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The mere drudgery undergone by some men in carrying on their undertakings has been something extraordinary, but the drudgery they regarded as the price of success.

Patience lies at the root of all pleasures, as well as of all powers.

Necessity, oftener than facility, has been the mother of invention; and the most prolific school of all has been the school of difficulty.

In the pursuit of even the highest branches of human inquiry, the commoner qualities are found the most useful

Labour is not only a necessity and a duty, but a blessing: only the idler feels it to be a curse.

The road of human welfare lies along the old highway of steadfast well-doing; and they who are the most persistent, and work in the truest spirit, will usually be the most successful.

Those who look into practical life will find that fortune is usually on the side of the industrious, as the winds and waves are on the side of the best navigators.

Great results cannot be achieved at once; and we must be satisfied to advance in life as we walk, step by step.

Time should not be allowed to pass without yielding fruits, in the form of something learnt worthy of being known, some good principle cultivated, or some good habit strengthened.

Energy enables a man to force his way through irksome drudgery and dry details, and carries him onward and upward in every station in life.

Difficulties may intimidate the weak, but they act only as a wholesome stimulus to men of resolution and valour.

The road to success may be steep to climb, and it puts to the proof the energies of him who would reach the summit.

Nothing can be more certain than that the character can only be sustained and strengthened by its own energetic action.

Work is the law of our being--the living principle that carries men and nations onward.

Courage, combined with energy and perseverance, will overcome difficulties apparently insurmountable.

Courage may be displayed in everyday life as well as in historic fields of action.

A man must so train his habits as to rely upon his own powers and depend upon his own courage in moments of emergency.

Energy of temperament, with a moderate degree of wisdom, will carry a man further than any amount of intellect without it.

Great evils are in some cases only to be met by resistance; they cannot be wept down, but must be battled down.

Industry enables men to earn their living; it should also enable them to learn to live.

Every man's first duty is, to improve, to educate, and elevate himself--helping forward his brethren at the same time by all reasonable methods.

Self-respect, originating in self-love, instigates the first step of improvement.