Success Quotes That Will Inspire You in 2012

Here at great-quotes.com you may notice a continuing theme of motivation in these articles as we try to help you keep your resolutions in 2012. Knowing how difficult it can be to achieve success - no matter how big or small the goal - we felt it might be a good time to offer some of our favorite success quotes to help you stay motivated and keep "your eye on the prize."
One of my favorite inspirational authors in my formative years was the great Norman Vincent Peale. Although he passed away almost 20 years ago, I often wish I could have heard one of his passionate sermons. His timeless books on the power of positive thinking have sold millions of copies, for good reason. His quote, "We've all heard that we have to learn from our mistakes, but I think it's more important to learn from successes. If you learn only from your mistakes, you are inclined to learn only errors" is the key to his philosophy of thinking proactively. Peale's reminder that success is possible for people of every economic and social background was equally powerful, as he explained in his quote, "Empty pockets never held anyone back. Only empty heads and empty hearts can do that."
A precursor to Peale who embodied this success quote was the sales guru Dale Carnegie. Raised on a farm, his career started with cow milking and progressed into a worldwide empire on motivational training. His quote, "Flaming enthusiasm, backed up by horse sense and persistence, is the quality that most frequently makes for success" has inspired millions to achieve even higher goals. Perhaps he borrowed the line from 19th century poet Ralph Waldo Emerson, who was attributed with the quote "Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm."
David Brinkley's success as a new reporter was marked by droll observations of public perception to news making events. His broad experience with politicians and businessmen formed this opinion, "A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him."
Speaking of throwing bricks, Vince Lombardi was well known for his hard line approach to leadership during his successful career coaching professional football in the 1960s. His much-publicized one-liners are known for emphasis on hard work and determination, resulting in a record-breaking career of winning seasons. A classic Vince Lombardi quote is "The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary."



Our founding fathers were certainly no strangers to hard work, reflected in this success Thomas Jefferson Quote, "I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it." President Abe Lincoln survived constant scrutiny and adversity in his fight to end slavery, holding tight to his belief: "Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing."
It's mind boggling that Thomas Edison was only the fourth most successful inventor in history, having created the motion picture camera, the light bulb and the phonograph, among over 1,000 patents. His quote, "Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up," reflects his dogged determination to succeed. Another of his thoughtful success quotes is the advice that "The three great essentials to achieve anything worthwhile are, first, hard work; second, stick-to-itiveness; third, common sense."
Finally, remember that no matter how many of these success quotes have inspired you, there's one that is critical to success but seemingly difficult to implement, from literary critic and poet George Woodberry. "Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure."
In other words, "Just Do It!"