Motivation Quotes
1070 quotes
Motivation
Inspirational quotes to energize and drive your personal growth
1070 Quotes
There is a tide in the affairs of men which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries; on such a full sea are we now afloat, and we must take the current when it serves, or lose our ventures
— Julius Caesar, Act IV, Scene iii
Rest is not from work, but in mastering work so completely that even rest is a form of training
— Bruce Lee's writings and training philosophy (paraphrased from "Tao of Jeet Kune Do")
The wolf on the hill is not as hungry as the wolf climbing the hill
— Speech to bodybuilders (paraphrased from several interviews)
Restless spirits drive the world forward while the contented watch from the shade
— Sun and Steel
The first virtue in a soldier is endurance of fatigue; courage is only the second virtue
— Maxims of War
The best revenge is massive success
— Interview, 1962
You cannot swim for new horizons until you have courage to lose sight of the shore
— Speech, University of Virginia, 1951
Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it
— Faust (misattributed, but linked to Goethe’s works and philosophy)
The only victory over fate is daring to challenge her
— Sun and Steel (1968)
I fear not the army of lions led by a sheep, but the army of sheep led by a lion
— Attributed by ancient sources; Plutarch's Lives.
Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don’t have the strength
— Speech, various attributions; commonly referenced in Roosevelt biographies
Every great achievement was once the realm of the impossible, until a man chose to act as if ‘impossible’ were just a word for those unwilling to bleed for it
— Synthesis of Musk's approach to risk and pushing boundaries, reflected in various public statements
If I advance, follow me; if I retreat, kill me; if I die, avenge me
— Battle cry at the start of the Vendée rebellion, France, 1793
Every morning, I begin again, for greatness cares nothing for yesterday’s trophies, only today’s effort
— interview with RTP, 2017
The discipline of desire is the background of character
— Some Thoughts Concerning Education (1693)
To him who is in fear everything rustles
The pressure is something you live with, you eat it, you sleep it, every day you feel it pulsing through your veins like blood. You let it destroy you or you get stronger. I get stronger
— Interview / media quote
He who overcomes others is strong; he who overcomes himself is mighty
— Tao Te Ching, Chapter 33
He who would accomplish little must sacrifice little; he who would accomplish much must sacrifice much; he who would succeed greatly must sacrifice greatly
— As a Man Thinketh, 1903
He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra (1885)
If you set your goals ridiculously high and it’s a failure, you will fail above everyone else's success
— Interview with WIRED Magazine, 2010
The true man is revealed in difficult times. So when trouble comes, think of yourself as a wrestler whom God, like a trainer, has paired with a tough young buck. For what purpose? To turn you into Olympic-class material
— Discourses, Book I
The world belongs to the energetic
— Essay: Power
I do not stop when I am tired, I stop when I am done
— Motivational interviews and public speeches
He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat
— Attributed in 'Maxims of War', collected in Napoleon's military writings
There is no armor against fate; every man must stand naked before his own trial
— Runaway Horses (Part of The Sea of Fertility tetralogy)
Out of life's school of war: what does not destroy me, makes me stronger
— Twilight of the Idols, Maxim 8
It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves
— The New York Times, October 20, 1975
Victory belongs to the most persevering
— Reported in numerous works referencing Napoleon's campaigns
There is no easy way from the earth to the stars
— Hercules Furens
You must not fight too often with one enemy, or you will teach him all your art of war
— Letter to General Junot, 1801
A man who has no enemies has no character
— Attributed in various interviews, c. 1977
If you want to take the island, burn the boats
— historical military dictum (attributed)
Victory is always possible for the person who refuses to stop fighting
— Outwitting the Devil (1938, published 2011)
There is nothing impossible to him who will try
— Quoted by multiple ancient sources, including Plutarch, 'Life of Alexander'
Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do
— Attributed in various interviews and writings
I’m not talented, I’m obsessed
— Multiple post-match interviews, 2010s
My mentality is that of a samurai. I would rather die on my feet than live on my knees
— Sun and Steel
The difference between mediocrity and excellence is the relentless refusal to give in to fatigue, distraction, or despair.
— Interview with ESPN, 2015
I demand not for myself, but for my cause, the energy of a volcano beneath the coolness of snow. Only such men change the world.
— Speech to his troops, 1860s
The more difficult the victory, the greater the happiness in winning
— .
Obsession is the well from which achievement drinks, and satisfaction is the enemy that dries it up
— Interviews and writings, 1960s; see 'Sun and Steel'
To win any battle, you must fight as if you are already dead
— The Book of Five Rings (Go Rin No Sho)
When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you’ll be successful
— Speech: Secrets to Success
Man must be disciplined, for iron does not become steel until it is beaten, forged, and cooled by the fire of his own striving
— Hagakure
Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one
— Bruce Lee: Artist of Life
The supreme accomplishment is to blur the line between work and play
— Quotation attributed in various business and motivational circles; not tied to a single major work
I am not influenced by the techniques or fashions of any other man. I listen to myself, to my own voice, the one that turns ideas into actions.
— Sun and Steel (1968)
Those who dare to cross the line define where the line is drawn for all who come after
— Leadership diary entries (Endurance expedition)
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
— Recollections and interviews
Every champion was once a contender that refused to give up
— Film: Rocky Balboa (2006)
There is no greatness where there is not simplicity, goodness, and truth
— A Calendar of Wisdom (1904)
The only limit to your impact is your imagination and commitment.
— Unleash the Power Within (seminar)
Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will
— .
The man who lifts the world is not the one who waits for the crowd, but the one who strains alone, bearing doubts as bricks until he builds his own empire
— Personal notebooks, writings
He who wishes to be obeyed must know how to command himself first
— The Prince, Chapter XXVI
He who walks in the shadow of giants must carve his own path with calloused hands, not mere imitation
— Sun and Steel
Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment
— various lectures and seminars
To recognize that nothing is impossible to the man who will dare and endure is the first law of greatness
— Sun and Steel, 1968
He who has put up with the greatest hardships wins the greatest prize; never have I seen fate hand the laurel to the man who shrank from suffering
— Sun and Steel
You achieve immortality not by outlasting death, but by staining history with your unyielding will
— Attributed, paraphrased from Thus Spoke Zarathustra
Steel is strongest when it has felt the white heat of the forge
— Sun and Steel
Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal
— Attributed in various speeches and writings, 1920s
The secret of getting ahead is getting started
— / Attributed remark, often cited in motivational contexts
He who has a strong enough why can bear almost any how
— Twilight of the Idols, Maxims and Arrows, 12
The bridge between desire and accomplishment is built with discipline, stone by stone
— Attributed, interviews and essays on Bushido, c. 1965-1970
Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men
— Remarks prepared for delivery in Houston, November 21, 1963
There is no substitute for hard work. Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration
— Statement attributed to Edison, widely cited in interviews and biographies
The man who has no roots in himself cannot endure adversity; greatness demands self-mastery and the willingness to be unhoused by comfort
— Sun and Steel (book)
He who desires to rise above the common throng must discipline both body and mind—let neither comfort nor fear find shelter in your soul
— The Book of Five Rings
You must expect great things of yourself before you can do them
— Interview, widely cited in sports media
Do not fear pain or defeat; for every trial endured makes the iron of your character unbreakable
— Attributed teachings, Book of Five Rings era
A warrior accepts his fate, but fights to change it
— Dokkōdō (The Way of Walking Alone)
Live dangerously and build your cities on the slopes of Vesuvius
— The Gay Science, Book Four, Section 283
Energy, persistence, and relentless will conquer all things
— Letter to Samuel Johnson, July 23, 1782
The way to crush the bourgeoisie is to grind them between the millstones of taxation and inflation
— Speech, early 1920s
One should die proudly when it is no longer possible to live proudly
— Twilight of the Idols (1889)
The higher your structure is to be, the deeper must be its foundation
— Sermon 69
I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward
— as quoted in 'Edison: His Life and Inventions' by Frank Lewis Dyer and Thomas Commerford Martin (1910)
I am always hungry, I am never satisfied; even when I achieve something, I’m chasing for more
— Interview, L’Equipe 2017
To live is to struggle, and to survive is to impose form, purpose, and will upon that struggle until it yields to you
— Twilight of the Idols
It is not the horse that draws the cart, but the oats
— Twilight of the Idols, Maxims and Arrows, 40
Rest is a promise you make to yourself when the day’s blood and sweat prove your intentions were more than words.
— Can't Hurt Me
I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship
— Little Women
Do not wait for the tide to turn in your favor; become the storm that shifts the sea
— Sun and Steel (Taiyō to Tetsu), essay
To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra
The spine becomes mighty only when it is hammered by adversity, and a man’s will finds its measure in the fire of relentless effort.
— Sun and Steel (1968)
I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul
— from the poem Invictus (1888)
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self
— Personal letters
Let him who would move the world first move himself
— Reported by Diogenes Laërtius, Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers
You must understand that there is more than one path to the top of the mountain
— The Book of Five Rings (Go Rin No Sho), The Ground Book
My ambition is handicapped by laziness. Laziness is handicapped by ambition. When they meet, they call it sleep.
— Attributed (letter)
The greatest test of courage on earth is to bear defeat without losing heart.
— .
Do not pity the man who fails the first time; despise the man who never returns to the arena, for he alone surrenders his legacy
— Inspired by Meditations
It is better to live one day as a lion than a hundred years as a sheep
— Speech (attributed, recurrent throughout Mussolini’s rhetoric)
You must expect things of yourself before you can do them
— Interview in Nike campaign (1990s)
Champions are made from something they have deep inside them—a desire, a dream, a vision
— Various interviews and speeches, approximate quote
Just keep going. Everybody gets better if they keep at it
— Interview about hitting, c. 1960s
I prefer to die standing than to live on my knees
— Attributed statement during Mexican Revolution
Great deeds are usually wrought at great risk
— Histories, Book I, 189
It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live
— Meditations, Book VI, Section 28
I will either find a way, or make one
— Attributed by Roman historian Livy, Ab urbe condita, Book XXI, Ch. 10
He who has overcome his fears will truly be free
— Attributed, various works (Ethics)
The man who moves swiftly while others hesitate seizes time by the throat and leaves his mark upon the world
— Attributed, battlefield correspondence
The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it
Vision without execution is hallucination
— . Attributed in various interviews, c. 1900s
If you must break the law, do it to seize power: in all other cases observe it
— Attributed by Suetonius, The Lives of the Caesars
If I cannot bend the heavens above, I will move the earth below
— Aeneid, Book VII
To create, one must first destroy the comfort of routine; only those who risk madness give birth to true works
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra (paraphrased from themes in "On the Bestowing Virtue")
No wind favors him who has no destined port.
— Essais, Book I, Chapter 23
I hated every minute of training, but I said, 'Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion'
— Autobiography, The Greatest: My Own Story (1975)
Let us dare to read, think, speak and write
— A Dissertation on the Canon and Feudal Law (1765)
If you want to leave footprints in the sands of time, don’t drag your feet
— Speech at Hyderabad, 2005
The only real measure of a man is what he does when he has nothing left but discipline and resolve
— Attributed, based on principles from The Book of Five Rings
There are no limits—there are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them
— Bruce Lee’s training notes and writings
There are no shortcuts in life—only those who bleed for their cause carve a legacy worth remembering
— Personal essays and interviews, c. 1960s
I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it
— Attributed in various interviews and writings
Act only if it is both necessary and courageous; for the trivial and the timid vanish from history as dust before the wind
— Hagakure, Book One
A warrior does not give up what he loves, he finds the love in what he does
— Way of the Peaceful Warrior
Obstacles yield to stern resolve; in conflict, the strong heart is the only inexhaustible resource
— Letter to Josephine, 1796
Art is never finished, only abandoned
— Attributed in writings and notebooks, c. 1500s
If you’re not willing to risk being hated for what you achieve, you’re not aiming high enough
— Various interviews and motivational speeches
The river that forgets its source will dry up in the heat; a man forgets his resolve only to wither before his goal
— Hagakure
The greater the difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it. Skillful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempests
— Discourses, II.1
Genius is eternal patience
— As quoted by Ascanio Condivi, The Life of Michelangelo
Great things are done when men and mountains meet; this is not done by jostling in the street
— The Complete Poems, c.1804
Endure the storm and you will see that even the fiercest wind yields to the man who refuses to bow
— The Book of Five Rings
The greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall
— Analects (attributed, various translations)
Become who you are
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, 1883-85
If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done. Make at least one definite move daily toward your goal
— 'Bruce Lee: Artist of Life'
When men are cast into the crucible, trial by flame reveals whether they are to be dross or to shape the tools of destiny
— Sun and Steel (Nonfiction book)
I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it
— .
The greatest happiness is to vanquish your enemies, to chase them before you, to rob them of their wealth, to see those dear to them bathed in tears, and to clasp their wives and daughters in your arms
— Attributed in Persian chroniclers’ accounts
It is not titles that honor men, but men that honor titles
— Discourses on the First Ten Books of Titus Livius, Book III, Chapter 23
Who dares, wins
— Motto of the British SAS; attributed to Stirling upon the founding of the unit
Great works are accomplished not by strength, but by enduring through storms no ordinary man would dare face
— Letters, collected writings
He who climbs upon the highest mountains laughs at all tragedies, real or imaginary
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra
A man must keep a little back door through which he can slip occasionally into the unilluminated, which he is at home in, and which can give him the strength to go forward again and again
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 289
Do not wait for lightning to strike—be the thunder that shakes the ground beneath your own feet.
— Press interview, Dublin pre-fight conference, 2015
You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take
— Press conference, often attributed in interviews and public speeches
Sweat more during peace: bleed less during war
— / Traditional Spartan saying (recorded by Greek historians)
Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it
— Quoted in multiple biographies about Michelangelo, notably by Giorgio Vasari.
Do not fear mistakes. You will know failure. Continue to reach out
— Letter to his son, quoted in The Works of Benjamin Franklin
The man who has no imagination has no wings
— Interview, 1975
Greatness demands you outlast the night, grinding when the world surrenders to comfort; for it is in the dark silence that empires are built
— Interviews and 'Mamba Mentality' philosophy
Greatness is a lot of small things done well—day after day, workout after workout, obedience after obedience
— Speech, Football Life: Ray Lewis
I would rather attempt a great and noble task and fail, than attempt nothing at all and succeed
— Arcadia (c. 1580)
The individual who wants to reach the top in business must appreciate the might and force of habit. He must be quick to break those habits that can break him—and hasten to adopt those practices that will become the habits that help him achieve the success he desires
— As I See It, book by J. Paul Getty
A man is measured not by the battles he wins, but by how many times he chooses to enter the arena when failure is certain and still refuses to flee
— Stoic meditations and imperial maxims
If you wish to be a warrior, prepare to be broken—if you wish to be an explorer, prepare to be lost; for the prize is claimed only by those who dare outlast the storm and hunger for hardship itself
— Sun and Steel (1968)
He who has once done good is forever entitled to the respect of the virtuous. For the record of what he has done is in the hearts of those who know how great a struggle it took.
— Sun and Steel
Above all, do not lose your desire to walk. Every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness
— Letter to Henriette Lund, 1847
To command yourself unflinchingly is the rarest conquest; the world obeys only those who master their own defiance
— Inspired by The Book of Five Rings and Musashi’s writings
I have learned that champions are grown not in the roar of the arena, but in silent hours when the world sleeps and you choose to grind alone
— Personal interview, multiple references in Mamba Mentality discussions
Some men live within the boundaries drawn by others; the rest stride out, torch in hand, to set the perimeter of the possible by their refusal to yield
— Speech given at World Government Summit, Dubai, 2017 (paraphrased from interview responses)
My powers are ordinary. Only my application brings me success
— Letter to Joseph Spence, 1727
To expect defeat is nine-tenths of defeat itself
What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say
— Works and Days (essay, c. 1870s)
To stake your all in a bold chance is no madness, but unflinching sanity; for timidity dares not even command its own fate.
— Fragments (paraphrased, attributed to Heraclitus)
I am not an adventurer by choice but by fate, and necessity compels me to set foot on the unknown and endure deserts and storms for a star never yet reached by man.
— Letter describing his voyages (paraphrased)
Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once
— Julius Caesar, Act II, Scene ii
The successful man is the one who finds out what is the matter with his business before his competitors do
— Thoughts from Roy L. Smith (Book)
One must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Prologue
Obstacles do not block the path; they are the path
— / teachings on perseverance and martial practice /
There is no finish line; victory is in the relentless pursuit itself
— Attributed in running culture and Nike campaigns
Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks
— Sermons (late 19th century)
One rep at a time, you build monuments from sweat
— Locker Room Speech, 2012 (paraphrased from team remarks)
When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be
— Tao Te Ching, Chapter 44
The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall
— Speech at Laureus World Sports Awards, 2000
If I had quit after my first defeat, no one would remember my name; true champions are those who keep fighting with empty hands until they grasp victory with broken fingers
— .
The man who does not enter the arena has no right to judge the scars of the gladiator
— Sun and Steel (1968)
When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on
— Remark to The American People, c. 1939
The one who falls and gets up is so much stronger than the one who never fell
— Man's Search for Meaning
I will persist until I succeed. Always will I take another step. If that is of no avail, I will take another, and yet another.
— The Greatest Salesman in the World
Nothing can resist a human will that will stake even its existence on the extent of its purpose
— Speech at Manchester, 3 April 1872
Victory is reserved for those who are willing to pay its price
— The Art of War
There are no easy battles—only warriors who refuse to be broken
— Personal military writings (attributed)
Blood alone moves the wheels of history
— Speech, Milan, 1914
The harder the conflict, the greater the triumph
— Letter to Bryan Fairfax, 1777
He who conquers himself is the mightiest warrior
— Analects (Book IV, Chapter 29)
Great acts are made up of small deeds
— Tao Te Ching, Chapter 63
I am built from every mistake I have ever made
— Press conference Q&A, 2016
In the long run, men hit only what they aim at. Therefore, they had better aim at something high
— Walden (1854)
I hated every defeat, but I let the sting become the whetstone for my resolve; each loss forged the hunger that no rival could quench
— Interview reflection on career setbacks
If you want to achieve greatness, stop asking for permission
— Famous graffiti street art piece, 2011
A man who fears suffering is already suffering from what he fears
— Essays, Book III, Chapter XIII
The man who burns with purpose sleeps while others feast, for the banquet of legacy is served only to those who dare go hungry for it
— Letters and poetry (interpretative synthesis)
Do you think you are destined? Destiny is forged every morning, hammered out before dawn when nobody sees your sweat or fears your refusal to quit
— Capitalism Conference keynote, 2018
The fire that burns within must be fed by the discipline of a thousand ordinary days; greatness is the sum of relentless repetition
— Interviews and personal philosophy
He who is prudent and lies in wait for an enemy who is not, will be victorious
— The Art of War
The man who has no sense of sacrifice has accomplished nothing. Only through giving up what is easy do we become worthy of what is great.
— Sun and Steel (Taiyō to Tetsu), 1968
To live is to be at war with trolls in the vaults of the heart and mind, to write is to sit in judgment on oneself
— Letter to Georg Brandes, 1882
There is nothing outside of yourself that can ever enable you to get better, stronger, richer, quicker, or smarter. Everything is within. Everything exists. Seek nothing outside of yourself
— The Book of Five Rings
I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions
— 'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People' (1989)
If you can’t outplay them, outwork them
— Attributed (various interviews, 1940s-50s)
If you do not expect the unexpected, you will not find it; for it is hard to be sought out and difficult
— Fragment 18 (DK B18)
Become who you are by learning who you are
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra
If you want something you've never had, you must be willing to do something you've never done
— Widely attributed; context uncertain
Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness. This is the judgment. Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?
— Speech, Montgomery, Alabama, 1957
A man who has no fear is not brave; he is merely unconscious
— Sun and Steel, 1968
Nothing great is ever achieved without enduring much
— Letter to Catherine Vorontsova, 1769
The path to the stars lies through chains and darkness, and only those who would tear their flesh in the climb may ever touch the sky
— Sun and Steel (1968)
The great man is not he who has not failed, but he who is not discouraged by his failures
— Speech, quoted in The Lincoln Year Book (1907)
There are no limits. There are plateaus, but you must not stay there; you must go beyond them
— The Art of Expressing the Human Body, p. 23
I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times
— Interview, his writings on martial arts training
He who conquers himself is greater than he who conquers a thousand men in battle
— Dhammapada, Verse 103
There is nothing in the world so easy as to be ready for work, or so hard as to endure it
— Work (Essay, 1903)
The higher we climb, the more vulnerable we become, but only from those heights can we glimpse the world we aim to conquer
— Essay, Sun and Steel (1968)
You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them
— Interview, 1994
I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong
— Letter to William Lloyd Garrison, 1846
If you train hard, you’ll not only be hard, you’ll be hard to beat
— Interview, various sports media
If you seek rest in all things, you will become sluggish. Instead, learn to rest where there is no rest
— Hagakure, Book 1
Legacy is written by those who bleed purpose into their work, while the timid are erased by time's indifference
— Interview, Rolling Stone, 2017
He who climbs upon the highest mountains laughs at all tragedies, real or imaginary
— Ecce Homo, Foreword
The successful man is the one who finds out what is the matter with his business before his competitors do
— /
He who sweats more in practice bleeds less in war
— .
The heights by great men are reached by constant striving, while lesser souls sleep through their own possibilities
— Interview with Mishima, late 1960s (paraphrase/translation from Japanese press)
You cannot open a book without learning something
— Analects, Book II, 7
The heavens will not be won by timidity; only those who dare, who burn their ships behind them, ever rise above the ordinary
— Sun and Steel (essay)
I have not yet met the man who had enough determination to outlast me; when the body is exhausted, the mind must become a tyrant
— Attributed statement, conversations during exile at St. Helena
Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking
— .
The man who endures blows not only grows hard, but learns to strike with a purpose that cannot be broken by pain or hesitation
— Interpreted concept from 'The Book of Five Rings' (Go Rin No Sho)
Every man I meet is my superior in some way, and in that I learn from him
— Essay: 'Domestic Life'
The sword’s edge is refined only in battle; comfort breeds nothing but rust
— Interpretation of Musashi’s philosophy, The Book of Five Rings
Show me a man who cannot bother to do little things, and I’ll show you a man who cannot be trusted to do big things
— Letter to a friend, 1935
You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one
— Froude's 'Short Studies on Great Subjects' (1867)
The true man is revealed in difficult times. So when trouble comes, think of yourself as a wrestler whom God, like a trainer, has paired with a tough young buck. For what purpose? To turn you into Olympic-class material
— Discourses, Book I, Chapter 24
In war, the moral is to the physical as three is to one
— Maximes et pensées (circa 1808), often quoted by military historians
The universe is not required to be in perfect harmony with human ambition
— The Cosmos (TV Series, Episode 13)
Man is not worried by real problems so much as by his imagined anxieties about real problems
— Discourses, Book II, Chapter 13
The man who dares to fly must first be willing to leave the ground that others cling to
— Sun and Steel (book)
To live dangerously is to challenge every dawn to prove you are worthy of your ambitions—a man’s greatness is measured by the risks his courage claims
— Fragmentary notebooks and aphorisms
Great men are forged in the furnace of hardship; their greatness does not arise from ease, but from scars endured and overcome
— Runaway Horses (approximate paraphrase)
The greatest test of courage on earth is to bear defeat without losing heart
— Speech, 1882
Pursue one great decisive aim with force and determination
— On War (Vom Kriege), Book 1, Chapter 1, Section 20
To destroy my enemies, I make them my friends
— Remark attributed to Lincoln, referenced in multiple Lincoln biographies
Fortune favors the bold
— Aeneid, Book X, line 284
Those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly
— Speech at Yale University, 1962
You can't put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get
— Interview at Beijing 2008 Olympics
The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender
— Attributed in interviews
Man must forge his own destiny as a smith tempers steel, through hammer, flame, and the ruthless strikes of will
— Attributed to Musashi's philosophy, Book of Five Rings context
Great men are not born great, they grow great through acts of relentless will
— Fragments (philosophical sayings)
Do not wait for lightning to strike—be the thunder that shakes the ground beneath your own feet
— attributed, various speeches
He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still
— Tao Te Ching, Chapter 33
If you are to achieve anything worth while, you must dare to be alone, to stand apart and press forward though no one follows
— The Greatest Miracle in the World
I found that the harder I worked, the more luck I seemed to have
— /Letter to his daughter, 1799/
You do not command the future by waiting for it; you seize it with actions that demand the world take notice
— Speech to entrepreneurs, SpaceX event
The man who has no inner fire is destined to warm himself at the blaze of others
— Sun and Steel (1968)
He who is cruel to himself, commanding his blood to serve his vision, carves new paths where none dared to walk
— Personal essays and interviews
I do not invent. I discover. There is a difference
— . Attributed (paraphrase from statements on artistry)
There is no destiny for those who wait; only those who seize today with ruthless intent leave anything behind worth remembering
— Attributed in various memoirs and war era correspondence
He who takes no risks creates no future
— Either/Or (Part II)
He who has put up with the greatest hardships wins the greatest prize; never have I seen fate hand the laurel to the man who shrank from suffering
— Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium, Letter 78
The man who has no sense of sacrifice has accomplished nothing; only by giving up comfort do we gain the privilege to achieve what is great
— Sun and Steel (book)
Through every generation of the human race there has been a constant war, a war with fear. Those who have the courage to conquer it are made free, and those who are conquered by it are made to suffer until they have the courage to defeat it, or death takes them
— Attributed in various ancient sources
If you are going through hell, keep going
— Attributed to Churchill; context widely cited in speeches and writings during WWII
I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat
— Speech to the House of Commons, May 13, 1940
Without discipline, there is no such thing as mental toughness
— Interview, 2017 (various sources)
Circumstances are the rulers of the weak; they are but the instruments of the wise
— Handy Andy (novel), 1842
There is nothing in this world that can trouble you as much as your own thoughts, arm yourself and conquer them
— Book of Five Rings
Become who you are
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part IV
A true samurai must remain calm at all times, even in the face of danger
— Go Rin No Sho (The Book of Five Rings)
If I had been afraid of failure, I would not have dared a single step
— Sun & Steel (book)
The spear-point of ambition must pierce your own chest before you dare cast it at the world
— Interpretation from Mishima's essays and philosophical writings, thematic paraphrase.
When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this: you haven’t.
— Attributed in American Magazine, 1920
A mountain remains unmoved by the wind; so must a man rivet his will, for only the unshakable become the architects of tomorrow
— Dokkōdō (“The Way of Walking Alone”), precept commentary
The desire for safety stands against every great and noble enterprise
— Annals, Book XV
Iron rusts from disuse, water loses its purity from stagnation; so too does inaction sap the vigor of the mind
— Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci
The blade that never meets the stone grows dull in the scabbard
— Likely paraphrase of his philosophy in The Book of Five Rings (1645)
If you are lazy and sluggish, not only do you yourself fall, but you drag down with you the swords and armor that ought to save your life
— The Book of Five Rings, Ground Book
He who is prudent and lies in wait for an enemy who is not, will be victorious
— The Art of War, Chapter 3
You must expect great things of yourself before you can do them
— Interview, Nike campaign, c.1990s
Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds
— Speech, Address at University of Pennsylvania, September 20, 1940
There are no shortcuts to any place worth going; sweat stains the path to every summit worth standing on
— The Book of Five Rings
I am always chasing excellence; mediocrity is never an option
— Interview, UEFA Best Player Ceremony, 2014
The greatest barrier to success is the fear of failure
— Interview in The Times (2000)
The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses—behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights
— Interview, various attributions
You will be remembered for the battles you chose to fight and the scars you refused to hide; let your hands bear the proof that you have lived fiercely
— Sun and Steel
Whoever would be a great man must be able to endure great hardships; for iron is tempered by fire, and character by adversity.
— Attributed in Japanese historical records; widely referenced in Bushido literature
When the body cries for rest and the spirit rebels, let the will become a tyrant—for only then is victory wrestled from the jaws of defeat
— Attributed in classical biographies of Hannibal
If you want to shine like the sun, first burn like the sun
— Speech at IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) Hyderabad, India, 2008
To wish to be someone else is to waste the person you are. Forge ahead, for your own character is your true weapon.
— Jeet Kune Do: Bruce Lee's Commentary on the Martial Way
The higher we soar, the smaller we appear to those who cannot fly
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra
Act, and the world will change shape before your iron will
— Paraphrase/essence of Nietzsche’s aphoristic writings (see Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Beyond Good and Evil)
The way of the sword means the acceptance of death, without any hesitation
— The Book of Five Rings, 1645
Obsession is the well from which achievement drinks, and satisfaction is the enemy that dries it up
— Essay: Sun and Steel, 1968
Suffer what there is to suffer, enjoy what there is to enjoy, regard both suffering and joy as facts of life, and continue to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, no matter what happens
— The Book of Five Rings
The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing
— .
I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship
— Letter to a friend, 1860
A champion needs a motivation above and beyond winning
— Speech to the Los Angeles Lakers, 1987
If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles
— The Art of War, Chapter 3
He who sweats more in peace prepares less for war.
— Historical accounts by Plutarch and Appian
One’s best success comes after their greatest disappointments.
— Lecture, various sources
He who is brave is free
— Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium (Moral Letters to Lucilius)
The hammer shatters glass but forges steel
— Collected Works, Vol. 1
He who dares, wins; he who hesitates, is lost
— Attributed motto, echoed in military speeches
I would rather be the hammer than the anvil
— Personal letters and memoirs attributed
The man who rolls up his sleeves and shatters the dawn with relentless action has no rival but time itself
— Personal writings; thematic of his essays and actions
If you want to shine like a sun, first burn like a sun
— Wings of Fire: An Autobiography (1999)
Even the gods favor the audacious; men of timidity inherit nothing but dust and regret
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra (inspired paraphrase)
The heights attained by relentless men are never inherited; they are stormed, seized, and held by those who refuse surrender
— Attributed, leadership lectures
If something is important enough, you should try even if the probable outcome is failure
— Interview, The Simpsons Guy (2015) and various talks
There is no finish line. The pursuit itself is where the warrior’s purpose is forged, day after day, sweat after sweat
— Press interview, career reflections
When you have something to prove, there is nothing greater than a challenge
— Interview, various public appearances
It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that they are difficult
— Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium, Letter 104
To seek victory at all costs, one must be prepared to destroy even the bridges behind him
— The Book of Five Rings
There is no finish line; victory is in the relentless pursuit itself
— Post-match interview, 2017 (paraphrased)
If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward
— Speech at Spelman College, 1960
If you want to be a lion, you must train with lions
— Quoted in combat sports circles, attributed to interviews with Carlson Gracie
The man who grinds in silence while the world sleeps is hewn from harder stone than those who talk of dreams but shrink from sweat
— Philosophy captured in interviews and Mamba Mentality
He who cannot endure hardship cannot command victory; greatness answers only those who break their chains by force of will
— Sun and Steel
There is more wisdom in your body than in your deepest philosophy
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part I, 'On the Despisers of the Body'
The greatest deeds are usually wrought at great risk
— Histories, Book 1
Do not regret growing old; it is a privilege denied to many, and proof you have withstood the tempests that crushed lesser men
— Letter to a friend (1872)
He turns not back who is bound to a star
— Codex Atlanticus (Notebooks)
You must be the master of your own discipline, for no man can conquer the world who is a slave to himself
— Doctrine of the Way (paraphrased from his teachings)
Do not waste what remains of your life in speculating about your neighbors, unless with a view to some mutual benefit. Anything else will distract you from the path to your own greatness
— Meditations, Book III
To stake your all in a bold chance is no madness, but unflinching sanity; for timidity dares not even command its own fate.
— The Gay Science, Book IV
The higher we are placed, the more humbly we should walk
— Commentariolum Petitionis; various speeches
Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking
— Quoted by Yeats in various lectures and writings
If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration
— Interview, 1899
My biggest competition is always myself. I’m not looking to follow others or pull them down. I’m planning to test my own boundaries
— Press interview, 1975
I would rather die of passion than of boredom
— Letter to Theo van Gogh, c. 1888
If you want to make your mark, put your hand to the stone and carve—speak with deeds, not words
— Attributed, correspondence and artistic philosophy
I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure: try to please everybody
— Interview Commentary, 1950s
If you wish to be out front, then act as if you were behind
— Tao Te Ching, Chapter 66
Champions keep playing until they get it right
— Press interview, 1984
To accomplish something extraordinary, one must go against the current
— Human, All Too Human, 1878
There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure
— From Powell's autobiography 'My American Journey' (1995)
The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool
— Commencement address, Caltech, 1974
The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting
— The Art of War, Chapter 3
You must do the thing you think you cannot do
— You Learn By Living: Eleven Keys for a More Fulfilling Life (1960)
The highest reward for a man's toil is not what he gets for it, but what he becomes by it
— Unto This Last
The path of greatness passes through the valley of failures; only those who refuse to halt build their name on the peaks beyond
— Attributed; spirit aligns with themes in Dumas’s adventure novels
I am indebted to my father for living, but to my teacher for living well
— Attributed, in accounts by Plutarch
I am not made like other men and I must ask myself whether, given the circumstances, I could have done better than them or not
— Statement attributed in personal correspondence and memoirs
It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one
— Letter to his niece, November 6, 1791
A man who suffers before it is necessary, suffers more than is necessary
— Letters from a Stoic, Letter XIII
The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus.
— .
A true man does not look to the crowd for his commands but to the silence within, where resolve is born and tested
— Sun and Steel, 1968
The successful man is the one who finds out what is the matter with his business before his competitors do
— Wisdom for the Soul (1937)
I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry rot
— Credo (Jack London's preface to The Bulletin, San Francisco, 1916)
If you want to change the world, pick up your pen and write
— Speech, c. 1517
Discipline is doing what you hate to do, but nonetheless doing it like you love it
— Various interviews, notably with Elie Seckbach and Lewis Howes
A champion is someone who gets up when he can’t
— .
If you want to take the island, burn the boats
— Attributed military maxim; referenced by multiple historians
The man who has no inner fire is destined to warm himself at the blaze of others
— Sun and Steel (1968)
Blood alone moves the wheels of history
— Speech, Milan, 1 November 1930
A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on
— Speech at the University of Denver, 1961
If you want to take the fortress, you must be willing to set fire to your own camp
— Maxims of Suvorov (attributed)
Act, and the world will change shape before your iron will
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra (paraphrased section, Book I)
I do not wish to be a superman, but rather to be a man who is worthy of his own strength
— Sun and Steel (1968)
Whoever has built a new heaven, he found the power thereto in his own hell
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part IV, “The Drunken Song”
The higher we soar the smaller we appear to those who cannot fly
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra
To achieve anything in this world, one must be prepared to dabble on the boundary of disaster
— Interview with Kansas City Journal, September 10, 1911
The hammer shatters glass but forges steel
— Man's Search for Meaning
The heights of great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night
— The Ladder of St. Augustine (poem), verse 11
I am the architect of my own ruin or victory; every unyielding dawn is another stone in the fortress of my legacy
— Personal commentary, public interviews (paraphrased spirit of his outlook)
To know ten thousand things, know one well
— The Book of Five Rings
I approach each day as if history demands I justify my existence—let sweat sanctify labor and discipline be my answer to doubt
— Letters and recorded dialogues on work ethic
Act, and the world will change shape before your iron will
— Sun and Steel
Obstacles are those frightening things you see when you take your eyes off your goal
— .
The gods favor the man who seizes his own advantage
— The Histories, Book I
If you want to succeed, double your rate of failure. Success lies on the far side of failure
— Attributed in various interviews and biographies of Edison
Stand firm like a cliff, and the waves of adversity will break themselves against you, not you against them
— Meditations, Book IV
It always seems impossible until it’s done
— Speech, various attributions (widely cited as Mandela though some dispute)
A lion does not concern himself with the opinion of sheep
— Traditional Roman saying, cited by figures such as Julius Caesar
When men resolve, mountains become steps; adversity is ground for the determined to press their mark
— Meditations
There are no shortcuts—everything is reps, reps, reps
— Various interviews and speeches
One must desire the future more than the memories of the past
— Sun and Steel
All progress takes place outside the comfort zone
— Attributed in motivational speeches; original publication context unclear.
Restless energies must be directed; a sword never rests easy in its scabbard, nor does a man of spirit find peace in inertia.
— Interpreted from The Book of Five Rings
You must expect great things of yourself before you can do them
— Interview in NBA at 50 (1996)
I may not be the strongest, I may not be the fastest, but I’ll be damned if I’m not trying my hardest
— Various post-fight interviews
You must not only aim right, but draw the bow with all your might
— A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers
Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds
— Letter defending creativity and nonconformity, March 1940
It is not by muscle, speed, or physical dexterity that great things are achieved, but by reflection, force of character, and judgment; in these qualities old age is usually not only not poorer, but even richer
— On Old Age (De Senectute)
I hated every moment of defeat, but I let the sting become the whetstone for my resolve; each loss forged the hunger that no rival could quench
— Unknown (paraphrase based on Kobe’s numerous reflections on loss)
A man must dream a long time in order to act with grandeur, and dreaming is nursed in darkness
— Funeral Rites (1948)
If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration
— Lecture, 1891; often attributed from various interviews
The way to create the future is to do the impossible. Otherwise, what is the point of living?
— Elon Musk interview, 'Wait But Why' (2015)
Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men
— Remarks at the White House, February 1963
If there is no enemy within, the enemy outside can do us no harm.
— Popularized in speeches and literature
Do not wait for the tide to turn in your favor; become the storm that shifts the sea
— Press interview, UFC World Tour (2017)
The higher we soar the smaller we appear to those who cannot fly
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part I, "On the Flies of the Market-Place"
A crown is merely a hat that lets the rain in
— attributed saying; first public record appears in 1786 memoirs
He who has a why to live can bear almost any how
— Twilight of the Idols (1889)
If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude.
— Speech at the Summit on Inner City Children and Faith, October 1996
I do not accept what fate brings—I seize it, I twist it, and I force it to bear my mark
— Letter to Peter Gast, 1881
My likings are for what is solid, what can be touched. I only do things that are real; gentlemen, talk is cheap, let us do something
— At a meeting with generals, Paris, 1796
The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places
— A Farewell to Arms
Victory belongs to the most persevering
— Attributed, Memoirs of General Bertrand
The highest reward for a person’s toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it
— The Crown of Wild Olive (lecture series)
The greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions
— Codex Atlanticus, folio 120 recto
Steel is not born of comfort but of fire; only what endures the forge dares call itself unbreakable
— Interpretive summary based on The Book of Five Rings
To do is to be useful; to dare is to be great
— Sun and Steel (1968)
The greatest hazard of all, losing one's self, can occur very quietly in the world, as if it were nothing at all
— The Sickness Unto Death (1849)
If you want to be a lion, you must train with lions
— Attributed, interviews and collected sayings
If you dare nothing, then when the day is over, nothing is all you will have gained
— The Graveyard Book
Nothing happens until something moves
— Remark attributed (variously quoted in interviews and writings)
My likings are for what is solid, what can be touched. I only do things that are real; gentlemen, talk is cheap, let us do something
— Attributed, as recalled by contemporaries in Vasari’s "Lives of the Artists"
The battlefield is a scene of constant chaos. The winner will be the one who controls that chaos, both his own and the enemy's.
— Attributed, various sources
A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life
— Letter to his sister Susan, August 1836
If you hunger for immortality, stain the present with action so fierce that history cannot erase your name
— Paraphrase drawing from his proclamations and ethos; reflects his philosophy on legacy and action.
The greatest battles are fought in silence—when you refuse to submit to your own weakness, and the only witness to your struggle is the man in the mirror
— Paraphrase of Stoic themes, inspired by Meditations
He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat
— Maxims of War
Become hard; for only the hammer and fire make steel fit to bear weight
— Interpretation of Nietzsche’s aphoristic style, consistent with themes from "Thus Spoke Zarathustra"
I have set my life upon a cast, and I will stand the hazard of the die
— Richard III, Act V, Scene IV
I know of no such thing as luck. It is nothing but labor and diligence
— Quoted in The Road to Business Success, Carnegie's lectures, 1885
The ultimate aim of the ego is not to see something, but to be something
— Book: The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam (1930)
There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.
— I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969)
Strength grows in the moments when you have nothing left but your will, and refuse to stop moving forward
— Interview on work ethic and resilience
I am not afraid of an army of lions if they are led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion
— Attributed by Plutarch, 'Lives', Life of Phocion
The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones
— Analects (Book 9, Chapter 19)
I would rather exhaust myself in pursuit of something immortal than be preserved in the salt of mediocrity
— Inspired by Thus Spoke Zarathustra
The battlefield is a scene of constant chaos. The winner will be the one who controls that chaos, both his own and the enemy's.
— Attributed—multiple biographies and military treatises
You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one
— Short Studies on Great Subjects, 'The Lives of the Saints'
To change the world, you must first conquer the battlefield of your own mind; all innovation, strength, and progress begin there
— Interview with TED, 2017
I am at war with my own limitations; each morning is another battle in which surrender is the only true defeat
— Interview statements and personal philosophy
If you want to find out who you are, start running. Until you bleed, until you think you can’t go anymore, and then go further.
— Eat and Run
My training was never for glory, but for survival—there are no medals for the man who refuses to break
— Book of Five Rings (possible paraphrase)
The path that leads upward is always rugged
— Letters from a Stoic, Letter LXXXIV
You have power over your mind—not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength
— Meditations, Book VI, 8
When I die, I want to be exhausted. I want the dirt under my nails and sweat in my eyes, proof I did not waste a moment merely existing
— Attributed in interviews and letters; recurring theme in Mishima's philosophy
The best way to predict the future is to create it.
— Speech, various works
He turns not back who is bound to a star.
— . Attributed in various Leonardo notebooks and by contemporaries.
There is nothing new in the world except the history you do not know—every empire was built in darkness before the dawn broke, and the men who built it bled long before they were celebrated
— Speech to the Army War College, 1951
To live is to fight, to fight is to refuse the invitation to fade quietly into mediocrity
— Fragments (attributed; summary of his attitude)
There is grandeur in being alone with your purpose, walking forward when the world stares, building where others only speak of plans
— Inferred from interviews and ethos; not a direct citation
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams and have the courage to turn them into reality with relentless determination
— Speech to the Youth Congress, 1939
It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation
— Preface to "Mardi, and a Voyage Thither" (1849)
Become not a man of excuses, but a man of outcomes—for only the results of your labor endure after the noise of justification fades
— Various interviews and public statements
To be a warrior is to learn to be genuine in every moment of your life
— Book: 'Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior'
There is no destiny but the one hammered out by your own sweat and blood upon the anvil of days
— Fragment (attributed concept)
A man’s true delight is to do the things he was made for
— Meditations, Book VIII
The man who has no inner fire is destined to warm himself at the blaze of others
— Sun and Steel (1968)
If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles
— The Art of War, Chapter 3
If you are going through hell, keep going
— Speech, ca. 1940
Nothing happens unless first we dream, then discipline ourselves to make the dream real by relentless action
— Hagakure, Book I
I am always hungry, I am never satisfied; even when I achieve something, I’m chasing for more
— Interview with The Players’ Tribune, 2018
I came, I saw, I conquered
— History, reported words; Plutarch, Life of Caesar, and Suetonius, Divus Julius
The only legacy worth leaving is carved with hands bloodied from turning adversity into stepping stones—let comfort be your enemy and struggle your faithful companion
— Letters and workshop writings (attributed)
One cannot command nature except by obeying her
— Novum Organum, Book I, Aphorism 3
Do not let the iron in your blood turn to rust—test yourself against hardship until your spirit rings like hammered steel
— Inspired by The Book of Five Rings
He who is not everyday conquering some fear has not learned the secret of life
— Essay: 'Success', collected in The Conduct of Life (1860)
The man who moves mountains begins by carrying away small stones
— Analects (traditional Chinese scripture, book 9, passage 19)
Do not count the storms; weigh yourself by the number you have walked through unbowed
— Fragments (B112, interpretation)
He turns not back who is bound to a star
— Attributed in historical records and da Vinci studies
The way of the warrior is resolute acceptance of death
— The Book of Five Rings / The Wind Book
I demolish my bridges behind me—then there is no choice but to move forward
— Address after crossing Greenland, 1889
He who sweats more in practice bleeds less in battle
— Attributed ancient proverb
He who dares not offend cannot be honest
— Letter to the Honorable Thomas Erskine, 1795
The gods only grant victory to those who burn their ships upon arrival, leaving no route for retreat, no refuge for the faint-hearted.
— Account attributed by chroniclers of the conquest of Mexico, 1519
Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise; seek what they sought
— Bashō’s travel journals and haiku philosophy
The gods do not respond to pleas for mercy, but to the fires of those who press on through every defeat, who seize the present with hands raw from toil
— Fragments (DK B53 paraphrase)
I have never encountered a situation so desperate that determination could not tip the balance
— attributed, ancient biographies
Energy without focus is chaos; a man forms destiny only through the precision of single-minded effort
— The Book of Five Rings (Go Rin No Sho)
The world is moved not by those who yield to fear, but by those who stand firm when every bone in their body aches to quit
— Speech to the House of Commons, 1941 (paraphrase)
To be willing is only half the task; to act separates men from those who praise ambition in idle speech
— Sun and Steel (1968)
In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity
— The Art of War, Chapter 2
He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life
— Interview statement, various sources
If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward
— Speech at Spelman College, 1960
The heights by great men were not attained in a single bound, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night
— Poem: The Ladder of St. Augustine
To expect defeat is nine-tenths of defeat itself
— Attributed by biographer William Gilmore Simms
To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk
— Interview with B.C. Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 1921
He who climbs the highest mountains laughs at all tragedies, real or imaginary.
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra
He who has never denied himself anything cannot know the price of achieving his ambition.
— Correspondence, Letters to Josephine
There are no speed limits on the road to excellence
— Leadership Workshops, University of Minnesota
The man who does things makes many mistakes, but he never makes the biggest mistake of all—doing nothing
— Poor Richard's Almanack
The gods help those who help themselves
— The fable of Hercules and the Wagoner
The greatest test of courage on earth is to bear defeat without losing heart
— Lecture: 'The Liberty of Man, Woman and Child', 1877
It is in the darkness before the dawn, kneeling in sweat and solitude, that the foundation of a champion is set—never in the applause of the crowd
— Mamba Mentality reflections, late-career interviews
The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle
— /Stanford Commencement Address, 2005/
You must expect great things of yourself before you can do them
— Unknown (commonly cited in interviews and motivational speeches)
The force that drives the human engine must be sternly guided or it turns inward; only discipline gives a man the power to crush mountains and carve his future
— Interpreted from the preface of The Book of Five Rings
Become at last hard; let your convictions be iron and your will rock
— The Will to Power, Section 1041
He who cannot obey himself will be commanded. That is the nature of living creatures.
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part III. On Old and New Tablets
Victory is reserved for those who are willing to pay its price again and again, not just dream of its taste
— The Art of War
The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing
— Widely attributed aphorism from Disney company motivational talks
I am not led; I lead. The path is what you make of it, and every man who would be great shapes iron with the hammer of his own purpose
— Speech at Fiume, 1920
The world is changed by those who do, not by those who wish. Action is the hammer that shapes destiny from raw intent
— Public remarks and interviews; reflects Musk's overall philosophy
To seek, to strive, to find, and not to yield
— Ulysses (poem, last line)
To forget one's purpose is the commonest form of stupidity
— Twilight of the Idols
You must not fight too often with one enemy, or you will teach him all your art of war.
— Maxims of War
Dreams cost nothing, but discipline will cost you everything you are; only those willing to pay the price leave their mark on the world
— Sun and Steel (1968)
Fire is never gentle; what it cannot consume, it tempers until it is strong enough to conquer
— Paraphrase of central themes from Thus Spoke Zarathustra
The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus
— .
A warrior must only take care that his spirit is never broken
— The Book of Five Rings
The mind is the limit. As long as the mind can envision the fact that you can do something, you can do it, as long as you really believe 100 percent
— Interview, Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder
When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionably
— Speech, The Wisdom of Walt Disney, various interviews
He who sweats more in practice bleeds less in war
— Ancient Greek proverb; cited in military history references
Do not think that what is hard for you to master is humanly impossible; but if a thing is humanly possible, consider it to be within your reach
— Meditations, Book VI, 19
Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, should not be called wasting time.
— The Use of Life (1894)
My biggest asset is my relentless obsessiveness; I do not stop, I outwork everyone, and I demand more from myself than the world dares to expect
— Various interviews, collected ethos
The unexamined life is not worth living
— Plato, Apology 38a
He who has never denied himself anything cannot know the price of achieving his ambition
— Sun and Steel
It is necessary to find the enemy within yourself and slay him before you can conquer anything beyond these walls
— attributed, Mongolian oral tradition
Those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly
— Commencement Address at Yale University, 1962
A man’s worth is no greater than his ambitions
— Meditations, Book VII
Do not think that you will necessarily be aware of your own enlightenment.
— Shōbōgenzō
The best swordsman does not fear the second best; he fears the worst because he cannot predict the irrational
— Often attributed, cited in various memoirs and biographies
I am not a man, I am dynamite
— Ecce Homo, 1908
The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones
— Reported in The Sayings of Confucius (Analects), though sometimes disputed as apocryphal.
Attack life with ferocity and leave the doubters choked on your dust
— Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual (2017)
Do not confuse motion with progress; a thousand men shouting by the roadside accomplish less than one who walks forward alone, undeterred
— Speech in Chicago, 1903
One rep more is always possible, even when your lungs burn and doubt spreads through your bones
— Various interviews on training mindset
If you wish to be a conqueror, look first to your own heart; the man who commands himself will find no enemy unconquerable
— The Book of Five Rings
Let him who desires peace prepare for war
— /De Re Militari, Book III/
The secret of freedom lies in educating people, whereas the secret of tyranny is in keeping them ignorant
— Speech on the Principles of Political Morality, 1794
When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you’ll be successful
— Speech, 'How Bad Do You Want It?'
He who desires but acts not breeds pestilence
— The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, Plate 7, 1790
When you cease to strive to understand, then you will know without understanding
— The Art of War, Chapter 11
Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life
— Stanford Commencement Address, 2005
In the field of observation, chance favors only the prepared mind.
— Lecture at the University of Lille, December 7, 1854
The man who moves forward, even when he sees nothing but darkness, forges his own sunrise
— Interpretation of themes from 'Sun and Steel' (1968)
What does not kill me makes me stronger.
— Twilight of the Idols, Maxims and Arrows, 8
He who climbs beyond the highest peaks owes his glory not to the summit, but to the wounds that marked every step
— Interviews and essays (paraphrased theme from his writings)
What the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve
— Think and Grow Rich, 1937
The more you sweat in practice, the less you bleed in battle
— Leadership Secrets of the Rogue Warrior
There are no shortcuts to any place worth going; the climb is steep and the summit cold, but only the relentless ever stand there
I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is victory over self
— Nicomachean Ethics, Book III, Section 8
Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire
— Glasow's collected witticisms, various publications
The great man is the one who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude
— Essay: Self-Reliance (1841)
I hated every defeat, but I never learned as much from victory as I did from the taste of loss—every failure marked the corner where resolve sharpened into destiny
— Interview, multiple occasions reflecting on setbacks and comebacks
Obsessed is a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated
— Interview, media appearances
When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it
— Attributed in motivational speeches and Ford biographies
If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment
— Meditations, Book VIII
The heights by great men were not attained in a single flight, but they, while their companions slept, toiled upwards in the night
— Morituri Salutamus (1874)
Without training, they lacked knowledge. Without knowledge, they lacked confidence. Without confidence, they lacked victory
— Attributed, historical worldview
To achieve, you need thought. You have to know what you are doing and that's real power
— Television Interview, 1991
When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on
— Attributed in Roosevelt biographies; used in speeches (1930s)
Great is the guilt of an unnecessary war, but greater still is the guilt of a man who fails to fight the necessary one within himself.
— On Heroes, Hero-Worship, & the Heroic in History (lecture)
When one has not had a good father, one must create one
— Twilight of the Idols, Maxims and Arrows 39
Restless energy, when rightly directed, brings forth results
— My Inventions, Part 2, Electrical Experimenter, 1919
The thing about the discipline of hard work is nobody can give it to you. You have to want it for yourself, like breathing; otherwise, you won't last a round in the ring of life
— Post-fight press conference, UFC 205, 2016
Great deeds resolve in silence, under midnight’s weight—while the world forgets you grind and make yourself worthy of the coming storm
— Attributed, Meditations-inspired aphorism
The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.
— Meditations, Book 5
A warrior must never leave the battlefield of discipline, for each day demands the blood-price of ambition
— The Book of Five Rings
The hammer that shapes the future is wielded by those who refuse to let excuses dull its edge
— Personal letters and work philosophies
He who is relentless when struck by adversity discovers a force the world cannot break, for the beaten who rise become storms themselves
— personal essays and philosophy; reflects Mishima's samurai ethos
There is no greatness without a passion to be great, whether it’s the aspiration of an athlete or an artist, a scientist, a parent, or a businessperson
— Awaken the Giant Within, 1991
The world steps aside for the man who knows where he is going
— Anecdotal; attributed by ancient historians (Plutarch et al.)
The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus
— Interview, Black Belt Magazine, 1971
Gaze into the abyss long enough, and the fire you require to create is found not in the world, but forged from within
— Paraphrased from Beyond Good and Evil, and Thus Spoke Zarathustra
To one who goes on, no road is impassable
— Preface to "Bérénice"
The duration of one’s life matters less than the brilliance and force of one’s actions
— Attributed by Plutarch, 'Life of Alexander'
The world will not be inherited by the strongest, it will be inherited by those most able to change
— Paraphrase/summary from 'On the Origin of Species'
I have set my life upon a cast, and I will stand the hazard of the die
— Richard III, Act V, Scene IV
If you do not expect the unexpected, you will not find it; for it is hard to be sought out and difficult
— Fragments (DK22B18)
The ultimate aim of the ego is not to see something, but to be something
— The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam (1930)
The warrior who trusts his path does not need to prove the other wrong
— Manual of the Warrior of Light
I learned early that the world is not handed to you, you take it. Every punch I threw was a message: I will not be denied by comfort, nor broken by defeat
— Interview, Undisputed Truth (2013)
I know of no such thing as genius—it is nothing but labor and diligence
— Letter to nephew Leonardo, 1547
A man’s worth is measured by how he bears disaster, not by how he enjoys the sunlight.
— De Providentia (On Providence), Section 4
The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it
— The School for Wives, 1662
The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor
— Speech to the Green Bay Packers
There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them
— Striking Thoughts: Bruce Lee's Wisdom for Daily Living
Become your own hammer and your bones the anvil; shape yourself unflinchingly, for all the world conspires against the weak
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra (paraphrase of aphoristic style)
The mind is everything; what you think, you become
— Bruce Lee's personal writings and interviews
Do not be sidetracked by the clamor of those who stand at the edge of the arena; history only records the names of those who dared to take the field
— Speech, Sorbonne, Paris, 1910 ('Citizenship in a Republic')
The first and finest victory is to conquer one’s self
— Laws, Book I
I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is victory over self
— Nicomachean Ethics, Book III
You do not beat the river by standing on the shore; you must take the oar, meet the current, and break through with your own strength
— Paraphrase of themes in fragments; original fragmental style expanded
The heights by great men were reached not in a single bound, but step by step, as they ground their will against the stones the weak dare not climb
— . Fragment, attributed in ancient sources; original fragment about "road up and down"
The distance between insanity and genius is measured only by success
— Often attributed; appears in Forbes and motivational compilations
Do not ask for lighter burdens, but for broader shoulders
— Speech, c. 1902 (attributed)
The man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life
— Letter to his son, 1859
Do nothing which is of no use; let purpose cut through hesitation as the sword does through armor, and let your actions terrify the world into remembering your name
— The Book of Five Rings (Go Rin No Sho), Ground Book
The secret of all victory lies in the organization of the non-obvious
— The Decline of the West, Volume I
If you want to take the fortress, you must be willing to set fire to your own camp
— Anecdotes from campaigns in Asia (historical record)
I will not allow any man to make me lower myself by hating him
— Up from Slavery (autobiography)
He turns not back who is bound to a star
— Codex Atlanticus, folio 295r
There is nothing impossible to him who will try
— Quoted by Plutarch in 'Life of Alexander'
When you see a man of force, remember that his edge was not given but ground sharp by battles no one else would fight
— Fragments
My sword is forged not for ceremony, but for necessity. Each scar teaches the hand to tighten and the heart to harden until weakness is unknown
— The Book of Five Rings (Gorin-no-sho), adapted from his teachings on constant readiness and overcoming hardship
You want a thing done well, do it yourself
— Attributed, various accounts
To achieve anything in this world, one must be prepared to dabble on the boundary of disaster
— Autobiography: My Inventions, Chapter 5
The best swordsman does not fear the second best; he fears the worst because he cannot predict the irrational
— Legend (novel)
Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win
— The Art of War, Chapter 4: Tactical Dispositions
Man must forge his own destiny as a smith tempers steel, through hammer, flame, and the ruthless strikes of will
— Sun and Steel (1968)
If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things
— Attributed; various speeches and interviews
I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work
— Interview, Harper's Magazine, 1890
I do not fear failure, I only fear the slow dying of ambition
— Personal essays and interviews, 1960s
If you want to achieve immortality, sweat in silence and let your deeds thunder
— Paraphrase of Ronaldo's approach based on interviews and ethos
The great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude
— Self-Reliance (essay)
The hammer of persistence forges all obstacles into stepping stones; only the weak let the anvil of hardship become chains
— Inspired by Nietzsche’s aphorisms and metaphors on strength and becoming
If you trust in yourself...and believe in your dreams...and follow your star...you’ll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren’t so lazy
— Discworld novel: 'The Wee Free Men' (2003)
To fear pain is to fear life; to master pain is to command fate itself
— Sun and Steel (Taiyō to Tetsu)
If you want to enjoy the fruits of victory, you must first fight fiercely for them, bleeding and sweating with no guarantee but your own relentless resolve
— Sun and Steel (1968)
There is no greatness where there is not simplicity, goodness, and truth
— War and Peace, Book 14
He who is not a good servant will not be a good master
— The Republic, Book IV
If you want to be the best, you have to do things other people aren’t willing to do
— Interview, The New York Times (2008)
I would rather be envied than pitied
— Fragment 29 (Diels-Kranz)
He who has put up with the greatest hardships wins the greatest prize; never have I seen fate hand the laurel to the man who shrank from suffering
— Sun and Steel, p. 60
Ambition that refuses to kneel carves its name where mountains dare not stand; only the defiant write their story upon the stone of time
— Thematic summation of Ronaldo's ethic from interviews on discipline and legacy
Desire is not what you see—it is what you do. Fate does not wait, it must be seized by those who bleed for it.
— Fragments (paraphrased translation of his themes, c. 500 BCE)
You become what you give your energy to; I prefer the fire to the ashes
— Paraphrased from his works, core Nietzschean principle
I hated every defeat, but I never learned as much from victory as I did from the taste of loss—every failure marked the corner where resolve sharpened into destiny
— Interview on his mindset during adversity (ESPN, 2016)
No man ever achieved worth while success who did not, at one time or another, find himself with at least one foot hanging well over the brink of failure
— The Law of Success (1928)
There is no room for second place. There is only one place in my game, and that's first place
— Speech, Green Bay Packers era
Great things are done when men and mountains meet; this is not done by jostling in the street
— The Poems of William Blake, "The Proverbs of Hell"
I have found that adversity is the surest road to truth, for every blow sharpens the edge of resolve
— Essays
Rest, if you must, but do not quit; the bones ache, the lungs burn, but legacy cares nothing for comfort
— Inspired by various post-game interviews and Mamba Mentality writings
The path of least resistance is not for those who would leave a mark on the world; the summit is reserved for those who press upward through storms
— Sun and Steel (Taiyō to Tetsu)
The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night
— The Ladder of St. Augustine, 1858
He who sweats more in training fights less in war
— Attributed by Roman historians; paraphrased maxim from antiquity
All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible
— Seven Pillars of Wisdom
If my mind can conceive it and my heart can believe it—then I can achieve it
— Ali's motivational speeches and interviews, c. 1970s
Above all, try something. As long as you are moving forward, you will discover your path amid the dust of your own courage.
— Letter to William Oswell, January 1852
A true man does not look to the crowd for his commands but to the silence within, where resolve is born and tested
— The Book of Five Rings
I am not led; I lead
— Letter to Josephine, 1796
The measure of a man is what he does with power
— The Republic, Book IX
Success is not for the chosen few, but for the few who choose obsession over mediocrity
— From various essays and interviews
I live as if I were to die tomorrow. I learn as if I were to live forever
— .
The will to win is nothing without the will to prepare
— Interview after 1989 New York City Marathon
Become your own hammer and your bones the anvil; shape yourself unflinchingly, for all the world conspires against the weak
— Sun and Steel (Book)
The heights by great men are reached by standing unshaken through storms that would break the average soul
— . Fragment interpretation
Victory is reserved for him who is willing to pay its price
— The Art of War, Chapter 11
The desire to reach for the stars is ambitious. The desire to reach hearts is wise.
— Interview, The Paris Review, 1989
Fire tests gold, adversity tests men
— On Providence
A man who wishes to lead must drink discipline the way he drinks water—without it, every thirst returns unquenched
— The Book of Five Rings (inspired paraphrase, traditional translation)
What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals
— See You at the Top, 1975
The successful man is the one who finds out what is the matter with his business before his competitors do
— Think: The First Principle of Business Success (book)
A man’s reach should exceed his grasp, or what’s a heaven for
— Andrea del Sarto, poem, 1855
Endure and renounce; for only the man who can command himself becomes fit to command others
— Hagakure, Book 1
Let me tell you something. There is no nobility in poverty. I have been a rich man and I have been a poor man. And I choose rich every time. Because at least as a rich man when I have to face my problems, I show up in the back of a limousine wearing a $2,000 suit and a $40,000 gold f***ing watch
— Seminar speech, 2013
If you cannot find peace within yourself, you will never find it anywhere else
— Interview, late 1970s (various sources)
The wolf that climbs the hill is hungrier than the one on top
— press conference, UFC 196
It is better to create than to learn! Creating is the essence of life.
— Suetonius, The Twelve Caesars
To seek victory at all costs, one must be prepared to destroy even the bridges behind him
— Hagakure, various passages
I know of no such thing as luck. It is nothing but labor and diligence
— Attributed—Carnegie’s published interviews and writings
If you wish to be a man of action, let your acts speak for you and forget the empty praise of others
— Hagakure, Book of the Samurai
I have lived my life according to this principle: If I am afraid of it, then I must do it
— Sun and Steel (1968)
I would rather die standing than live on my knees
— Attributed slogan during the Mexican Revolution
You don’t have to have a roar to be a lion, but you must always be ready to fight for your territory
— Press conference, Juventus era
I am not afraid of dying, I am afraid of not trying
— Track: Beach Chair, Kingdom Come album, 2006
The man who achieves makes enemies; greatness is not given, it is seized by those who dare carve their will upon a resistant world
— Essay collection, Sun and Steel (1968)
He who endures and masters his own suffering forges within himself a weapon sharper than any blade wielded by his enemies
— .
I do not care so much what I am to others as I care what I am to myself
— Essais (1580), Book II, Chap VI
If you are going through hell, keep going
— Anecdotal, attributed in numerous speeches and writings (original source debated)
He who has a why to live can bear almost any how
— Twilight of the Idols, 1889
The only time success comes before work is in the dictionary
— Attributed in interviews and memoirs
The gods throw the dice and they don't ask whether we want to be in the game. Win anyway
— . Primary fragments.
To dare is to lose one’s footing momentarily. Not to dare is to lose oneself
— from The Concept of Dread (1844)
Where there is no struggle, there is no strength
— Speech, National Hall, Philadelphia, 1863
Fire is never gentle; what it cannot consume, it tempers until it is strong enough to conquer
— Sun and Steel (1968)
One must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star
— 'Thus Spoke Zarathustra'
If you are going through hell, keep going
— Attributed, various speeches and interviews during World War II
He who is not everyday conquering some fear has not learned the secret of life
— Journal entry, 1850
If you want to discover the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration
— Interview, 1942 (attributed)
He who hesitates is lost
— Attributed, reported by historical sources such as Suetonius
I know of no such thing as luck. It is nothing but labor and diligence
— The Empire of Business (1902)
The strong man is strongest when alone
— Wilhelm Tell (Drama, 1804)
You think because you have trained hard that you are ready for war; I say you are ready for more training.
— Gorin-no-sho (The Book of Five Rings)
Ambition is not a vice of little people
— Letter to nephew Lionardo, 1548
I have never met a man so ignorant that I could not learn something from him
— Attributed in multiple sources, including 'Dialogues Concerning Two New Sciences'
Stand firm like a cliff, and the waves of adversity will break themselves against you, not you against them
— Meditations, Book 4
When men are cast into the crucible, trial by flame reveals whether they are to be dross or to shape the tools of destiny
— As quoted in various collections of fragments (Fragment 66)
One must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part One
He who conquers himself is the mightiest warrior
— Analects, Book IV
He who wishes to be rich in a day will be hanged in a year
— Codex Atlanticus, folio 273 recto
Do nothing which is of no use; let purpose cut through hesitation as the sword does through armor, and let your actions terrify the world into remembering your name
— Dokkōdō (The Way of Walking Alone)
I am not gifted. I am just obsessed
— post-match interview, Champions League
If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to collect wood and assign tasks, but teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.
— Citadelle (The Wisdom of the Sands)
If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done.
— Letter to Peter Carr, 1787
Fate guides the willing, but drags the unwilling
— Letters to Lucilius, Letter 107
A champion is defined not by their wins but by how they can recover when they fall
— /Interview, 2015/
Whoever would be a great man must go to the root of all things for himself, until the darkness becomes light beneath his feet.
— Untimely Meditations
There is no greatness without a wound; let your scars become your banners and the world will know you by the battles you dared to fight
— Personal essays and interviews
Persistence guarantees that results are inevitable
— Often attributed, from teachings and writings
It is better to be a lion for a day than a sheep all your life
— Attributed (multiple interviews, 1950s)
Every man I meet is my superior in some way, and in that I learn from him
— Journals (October 1855 entry)
Fire is the true test of gold, adversity the crucible of men; greatness is not inherited, it is seized by the hand that refuses to yield
— Inspired by Heraclitus fragments
He who dares not grasp the thorn should never crave the rose
— The Narrow Way, 1848
Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance
— Letter to Mrs. Thrale, 1775
The best revenge is to be unlike him who performed the injury
— Meditations, Book VI, 6
A man’s true character comes out when he’s drunk, broke, or facing the fifth round when his lungs are on fire but he still won’t quit.
— Media interview, paraphrased
A single act of determination weights more than a thousand noble intentions—only the man who dares, bleeds, and endures will carve his mark upon the world
— Speech at SpaceX (paraphrase, 2018)
I care not for a man’s birth, only what he has bled for and what mark he leaves underfoot
— Apocryphal attribution, theme from Plutarch’s "Life of Alexander"
If you want to leave footprints in the sands of time, don’t drag your feet
— Speech at Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad (2007)
The man who moves forward, even when the ground crumbles beneath him, is the one who forces the world to step aside
— Personal writings
He who is brave is free
— Letters to Lucilius, Letter 37
The higher the sun rises, the less shadow it casts; even a mountain becomes insignificant before its own summit
— Sun and Steel
If you want to climb the ladder, build the rungs out of your own scars and let no rung be placed by comfort
— Personal remarks, motivational speeches, career reflections
Therefore, the individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra
The more I train, the more I realize I have no limits
— Open: An Autobiography (2009)
He who endures and masters his own suffering forges within himself a weapon sharper than any blade wielded by his enemies
— Sun and Steel (1968)
A man’s true delight is to do the things he was made for
— Meditations, Book VI
If you wish to be a man of action, then do not waste words; let your deeds be your declaration to the world.
— Hagakure
I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong
— Speech in Syracuse, New York (1855)
The man who has no sense of sacrifice has accomplished nothing. Only through giving up what is easy do we become worthy of what is great
— Sun and Steel (1968)
To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.
— Collected Works
The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night
— Poem: The Ladder of St. Augustine
There is no man living who isn’t capable of doing more than he thinks he can do
— .
If you want to shine like a sun, first burn like a sun
— Speech at Republic Day celebration, 1997
I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat
— First Speech as Prime Minister, House of Commons, May 13, 1940
Fate is the great excuse of the idle. The strong carve their way, tearing open the future with bloody hands
— Paraphrased from various aphorisms; conveys Nietzsche’s worldview throughout his works.
Success is not for the chosen few, but for the few who choose obsession over mediocrity
— 2015 press interview
If I were not Napoleon, I would wish to be Alexander; everything must be dared, and everything accomplished
— Attributed, reported by contemporaries and biographers
A man’s reach must exceed his grasp, else what’s a heaven for
— from the poem Andrea del Sarto (1855)
The pressure is something you live with, you eat it, you sleep it, every day you feel it pulsing through your veins like blood. You let it destroy you or you get stronger. I get stronger
— Interview with Champions Journal, 2021
You become unstoppable when you realize that perseverance always outlasts talent
— Interview, 2015
Whoever has heart enough to conquer fate has heart enough to fight a thousand battles, and at the end, to carve his name in stone
— Personal essays and interviews
He who fears suffering is already defeated; the fire that burns away weakness reveals the man who cannot be subdued
— Notebooks (1802)
Men do not attract that which they want, but that which they are
— As a Man Thinketh (1903)
The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it
— Le Malade Imaginaire (1673)
To dare is to lose one’s footing momentarily. Not to dare is to lose oneself
— Either/Or, 1843
A warrior is someone who stands, not out of hatred or desire for victory, but out of the unyielding decision that defeat is simply not an option
— The Book of Five Rings, Go Rin No Sho
Great men are forged in the furnace of hardship; their greatness does not arise from ease, but from scars endured and overcome
— Unverifiable in major texts, paraphrased insight attributed to his philosophical stance
The fires of persistence devour excuses—history remembers only those whose actions burned brighter than their fears
— Interpretative paraphrase from Art of War principles
Great men are not content to witness history; they write it in blood and iron, forging legacy through decisive blows
— Speech to the Prussian Parliament, 1862 ('Blood and Iron' speech)
Cowards never start and the weak die along the way
— Shoe Dog (Autobiography), 2016
I am always striving to transform myself, to break what I was and become what I dream
— Interview, El País, 2011
Fire is the test of gold; adversity, of strong men
— Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium (Moral Letters to Lucilius), Letter LXVII
If I had been present at the creation, I would have given some useful hints for the better ordering of the universe
— .
You become what you give your energy to; I prefer the fire to the ashes
— Confessions of a Mask
The man who moves mountains begins by carrying away small stones
— Attributed, Analects (traditional)
I only see my goal. Obstacles never existed for me; pain is just the shadow my ambition casts on the path ahead
— Multiple interviews and the ethos of Jordan's athletic career
Steel is not born in the calm of the meadow, but in the violence of the forge; strength is found in the willingness to endure the fire
— Interpreted from 'The Book of Five Rings' (Go Rin No Sho)
The greatest conquest is the conquest of fear, for every chain that binds a man is forged within his own mind
— Sun and Steel (1968)
A man who prepares for the storm does not curse the clouds; he welcomes them, for thunder is the prelude to conquest
— Inspired by The Book of Five Rings
On the other side of hardship lies victory; the difference between the ordinary and the extraordinary is how much one is willing to endure
— Interview after Champions League final, 2017
A samurai, even when he has not eaten, uses his toothpick
— Hagakure, Book I
You do not defeat a vibrant mind by caging the body; the man of purpose will dig beneath stone and steel to reach his aim
— Interpretation of Mishima’s philosophy (not from a specific work)
Only the man who knows what it is to be defeated can reach down to the bottom of his soul and come up with the extra ounce of power it takes to win when the match is even
— Interview, Sports Illustrated (Oct. 1975)
If you are to achieve anything worth while, you must dare to be alone, to stand apart and press forward though no one follows
— / Letter to Charles V, 1520 /
The only thing standing between you and your goal is the story you keep telling yourself as to why you can’t achieve it
— Speech, corporate seminars, late 2000s
Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.
— Speech to young athletes, 2002
The greatest battles are those fought within the silent chambers of the soul, where no audience cheers and no banners wave—only the stubborn heart endures.
— Essay: Sun and Steel
I have never tried that before, so I think I should definitely be able to do that
— Pippi Longstocking
Of one thing I am certain: the will of man must make itself stronger than iron, for iron may break, but the will must never bend
— Interviews and essays
You have to believe in yourself when no one else does; that’s what makes you a winner
— Post-match interview, 2000 US Open
Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking
— .
There is no easy way. No matter how talented you are, your talent will fail you if you are not skilled. Skill is achieved through practice. Work hard and dedicate yourself to be better every single day
— Press conferences, repeated in interviews throughout his career
To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift
— Quoted in interviews and memorials
Nothing happens until you move
— Winning Through Intimidation (1973)
The man who rolls up his sleeves and shatters the dawn with relentless action has no rival but time itself
— Personal essays and public statements (paraphrase of his ethos)
You are not beaten until you admit it; you are not finished until you quit
— Speech to the Third Army, various addresses
The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him
— Orthodoxy (1908)
The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses—behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights
— Interview, Sports Illustrated, 1978
Hard choices, easy life. Easy choices, hard life
— interview, Tim Ferriss Show #172 (2016)
Men are not shaped by comfort, but by the storms they are willing to outlast
— . Memorandum attributed in various letters and accounts
I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship
— Little Women (Part Two, Chapter 44)
There are no shortcuts to greatness—only discipline and iron repetition hammer out a champion
— Press interviews, career discussions
To live is to prepare oneself for death, to train day and night in order to meet one’s inevitable fate with sword in hand and eyes unblinking
— Hagakure (Book of the Samurai), Book One
A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life
— Letter to his son, 1856
On the plains of hesitation bleach the bones of countless millions who, at the dawn of decision, sat down to wait, and in waiting, died
— / Unattributed, often cited in motivational contexts
He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life
— Speech at Howard University, 1967
I don’t count my sit-ups; I only start counting when it starts hurting because they’re the only ones that count
— Interview, Sports Illustrated, 1978
No man ever wetted clay and then left it, as if there would be bricks by chance and fortune
— Moralia, On the Fortune of Alexander
You do not defeat a vibrant mind by caging the body; the man of purpose will dig beneath stone and steel to reach his aim
— Private writings and letters, published posthumously in 'Striking Thoughts'
The fire inside me burns stronger than the storm outside
— Multiple interviews
Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration
— Interview in Harper's Monthly, September 1932
I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion
— Quoted in Plutarch’s Moralia
Whoever can see through all fear will always be safe
— Tao Te Ching, Chapter 46 (translations vary)
Energy without focus is chaos; a man forms destiny only through the precision of single-minded effort
— Striking Thoughts: Bruce Lee's Wisdom for Daily Living
The man who does more than he is paid for will soon be paid for more than he does
— Think and Grow Rich, 1937
My likings are for what is solid, what can be touched. I only do things that are real; gentlemen, talk is cheap, let us do something
— Address to his followers, 1849 (historical accounts)
When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everybody will respect you
— Tao Te Ching, Chapter 8
If you want to be a conqueror, act like one while you are yet a captive; the habit of the mind is the root of all mastery
— Sun and Steel, 1968
Fate only bows to the one who refuses to kneel; greatness is the birthright of those who carve their names with the blade of resolve
— Speech to officers, campaign memoirs (attribution)
If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way
— Think and Grow Rich (1937)
The way of the sword is resolute acceptance of death
— The Book of Five Rings, "The Water Book"
No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path
— Dhammapada, verse 165
If you want something you've never had, you must be willing to do something you've never done
— Attributed; letter to Peter Carr, 1785 (paraphrased)
My powers are ordinary. Only my application brings me success
— Reported response by Newton, quoted in Memoirs of the Life, Writings, and Discoveries of Sir Isaac Newton by David Brewster
He who exerts the most energy and faces the greatest tempest carves his name deepest on the stone of time
— Attributed; context of his personal correspondence
Men are moved by two levers only: fear and self-interest
— Attributed in "Memoirs of Napoleon Bonaparte" by Louis de Bourrienne (1829)
Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration
— Harper's Monthly, 1932
The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus
— Bruce Lee's personal notes and published books (notably 'Striking Thoughts')
The man who has no sense of sacrifice has accomplished nothing. Only through giving up what is easy do we become worthy of what is great.
— The Book of Five Rings (Go Rin No Sho)
If you cannot find peace within yourself, you will never find it anywhere else
— Interview, 1976 (discussing personal discipline and hardship)
The only way to find the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible
— Profiles of the Future, 1962
The sword is the soul of the samurai. If you lack a sword, you have no soul. The way is in training
— The Book of Five Rings (c.1645)
You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do
— Letters of Carl Jung, Volume 1
Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds
— Fireside Chat, April 13, 1939
Confine yourself to the present.
— Meditations, Book VIII, 36
Do not pray for an easy life, pray to be stronger men
— Speech at Amherst College, 1963 (attributed)
There is no substitute for victory
— Farewell Address to Congress, 1951
The gods do not protect fools. Fools are protected by more capable fools
— Runaway Horses
The path of paradise begins in hell
— Inferno, Inferno XIV, 94
You cannot swim for new horizons until you have courage to lose sight of the shore
— /Speech at University of Virginia, 1951/
I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions
— Interview and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (1989)
If you wish to be out front, then act as if you were behind
— Tao Te Ching
The man who stands firm when his limbs scream for rest and his spirit is battered—he is already king over those who surrender without a fight
— Sun and Steel
The best fighter is never angry
— The Book of Five Rings
The mind adapts and converts to its own purposes the obstacles to our acting. The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.
— Meditations, Book V, 20
I would rather die of passion than of boredom
— Letter to Theo van Gogh, 1888
To dare is to lose one’s footing momentarily. Not to dare is to lose oneself
— Either/Or (1843)
When I get tired, I just think about how much I want it. The pain is just in your mind.
— Interview, late 1990s (several public motivational speeches)
Never was anything great achieved without danger
— Discourses on Livy, Book I, Chapter 38
Obstacles cannot crush me; every obstacle yields to stern resolve. He who is fixed to a star does not change his mind.
— The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci
A true warrior acts, unprovoked by applause or scorn—the value of his life measured only by the depth of his scars and the battles he chooses to face
— The Book of Five Rings (Go Rin No Sho)
Man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeated.
— The Old Man and the Sea (1952)
If you want to dream, then wake up and pay for it with sweat. Only then do dreams become reality.
— Sun and Steel
The best preparation for tomorrow is to do today’s work superbly well
— Speech to medical students, c. 1910
The world makes way for the man who knows where he is going and wills it with all his strength
— Quoted in Edison: His Life and Inventions by Dyer & Martin, 1910
The gods sell us all things at the price of labor
— Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci – Aphorisms
If you only walk on sunny days, you’ll never reach your destination
— From author interviews and public talks
If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration
— attributed; paraphrase of remarks from interviews
You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: Victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be
— Speech, House of Commons, May 13, 1940
Do not fear pain or death. What is difficult must be attempted while it is still possible
— The Book of Five Rings, Water Book (Mizu no Maki)
The gods help those who help themselves
— Fables, especially 'Hercules and the Wagoner'
I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become
— Attributed
There are no rules here – we’re trying to accomplish something
— Attributed to Edison's laboratory ethos, as cited in various biographies
If you know how to spend less than you get, you have the philosopher’s stone
— Letter to Samuel Washington, 1786
He who has never denied himself anything cannot know the price of achieving his ambition
— Sun and Steel
Become hard by struggling and triumph over yourself; he who cannot command himself remains a slave
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra
I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened
— Attributed in various writings and speeches
Never was anything great achieved without danger
— Discourses on Livy, Book III
To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe
— Discours de réception à l’Académie française (1896)
A champion needs a motivation above and beyond winning
— The Winner Within: A Life Plan for Team Players (book)
If something is important enough, you should try even if the probable outcome is failure
— Interview at SpaceX headquarters, 2014
Become at last hard; let your convictions be iron and your will rock
— Ecce Homo
You must not fight too often with one enemy, or you will teach him all your art of war
— Maxims of War, 1808
I don't measure a man's success by how high he climbs but how high he bounces when he hits bottom
— / Statement attributed in war memoirs and speeches
If you want to discover the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration
— . Notebooks and various attributed writings
If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration
— Interview, 1942 (attributed)
The harder you press, the higher you rise; for the fire that tempers steel makes the strongest sword
— Sun and Steel (essay)
You must understand that there is more than one path to the top of the mountain
— The Book of Five Rings, 1645
I have not ceased being fearful, but I have ceased to let fear control me. I have accepted fear as a part of life – specifically the fear of change. I have gone ahead despite the pounding in the heart that says: turn back
— Interview, 1980s (attributed in various sources)
If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration
— Attributed to Tesla in interviews and writings; exact source debated
He who has put up with the greatest hardships wins the greatest prize; never have I seen fate hand the laurel to the man who shrank from suffering
— Sun and Steel
To stand up straight with your shoulders back is to accept the terrible responsibility of life, with eyes open
— 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos, Rule 1
The wolf on the hill is not as hungry as the wolf climbing the hill
— Interview, Men's Health, 2019
To dare is to challenge the gods with your mortal hands, and to carve your purpose into the world’s reluctant stone
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra
It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that they are difficult
— Letters to Lucilius, Letter 104
The secret of getting ahead is getting started
— Often attributed; found in various collections of Twain aphorisms
Great souls endure in silence
— Letter to Christian Gottfried Körner, 1786
Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; a man must seize his fate by the throat and command it to serve his ambition
— Speech to students at Harrow School, 1941
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.
— Worstward Ho (1983)
One rep more is always possible, even when your lungs burn and doubt spreads through your bones
— Interview – various post-workout discussions
He who sweats more in training bleeds less in war
— Spartan proverb, oral tradition
The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night
— The Ladder of St. Augustine (poem, 1846)
To be willing is only half the task; to act separates men from those who praise ambition in idle speech.
— Sun and Steel (Taiyo to Tetsu), 1968
If you wish to be a king, learn to serve with your sword before you command with your crown
— The Book of Five Rings
If there is no struggle, there is no progress
— Speech, West India Emancipation, 1857
There is no place for weakness on the path to the summit—there is only the climb
— Interviews and publications on mountaineering philosophy
If you want to live a comfortable life, remain where you are. If you want to carve your name in history, turn your back to comfort and challenge the impossible
— Essay: Sun and Steel
There can be no substitute for relentless labor, for the habit of driving oneself beyond all fatigue until the task stands conquered
— Thomas Edison—His Life and Inventions (biography), 1910
If you wish to be out front, then act as if you were behind
— Tao Te Ching, Chapter 66
If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants
— Letter to Robert Hooke, 1675
Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night
— Eleonora, 1842
I do not dream at night; I dream all day. I dream for a living, and hammer those visions into iron reality with the sweat of my hands.
— Attributed by Ascanio Condivi, Michelangelo’s biographer
There is a tide in the affairs of men which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries; on such a full sea are we now afloat, and we must take the current when it serves, or lose our ventures.
— Julius Caesar, Act IV, Scene III
Success is not to be measured by wealth, power, or fame, but by the discipline and resolve with which a man pursues his vision
— from Sun and Steel (1968)
You must be prepared to work always without applause, without joy, without reward, but in the end, the iron you have become will not need any of them
— Sun and Steel (essay)
You don’t get what you wish for, you get what you work for; sweat, not hope, stains the ground beneath the feet of those who step beyond mediocrity
— Interview (circa 2017)
The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in combat
— Rogue Warrior (book)
I am thankful for all those who said no to me. It’s because of them I’m doing it myself
— Attributed; reported in 'The Ultimate Quotable Einstein', Princeton University Press
Do not wait for permission to seize what matters—conquer through action and leave explanations to the defeated
— Attributed in letters and military correspondence
Obsessed is a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated
— Interview before UFC 205, 2016
When you want to win a game, you have to teach. When you lose a game, you have to learn
— Interview, 1970s
If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to collect wood and assign them tasks, but teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea
— Citadelle (Wisdom of the Sands)
I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion’
— Interview, various documented statements
The blade that never meets the stone grows dull in the scabbard
— Attributed; see Musashi's aphorisms and writings
To the persistent, the stone yields and rivers turn aside; for every door locked to the timid, the willful craft a key from their own struggle
— Essay collection, Sun and Steel (1968)
A man must conquer himself before he can conquer anything else
— The Book of Five Rings, 1645
On matters of style, swim with the current; on matters of principle, stand like a rock
— Letter to Thomas Jefferson Smith, 1825
Whoever says he is too busy to improve himself will accomplish nothing
— Annual Report to the Board of Education, 1842
If you want to change the world, first change yourself; the axe that fells the forest must first be sharpened
— Attributed, military maxims
You must build your foundation out of pain and persistence, or you will crumble at the first tremor of resistance
— Sun and Steel
There are no records kept of the number of times I failed, only the glory of what I dared to attempt.
— Personal interviews and press conferences
The great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude
— Essay: Self-Reliance, 1841
He who has done battle with himself walks taller than those who have vanquished an army, for the toughest victory is victory over one’s own mind
— Paraphrase and synthesis of Heraclitean philosophy
Endure the pain, for there is no honor in surrender, only in the scars earned pressing forward
— Sun and Steel (1968)
Hard choices, easy life. Easy choices, hard life
— Interview, Tim Ferriss Show #172
The greatest weariness comes from work not done
— Reflections on the Human Condition
I have never encountered a situation so desperate that determination could not tip the balance
— Personal letters during World War II
I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat
— Speech to the House of Commons: May 13, 1940
If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary
— Unknown; often repeated in seminars and recordings
I hated every defeat, but I never learned as much from victory as I did from the taste of loss—every failure marked the corner where resolve sharpened into destiny
— Personal letter to family (c. 1900)
The man who has no imagination has no wings
— Interview, 1960s
If anything is sacred, the human body is sacred, and the glory of the body becomes clear only through struggle.
— Leaves of Grass
To do great things, you must first strike fear in the face and drag it with you to the summit; hesitation is the chain that binds men to mediocrity
— Aphoristic style from Nietzsche's collection Thus Spoke Zarathustra and Beyond Good and Evil
You can’t put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get
— Interview, post-Olympic Games (2008)
He who would accomplish little must sacrifice little; he who would accomplish much must sacrifice much; he who would succeed greatly must sacrifice greatly
— As a Man Thinketh (1903)
The greater the difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it. Skillful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempests
— Discourses, Book I, Chapter 24
The hammer shatters glass but forges steel
— Attributed, speeches and writings, c. 1917
Man must be disciplined, for iron does not become steel until it is beaten, forged, and cooled by the fire of his own striving
— Interpretation of Musashi's discipline philosophy, derived from The Book of Five Rings
He who would eat the fruit must climb the tree; there are no ladders in the jungle of greatness
— Sun and Steel (1968)
I am always chasing perfection but will never catch it—because nothing is perfect; but if I chase it, I will catch excellence
— / As expressed in speeches to the Green Bay Packers
Men do not attract that which they want, but that which they are
— As a Man Thinketh, 1903
It is not by muscle, speed, or physical dexterity that great things are achieved, but by reflection, force of character, and judgment; in these qualities old age is usually not only not poorer, but even richer
— On Old Age (De Senectute)
The man who wins is the man who thinks he can
— Attributed in motivational speeches
A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are built for
— Salt from My Attic (1928)
The man who dares to pierce the darkness with his ambition learns that the night yields only to relentless advance
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra
The path of least resistance is for the mediocre. If your ambitions are high, accept suffering as your companion and discipline as your guide.
— Paraphrase based on 'Ecce Homo' and 'Thus Spoke Zarathustra'
I hated every minute of training, but I kept telling myself: suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.
— Interview statement (various attributions)
The heights of great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night
— Poem: The Ladder of St. Augustine
A man must seek what he is made for, or become the hammer that shapes nothing but dull iron
— Dokkōdō (The Way of Walking Alone)
It is not titles that honor men, but men that honor titles
— The Discourses
Discipline is the sword that carves a man’s path—without it, every temptation is a wound, and every weakness a grave
— Spirit of the Samurai; Book of Five Rings (paraphrased reflection on discipline)
I don’t count my sit-ups; I only start counting when it starts hurting because they’re the only ones that count.
— Interview statement (various attributions)
No man ever became great by imitation. Originality is the thing. Push your own boundaries until you find your own path
— ascribed in various artistic biographies, e.g., 'The Life of Michelangelo' by John Symonds
The man on top of the mountain didn’t fall there
— .
The sword has to be more than a simple weapon; it has to be an answer to life’s questions
— The Book of Five Rings, The Ground Book
He who turns his back to the battlefield forfeits his legacy; for history is scorched into stone by men who refuse to flee
— Attributed, Napoleonic military writings
He who climbs upon the highest mountains laughs at all tragedies, real or imaginary
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 287
An invincible determination can accomplish almost anything and in this lies the great distinction between great men and little men
— The Wise Man’s Pocket Book (1660)
Push your limits until they bite back; only then have you found something worth conquering and the man worth becoming
— Pre-fight media interviews
In great attempts it is glorious even to fail
— Speech at the 1962 Green Bay Packers Award Banquet
The highest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall
— Speech at Laureus World Sports Awards, 2000
The men who have changed the universe have never lacked perseverance; they have always had to fight against the discouragement of those who were less able than themselves
— Speech at Vassar College, 1921
From suffering and hardship emerge the men who bend the world to their will
— Sun and Steel, 1968
It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live
— Meditations, Book VII
The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it
— Attributed in various writings about Michelangelo
When fate is adverse, rear up against it like a lion, and do not trust the fox that cowers
— Masnavi, Book II
He turns not back who is bound to a star
— Notebook entry (Codex Atlanticus)
Persistence is the most powerful force on earth, it can move mountains and pierce steel armor
— Attributed, historical analyses of Second Punic War
If my mind can conceive it and my heart can believe it—then I can achieve it
— Often attributed in speeches; Ali confirmed it as personal credo
If you want to achieve greatness, stop asking for permission and start conquering your fears with every step you take
— interview commentary, 1960s
I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is victory over self
— Nicomachean Ethics, Book III
Whoever would be a great man must go to the root of all things for himself, until the darkness becomes light beneath his feet
— Untimely Meditations, Schopenhauer as Educator, Section 3
You will find the future wherever men have shed blood and sweat to seize and shape it
— Runaway Horses (Novel)
He who is everywhere is nowhere
— Epistle II, Letters to Lucilius
Victory is reserved for those who are willing to pay its price again and again, not just dream of its taste.
— The Art of War
He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still
— Tao Te Ching, Chapter 33
You give up your future, lose your dreams, are subdued by misery and defeat when you marry the two: laziness and patience
— Sun and Steel, 1968
A champion is someone who gets up when he can’t
— .
When I have to do something, I do it over and over again, until I get it right. Nothing else will take its place. Nothing else will satisfy me
— Interview, 1997
Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you
— Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 146
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood
— Citizenship in a Republic (The Man in the Arena Speech), Sorbonne, Paris, 1910
If you wish to leave a mark, abandon comfort; only the bloodied hand can etch its story in stone
— Interpretation from The Book of Five Rings, Water Book
He who has once done good is forever entitled to the respect of the virtuous. For the record of what he has done is in the hearts of those who know how great a struggle it took.
— Charles Dickens: A Critical Study
Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them
— Attributed, various interviews and memoirs
Fire is the test of gold; adversity, of strong men
— On Providence
Great deeds resolve in silence, under midnight’s weight—while the world forgets you grind and make yourself worthy of the coming storm
— Reflections during Endurance expedition journals (1915-1917)
To live is to prepare oneself for death, to train day and night in order to meet one’s inevitable fate with sword in hand and eyes unblinking.
— Interpreted distillation from The Book of Five Rings (Gorin-no-sho)
On matters of style, swim with the current; on matters of principle, stand like a rock
— Letter to Thomas Jefferson Smith, 1825
Sweat dries, blood clots, bones heal; suck it up and keep fighting
— Popularly attributed to speeches and interviews during coaching career
Blood, sweat, and respect. The first two you give, the last one you earn
— public speech, fitness event
You will be hated for your greatness, but never let that serve as the chain that binds your hands
— Interview on legacy and criticism (various sources)
Stand firm like a rock, and let the waves break themselves upon you
— Meditations, Book 4
To refrain when your body begs for rest, to strike when your mind whispers retreat—this is the mark of the master
— Attributed, teachings on strategy
The wind does not break a tree that bends
— Sun and Steel (essay)
I only see my goal. Obstacles never existed for me; pain is just the shadow my ambition casts on the path ahead
— Various interviews, reflective of Ronaldo's personal mentality
An invincible determination can accomplish almost anything and in this lies the great distinction between great men and little men
— The History of the Worthies of England (1662)
Act with a purpose as if your body were already scorched by ambition and your veins filled with iron—fortune favors only men who forge their own path with bare hands against the storm.
— Sun and Steel (1968)
I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship
— Personal letters, 1859
Restless energy, rightly directed, can outlast genius; the world is changed not by those who wish, but by those who grind while others sleep
The first and greatest victory is to conquer yourself
— The Republic, Book IV
Great iron must endure the hammer until it rings true
— The Book of Five Rings, Water Book
You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one
— Short Studies on Great Subjects
Fire in the heart sends smoke into the head
— Thus Spoke Zarathustra
Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win
— The Art of War, Chapter IV
There is no easy way. No matter how talented you are, your talent will fail you if you are not skilled. Skill is achieved through practice. Work hard and dedicate yourself to be better every single day
— Interview with FourFourTwo Magazine, 2015
If I advance, follow me; if I retreat, kill me; if I die, avenge me
— Battle of Cholet, 1793
Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking
— Paraphrased from Yeats’s ‘Ideas of Good and Evil’ (1903)
If you train hard, you’ll not only be hard, you’ll be hard to beat
— Interview with The Palm Beach Post, 1984
Energy and persistence conquer all things
— Letter to Samuel Johnson, 23 July 1785
The energy that makes a man great is never gentle
— Sun and Steel (1968)
You become what you give your energy to; I prefer the fire to the ashes
— Adapted from Nietzsche's many aphorisms, notably in 'Thus Spoke Zarathustra'
If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration
— attributed, no definitive primary source
The future rewards those who press on. I don’t have time to feel sorry for myself. I don’t have time to complain. I’m going to press on
— Speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention
There is no greater harm than that of time wasted in idleness; for every wasted hour is paid for by a day stolen from your legacy
— Codex Atlanticus (Notebooks)
A man who has committed a mistake and doesn’t correct it, is committing another mistake
— Analects (Book XV, Chapter 29)
The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting
— The Art of War, Chapter 3
The wolf on the hill is never as hungry as the wolf climbing the hill
— Speech to University of Southern California graduates, 2009
I am not afraid of a man who knows a thousand techniques. I am afraid of a man who has practiced one technique ten thousand times
— Jeet Kune Do seminar notes, late 1960s
The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts; let your mind be flooded, not by the gray drizzle of habit, but by the lightning that shatters complacency
— Meditations, Book V
When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth—and then you act without hesitation.
— The Sign of Four (Paraphrased principle)
Restless energy, rightly directed, can outlast genius; the world is changed not by those who wish, but by those who grind while others sleep
— Interview statements and public remarks, paraphrased from multiple sources
If you want to launch big ships you have to go where the water is deep
— Naval Ravikant's interviews and writings
He who says he can, and he who says he can't are both usually right
— / Attributed saying in Analects and Chinese tradition
You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them
— Interview, 1997
I am not a man, I am dynamite
— Ecce Homo, Preface
Resolve must be the first act of every morning; when it weakens, destiny leaks away like water through an open hand.
— Sun and Steel, 1968
Cowards hesitate when fate pounds at the door, but the man of destiny tears it off its hinges and forges a path where none existed.
— Speech: The Strenuous Life, 1899 (paraphrase/close concept)
The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall
— Speech at the Laureus World Sports Awards, 2000
A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are built for
— Salt from My Attic (1928)
To go beyond is as wrong as to fall short
— The Book of Five Rings, The Ground Book
The secret of getting things done is to act
— . In his letters (Epistolae)
My training was never for glory, but for survival—there are no medals for the man who refuses to break
— Bruce Lee's personal writings (The Tao of Jeet Kune Do)
If something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor.
— Press interview, various occasions (2012-2015)
If you seek to leave your mark on the world, let your deeds thunder so loudly that history itself cannot rest in its slumber
— Attributed (summarizing multiple exhortations to action in his speeches)
He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life
— Press conference, c. 1977 (widely cited remarks)
The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing
— Statement from interviews and company meetings, often cited in Disney biographies
Absorb what is useful, discard what is not, add what is uniquely your own
— Tao of Jeet Kune Do
The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing
— / Business advice, personal motto /
If you want to be a legend, act like one before the world believes you exist
— Interview, multiple press conferences
He who has not tasted adversity knows nothing of himself or the heights to which he can rise. Only claws sharpened on stone can tear open new horizons.
— Essays and interviews (synthesized aphorism from his philosophy)
There is a lust in man no charm can tame, of loudly publishing his neighbor's shame; on eagle's wings immortal scandals fly, while virtuous actions are born and die
— Letter to Dr. Argent, cited in The Works of William Harvey (1847)
To achieve, you need thought. You have to know what you are doing and that's real power
— Atlas Shrugged
Whoever has heart enough to conquer fate has heart enough to fight a thousand battles, and at the end, to carve his name in stone
— Personal writings (collected essays), paraphrased from Mishima's philosophy on fate and will
Endure the storms, and you become the thunder
— The Book of Five Rings
A warrior must only take care that his spirit is never broken
— The Book of Five Rings, The Earth Book
I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work
— Attributed by Edison's biographers
I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion’
— Interview, 1970s
The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones
— Analects (attributed)
Do not think that what is hard for you to master is humanly impossible; but if a thing is humanly possible, consider it to be within your reach
— Meditations, Book VI, 19
I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat
— Speech to the House of Commons, May 13, 1940
If you want to be a champion, you must be willing to pay a greater price than anyone else
— Interview, various sources (paraphrased from multiple discussions about sacrifice and work ethic)
Man must forge his own destiny as a smith tempers steel, through hammer, flame, and the ruthless strikes of will
— Sun and Steel (1968)
The mirror is my best friend because when I cry it never laughs
— My Autobiography (1964)
If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done. Make at least one definite move daily toward your goal
— Bruce Lee's 'Wisdom for the Way'
The way of the samurai is found in death. This means choosing resolutely to be prepared for death—by so doing, you will be able to live fully every day
— Hagakure, early 18th century
Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you
— Beyond Good and Evil, aphorism 146
If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration
— Interview, 1899
Nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that something inside them was superior to circumstance
— The Man Nobody Knows, 1925
Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does
— L'Existentialisme est un humanisme (1946)
You must not only aim right, but draw the bow with all your might
— Life Without Principle (essay)
The will to win is nothing without the will to prepare
— Post-race interview, 1989 New York City Marathon
A man’s true delight is to do the things he was made for
— Meditations, Book V
If you want to achieve immortality, sweat in silence and let your deeds thunder
— Paraphrase of Mishima's ethos and recurring themes (no single source)
I would rather be the hammer than the anvil
— Reminiscences and quotes attributed to Rommel, commonly cited in military texts
If a man knows not to which port he sails, no wind is favorable
— Letter LXXI, Letters to Lucilius
There is no substitute for victory
— Farewell Address to Congress, 1951
There is no armor like unyielding resolve; when the heart has made its pact, neither sword nor storm can turn a man from his purpose.
— Dokkōdō (The Way of Walking Alone), 1645
If you want to shine like a diamond, you must be cut like a diamond
— Attributed, Book of Five Rings (paraphrased)
Great things are done when men and mountains meet
— from The Proverbs of Hell, in The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1790-93)
The heights by great men were not attained in a single flight, but they, while their companions slept, toiled upwards in the night
— Poem: 'The Ladder of St. Augustine'
Great things are done when men and mountains meet; this is not done by jostling in the street
— Milton: A Poem in Two Books (1804–1811)
I can accept failure, but I cannot accept not trying
— Interview and motivational speeches (notably in Nike campaign)
When I lost almost everything, I gained the hunger most men never taste—let that hunger devour all your excuses
— Interview, reflecting on his early career struggles
The best way to predict the future is to invent it
— 1971 Xerox PARC talk
The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph
— The American Crisis, No. 1 (1776)
Endure and persist; this pain will turn to your advantage
— Remedia Amoris, line 371
To do great things is difficult; but to command great things is more difficult
— Twilight of the Idols, Maxims and Arrows, §18
I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become
— Attributed, Modern Man in Search of a Soul (1933)
On the plains of hesitation bleach the bones of countless millions who, at the dawn of decision, sat down to wait, and in waiting, died
— Quoted in early 20th c.; notably cited in Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich
Once you hear the details of victory, it is hard to distinguish it from a defeat
— Situations
Whoever wants to become a champion must be willing to pay a price higher than anyone else dares to imagine
— Press Conference, UEFA Champions League, 2017
Some days you win by talent, most days you win by refusing to quit when everything in you screams to stop.
— Multiple athlete interviews (theme recurring in speeches)
A man’s worth is measured by how he bears disaster, not by how he enjoys the sunlight
— Letters to Lucilius
I am not made like any of those who are made. I am not made to submit; I am made to conquer
— Conversation with Rémusat, 1802
There would be no light if not for shadow; nor strength, if not for trial. All greatness is forged in fire.
— Fragments (Attributed by later authors)
If you want to change the world, first change yourself; the axe that fells the forest must first be sharpened
— The Book of Five Rings (Gorin no Sho)
Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree
— Attributed, various accounts
Endure the present, and watch for better things
— Aeneid, Book V
Obsessive people accomplish far more than moderate souls; the world is moved by the unstoppable, not the reasonable
— Sun and Steel, 1968
If you want to be a champion, you must be willing to pay a greater price than anyone else
— Interview with Goal.com, 2015
There are no shortcuts to any place worth going; every step up the mountain is bought with sweat and refusal to bow to despair
— Interview after Everest expedition, 1953
Do not wait for the world to crown you—become the storm that demands to be reckoned with, and legacy will kneel at your feet
— Interview remarks (2015)
Men do not grow wise on cushions strewn with petals, but in storms that wrench the roof from over their heads
— Fragment 110 (as preserved by later sources)
Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds
— Letter to Paul Ehrenfest, 1921
When the whole world stands still, the man who strides forward owns the hour; hesitation is the assassin of destiny
— Attributed; various speeches and writings
The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones
— Analects, Book 9, Chapter 19
If you wish to control others you must first learn to control yourself; mastery begins not outward, but within
— The Book of Five Rings
To the person who does not know where he wants to go there is no favorable wind
— Epistle LXXI, Letters to Lucilius
Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever
— Attributed (Anecdotal statement, 19th Century)
Become at last hard; let your convictions be iron and your will rock
— Twilight of the Idols, Maxims and Arrows, section 34
I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying
— Jordan's Hall of Fame induction speech
The wolf on the hill is not as hungry as the wolf climbing the hill
— Interview, various motivational speeches
There are battles that can only be won in silence, when no one else is watching, and only your will is on the field
— Attributed, inspired by Meditations
Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another
— Proverbs 27:17
I do not fear an army of lions if they are led by a sheep; I fear an army of sheep led by a lion
— Quoted in various historical accounts (attributed)
Do nothing which is of no use
— The Book of Five Rings, The Ground Book
I am always striving to transform myself, to break what I was and become what I dream
— Paraphrased from essays and autobiographical works such as 'Sun and Steel'
I know of no such thing as luck. It is nothing but labor and diligence
— Quoted in his biography, The Life of Peter Cooper (1873)
Genius is eternal patience
— Attributed by Ascanio Condivi in 'Life of Michelangelo'
If you wish to build a ship, do not drum up people together to collect wood, but teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea
— Citadelle (translated as 'The Wisdom of the Sands'), 1948
One furious act outweighs a thousand opinions; build your story in sweat instead of seeking applause, for the world remembers what you do, not what you say
— Condensed from numerous public statements and ethos
If you want to launch big ships you have to go where the water is deep
— Attributed in various military commentaries, ca. 1810s
Genius is eternal patience
— As quoted in The Life of Michelangelo by John Addington Symonds (1893)
You cannot swim for new horizons until you have courage to lose sight of the shore
— Speech at University of Virginia, 1958
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood
— Citizenship in a Republic, speech at the Sorbonne, 1910
Restless energy, when rightly directed, brings forth results
— From Tesla’s notes, cited in Prodigal Genius by John J. O’Neill
I did not wait for glory to summon me. I stalked it, seized it with bare hands, and wrestled it into submission, for fate bows only to the relentless
— Statement of ambition and action; tone is paraphrased from Napoleon's letters and memoirs
He who sweats in the gym today will stride to victory when the world is watching
— Interview, press conference (date unknown)
The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in battle
— Attributed, ancient military proverb often associated with The Art of War
If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy, and inspires your hopes
— As quoted in "How to Succeed in Life" (speech, 1885)
It is through suffering that the strong carve paths in the earth and stamp their mark upon the generations that follow
— Sun and Steel
Pursue one great decisive aim with force and determination.
— On War (Vom Kriege)
Great is the man who has not lost his childlike heart
— The Book of Mencius, Book IV, Part II, Chapter 12
He who is not everyday conquering some fear has not learned the secret of life
— From Emerson’s essay 'Courage' (circa 1862)
To achieve what others will not, you must endure what others cannot
— Speech to University of Southern California graduates, 2009
Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will
— Young India, August 11, 1920
If you tremble with indignation at every injustice, then you are a comrade of mine
— Statement attributed to speeches and writings
To live is to prepare oneself for death, to train day and night in order to meet one’s inevitable fate with sword in hand and eyes unblinking
— Dokkōdō (The Way of Walking Alone)