Desire

“Lord, grant that I may always desire more than I can accomplish.”

– Michelangelo, painter, sculptor

I would rather fail in a cause that will ultimately triumph than to triumph in a cause that will ultimately fail.

– Woodrow Wilson, 28th US president

Wisdom

Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it.

– Albert Einstein, physicist

Choices

In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.

– Eleanor Roosevelt, first lady

Opportunity

Opportunity’s favorite disguise is trouble.

– English proverb

Learning

“Learning is not compulsory, but neither is survival.”

– W. Edwards Deming, management consultant

The Little Matters

“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.”

– Colin Powell, statesman

Luck

"Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”

– Seneca, Roman philosopher

“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”

– Nelson Mandela, statesman

People of Accomplishment

“It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.”

– Elinor Smith, aviator

Genius

“Genius is an infinite capacity for taking pains.”

– Jane Ellis Hopkins, writer