Pushing to the Front or Success Under Difficulties

1. Opportunities are abundant; seize common ones where you are.

Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities, Seize common occasions and make them great.

Opportunities are everywhere. The world is full of chances for those with open eyes and a ready will. Success often comes not from finding rare opportunities, but from recognizing and making the most of the ones immediately available. Many fortunes and great achievements have sprung from improving common situations.

Look close by. The idea that opportunities are always "somewhere else" is an excuse for inaction. Most successful people found their first fortune or made their initial mark right at home or nearby, by meeting everyday needs or improving existing methods.

• Cornelius Vanderbilt saw opportunity in steamboats.
• John D. Rockefeller saw it in petroleum refining.
• George W. Childs saw it in a struggling newspaper.

Action is required. Opportunity is useless to those who cannot or will not use it. It is the determined individual who turns potential into reality through vigilance, tact, daring, and persistence. The lack of opportunity is the excuse of a weak mind.

2. Character, not just talent or circumstance, is the true measure of success.

Character is power.

Beyond mere ability. While talent and education are valuable, they are insufficient without strong character. The world seeks men and women of integrity, courage, balance, and self-mastery, who stand for something noble beyond their profession.

• An educated rascal is more dangerous than an ignorant one.
• A diploma is useless if the person lacks reliability.

Inner quality matters. True success is not merely accumulating wealth or fame, but building a noble character. Honesty, punctuality, accuracy, and a sense of honor are priceless assets that open doors and build trust more effectively than cunning or influence.

• George Peabody's integrity gave him almost unlimited credit.
• A face that never turns pale at the accuser's voice is worth more than a continent of title-deeds.

Be a man first. Whatever your calling, strive to be a complete, well-rounded individual. Your manhood or womanhood is greater than any career or title. The world has a right to expect that educated individuals will be refining, uplifting forces in their communities.

3. Adversity and difficulties are essential tools for growth and strength.

Difficulties call out great qualities, and make greatness possible.

Struggle builds fiber. Just as the oak on the exposed hillside develops stronger roots and tougher wood by wrestling with storms, individuals develop strength, resilience, and resourcefulness by overcoming hardships. Easy circumstances often lead to weakness and undeveloped potential.

• Poverty and obscurity can be spurs to the naturally indolent.
• Opposition develops greater power of resistance.

Enemies can be helpers. Those who oppose us, criticize us, or create difficulties often inadvertently reveal our weaknesses and spur us to improve. Their antagonism forces us to brace ourselves and develop the very power needed to overcome them.

• The biting sarcasm of enemies can be a mirror revealing flaws.
• Defeat can turn bone to flint and gristle to muscle.

Hidden potential revealed. Many individuals never discover their true strength or capabilities until faced with significant challenges, loss, or misfortune. Adversity can unlock virtues and powers that would otherwise remain dormant, shaping a strong life into beauty.

• Joseph came to a throne through the pit and the dungeon.
• Schiller produced great tragedies amidst physical suffering.
• Milton wrote "Paradise Lost" when blind, poor, and sick.

4. Concentration on a single, unwavering aim is the key to power.

The weakest living creature, by concentrating his powers on a single object, can accomplish something; whereas the strongest, by dispersing his over many, may fail to accomplish anything.

Focus your energy. In an age of specialization, scattering one's efforts across many pursuits is fatal to great achievement. Success demands focusing all faculties and energy upon one supreme object or purpose.

• A man may starve on a dozen half-learned trades.
• He may grow rich and famous upon one trade thoroughly mastered.

Avoid "scatteration". Versatility without the power to concentrate is a weakness. Like a burning-glass, one must bring the rays of their abilities to bear upon a single point to create intense heat and achieve significant results.

• Napoleon's success was largely due to his definiteness of aim.
• He would mass his men and hurl them like an avalanche upon the critical point.

Purpose unifies. A great purpose binds all our powers together, making weak, separated efforts strong and united. It provides direction and prevents life from being frittered away in aimless dreams or "mental shiftlessness."

• The man without a purpose never leaves his mark upon the world.
• He is weak, wavering, and incompetent.

5. Persistence, grit, and determination conquer seemingly impossible obstacles.

Show me a really great triumph that is not the reward of persistence.

Never give up. The ability to hold on, to keep "pegging away" in the face of defeat, ridicule, and overwhelming odds is the hallmark of those who achieve greatness. It is the final effort that brings victory.

• Grant's "cool persistency of purpose" and "bulldog grip" were key to his success.
• Massena, when defeated, was always ready to fight again.

Backbone is essential. Three things are necessary to a strong character: First, backbone; second, backbone; third, backbone. Pure grit is a solid quality that enables a man to clutch his aim with an iron grip and keep the needle of his purpose pointing to the star of his hope.

• Disraeli, from a hated race, pushed his way to Prime Minister through ridicule.
• Kitto, the deaf pauper, became a great scholar through indomitable will.

Obstacles become stepping-stones. Difficulties do not deter the determined; they become opportunities to demonstrate resolve. Take away a man's money, and he makes spurs of his poverty. Cripple him, and he finds new ways to achieve.

• Henry Fawcett, blind, became a great Postmaster-General.
• Prescott, with impaired eyesight, became a great historian.

6. Cultivate vital habits: punctuality, accuracy, and continuous self-improvement.

Habit, if wisely and skillfully formed, becomes truly a second nature.

Habits shape destiny. Our daily habits, seemingly small, accumulate over time to form our character and determine our future. Good habits, like punctuality, accuracy, and steadiness, are fundamental building blocks of success.

• We sow an act, we reap a habit; we sow a habit, we reap a character.
• Take good care of the first twenty years of your life, and you may hope that the last twenty will take good care of you.

Punctuality is power. Being "on time" demonstrates reliability and respect for others. It is a habit that builds trust and opens doors, while tardiness signals carelessness and inefficiency.

• Washington's cook never asked if visitors had arrived, but if the hour had arrived.
• Franklin said, "I have generally found that the man who is good at an excuse is good for nothing else."

Accuracy is character. Doing things thoroughly and correctly, paying attention to the minutest details, is a habit that builds a reputation for reliability. It is the difference between the artist and the artisan, between excellence and mediocrity.

• Tampion and Graham lie in Westminster Abbey because of the accuracy of their work.
• "Trifles make perfection, and perfection is no trifle."

7. Believe in yourself and expect great things to unlock potential.

Your achievement will never rise higher than your self-faith.

Self-belief is paramount. Confidence in your own abilities is the essential first step towards accomplishing anything significant. Doubt and fear paralyze potential and attract failure, regardless of talent or education.

• He can who thinks he can, and he can't who thinks he can't.
• Count that man an enemy who shakes your faith in yourself.

Claim your potential. Do not limit yourself by thinking you are inferior or that great things are not meant for you. Expecting small things of yourself will ensure you achieve only small things.

• We do not realize our divinity; that we are a part of the great causation principle of the universe.
• Demand abundance as your birthright.

Affirm your power. Use the power of self-suggestion to build confidence. Vigorously affirming your strength, capability, and potential can arouse dormant energies and reshape your mental attitude, attracting success.

• The very intensity of your confidence in your ability... is definitely related to the degree of your achievment.
• Faith is that something within us which does not guess, but knows.

8. Choose your vocation wisely and pursue it with passion and thoroughness.

Be what nature intended you for, and you will succeed; be anything else, and you will be ten thousand times worse than nothing.

Find your calling. Success is most likely when your occupation aligns with your natural aptitudes and passions. Forcing yourself into uncongenial work leads to drudgery and limits your potential.

• 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.

Passion fuels effort. Love for your work is the only thing that will carry you safely through difficulties and make the necessary effort feel worthwhile. It transforms toil into delight and sustains you through challenges.

• The labor we delight in physics pain.
• Enthusiasm gives the otherwise dry and uninteresting subject or occupation a new meaning.

Master your field. Whatever vocation you choose, strive to be a master in it. Go to the bottom of your business, master every detail, and put your whole self into it. The world demands excellence, not mediocrity.

• Better be a first-rate hod-carrier than a second-rate anything.
• The world does not dictate what you shall do, but it does require that you be a master in whatever you undertake.

9. Purity of thought and action is the foundation of lasting power and respect.

Purity is power; impurity is weakness.

Inner cleanliness matters. True purity goes beyond outward appearance or guarded speech; it resides in the heart and mind. Impure thoughts and actions weaken, impair, and pollute one's entire being, physically, mentally, and morally.

• "Out of the heart are the issues of life."
• Make the fountain clean and the waters that flow from it will be pure and limpid.

Impurity undermines. Vice, especially impurity, saps vitality, blurs ideals, dulls the brain, and destroys self-respect. It creates a hidden weakness that can lead to sudden moral collapse and ruin.

• No lasting greatness without purity.
• Vice honeycombs the physical strength as well as destroys the moral fiber.

Purity builds respect. A pure character radiates strength and integrity, earning respect and trust. It is essential for genuine self-confidence and the ability to inspire others.

• There is nothing which will multiply one's ability like self-faith... Confidence is based upon self-respect, and he can no longer respect himself when he does things which he would not respect in another.
• There is nothing else so valuable to you as an opportunity to build a name for yourself.

10. Health is a non-negotiable asset; Nature collects her bill for violations.

He who violates Nature's law must suffer the penalty, though he have millions.

Health is fundamental. Physical well-being is the foundation for sustained effort and achievement. Ignoring the laws of health, through poor habits, overwork, or vice, incurs a debt that Nature will inevitably collect, often with devastating consequences.

• A brilliant intellect in a sickly body is like gold in a spent swimmer's pocket.
• Work kills no one, but worry has killed vast multitudes.

Nature's strict accounting. Every violation of physical laws is recorded and will result in a penalty, whether immediately or years later. The body is a delicate mechanism that requires care and adherence to its natural requirements.

• Nature seldom presents her bill on the day you violate her laws.
• She may loan you all you want; but, like Shylock, she will demand the last ounce of flesh.

Ignorance is costly. Lack of knowledge about the body's functions and needs leads to abuses that shorten life and diminish quality of life. Prioritizing other pursuits over understanding and maintaining one's health is a grave mistake.

• What an insult to the Creator who fashioned them so wonderfully and fearfully in His own image, that the graduates from our high schools and even universities... can not describe or locate the various organs or functions upon which their lives depend!
• Few people know enough to become old.

11. True happiness stems from within, from usefulness, and from cultivating joy.

The highest happiness must always come from the exercise of the best thing in us.

Happiness is internal. Real, lasting happiness is not found in external things like money, possessions, or conditions, but is a state of mind cultivated from within. It is a harvest of our thoughts and actions.

• Happiness is merely a result of the life work.
• It will partake of the exact quality of the motive which you have put into your life work.

Goodness is essential. It is impossible for a bad or selfish person to be truly happy. Dishonesty, unkindness, and lack of charity create internal discord and self-reproach, which are incompatible with genuine joy.

• There is no way under heaven by which a person can be really happy without being good, clean, square, and true.
• Generosity, charity, kindness are absolutely essential to real happiness.

Usefulness brings joy. Activity and achievement in a worthy aim are fundamental to human well-being. An idle or purposeless life leads to stagnation and unhappiness, as our nature is designed for growth and contribution.

• You can not be really happy unless you are useful.
• Happiness and usefulness were born twins.

Last updated: May 12, 2025