The Quotation IndexThe trusted reference for quotations and the sources behind them
Tag Tag Aspiration
Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.
Ralph Waldo Emerson Circles · 1841

Quotes

“It is a paradoxical but profoundly true and important principle of life that the most likely way to reach a goal is to be aiming not at that goal itself but at some more ambitious goal behind it.”

Arnold J. Toynbee · A Study of History, 1934-1961 · Primary source

“Hitch your wagon to a star.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson · Civilization, 1870 · Primary source

“I learned this, at least, by my experiment; that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”

Henry David Thoreau · Walden, 1849 · Primary source

“If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.”

Henry David Thoreau · Walden, 1849 · Primary source

“One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar.”

Helen Keller · The Story of My Life, 1903 · Primary source

“The value of the goal lies in the goal itself; and therefore the goal cannot be attained unless it is pursued for its own sake.”

Arnold J. Toynbee · A Study of History, 1934-1961 · Primary source

“You ought to dream. All our biggest business men have been dreamers.”

Ernest Hemingway · The Sun Also Rises, 1926 · Primary source

“The world is not enough.”

Ian Fleming · On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, 1963 · Primary source

“The soul refuses limits, and always affirms an Optimism, never a Pessimism.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson · Compensation, 1841 · Primary source

“Don’t be pushed by your problems. Be led by your dreams.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson · No reliable source

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

Eleanor Roosevelt · No reliable source

Related Tags

Transcendentalism 32 Purpose 31 Independence 29 Ambition 17 Commitment 17 Imagination 16 Achievement 15 Hope 12 Motivation 11 Human potential 10 Optimism 9 Self-direction 7 Identity 5 Entrepreneurship 4 Potential 4 Attribution uncertain 4 Confidence 3 Deliberate living 3 Self-belief 3 Goals 2 Spiritual growth 2 Enthusiasm 2 Ideals 2 Direction 2 Future 2 Insatiability 1 Family motto 1 Challenges 1 Practical action 1 Dreams 1