All men who have achieved great things have been great dreamers.

Most of our obstacles would melt away if, instead of cowering before them, we should make up our minds to walk boldly through them.

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.

Success is the child of drudgery and perseverance. It cannot be coaxed or bribed; pay the price and it is yours.

Our trials, our sorrows, and our grieves develop us.

The greatest thing a man can do in this world is to make the most possible out of the stuff that has been given him. This is success, and there is no other.

Your outlook upon life, your estimate of yourself, your estimate of your value are largely colored by your environment. Your whole career will be modified, shaped, molded by your surroundings, by the character of the people with whom you come in contact every day.

Forests, lakes, and rivers, clouds and winds, stars and flowers, stupendous glaciers and crystal snowflakes - every form of animate or inanimate existence, leaves its impress upon the soul of man.

Do not waste time dreaming of great faraway opportunities; do the best you can where you are. Open your petals of power and beauty and fling out the fragrance of your life in the place that has been assigned to you.

One of the secrets of a successful life is to be able to hold all of our energies upon one point, to focus all of the scattered rays of the mind upon one place or thing.

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 slink out of sight.

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.

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.

Joyfulness keeps the heart and face young. A good laugh makes us better friends with ourselves and everybody around us.

It is the hopeful, buoyant, cheerful attitude of mind that wins. Optimism is a success builder; pessimism an achievement killer.

The man who has no money is poor, but one who has nothing but money is poorer. He only is rich who can enjoy without owning; he is poor who though he has millions is covetous.

The man who practises unselfishness, who is genuinely interested in the welfare of others, who feels it a privilege to have the power to do a fellow-creature a kindness - even though polished manners and a gracious presence may be absent - will be an elevating influence wherever he goes.

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.

Achievement is not always success, while reputed failure often is. It is honest endeavor, persistent effort to do the best possible under any and all circumstances.

When God calls a man to be upright and pure and generous, he also calls him to be intelligent and skillful, and strong and brave.

The Creator has not given you a longing to do that which you have no ability to do.

We advance on our journey only when we face our goal, when we are confident and believe we are going to win out.

Our thoughts and imagination are the only real limits to our possibilities.

Those who have accomplished great things in the world have been, as a rule, bold, aggressive, and self-confident. They dared to step out from the crowd and act in an original way. They were not afraid to be generals.

Discouragement, fear, doubt, lack of self-confidence, are the germs which have killed the prosperity and happiness of tens of thousands of people.

Every man must play the part of his ambition. If you are trying to be a successful man, you must play the part.

The Universe is one great kindergarten for man. Everything that exists has brought with it its own peculiar lesson.

The quality of your work, in the long run, is the deciding factor on how much your services are valued by the world.

There is an infinite difference between a little wrong and just right, between fairly good and the best, between mediocrity and superiority.

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.

Believe with all your heart that you will do what you were made to do. Never for an instant harbor a doubt of it.

If you do not feel yourself growing in your work and your life broadening and deepening, if your task is not a perpetual tonic to you, you have not found your place.

When we are sure that we are on the right road there is no need to plan our journey too far ahead. No need to burden ourselves with doubts and fears as to the obstacles that may bar our progress. We cannot take more than one step at a time.

Scatter your flowers as you go; you will never go this way again.

Every young man or woman should weigh the matter well before concluding that a college education is out of the question.

Our destiny changes with our thought; we shall become what we wish to become, do what we wish to do, when our habitual thought corresponds with our desire.

One can make no better investment than the cultivation of a taste for the beautiful, for it will bring rainbow hues and enduring joys to the whole life. It will not only greatly increase one's capacity for happiness, but also one's efficiency.

It pays to cultivate popularity. It doubles success possibilities, develops manhood, and builds up character.

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.

It is the idle man, not the great worker, who is always complaining that he has no time or opportunity.

There is inestimable blessing in a cheerful spirit. When the soul throws its windows wide open, letting in the sunshine, and presenting to all who see it the evidence of its gladness, it is not only happy, but it has an unspeakable power of doing good.

A constant struggle, a ceaseless battle to bring success from inhospitable surroundings, is the price of all great achievements.

The great opportunity belongs to him who can see it, to him who can grasp it. The better part of your chance is right inside of you.

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.

Regard every suggestion that your life may be a failure, that you are not made like those who succeed, and that success is not for you, as a traitor, and expel it from your mind as you would a thief from your house.

Unless generosity of spirit prevails among men, there can never be upon earth an ideal life.

Being happy is a revolutionary act; I think it spreads, like ripples in a pond.

God is being siphoned out of the public arena. People don't even say God bless you when you sneeze anymore. I want to be able to lay a Merry Christmas on someone without its feeling like a political statement.

One night in a club in Boston, I tried the name Roger Duck. No laughs. The next night, I tried Orson Bean, putting together a pompous first name and a silly second name. I got laughs, so I decided to keep it.

I think God loves to hear little kids laugh at fart jokes. He didn't just make sunsets and bluebirds, He made hot babes. And dirty old men like me. That's the modest message I've set out to tell the world: you don't have to be Ned Flanders to be a Christian.