Practical Quotes on Success from As a Man Thinks

Oh success! Something that everyone would like to have. It is a pity that most do not know exactly what the term means and will be discouraged when their search leads to nothing and that leads to frustration and cynicism. There are practical quotes from the success of As A Man Thinketh that illuminate this abstract subject and make it clearly understandable.

The number one concept of a successful person is that they are rich. Most people equate being successful with having a lot of money, but that’s not always true. Wealth may be a measure of success in certain circumstances, but not as a general rule.

For a person who sets out to be successful it is extremely important to understand the true meaning of the word. Lack of a clear understanding of the word definition and concept will lead to disappointment and frustration.

My conclusion is that the best definition of success comes from Earl Nightingale. He gained fame as a proficient expert in the field of sales motivation, success, and training. He was a respected insurance industry executive in the Midwest who had cracked the code so he could train new hires to become expert insurance sales professionals.

His interpretation of the word was “success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal.” Don’t be disappointed by its simplicity. Look closely and you will discover very astute insights.

To be successful you need a goal. James Allen in his book As A Man Thinketh states that “a man must conceive a legitimate purpose in his heart and set out to achieve it.” The absence of objectives makes rivers and men wander aimlessly and it seems that they will never get anywhere. It won’t happen if you don’t set goals.

Some express skepticism about this assumption and offer the view that a person does not need to have goals to do well, but just work hard and all will be well. This brings to mind the situation of conducting a playoff basketball game on a scoreless court. Players could just run and dribble up and down the pitch for the entire game, but that wouldn’t make sense. The score along with the winners would be unknown. The same would be true in the game of life. To be successful it is essential to know the score.

Roger Bannister sets the goal of breaking the four-minute mile. It had never been done before and was considered an impossible human feat. He broke the record because he set a goal.

Another key part of the definition is that it must be a “worthy” goal. James Allen states that “evil thoughts and actions can never produce good results.” To be successful, a goal must be one of good intentions and worth.

The most covert notion in Mr. Nightingale’s definition of success is “progressive realization.” If a person sets a goal of 1,000 steps, they become a success when the first step is taken. In a sense, the true test of success is the strength of character that goal-setting processes generate.

The first step towards success is knowing and understanding the definition of the word. Mr. Nightingale gave us all an excellent interpretation of the word. His vision of his concept came from the timeless wisdom found in the great book As a Man Thinks.