We know what a person thinks
not when he tells us what he thinks,
but by his actions.
The people who get on in this world
are the people who get up and look
for the circumstances they want,
and, if they can’t find them, make them.
The whole world steps aside for the man
who knows where he is going.
One that would have the fruit
must climb the tree.
Remember, people will judge you
by your actions, not your intentions.
You may have a heart of gold…
but so does a hard-boiled egg.
We are what we repeatedly do.
Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.
It is not only for what we do
that we are held responsible,
but also for what we do not do.
Think like a man of action,
act like a man of thought.
After all is said and done,
a lot more will have been said than done.
I find the great thing in this world
is not so much where we stand,
as in what direction we are moving
— we must sail sometimes with the wind
and sometimes against it —
but we must sail, and not drift,
nor lie at anchor.
Action springs not from thought,
but from a readiness for responsibility.
Between the great things we cannot do
and the small things we will not do,
the danger is that we shall do nothing.
The great end of life is not knowledge, but action.
Action is the antidote to despair.
One kernel is felt in a hogshead;
one drop of water helps to swell the ocean;
a spark of fire helps to give light to the world.
None are too small, too feeble,
too poor to be of service.
Think of this and act.
The doors we open and close each day
decide the lives we live.
If you rest, you rust.
I am only one;
but still I am one.
I cannot do everything,
but still I can do something;
I will not refuse to do
something I can do.
In any moment of decision,
the best thing you can do
is the right thing,
the next best thing
is the wrong thing,
and the worst thing you can do
is nothing.
Vision without action is a daydream.
Action without vision is a nightmare.
Realize that if you have time
to whine and complain about something
then you have the time
to do something about it.
Your attitude
determines your action.
Your action
determines your accomplishment.
A journey of a thousand miles
must begin with a single step.
To accomplish great things,
we must not only act, but also dream;
not only plan, but also believe.
The person who is waiting
for something to turn up
might start with their shirt sleeves.
Destiny is not a matter of chance,
it is a matter of choice.
It is not a thing to be waited for,
it is a thing to be achieved.
The beginning
is the most important part of the work.