“Trying to get everyone to like you is a sign of mediocrity.”

Preferring members of any one group for no reason other than race or ethnic origin is discrimination for its own sake. This the Constitution forbids.

The chief condition on which, life, health and vigor depend on, is action. It is by action that an organism develops its faculties, increases its energy, and attains the fulfillment of its destiny.

Give me the right people and I don’t much care what organization you give me. Good things will happen. Give me the wrong people and it doesn’t matter what you do with the organization. Bad things will happen.

Failure is a part of life and you have to learn to deal with it. Failure is something that is part of life’s cycle and it’s from failure that you gain life experience.

I have never seen a good organization where the standards weren’t high.

Always focus on the front windshield and not the review mirror.

Respect for leaders by followers can’t be mandated; it must be earned. It has to be given to leaders by their followers.

Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.

It takes more courage to send men into battle than to fight the battle yourself.

Pissing people off doesn’t mean you’re doing the right things, but doing the right things will almost inevitably piss people off.

Always be looking for that which you do well and that which you love doing, and when you find those two things together — man, you got it.

My responsibility, our responsibility as lucky Americans, is to try to give back to this country as much as it has given us, as we continue our American journey together.

If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude.

None of us can change our yesterdays but all of us can change our tomorrows.

Always show more kindness than seems necessary, because the person receiving it needs it more than you will ever know.

Always do your best. Somebody is watching you.

If I’m going to be anything more than average, if anyone is going to remember me, then I need to go further, in art, in life, in everything!

All I knew is that I never wanted to be average.

I don’t have any extraordinary gifts. I’m just an average Joe who grew up very poor in rural Alabama.

Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.

I’m intimidated by the fear of being average.

I’ve always considered myself to be just average talent and what I have is a ridiculous insane obsessiveness for practice and preparation.

Small-minded people blame others. Average people blame themselves. The wise see all blame as foolishness.

You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.