None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.
Henry David ThoreauRead
To have made even one person's life a little better, that is to succeed.
Interpretation
True success is measured by the impact you have on others' lives.
This quote by Henry David Thoreau emphasizes that the essence of success lies not in personal achievements or wealth, but in the positive difference one can make in another person's life. It challenges conventional views of success and encourages a focus on kindness and compassion as the true markers of accomplishment.
In practice
In a graduation speech to inspire students embarking on their careers.
None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.
Through want of enterprise and faith men are where they are, buying and selling and spending their lives like servants.
An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.
Have no mean hours, but be grateful for every hour, and accept what it brings. The reality will make any sincere record respectable.
As every season seems best to us in its turn, so the coming in of spring is like the creation of Cosmos out of Chaos and the realization of the Golden Age.
That grand old poem called Winter
Tut, tut β fame clearly isn't everything.
It is only as we develop others that we permanently succeed.
Opportunities, many times, are so small that we glimpse them not and yet they are often the seeds of great enterprises. Opportunities are also everywhere and so you must always let your hook be hanging. When you least expect it, a great fish will swim by.
When you found a company, you feel a deep sense of responsibility for it. I'll care about Dell even after I'm dead. So this is a pretty personal process. And when you're doing what you love, and it's working, you don't get tired working what other people might consider long hours or crazy schedules. It's just fun. It's energizing.
You have to be able to bounce back and deal with disappointment, failure and weaknesses, and a lot of that happens behind the scenes for teams that are very successful.
Everybody's story of getting into the industry is just as difficult as the next person. Whether you come from money or no money, it's not easy... you have to offer yourself; you can't expect someone to get you.
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