NOTABLE QUOTABLES: W. CLEMENT STONE ON SUCCESS [EPISODE 138]

In this episode, I review a number of quotes by W. Clement Stone. Stone was an incredibly successful businessman, and a disciple of Napoleon Hill. His advice on success is  useful to this day.

Here are the quotes I will review. I unpack them in this episode:

“All personal achievement starts in the mind of the individual. Your personal achievement starts in your mind. The first step is to know exactly what your problem, goal or desire is.”

 

When you discover your mission, you will feel its demand. It will fill you with enthusiasm and a burning desire to get to work on it.”

 

“Instead of believing the world is plotting to do you harm, choose to believe the world is plotting to do you good. Instead of seeing every difficult challenging event as a negative, see it for what it could be – something that is meant to enrich you, empower you, or advance your causes.” 

 

“To be happy, make other people happy."

 

“There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative.”

 

“There is more to success than reading self-help books and extracting the philosophy contained in them, and that is action. The true value of a self-help book is not what the writer puts into the book, but what you, the reader, take out of the book and put into your life.”

 

“Keep your mind on your objective, and persist until you succeed. Study, think and plan.”

 

“So, you’ve got a problem? That’s good! Why? Because repeated victories over your problems are the rungs on your ladder of success. With each victory, you grow in wisdom, stature and experience. You become a better, bigger, more successful person each time you meet a problem and tackle and conquer it with a positive mental attitude.”

 

“To solve a problem or to reach a goal, you don’t need to know all the answers in advance. But you must have a clear idea of the problem or the goal you want to reach.”

 

“You are a product of your environment. So choose the environment that will best develop you toward your objective. Analyze your life in terms of its environment. Are the things around you helping you toward success – or are they holding you back?”

 

“Be careful the environment you choose for it will shape you; be careful the friends you choose for you will become like them.”

 

“The reason so few people are successful is no one has yet found a way for someone to sit down and slide uphill.”

 

“Regardless of who you are or what you have been, you can be what you want to be.” 

 

“You always do what you want to do. This is true with every act. You may say that you had to do something, or that you were forced to, but actually, whatever you do, you do by choice. Only you have the power to choose for yourself.”

 

"Have the courage to say no. Have the courage to face the truth. Do the right thing because it is right. These are the magic keys to living your life with integrity."

 

“Sometimes the things that seem to be adversities turn out to be opportunities in disguise.”

 

“Effort and work can become fun when you establish specific desirable goals.”

 

"No matter how carefully you plan your goals they will never be more that pipe dreams unless you pursue them with gusto."

 

"Tell everyone what you want to do and someone will want to help you do it."

 

“Try, try, try, and keep on trying is the rule that must be followed to become an expert in anything.”

 

“You have everything to gain and nothing to lose by trying.”

 

“Success is achieved and maintained by those who try, and keep trying, for there is nothing to lose by trying and a great deal to gain if successful. By all means TRY! Do it NOW!!!”

 

“Thinking will not overcome fear but action will.”  

 

“It takes less work to succeed than to fail.”  

 

“Do it now.”

 

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