He who would accomplish little must sacrifice little; he who would achieve much must sacrifice much; he who would attain highly must sacrifice greatly.
Interpretation
Success requires varying levels of sacrifice depending on the goals one wishes to achieve.
This quote emphasizes the direct correlation between the extent of one's achievements and the sacrifices made to attain them. James Allen suggests that greater accomplishments demand greater sacrifices, highlighting the idea that one must be willing to give up certain comforts or opportunities in pursuit of significant goals.
In practice
This quote is perfect for a motivational speech during a graduation ceremony.
A man becomes calm in the measure that he understands himself as a thought-evolved being. For such knowledge necessitates the understanding of others as the result of thought, and as he develops a right understanding, and sees ever more clearly the internal relations of things by the action of cause and effect, he ceases to fuss, fume, worry, and grieve. He remains poised, steadfast, serene.
The body is the servant of the mind. It obeys the operations of the mind, whether they be deliberately chosen or automatically expressed.
Work joyfully and peacefully, knowing that right thoughts and right efforts inevitably bring about right results.
Man is made or unmade by himself. In the armory of thought he forges the weapons by which he destroys himself. He also fashions the tools with which he builds for himself heavenly mansions of joy and strength and peace.
They who have conquered doubt and fear have conquered failure.
Good thoughts and actions can never produce bad results; bad thoughts and actions can never produce good results … We understand this law in the natural world, and work with it; but few understand it in the mental and moral world—although its operation there is just as simple and undeviating— and they, therefore, do not cooperate with it.
The moment I said I'd finished a book, I knew what would happen. There would be a bidding war, and I would end up with someone who'd got the fattest wallet, who had bought it because I'd written Harry Potter. That would have been why.
The future of America is not an entitlement. We have been given a treasure chest of gifts and opportunities, but some people are being left behind, and success is not sustainable unless it is shared.
Most investors want to do today what they should have done yesterday.
It's passionately interesting for me that the things that I learned in a small town, in a very modest home, are just the things that I believe have won the election.
Those that spend the most effort in search of shortcuts are often the most disappointed and the least successful.
There is no continuum for success. Focus on the progress, not the results.
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