Quotes by Samuel Smiles

The following are quotes from Samuel Smiles:

An intense anticipation itself transforms possibility into reality our desires being often but precursors of the things which we are capable of performing.

Enthusiasm...the sustaining power of all great action.

Hope...is the companion of power, and the mother of success for who so hopes has within him the gift of miracles.

It is a mistake to suppose that men succeed through success they much oftener succeed through failures. Precept, study, advice, and example could never have taught them so well as failure has done.

It is possible that the scrupulously honest man may not grow rich so fast as the unscrupulous and dishonest one but the success will be of a truer kind, earned without fraud or injustice. And even though a man should for a time be unsuccessful, still he must be honest better lose all and save character. For character is itself a fortune...

It will generally be found that men who are constantly lamenting their ill luck are only reaping the consequences of their own neglect, mismanagement, and improvidence, or want of application.

Life will always be to a large extent what we ourselves make it.

Practical wisdom is only to be learned in the school of experience. Precepts and instruction are useful so far as they go, but, without the discipline of real life, they remain of the nature of theory only.

The experience to be gathered from books, Though often valuable, is but of the nature of learning Whereas the experience gained from actual life, Is of the nature of wisdom And a small store of the latter Is worth vastly more than a stock of the former.

We often discover what will do, by finding out what will not do and probably he who never made a mistake never made a discovery.

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