Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all. ››everything comes in time to him who knows how to wait . . . there is nothing stronger than these two: patience and time, they will do it all. ››Once you have established the goals you want and the price you're willing to pay, you can ignore the minor hurts, the opponent's pressure and the temporary failures. ››The spirit, the will to win and the will to excel – these are the things that endure and these are the qualities that are so much more important than any of the events that occasion them. ››….I firmly believe that any man’s finest hours – his greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear – is that moment when he has worked his heart out in good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle – victorious. ››Don't succumb to excuses. Go back to the job of making the corrections and forming the habits that will make your goal possible. ››When you know you are doing your very best within the circumstances of your existence, applaud yourself! ››It is when those who are not strong enough have made some moderate amount of progress that they fail and give up… ››The expectations of life depend upon diligence the mechanic that would perfect his work must first sharpen his tools. ››It was easy enough to kill yourself in a fit of despair. It was easy enough to play the martyr. It was harder to do nothing. To endure your life. To wait. ››Novices in the arts think you have to start with inspiration to write or paint or compose. In fact, you only have to start. Inspiration comes if you continue. Make the commitment to sit still in solitude several hours a day and inevitably your muse will visit. ››What we face may look insurmountable. But I learned something from all those years of training and competing. I learned something from all those sets and reps when I didn't think I could lift another ounce of weight. What I learned is that we are always stronger than we know. ››The last three or four reps is what makes the muscle grow. This area of pain divides the champion from someone else who is not a champion. That's what most people lack, having the guts to go on and just say they'll go through the pain no matter what happens. ››The world is so constructed, that if you wish to enjoy its pleasures, you must also endure its pains. Whether you like it or not, you cannot have one without the other. ››The battle of life is, in most cases, fought uphill; and to win it without a struggle were perhaps to win it without honour. If there were no difficulties there would be no success; if there were nothing to struggle for, there would be nothing to be achieved. ››Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars. ››Advance, and never halt, for advancing is perfection. Advance and do not fear the thorns in the path, for they draw only corrupt blood. ››To remain indifferent to the challenges we face is indefensible. If the goal is noble, whether or not it is realized within our lifetime is largely irrelevant. What we must do, therefore, is to strive, and persevere, and never give up. ››When you get into a tight place and it seems that you can't go on, hold on - for that's just the place and the time that the tide will turn. ››
