‘Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not — nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not — unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not — the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.’
What you have just read is a famous quotation “Press On”, by J. Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States of America. Over the years I have read and used thousands of quotations, many by famous people, but I can truthfully say that this one is my favorite. I like it so well that I have printed it on a letter-size sheet of paper, enlarged the type, and have used those little magnets to place it on our refrigerator. I hope you like it as well. After seeing and thinking about this quotation, I felt it might be useful to expand on the value of using “quotations” in our daily lives.
Since most of us want to achieve some measure of success and make our lives count for something, the idea is that using great quotations will help us to achieve the success we desire. As you may know, a “Quotation” is just a truth grown old. It is something we use so often that we just condense a body of information down to a quote. “The early bird gets the worm”, “He does not know enough to come in out of the rain”, and “It’s OK to come in second” are good examples. Another of my favorites is “He hit the nail on the head.”
Now, let me expand on the quotation “Press On” for a bit. There are three central words that form the basis of this quotation: Talent, Genius and Education. The truth of this quotation is evident. We all personally know people who are talented but not very successful. Others with a sharp mind can recall facts and statistics, such as who won the World Series in 1926 and 1938, yet are not successful. Still others have college degrees on every wall but can’t find or keep a job. To be sure, we must use what we have been given or acquired — talent, genius and education — to make our mark in the world.
An insurance executive by the name of Albert E.N. Gray discovered the secret of success, and that is “forming the habit of doing things that unsuccessful people don’t like to do.” Fully 95 percent of all working people do not set specific, written, worthwhile goals, and many of those who do, fail to persist or stay with the goal until it is realized. Most people quit too soon, and this is why President Coolidge gave us his now famous quote “Press On.” I can promise you that setting, staying with and reaching a great goal is certainly worth the effort.
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(Jim Davidson is an author, public speaker, syndicated columnist, and Founder of the Bookcase for Every Child project. Since its inception in the Log Cabin Democrat in 1995, Jim’s column has been self-syndicated in over 375 newspapers in 35 states. For a personalized copy of “Your Future Begins Today” send $20, which includes postage and handling, to Jim Davidson, 2 Bentley Drive, Conway, AR 72034.)