QuoteProject
Opportunity is latent in the very foundation of human society. Opportunity is everywhere about us. But the preparation to seize upon the opportunity, and to make the most of it, is to be made by every one for himself ... he will be self-made or never made.
Orison Swett Marden
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

Opportunities exist all around us, but it is essential for individuals to prepare themselves to take advantage of them.

Orison Swett Marden highlights the importance of personal preparation in achieving success. While opportunities are abundant in society, it is ultimately the responsibility of each individual to ready themselves to recognize and seize those opportunities. Without proactive preparation and self-effort, one may miss these chances for personal growth and achievement.

Themes

OpportunitySuccessPreparationSelf-MadePersonal Growth

In practice

Example use cases

A motivational speaker might use this quote at a conference to inspire attendees to take charge of their careers.

More from Orison Swett Marden

We lift ourselves by our thought, we climb upon our vision of ourselves. If you want to enlarge your life, you must first enlarge your thought of it and of yourself. Hold the ideal of yourself as you long to be, always, everywhere - your ideal of what you long to attain - the ideal of health, efficiency, success.
Orison Swett MardenRead
You know from past experiences that whenever you have been driven to the wall, or thought you were, you have extricated yourself in a way which you never would have dreamed possible had you not been put to the test. The trouble is that in your everyday life you don't go deep enough to tap the divine mind within you.
Orison Swett MardenRead
You cannot measure a man by his failures. You must know what use he makes of them. What did they mean to him. What did he get out of them.
Orison Swett MardenRead
Something greater than wealth, grander even than fame — that manhood, character, stand for success, and that nothing else really does.
Orison Swett MardenRead
Many a man has finally succeeded only because he has failed after repeated efforts. If he had never met defeat he would never have known any great victory.
Orison Swett MardenRead
If our dreams are sincere desires to achieve, not mere pipe-dreams, there is something deep within ourselves which comes out to meet them and helps to make them realities.
Orison Swett MardenRead

Similar quotes

The currency of real networking is not greed but generosity.
Keith FerrazziRead
If you look historically, what creates growth and wealth is innovation and investment, and increase in scale - more customers.
Frederick W. SmithRead
None of us got where we are solely by pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps.
Thurgood MarshallRead
One of the things young people always ask me about is what is the secret to success. The secret is there is no secret. It's the basics. Blocking and tackling.
Chris GardnerRead
Having a great idea for a product is important, but having a great idea for product distribution is even more important.
Reid HoffmanRead
I sometimes think that the only person fit to inherit wealth is the person who doesn't need an inheritance - the person who would create his own fortune no matter what his start in life - and have come to view inherited wealth as an affliction.
William E. SimonRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.