One or two years ago, I didn't know who I was on court and I used to swear a lot. But now I've learned how to cope and can therefore win 10 matches in a row. I want to be remembered as a good player rather than an idiot on court.
Roger FedererRead
I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure - which is: Try to please everybody.
Interpretation
Trying to please everyone can lead to failure, while focusing on your own goals is key to success.
This quote by Herbert Bayard Swope highlights the futility of attempting to satisfy everyone around you. It suggests that in the pursuit of success, one must prioritize personal ambitions and values instead of seeking approval from all, as this approach often leads to dissatisfaction and hindered progress.
In practice
During a motivational speech about achieving personal goals, one could mention this quote to emphasize the importance of staying true to oneself.
One or two years ago, I didn't know who I was on court and I used to swear a lot. But now I've learned how to cope and can therefore win 10 matches in a row. I want to be remembered as a good player rather than an idiot on court.
Excellence is never granted to man but as the reward of labor. It argues no small strength of mind to persevere in habits of industry without the pleasure of perceiving those advances, which, like the hand of a clock, whilst they make hourly approaches to their point, yet proceed so slowly as to escape observation.
Don't be misled into believing that somehow the world owes you a living. The boy who believes that his parents, or the government, or any one else owes him his livelihood and that he can collect it without labor will wake up one day and find himself working for another boy who did not have that belief and, therefore, earned the right to have others work for him.
It never entered my father's mind nor my mind ever to do a job other than at one's best ability.
At a startup, it's hard enough to get a single thing right, much less a whole bunch of things. Especially if the things you are trying to do are not only dissimilar but actively impede each other.
Are you willing to push the right buttons even if it means being perceived as the villain? β¦ I'd rather be perceived as a winner than a good teammate. I wish they both went hand in hand all the time but that's just not reality. β¦ I have nothing in common with lazy people who blame others for their lack of success.
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