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Most people misunderstand Success, but Napoleon Bonaparte saw it differently. This collection isolates their contrarian insights, backed by full source attribution so you can verify the context. Whether you're questioning conventional wisdom or seeking a fresh perspective, these quotes challenge how you think about Success. Keep this archive close when you need to cut through groupthink and see clearly.
"Impossible is a word to be found only in the dictionary of fools."
"Success is the most convincing talker in the world."
"It is not enough to be a man of genius; one must also have the character to support it."
"If you wish to be a success in the world, promise everything, deliver nothing."
"To do all that one is able to do, is to be a man; to do all that one would like to do, is to be a god."
"The reason most people fail instead of succeed is they trade what they want most for what they want at the moment."
"I can no longer obey; I have tasted command, and I cannot give it up."
"The reason most people fail instead of succeed is they trade what they want most for what they want now."
"Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide."
"The art of being sometimes audacious and sometimes very prudent is the secret of success."
"The only way to lead people is to show them a future: a leader is a dealer in hope."
"A soldier will fight long and hard for a bit of colored ribbon."
"Circumstances—what are circumstances? I make circumstances."
"One must change one's tactics every ten years if one wishes to maintain one's superiority."
"Ability is of little account without opportunity."
"Ten people who speak make more noise than ten thousand who are silent."
"Genius is the ability to carry out the ideas of others."
"Great ambition is the passion of a great character. Those endowed with it may perform very good or very bad acts."
"Imagination rules the world."
Inspired by: Conversation: With Emmanuel de Las Cases (1816)
"It is not enough to be a great man; one must also be born at the right time."
"Greatness is nothing unless it be lasting."
"Success is everything. If you succeed, you are a great man; if you fail, you are a criminal."
"A man will fight harder for his interests than for his rights."
"Great men are meteors designed to burn so that earth may be lighted."
"Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever."
Seeing how Napoleon Bonaparte approaches Success helps you apply the idea with more precision.
Pick one quote to guide a decision today, then return for deeper perspective.
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"Use this collection whenever you need Napoleon Bonaparte's lens on Success."