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The greatest slave is not he who is ruled by a despot, great though that evil be, but he who is in the thrall of his own moral ignorance, selfishness, and vice.

Samuel Smiles

There are many persons of whom it may be said that they have no other possession in the world but their character, and yet they stand as firmly upon it as any crowned king.
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Character Firm Person Possession Stand World
Man cannot aspire if he looked down; if he rise, he must look up.
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Aspiration Himself Man Rise
Riches are oftener an impediment than a stimulus to action; and in many cases they are quite as much a misfortune as a blessing.
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Action Blessing Fortune Quite
Those who aren’t making mistakes probably aren’t making anything.
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Failure Inspirational Mistake
Character is undergoing constant change, for better or for worse–either being elevated on the one hand, or degraded on the other.
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Better Character Charge Hands Worst
Wisdom and understanding can only become the possession of individual men by travelling the old road of observation, attention, perseverance, and industry.
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Attention Industry Man Old Perseverance Possession Travel Understand Wisdom
There is no act, however trivial, but has its train of consequences.
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Act Consequence Training
No laws, however stringent, can make the idle industrious, the thriftless provident, or the drunken sober.
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Drink Industry Law Sober
To set a lofty example is the richest bequest a man can leave behind.
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Example Leaving Legacy Man
With will one can do anything.
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Oneself Willing
The possession of a library, or the free use of it, no more constitutes learning, than the possession of wealth constitutes generosity.
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Generous Library Possession Wealth
Success treads on the heels of every right effort; and though it is possible to overestimate success to the extent of almost deifying it, as is sometimes done, still in any worthy pursuit it is meritorious.
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Pursuit Success Worth
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. But all play and no work makes him something worse.
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Play Work Worst
Like men, nations are purified and strengthened by trials.
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Man Nation Purity Strength
Labor is still, and ever will be, the inevitable price set upon everything which is valuable.
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Labor Price Value
The reason why so little is done, is generally because so little is attempted.
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Attempt Reason

The greatest slave is not he who is ruled by a despot, great though that evil be, but he who is in the thrall of his own moral ignorance, selfishness, and vice.

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The greatest slave is not he who is ruled by a despot, great though that evil be, but he who is in the thrall of his own moral ignorance, selfishness, and vice.

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Popular Authors

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