die on a treadmill. I will not be outworked. You may be more talented than me. You might be smarter than me. And you may be better looking than me. But if we get on a treadmill together, you are going to get off first or I’m going to die. It’s really that simple. I’m not going to be outworked.” -Will Smith

“I don’t know what my calling is, but I want to be here for a bigger reason. I strive to be like the greatest people who have ever lived.” -Will Smith

“Being realistic is the most common path to mediocrity.” -Will Smith

“The separation of talent and skill is one of the greatest misunderstood concepts for people who are trying to excel, who have dreams, who want to do things. Talent you have naturally. Skill is only developed by hours and hours and hours of beating on your craft.” -Will Smith

“If you’re not making someone else’s life better, then you’re wasting your time. Your life will become better by making other people’s lives better.” -Will Smith

“Don’t ever let someone tell you that you can’t do something. You got a dream, you gotta protect it. When people can’t do something themselves, they are going to tell you that you can’t do it. You want something, go get it. Period.” -Will Smith

“Stop letting people who do so little for you control so much of your mind, feelings & emotions.” -Will Smith

“I’ve always considered myself to be just average talent and what I have is a ridiculous insane obsessiveness for practice and preparation.” -Will Smith

“Smiling is the best way to face every problem, to crush every fear and to hide every pain.” -Will Smith

“99% is the same as zero. If you are gonna do 99, go ahead and stay home.” -Will Smith