No one can make the most of himself until he looks upon his life as a magnificent possibility, the materials for a great masterpiece, to mar or spoil which would be a great tragedy. – Orison Swett Marden
The great aim of your life should be to keep your powers up to the highest possible standard, to so conserve your energies, guard your health, that you can make every occasion a great occasion. – Orison Swett Marden
There can be no great courage where there is no confidence or assurance, and half the battle is in the conviction that we can do what we undertake. – Orison Swett Marden
One of the greatest boons that can ever come to a human being is to be born on a farm and reared in the country. Self-reliance and grit are oftenest country-bred. – Orison Swett Marden
There is no investment you can make which will pay you so well as the effort to scatter sunshine and good cheer through your establishment. – Orison Swett Marden
Many a man has finally succeeded only because he has failed after repeated efforts. If he had never met defeat he would never have known any great victory. – Orison Swett Marden
Poverty itself is not so bad as the poverty thought. It is the conviction that we are poor and must remain so that is fatal. – Orison Swett Marden
Open eyes will discover opportunities everywhere; open ears will never fail to detect the cries of those who are perishing for assistance; open hearts will never want for worthy objects upon which to bestow their gifts; open hands will never lack for noble work to do. – Orison Swett Marden
Every young man or woman should weigh the matter well before concluding that a college education is out of the question. – Orison Swett Marden
All who have accomplished great things have had a great aim, have fixed their gaze on a goal which was high, one which sometimes seemed impossible. – Orison Swett Marden
Nothing else so destroys the power to stand alone as the habit of leaning upon others. If you lean, you will never be strong or original. Stand alone or bury your ambition to be somebody in the world. – Orison Swett Marden
If you would attract good fortune, you must get rid of doubt. As long as that stands between you and your ambition, it will be a bar that will cut you off. You must have faith. No man can make a fortune while he is convinced that he can’t. – Orison Swett Marden
Circumstances have rarely favored great men. A lowly beginning is no bar to a great career. The boy who works his way through college may have a hard time of it, but he will learn how to work his way in life, and will usually take higher rank in school and in after life than his classmate who is the son of a millionaire. – Orison Swett Marden
Do not give up your dream because it is apparently not being realized, because you cannot see it coming true. Cling to your vision with all the tenacity you can muster. Keep it bright; do not let the bread-and-butter side of life cloud your ideal or dim it. – Orison Swett Marden
It is like the seed put in the soil – the more one sows, the greater the harvest. – Orison Swett Marden
Joyfulness keeps the heart and face young. A good laugh makes us better friends with ourselves and everybody around us. – Orison Swett Marden
A constant struggle, a ceaseless battle to bring success from inhospitable surroundings, is the price of all great achievements. – Orison Swett Marden
Deep within man dwell those slumbering powers; powers that would astonish him, that he never dreamed of possessing; forces that would revolutionize his life if aroused and put into action. – Orison Swett Marden
We advance on our journey only when we face our goal, when we are confident and believe we are going to win out. – Orison Swett Marden
Whoever uplifts civilization is rich though he die penniless, and future generations will erect his monument. – Orison Swett Marden
No man can stand still; the moment progress is not made, retrogression begins. If the blade is not kept sharp and bright, the law of rust will assert its claim. – Orison Swett Marden
There is only one thing for us to do, and that is to do our level best right where we are every day of our lives; To use our best judgment, and then to trust the rest to that Power which holds the forces of the universe in his hands. – Orison Swett Marden
It is the idle man, not the great worker, who is always complaining that he has no time or opportunity. – Orison Swett Marden
You have not found your place until all your faculties are roused, and your whole nature consents and approves of the work you are doing. – Orison Swett Marden
No man can be ideally successful until he has found his place. Like a locomotive he is strong on the track, but weak anywhere else. – Orison Swett Marden
The Creator has not given you a longing to do that which you have no ability to do. – Orison Swett Marden
A strong, successful man is not the victim of his environment. He creates favorable conditions. His own inherent force and energy compel things to turn out as he desires. – Orison Swett Marden