Why some succeed while others fail

Two ways are open before you in life. One points to degradation and want, the other, to usefulness and wealth. In the old Grecian races one only, by any possible means, could gain the prize, but in the momentous race of human life there is no limiting of the prize to one. No one is debarred from competing; all may succeed, provided the right methods are followed. Life is not a lottery. Its prizes are not distributed by chance.

There can hardly be a greater folly, not to say presumption, than that of so many young men and women who, on setting out in life, conclude that it is no use to mark out for themselves a course, and then set themselves with strenuous effort to attain some worthy end; who conclude, therefore, to commit themselves blindly to the current of circumstances. Is it anything surprising that those who aim at nothing, accomplish nothing in life? No better result could reasonably be expected. Twenty clerks in a store; twenty apprentices in a ship-yard; twenty young men in a city or village—all want to get on in the world; most of them expect to succeed. One of the clerks will become a partner, and make a fortune; one of the young men will find his calling and succeed. But what of the other nineteen? They will fail; and miserably fail, some of them. They expect to succeed, but they aim at nothing; content to live for the day only, consequently, little effort is put forth, and they reap a reward accordingly.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Harry A. Lewis entered Harvard College in 1964 and discovered his passion for computer programming during a part-time job in a Harvard psychology laboratory. He graduated summa cum laude in Applied Mathematics in 1968. Lewis served as a commissioned officer of the US Public Health Service during the Vietnam War, worked on image processing and systems programming, and later earned his PhD in Applied Mathematics. He became a Gordon McKay Professor of Computer Science at Harvard and authored books on computer science and higher education. Lewis also served as Dean of Harvard College from 1995 to 2003

Orison Swett Marden (1848–1924) was an American inspirational author who wrote about achieving success in life and founded SUCCESS magazine in 1897. His writings discuss common-sense principles and virtues that contribute to a well-rounded, successful life. Many of his ideas are based on New Thought philosophy. His first book, “Pushing to the Front” (1894), became an instant best-seller. Marden went on to publish fifty or more books and booklets, averaging two titles per year