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The principal industrial excellence of the English people lay in their capacity of present exertion for a distant object.

Samuel Smiles

Necessity, oftener than facility, has been the mother of invention; and the most prolific school of all has been the school of difficulty.
SAMUEL SMILES

Difficult Invention Mom Necessary School
Help from without is often enfeebling in its effects, but help from within invariably invigorates.
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External Help
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.
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Achievement Decision Difficult Effort Station
Luck whines; labor whistles.
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Labor Luck Whistle
The battle of life is, in most cases, fought uphill; and to win it without a struggle were perhaps to win it without honor. If there were no difficulties there would be no success; if there were nothing to struggle for, there would be nothing to be achieved.
SAMUEL SMILES

Achievement Battle Difficult Honor Life Respect Struggle Success
The great lesson of biography is to show what man can be and do at his best. A noble life put fairly on record acts like an inspiration to others.
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Greatness Lesson Life Man Noble Record
Men whose acts are at variance with their words command no respect, and what they say has but little weight.
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Act Man Respect Weight Word
Cheerfulness is also an excellent wearing quality. It has been called the bright weather of the heart.
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Bright Cheer Excellence Heart Quality
The highest culture is not obtained from the teacher when at school or college, so much as by our ever diligent self-education when we become men.
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Culture Education Man Teacher
Childhood is like a mirror, which reflects in after life the images first presented to it.
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Children Image Life Mirror Present
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.
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Father Knowledge Learning Life Value
Make good thy standing place, and move the world.
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Goodness Move Place Stand World
The great leader attracts to himself men of kindred character, drawing them towards him as the loadstone draws iron.
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Character Greatness Himself Leadership
The noble people will be nobly ruled, and the ignorant and corrupt ignobly.
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Corruption People Rule
Character is itself a fortune.
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Character Fortune One Liner
The apprenticeship of difficulty is one which the greatest of men have had to serve.
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Difficult Greatness Man Service
Men often discover their affinity to each other by the mutual love they have for a book.
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Book Discover Each Other Love Man
To set a lofty example is the richest bequest a man can leave behind.
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Example Leaving Legacy Man
Work is one of the best educators of practical character.
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Best Education Practice Work
Hope… is the companion of power, and the mother of success; for who so hopes has within him the gift of miracles.
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Gift Himself Hope Miracle Mom Power Success
This extraordinary metal, the soul of every manufacture, and the mainspring perhaps of civilised society. Of iron.
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Civilization Manufacture Metal Soul
Self-control is only courage under another form. It may also be regarded as the primary essence of character.
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Character Control Courage Essence Form Primary
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.”
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Business Focus Oneself
Although genius always commands admiration, character most secures respect. The former is more the product of the brain, the latter of heart-power; and in the long run it is the heart that rules in life.
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Admire Character Command Genius Heart Life Respect Secure
Any number of depraved units cannot form a great nation.
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Greatness Nation
He who labours not, cannot enjoy the reward of labour.
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Enjoyment Labour Reward
Practical wisdom is only to be learned in the school of experience. Precepts and instruction are useful so far as they go, but, without the discipline of real life, they remain of the nature of theory only.
SAMUEL SMILES

Discipline Instruction Life Nature Practice Reality Theory Wisdom

The principal industrial excellence of the English people lay in their capacity of present exertion for a distant object.

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The principal industrial excellence of the English people lay in their capacity of present exertion for a distant object.

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