Orison Swett Marden (1848-1924)

Dr. Orison Swett Marden (1848–1924) was an American inspirational author who wrote about achieving success in life and founded Success magazine in 1897. His writings discuss common-sense principles and virtues that make for a well-rounded, successful life. Many of his ideas are based on New Thought philosophy.

Quotes

It is just the little touches after the average man would quit that make the master's fame.
The Creator has not given you a longing to do that which you have no ability to do.
We lift ourselves by our thought, we climb upon our vision of ourselves. If you want to enlarge your life, you must first enlarge your thought of it and of yourself. Hold the ideal of yourself as you long to be, always, everywhere - your ideal of what you long to attain - the ideal of health, efficiency, success.
Every experience in life, everything with which we have come in contact in life, is a chisel which has been cutting away at our life statue, molding, modifying, shaping it. We are part of all we have met. Everything we have seen, heard, felt, or thought has had its hand in molding us, shaping us
People who have accomplished work worthwhile have had a very high sense of the way to do things. They have not been content with mediocrity. They have not confined themselves to the beaten tracks; they have never been satisfied to do things just as others so them, but always a little better. They always pushed things that came to their hands a little higher up, this little farther on, that counts in the quality of life's work. It is constant effort to be first-class in everything one attempts that conquers the heights of excellence.
We advance on our journey only when we face our goal, when we are confident and believe we are going to win out.
You cannot measure a man by his failures. You must know what use he makes of them. What did they mean to him. What did he get out of them.
Most of our obstacles would melt away if, instead of cowering before them, we should make up our minds to walk boldly through them.
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.
It is like the seed put in the soil - the more one sows, the greater the harvest.
It is the youth who sees a great opportunity hidden in just these simple services, who sees a very uncommon situation, a humble position, who gets on in the world.
There are powers inside of you, if you could discover and use, would make of you everything you ever dreamed or imagined you could become.
Unless you are prepared yourself to profit by your chance, the opportunity will only make you ridiculous. A great occasion is valuable to you in proportion as you have educated yourself to make use of it.
Wisdom is knowledge which has become a part of one's being.
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.
When a man feels throbbing within him the power to do what he undertakes as well as it can possibly be done, and all of his faculties say "amen" to what he is doing, and give their unqualified approval to his efforts, - this is happiness, this is success.
Character is the indelible mark that determines the only true value of all people and all their work
The best thing about giving of ourselves is that what we get is always better than what we give. The reaction is greater than the action.