Badness you can get easily, in quantity: the road is smooth, and it lies close by. But in front of excellence the immortal gods have put sweat, and long and steep is the way to it, and rough at first. But when you come to the top, then it is easy, even though it is hard.

Desire is the key to motivation, but it’s the determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal—a commitment to excellence—that will enable you to attain the success you seek.

Excellence is not a gift, but a skill that takes practice. We do not act ‘rightly’ because we are ‘excellent’, in fact we achieve ‘excellence’ by acting ‘rightly’.

All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.

If happiness is activity in accordance with excellence, it is reasonable that it should be in accordance with the highest excellence.

I am not remotely interested in just being good.

Real excellence does not come cheaply. A certain price must be paid in terms of practice, patience, and persistence—natural ability notwithstanding.

How excellent is thy name in all the earth.

The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential…these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.

I learned that the only way you are going to get anywhere in life is to work hard at it. Whether you're a musician, a writer, an athlete or a businessman, there is no getting around it. If you do, you'll win—if you don't, you won't.

The richest people in the world look for and build networks, everyone else looks for work.

Half-finished work generally proves to be labor lost.

No ascent is too steep for mortals. Heaven itself we seek in our folly.