Quotes by B. C. Forbes

Money or even power can never yield happiness unless it be accompanied by the goodwill of others.

The human being who lives only for himself finally reaps nothing but unhappiness. Selfishness corrodes. Unselfishness ennobles satisfies. Dont put off the joy derivable from doing helpful kindly things for others.

The man who is intent on making the most of his opportunities is too busy to bother about luck.

Call the roll in your memory of conspicuously successful [business] giants and if you know anything about their careers you will be struck by the fact that almost every one of them encountered inordinate difficulties sufficient to crush all but the gamest of spirits. Edison went hungry many times before he became famous.

Diamonds are only lumps of coal that stuck to their jobs.

Triumph often is nearest when defeat seems inescapable.

Mediocre men wait for opportunity to come to them. Strong able alert men go after opportunity.

Opportunity can benefit no man who has not fitted himself to seize it and use it. Opportunity woos the worthy shuns the unworthy. Prepare yourself to grasp opportunity and opportunity is likely to come your way. It is not so fickle capricious and unreasoning as some complain.

You have no idea how big the other fellows troubles are.

Jealousy is an inner consciousness of ones own inferiority. It is a mental cancer.

Lady Luck generally woos those who earnestly enthusiastically unremittingly woo her.

Are you doing the kind of work you were built for so that you can expect to be able to do very large amounts of that kind and thrive under it? Or are you doing a kind of which you can do comparatively little?

The men who have done big things are those who were not afraid to attempt big things who were not afraid to risk failure in order to gain success.

Call the roll in your memory of conspicuously successful business giants and ... you will be struck by the fact that almost every one of them encountered inordinate difficulties sufficient to crush all but the gamest of spirits. Edison went hungry many times before he became famous.

Judgment can be acquired only by acute observation by actual experience in the school of life by ceaseless alertness to learn from others by study of the activities of men who have made notable marks by striving to analyze the everyday play of causes and effects by constant study of human nature.

Search and you will find that at the base and birth of every great business organization was an enthusiast a man consumed with earnestness of purpose with confidence in his powers with faith in the worthwhileness of his endeavors.

How we love to blame others for our misfortunes! Almost every individual who has lost money in stock speculation has on the tip of his tongue an explanation which he trots out to show that it wasnt his own fault at all.... Hardly one loser has the manliness to say frankly I was wrong.

The man of fixed ingrained principles who has mapped out a straight course and has the courage and self-control to adhere to it does not find life complex. Complexities are all of our own making.

Turn resolutely to work to recreation or in any case to physical exercise till you are so tired you cant help going to sleep and when you wake up you wont want to worry.

If you dont drive your business, you will be driven out of business.