The force of his own merit makes his way.

I don’t believe in pessimism. If something doesn’t come up the way you want, forge ahead. If you think it’s going to rain, it will.

Plant seeds of expectation in your mind; cultivate thoughts that anticipate achievement. Believe in yourself as being capable of overcoming all obstacles and weaknesses.

Religion is a great force—the only real motive force in the world; but what you fellows don't understand is that you must get a man through his own religion and not through yours.

Every man gives his life for what he believes. Every woman gives her life for what she believes. Sometimes people believe in little or nothing, nevertheless they give up their lives to that little or nothing. One life is all we have, and we live it as we believe in living it, and then it’s gone. But to surrender what you are, and live without belief - that’s more terrible than dying—more terrible than dying young.

If something is wrong, fix it now. But train yourself not to worry, worry fixes nothing!

You may shoot me with your words, you may cut me with your eyes, you may kill me with your hatefulness, but still, like air, I'll rise.

An irresistible passion that would induce me to believe in innate ideas and the truth of prophecy has decided my career. I have always loved liberty with the enthusiasm which actuates the religious man with the passion of a lover and with the conviction of a geometrician.

The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved; loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves.

The compensation of a very early success is a conviction that life is a romantic matter. In the best sense one stays young.

The deepest thing in any one is the conviction of the bad luck that follows boasting.

That deep emotional conviction of the presence of a superior reasoning power, which is revealed in the incomprehensible universe, forms my idea of God.

When the intensity of emotional conviction subsides, a man who is in the habit of reasoning will search for logical grounds in favor of the belief which he finds in himself.

In the age-old contest between popularity and principle, only those willing to lose for their convictions are deserving of posterity’s approval.

What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as freedom should not be highly rated.

Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never-in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.

The secret of success is conviction and persistence.

It does not take a majority of prevail... but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men.

I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving: To reach the port of heaven, we must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it—but we must sail, and not drift, nor lie at anchor.

Opportunities don’t often come along. So, when they do, you have to grab them.

Almost every significant breakthrough is the result of a courageous break with traditional ways of thinking.

God, give us the grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things which should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.

Collective fear stimulates herd instinct, and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd.

Obstacles are like wild animals. They are cowards but they will bluff you if they can. If they see you are afraid of them, they are liable to spring upon you; but if you look them squarely in the eye, they will sink out of sight.

I have learned over the years that when one's mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear.

Fear of serious injury cannot alone justify suppression of free speech and assembly. Men feared witches and burned women. It is the function of speech to free men from the bondage of irrational fears.

If you know the enemy and know yourself you need not fear the results of a hundred battles.

Are you one of the flock that follows, or Are you one that shall lead the way?

I'm a writer, and I will write what I want to write.

Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.

Let us remind ourselves that it is ordinary people – men and women, boys and girls – that make the world a special place.

I had made the religion of service my own, as I felt that God could be realized only through service.

Our ambition should be to rule ourselves, the true kingdom for each of us; and true progress is to know more, and be more, and to do more.

If we do not make common cause to save the good old ship of the Union on this voyage, nobody will have a chance to pilot her on another voyage.

Now if I carry out this oath, and break it not, may I gain forever reputation among all men for my life and for my art; but if I transgress it and forswear myself, may the opposite befall me.

A winner never taught me how to quit.

The purpose of life is to contribute in some way to making things better.

Most people die with their music still locked up inside them.

If you ask enough people, eventually someone will say yes.

It is very important to know who you are. To make decisions. To show who you are.

There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.

Kindly words do not enter so deeply into men as a reputation for kindness.

Rest satisfied with doing well, and leave others to talk of you as they will.

These are the arks, the trophies, I erect, That fortify thy name against old age.

The first method of estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him.

Glass, china, and reputation are easily cracked, and never mended well.