First gain the victory and then make the best use of it you can.
Horatio NelsonRead
The disgraces I suffer should be attributed to me, but the praises that I get go to my family and teachers. It is they who decided what I would become.
Interpretation
Success should be credited to the support and guidance of family and teachers, while personal failures are one's own responsibility.
In this quote, Kamal Haasan emphasizes the importance of acknowledging the contributions of family and educators in shaping one's achievements and character. He suggests that while he bears the burden of personal failures, the victories and accolades he receives should be shared with those who played a pivotal role in his development, illustrating a profound sense of gratitude and humility.
In practice
In a graduation speech to students, one could use this quote to highlight the importance of mentors.
First gain the victory and then make the best use of it you can.
There is no such thing as a natural born pilot. Whatever my aptitudes or talents, becoming a proficient pilot was hard work, really a lifetime's learning experience. For the best pilots, flying is an obsession, the one thing in life they must do continually. The best pilots fly more than the others; that's why they're the best. Experience is everything. The eagerness to learn how and why every piece of equipment works is everything. And luck is everything, too.
There is no secret to success except hard work and getting something indefinable which we call 'the breaks.' In order for a writer to succeed, I suggest three things - read and write - and wait.
I'd like to think I could have and should have won more, but that's not the point. And I was at the point where I was playing great tennis in the mid 80s - the type of tennis people hadn't seen before - and I was very proud of that.
If we dispense with some of our self-made boundaries, India can really take its place in the world as an economic power. It hasn't happened because we, sadly, don't look at ourselves as Indians but as Punjabis or Parsis, unlike the Americans. Don't make such boundaries.
Now, I am perfectly willing to just enjoy my career by choosing roles simply because I consider them to be a challenge and doing the best possible job I can.
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