Andrew Carnegie

“The man who acquires the ability to take full possession of his own mind may take possession of anything else to which he is justly entitled.”

“Mr. Morgan buys his partners; I grow my own.”

“Think of yourself as on the threshold of unparalleled success. A whole, clear, glorious life lies before you. Achieve! Achieve!”

“Concentrate your energies, your thoughts and your capital. The wise man puts all his eggs in one basket and watches the basket.”

“Whatever I engage in, I must push inordinately.”

“You cannot push any one up a ladder unless he be willing to climb a little himself.”

“There is no class so pitiably wretched as that which possesses money and nothing else.”

“Every act you have ever performed since the day you were born was performed because you wanted something.”

“There is little success where there is little laughter.”

“A library outranks any other one thing a community can do to benefit its people. It is a never failing spring in the desert.”

“Surplus wealth is a sacred trust which its possessor is bound to administer in his lifetime for the good of the community.”

“Immense power is acquired by assuring yourself in your secret reveries that you were born to control affairs.”

“This, then, is held to be the duty of the man of wealth: To set an example of modest, unostentatious living, shunning display or extravagance; to provide moderately for the legitimate wants of those dependent on him; and, after doing so, to consider all surplus revenues which come to him simply as trust funds, which he is called upon to administer, and strictly bound as a matter of duty to administer in the manner which, in his judgement, is best calculated to produce the most beneficial results for the community--the man of wealth thus becoming the mere trustee and agent for his poorer brethren, bringing to their service his superior wisdom, experience, and ability to administer, doing for them better than they would or could do for themselves.”

“The 'morality of compromise' sounds contradictory. Compromise is usually a sign of weakness, or an admission of defeat. Strong men don't compromise, it is said, and principles should never be compromised.”

“I shall argue that strong men, conversely, know when to compromise and that all principles can be compromised to serve a greater principle.”

“Concentration is my motto - first honesty, then industry, then concentration.”

“The first man gets the oyster, the second man gets the shell.”

“I would as soon leave my son a curse as the almighty dollar.”

“I resolved to stop accumulating and begin the infinitely more serious and difficult task of wise distribution.”

“As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do.”