Orison Swett Marden

Every line we carry

Each one links to its source, what it means, and the shirt in any of our looks.

1. Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great.

   Big chances rarely announce themselves. Marden says ordinary days, done extraordinarily well, are the opportunity. Treat today's small task like it matters, because it does.

   Pushing to the Front (1894; 1911 edition), Original English (Pushing to the Front, 1911 edition; first published 1894)

2. Don't wait for your opportunity. Make it.

   Marden lists people who made their own breaks with whatever was at hand. Waiting feels safe and wastes years. Build the chance yourself.

   Pushing to the Front (1894; 1911 edition), Original English (Pushing to the Front, 1911 edition; first published 1894)

3. Success is jealous of scattered energies.

   A candle cannot go through a tent, Marden says, but fired hard enough it goes through a board. Focus is force. Do fewer things with all of you.

   Pushing to the Front (1894; 1911 edition), Original English (Pushing to the Front, 1911 edition; first published 1894)

4. Character is greater than any career.

   Marden tells young people to choose work that builds the person, not just the bank account. Jobs end; who you became doing them stays. Let the career serve the character.

   Pushing to the Front (1894; 1911 edition), Original English (Pushing to the Front, 1911 edition; first published 1894)

5. Idleness rusts the nerves and makes the muscles creak.

   The body and mind both stiffen without use. Marden says a lost hour wastes power, not just time. Keep moving and you stay oiled.

   Pushing to the Front (1894; 1911 edition), Original English (Pushing to the Front, 1911 edition; first published 1894)

6. The worst of a lost hour is the wasted power.

   An idle hour is not only gone; it leaves you weaker for the next one. Momentum is built or lost in small blocks of time. Spend them like they compound, because they do.

   Pushing to the Front (1894; 1911 edition), Original English (Pushing to the Front, 1911 edition; first published 1894)

7. Success is the child of two very plain parents: punctuality and accuracy.

   Marden strips success of glamour. Show up on time and get it right, over and over. Most wins are made of those two boring habits.

   Pushing to the Front (1894; 1911 edition), Original English (Pushing to the Front, 1911 edition; first published 1894)

8. After a poor job, you are not quite the same man you were before.

   Every slipshod job leaves a mark on the person who did it. Standards slide one shortcut at a time. Do it right, for your own sake as much as the customer's.

   Pushing to the Front (1894; 1911 edition), Original English (Pushing to the Front, 1911 edition; first published 1894)

9. Enthusiasm is the being awake.

   Marden calls enthusiasm the tingling of every fiber to do the work your heart wants. Without it you are half asleep at your own life. Find the work that wakes you up.

   Pushing to the Front (1894; 1911 edition), Original English (Pushing to the Front, 1911 edition; first published 1894)

10. You hold the chisel and mallet.

    Marden pictures your future as an untouched block of white marble. Nobody else holds the tools. What gets carved is up to you.

    Pushing to the Front (1894; 1911 edition), Original English (Pushing to the Front, 1911 edition; first published 1894)

11. You must give much in order to get much.

    Marden is talking about how we treat others: stingy people get stingy returns. Generosity in attention, help and warmth comes back. Give first, and give a lot.

    Pushing to the Front (1894; 1911 edition), Original English (Pushing to the Front, 1911 edition; first published 1894)