Home / Authors / Samuel Smiles

Samuel Smiles

Samuel Smiles Quotes

Author

Samuel Smiles was a British author renowned for his influential works on self-improvement and personal success. Born on December 23, 1812, in Scotland, he passed away on April 16, 1904. His writings emphasized the importance of hard work, self-discipline, and perseverance, inspiring countless individuals throughout history.

Filter quotes by topic

All Men Character May Self Action Individual Inspirational Example Ifs Way

Famous Samuel Smiles Quotes

“For want of self-restraint many men are engaged all their lives in fighting with difficulties of their own making, and rendering success impossible by their own cross-grained ungentleness; whilst others, it may be much less gifted, make their way and achieve success by simple patience, equanimity, and self-control.”

Men Way Want Life May Self Success Fighting Simple Impossible Achieve Crosses Difficulty Simplicity Engaged Self Control Gifted Restraint Equanimity Rendering Self Restraint

Book:Character. Repr

Source: Character. Repr

“It is not ease, but effort-not facility, but difficulty, makes men. There is, perhaps, no station in life in which difficulties have not to be encountered and overcome before any decided measure of success can be achieved.”

Men Life Effort Decided Overcoming Difficulty Ease Stations Facility Measure Of Success

Book:Self-help: With Illustrations of Character and Conduct

Source: Self-help: With Illustrations of Character and Conduct

“Cecil's dispatch of business was extraordinary, his maxim being, "The shortest way to do many things is to do only one thing at once."”

Way Business One Thing Extraordinary Maxims

Author:Samuel Smiles

“Time is of no account with great thoughts, which are as fresh to -day as when they first passed through their authors' minds ages ago.”

Mind Firsts Age Today Time Accounts

Author:Samuel Smiles

“Persons with comparatively moderate powers will accomplish much, if they apply themselves wholly and indefatigably to one thing at a time.”

Ifs Persons Time One Thing Accomplish Moderates One Thing At A Time

Book:Self-Help; with Illustrations of Character, Conduct, and Perseverance by Samuel Smiles

Source: Self-Help; with Illustrations of Character, Conduct, and Perseverance by Samuel Smiles

“No laws, however stringent, can make the idle industrious, the thriftless provident, or the drunken sober.”

Law Idle Sober Industrious

Book:Self-help: With Illustrations of Character and Conduct

Source: Self-help: With Illustrations of Character and Conduct

“"Where there is a will there is a way" is an old true saying. He who resolves upon doing a thing, by that very resolution often scales the barriers to it and secures its achievement. To think we are able is almost to be so - to determine upon attainment is frequently attainment itself.”

Thinking Way Able Achievement Determine Scales Barriers Resolve Resolution Attainment

Book:Self-Help: The Original Guide to Bootstrapping Your Success

Source: Self-Help: The Original Guide to Bootstrapping Your Success

“Even happiness itself may become habitual. There is a habit of looking at the bright side of things, and also of looking at the dark side.”

May Sides Dark Habit Gratitude Dark Side Habitual Bright Side Bright Smiles

Book:Self-help; with illustrations of character and conduct

Source: Self-help; with illustrations of character and conduct

“Alexander the Great valued learning so highly, that he used to say he was more indebted to Aristotle for giving him knowledge than to his father Philip for life.”

Giving Used Father Mentor Philip Indebted

Author:Samuel Smiles

“The cheapest of all things is kindness, its exercise requiring the least possible trouble and self-sacrifice. Win hearts, said Burleigh to Queen Elizabeth, and you have all men's hearts and purses.”

Men Heart Said Self Winning Kindness Trouble Sacrifice Exercise All Things Queens Purses Self Sacrifice Queen Elizabeth

Book:Self-help; with illustrations of character and conduct

Source: Self-help; with illustrations of character and conduct

“Where there is a will there is a way.”

Book:Self-help

Source: Self-help

“No good thing is ever lost. Nothing dies, not even life which gives up one form only to resume another. No good action, no good example dies. It lives forever in our race. While the frame moulders and disappears, the deed leaves an indelible stamp, and molds the very thought and will of future generations.”

Source: Duty, with Illustrations of Courage, Patience, and Endurance

“Courage is by no means incompatible with tenderness. On the contrary, gentleness and tenderness have been found to characterize the men, no less than the women, who have done the most courageous deeds.”

Men Mean Has Beens Done Found He Man Deeds Contrary Courageous Tenderness Gentleness

Book:Character. Repr

Source: Character. Repr

“Make good thy standing place, and move the world.”

World Moving Standing

Author:Samuel Smiles

“Good character is property. It is the noblest of all possessions.”

Character Property Possession Good Character

Author:Samuel Smiles

“Obedience, submission, discipline, courage--these are among the characteristics which make a man.”

Men Discipline Obedience Characteristics Submission

Book:Duty, with Illustrations of Courage, Patience, and Endurance

Source: Duty, with Illustrations of Courage, Patience, and Endurance

“The great high-road of human welfare lies along the old highway of steadfast welldoing; and they who are the most persistent, and work in the truest spirit, will invariably be the most successful.”

Dream Spirit Successful Persistent Dream Job

Author:Samuel Smiles

“For want of self-restraint many men are engaged all their lives in fighting with difficulties of their own making.”

Men Want Self Fighting Difficulty Engaged Restraint Willpower Equanimity Self Restraint

Book:Character

Source: Character

“Those who aren't making mistakes probably aren't making anything.”

Mistake Making Mistakes Daring

Author:Samuel Smiles

“It is the close observation of little things which is the secret of success in business, in art, in science, and in every pursuit of life.”

Littles Art Secret Awareness Perspective Pursuit Observation Little Things Business Success Secret To Success

Book:Self-help: With Illustrations of Character and Conduct

Source: Self-help: With Illustrations of Character and Conduct

“If we opened our minds to enjoyment, we might find tranquil pleasures spread about us on every side. We might live with the angels that visit us on every sunbeam, and sit with the fairies who wait on every flower.”

Ifs Mind Might Waiting Sides Pleasure Flower Angel Spread Enjoyment Fairy Faerie Tranquil Sunbeams

Book:Thrift

Source: Thrift

“Liberty is the result of free individual action,energy and independence.”

Action Individual Energy Results Liberty Independence

Book:Self-help: With Illustrations of Character and Conduct

Source: Self-help: With Illustrations of Character and Conduct

“Mere political reform will not cure the manifold evils which now afflict society. There requires a social reform, a domestic reform, an individual reform.”

Political Evil Individual Social Mere Cures Reform Social Reform Manifold Political Reform

Author:Samuel Smiles

“Men often discover their affinity to each other by the mutual love they have for a book.”

Men Book Mutual Affinity Mutual Love

Book:Character

Source: Character

“There is no act, however trivial, but has its train of consequences.”

Consequence Train

Book:Character

Source: Character

About the Author

Born: December 23, 1812
Died: April 16, 1904
Known for: Author
Quotes: 175

Related Topics

Men Character May Self Action Individual Inspirational Example Ifs Way

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

CharacterRelated source material

Self-help: With Illustrations of Character and ConductRelated source material

Self-help; with illustrations of character and conductRelated source material

Duty, with Illustrations of Courage, Patience, and EnduranceRelated source material

Self-helpRelated source material

Self-help: With Illustrations of Charakter, Conduct and PerseveranceRelated source material

Character. ReprRelated source material

Self-help, with Illustrations of Character and ConductRelated source material

Self-help; with Illustrations of Character, Conduct, and PerseveranceRelated source material

ThriftRelated source material

Similar Authors

Ralph Waldo EmersonBrowse related quotes
Thomas CarlyleBrowse related quotes
Jean de la BruyereBrowse related quotes
Johann Wolfgang von GoetheBrowse related quotes
EuripidesBrowse related quotes
Theodore RooseveltBrowse related quotes
Francis BaconBrowse related quotes
Gilbert K. ChestertonBrowse related quotes
Samuel JohnsonBrowse related quotes
Warren FarrellBrowse related quotes