“No one wants to be excelled by his relatives.”

There is an old saying which, from its truth, has become proverbial, that friendships should be immortal, enmities mortal.

In war, mere appearances have had all the effect of realities; and that a person, under a firm persuasion that he can command resources, virtually has them; that very prospect inspiring him with hope and boldness in his exertions.

The populace is like the sea motionless in itself, but stirred by every wind, even the lightest breeze.

No man likes to be surpassed by those of his own level.

Men are only clever at shifting blame from their own shoulders to those of others.

Woe to the conquered.

From abundance springs safety.

Under the influence of fear, which always leads men to take a pessimistic view of things, they magnified their enemies’ resources, and minimized their own.

Adversity makes men remember God.

There is nothing that is more often clothed in an attractive garb than a false creed.

Prosperity engenders sloth.

Men are seldom blessed with good fortune and good sense at the same time.

The troubles which have come upon us always seem more serious than those which are only threatening.

A certain peace is better and safer than a victory in prospect; the former is at your own disposal, the latter depends upon the gods.

We can endure neither our vices nor their cure.

In grave difficulties, and with little hope, the boldest measures are the safest.

Wealth does not bring about excellence, but excellence makes wealth and everything else good for men, both individually and collectively.

Most important of all, to be successful in life demands that a man make a personal commitment to excellence and to victory, even though the ultimate victory can never be completely won.

We don’t settle for anything less than excellence.

The ability for a group of people to do remarkable things hinges on how well those people can pull together as a team.

Knowledge is merely brilliance in organization of ideas and not wisdom. The truly wise person goes beyond knowledge.

Intensity is the price of excellence.

Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow. Every job is a self portrait of the person who did it. Autograph your work with excellence.

I will demand a commitment to excellence and to victory, and that is what life is all about.