It is not sufficient that I succeed - all others must fail.
Interpretation
Success is not just about personal achievement; it involves competition and the failure of others.
This quote by Genghis Khan reflects a mindset of ruthless ambition where personal success is only meaningful if it is contrasted by the failure of others. It underscores a competitive spirit that sees success as a zero-sum game, where one person's progress is often at the expense of someone else's downfall.
In practice
During a motivational seminar about striving for success and overcoming competition.
Heaven grew weary of the excessive pride and luxury of China... I am from the Barbaric North. I wear the same clothing and eat the same food as the cowherds and horse-herders. We make the same sacrifices and we share.. our riches. I look upon the nation as a new-born child and I care for my soldiers as though they were my brothers.
With Heaven's aid I have conquered for you a huge empire. But my life was too short to achieve the conquest of the world. That task is left for you
I hate luxury. I exercise moderation…It will be easy to forget your vision and purpose one you have fine clothes, fast horses and beautiful women. [In which case], you will be no better than a slave, and you will surely lose everything.
An action comitted in anger is an action doomed to failure.
The strength of a wall is neither greater nor less than the courage of the men who defend it.
If my body dies, let my body die, but do not let my country die.
To my mind, the best investment a young man starting out in business can possibly make is to give all his time, all his energies, to work - just plain, hard work.
People refuse to take chances in business, because they fear the criticism which may follow if they fail. The fear of criticism, in such cases is stronger than the DESIRE for success.
I played for Santos at 16, and we had an excellent team, so it helped a lot. And then I played for Brazil at the Maracana against Argentina. So I get more experience. This was one year before the World Cup, and it made a lot of difference.
My definition of success is doing what you love. I feel many people do things because they feel they have to, and are hesitant to risk following their passion.
I was never, ever physically afraid. My terms of reference were basic and simple: put the ball in the net. That was my job, that's the way I saw it, and I allowed nothing and nobody to distract me from that purpose.
First comes the sweat. Then comes the beauty if you're very lucky and have said your prayers.
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