Achievement

No bird soars too high, if he soars with his own wings.
~ William Blake, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1790-93). Proverbs of Hell

Nothing really matters but living. Get all you can out of it. . . . Accomplishments are the ornaments of life, they come second.
~ Willa Sibert Cather, Lucy Gayheart (1935).

We can fix our eyes on perfection, and make almost every thing speed towards it.
~ William Ellery Channing (D.D.), An Introductory Address to the Franklin Lectures, Boston MA (1838). Self-Culture

Man in society is like a flower
Blown in its native bed: 'tis there alone
His faculties, expanded in full bloom,
Shine out; there only reach their proper use.
~ William Cowper, The Task (1785). Book IV. The Winter Evening

The dogs did bark, the children screamed,
Up flew the windows all;
And every soul bawled out, Well done!
As loud as he could bawl.
~ William Cowper, The Diverting History of John Gilpin (1782).

I think I've far exceeded what I ever thought I could possibly do. I'm almost shocked that I'm still around after all of these years . . . and always grateful that I get another turn to do something.
~ Billy Crystal, CBS TV "60 Minutes" (29 June 2003). Billy Crystal: Oscars' Favorite Host

Do you know that doing your best is not good enough? You have to know what to do. Then do your best.
~ W. Edwards Deming

A champion is someone who gets up when he can't.
~ William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey

It is from the top downward that culture filters. The Talented Tenth rises and pull all that are worth saving up to their vantages ground. This is the history of human progress.
~ William Edward Burghardt (W.E.B.) Du Bois

If you do the best you can, you will find, nine times out of ten, that you have done as well as or better than anyone else.
~ William Feather

Remember: A dead fish can float downstream, but it takes a live one to swim upstream.
~ W.C. Fields, in Never Give a Sucker an Even Break: W.C. Fields on Business (January 2000).

The part I played in this then wonderful enterprise, in my own opinion, entitles me to more credit than all else I ever did in my whole life.
~ William W. Finney (of the Pony Express idea), attributed to the personal memoirs of William W. Finney

Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives, the cumulative experience of many masters of craftsmanship.
~ William A. Foster

It's a good thing we won, because we were going to thrash the place if we didn't.
~ Liam Gallagher (on receiving another award).

Excellence is doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.
~ John William Gardner

Some people have greatness thrust upon them. Few have excellence thrust upon them . . . they achieve it. They do not achieve it unwittingly by doing what comes naturally and they don't stumble into it in the course of amusing themselves. All excellence involves discipline and tenacity of purpose.
~ John William Gardner, Excellence

The execution of any thing considerable implies in the first place previous persevering meditation.
~ William Godwin, Thoughts on Man, His Nature, Productions and Discoveries (1831). Essay XIX. Of Self-Complacency

Don't fear failure. Don't crave success. The reward is not in the results, but rather in the doing.
~ Wilson Greatbatch, Speech at Clarkson University in Potsdam, NY (1987).

Difficulty need not foreshadow despair or defeat. Rather, achievement can be all the more satisfying because of obstacles surmounted.
~ William H. Hastie, quoted in William Hastie: Grace Under Pressure (1984).

There is no simplistic approach to worthwhile achievement in human affairs.
~ William H. Hastie, quoted in William Hastie: Grace Under Pressure (1984).

The accomplishments of the body are obvious and clear to all: those of the mind are recondite and doubtful, and therefore grudgingly acknowledged, or held up as the sport of prejudice, spite, and folly.
~ William Hazlitt, from The Plain Speaker (1826). On The Qualifications Necessary For Success

Every corner of the human race may have something to contribute. That does not mean that all contributions are equal. . . . It is scarcely the same thing to put a man on the moon as to put a bone in your nose.
~ William A. Henry III, In Defense of Elitism (1994).

To become all that we can become as individuals is our most glorious birthright, and only as we realise it do we become, at the same time, of great price to the community.
~ Sir William Huggins, Presidential Address, Royal Society of London Anniversary Meeting (30 November 1905).

You cannot fly like an eagle with the wings of a wren.
~ William Henry ("W.H.") Hudson, Afoot in England (1909)

The key to happiness is having dreams and the key to success is making them come true.
~ William Dickenson Hunter, Canadian Online Explorer (10 April 2002). Hockey greats honour Wild Bill

Excitements, ideas, and efforts, in a word, are what carry us over the dam.
~ William James, Presidential Address, American Philosophical Association. Columbia University (28 December 1906). The Energies of Men

The man whose acquisitions stick is the man who is always achieving and advancing, whilst his neighbors, spending most of their time in relearning what they once knew but have forgotten, simply hold their own.
~ William James, The Principles of Psychology (1890). Vol. 1. Chapter XVI: Memory

I am, as I've said, merely competent. But in an age of incompetence, that makes me extraordinary.
~ Billy Joel, Commencement Address at Berklee College of Music (May 1993).

Whatever has been attained is again attainable.
~ Sir William Jones

When you do something well, they'll ask you to do it again. Early on, I must have done this [playing losers] well and the reputation was out there. It's strange because in my life, I don't feel like a loser. Far from it. I feel lucky.
~ William H. Macy

You can't lead anyone else further than you have gone yourself.
~ Gene William Mauch

Only a very mediocre writer is always at his best.
~ W. Somerset Maugham, in The Portable Dorothy Parker (1944). Introduction

Perfection is a trifle dull. It is not the least of life's ironies that this, which we all aim at, is better not quite achieved.
~ W. Somerset Maugham, The Summing Up (1938).

You can do anything in this world if you are prepared to take the consequences, and consequences depend on character.
~ W. Somerset Maugham, The Circle, Act III (1921).

I don't compare 'em, I just catch 'em.
~ Willie Howard Mays Jr.

By the time I reached the dugout, my legs felt like rubber and my body was battered. It felt as if I had just gone 10 rounds with the heavyweight champion of the world.
~ Bill "Maz" Mazeroski, (on the home run that won the 1960 World Series)

You dream of a lot of things. You want to be in the big leagues. You want to make the All-Star Game. You want to be in a World Series. . . . You want to do all those things, but you never dream of this. It's pretty exciting. I just hope I can live up to it.
~ Bill "Maz" Mazeroski (on being elected to the Hall of Fame), The Associated Press (3 August 2001). Vets elect Mazeroski, Negro leaguer Smith

I still have what I call a controlled obsession. But now I apply that to my family and my business. I am obsessed with being the best. I am going to be the best. But now it's the best husband, the best father, the best businessman.
~ Billy Mitchell, in The Oxford American, issue 53 (Spring 2006). The Perfect Man

Awards are meaningless to me, and I have nothing but disdain for anyone who actively campaigns to get one.
~ Bill Murray

If you aren't going all the way, why go at all?
~ Joe "Willie" Namath

Achievement, I have heard it said, is largely the product of steadily raising one's levels of aspiration and expectation.
~ Jack William Nicklaus, My Story (1997). The Real Beginning

If ye would go up high, then use your own legs! Do not get yourselves carried aloft; do not seat yourselves on other people's backs and heads!
~ Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, Thus Spake Zarathustra (1885).

Let us not underestimate the privileges of the mediocre. As one climbs higher, life becomes ever harder; the coldness increases, responsibility increases.
~ Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, The Antichrist (1888).

He should be praised for climbing; yet
The other man comes always from a height
And lives where praise can never get --
Beyond your sight.
~ Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, The Gay Science (1882). Prelude in German Rhymes (Joke, Cunning and Revenge)

The higher we soar, the smaller we appear to those who cannot fly.
~ Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

Take the sum of human achievement in action, in science, in art, in literature -- subtract the work of the men above forty, and while we should miss great treasurers, even priceless treasures, we would practically be where we are today. . . . The effective, moving, vitalizing work of the world is done between the ages of twenty-five and forty.
~ William Osler, Farewell address at Johns Hopkins Medical School (22 February 1905). The Fixed Period

If you want people to listen, you have to have a platform to speak from, and that is excellence in what you do.
~ Bill Pollard

I'm not tryin' to be your hero
'Cause that zero, is too cold for me
I'm not tryin' to be your highness
'Cause than minus is too low for me.
~ William Everett ("Billy") Preston, Nothing From Nothing (1974 single).

When people watch the accomplished musician, the headline comedian, the world class athlete, the master teacher, what he or she does seems simple. It is only when people try to do it themselves that they realize that true art requires painstaking care, discipline, and deliberate planning.
~ William Watson Purkey, in the Journal of Invitational Theory and Practice (1992). An Introduction To Invitational Theory

If you're ridin' ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there.
~ Will Rogers

If you work together, you will accomplish much more . . . . That's what franchising is all about.
~ William Rosenberg, Time To Make the Donuts (December 2001).

What do you want to achieve? The answer to this is your objective. How will you go about achieving your objective? The answers to this you call your strategy.
~ William E. Rothschild

Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion. The potential for greatness lives within each of us.
~ Wilma Rudolph

Happiness must be, for most men and women, an achievement rather than a gift of the gods, and in this achievement effort, both inward and outward, must play a great part.
~ Bertrand Arthur William Russell, The Conquest of Happiness (1930). Effort and Resignation

The best people usually owe their excellence to a combination of qualities which might have been supposed incompatible.
~ Bertrand Arthur William Russell, from Sceptical Essays (1928).

A crowd is not an achievement, only an opportunity.
~ William Edwyn Robert Sangster

Getting to the top isn't bad, and it's probably best done as an afterthought.
~ Anne Wilson Schaef

The height of your accomplishments will equal the depth of your convictions.
~ William F. Scolavino

To deserve praise where none is obtained, is better than to obtain it where none is deserved.
~ William Secker, from The Nonsuch Professor in His Meridian Splendor, or the Singular Actions of Sanctified Christians (1660).

A hit, a very palpable hit.
~ William Shakespeare, Hamlet. Act V, scene ii

Glory is like a circle in the water,
Which never ceaseth to enlarge itself,
Till by broad spreading, it disperses to naught.
~ William Shakespeare, King Henry VI, Part I. Act I, scene ii

How my achievements mock me!
~ William Shakespeare, Troilus and Cressida

I find my zenith doth depend upon
A most auspicious star.
~ William Shakespeare, The Tempest. Act I, scene ii

"So so" is good, very good, very excellent good; and yet it is not; it is but so so.
~ William Shakespeare, As You Like It. Act V, scene i

The most senseless and fit man.
~ William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing

We cannot all be masters, nor all masters
Cannot be truly follow'd.
~ William Shakespeare, Othello

I am overwhelmed by an irresistible temptation to do my climb by moonlight and unroped.
~ William Bradford Shockley, (1947).

Achievers must not be penalized or parasites rewarded if we aspire to a healthy, productive, and ethical society.
~ William E. Simon, A Time for Truth (1978).

It's quite highly possible that I have peaked. I mean, I just can't imagine what else I could do beyond this. It's really a bittersweet kind of feeling.
~ Will Smith, ABC TV "Primetime" (13 December 2001). Taking on Ali: The Fight of Will Smith's Life

If there is one thing that I can say about myself, it's that I was able to realize my potential in the game of baseball and hopefully also as a person. If through this scholarship, we can help even one young person realize his or her potential, then we have succeeded tremendously. It is a great honor to be associated with such a worthy and needy cause and I applaud this year's recipients for their achievements.
~ Wilver Dornel "Willie" Stargell, Speech on awarding the first Willie Stargell Scholarship (22 April 1998).

All personal achievement starts in the mind of the individual. Your personal achievement starts in your mind. The first step is to know exactly what your problem, goal or desire is.
~ William (W.) Clement Stone

We throw all our attention on the utterly idle question whether A has done as well as B, when the only question is whether A has done as well as he could.
~ William Graham Sumner

Next to excellence is the appreciation of it.
~ William Makepeace Thackeray

The prize be sometimes with the fool,
The race not always to the swift.
~ William Makepeace Thackeray, Doctor Birch and His Young Friends (1849). Epilogue

There's an easy way to run for most-liked in the class, and that's say yes. But if you want to legislate and be effective and do it right, you oftentimes have to say no.
~ Bill Thomas, The Associated Press (26 May 2003). Congressman Leads Fight for Bush Tax Cut

Achieving the last five percent of a goal costs at least 30 percent of the effort and risks 100 percent of the project.
~ William Thorsell, The Globe and Mail (2 February 2001). The costs of getting to perfection

If you approach a big thing, make an extra effort and do the biggest thing.
~ William Van Horne, in The Life and Work of Sir William Van Horne (1920).

Nothing is too small to know, and nothing too big to attempt.
~ William Van Horne, in The Life and Work of Sir William Van Horne (1920).

The biggest things are always the easiest to do because there is no competition.
~ William Van Horne

Enthusiasm is the match that lights the candle of achievement.
~ William Arthur Ward

Four steps to achievement: Plan purposefully. Prepare prayerfully. Proceed positively. Pursue persistently.
~ William Arthur Ward

The world of achievement has always belonged to the optimist.
~ J. Harold Wilkins

I learned early that if I wanted to achieve anything in life, I'd have to do it myself. I learned that I had to be accountable.
~ Lenny Wilkins

With understanding and conviction, achievement is possible. Possible? Yes, but only if conviction carries with it the necessary willingness to give of ourselves. Our time offers no release from tradition here. Whether from ignorance or understanding, fear or conviction, sacrifice in support of our faith must be made. The price must be paid and we must give of our substance.
~ Philip Will, Jr., in Theology Today (July 1962). Building For Time and Eternity

I looked up to her because (of) what an achievement it was to live to 101.
~ Prince William (in press interview at York House), The Associated Press (6 April 2002). Teen Princes Recall Queen Mother

I was told not to aim too high because I was gong to fail. My idea is to aim twice as high as you think you can go -- then maybe you will get there.
~ Archie Franklin Williams

Very exciting. But I think this team has been very good on putting personal goals aside for the benefit of the team, and I think this should be no different. I think my goal right now is just to play as good as I can so we can win the series. This is a nice note, but still, we're looking at the big picture here.
~ Bernie Williams (on his record-setting home run), The Associated Press (23 October 2003). Williams adds to October legacy

This is special. This university has had so many good teams, but it never quite worked out. Tonight it did.
~ Gary Williams, The Associated Press (2 April 2002). Maryland Achieves Season to Remember

Wow. This is a great award. This one just tops them all. Coach Wooden represents everything I've always stood for -- pride, integrity and trust.
~ Jay Williams, The Associated Press (7 April 2002). Duke's Williams Wins Wooden Award

The greatest crime in the world is not developing your potential. When you do what you do best, you are helping not only yourself, but the world.
~ Roger Williams

To get more out of yourself, you have to expect more out of yourself. Before your body can achieve it, your mind has to perceive it.
~ Ricky Williams, ESPN The Magazine (16 September 2002). Redemption Song

What's fun is how laid-back everything is. It's always great to get in the end zone, but it's especially great to do it against the best players in the world with millions of people watching.
~ Ricky Williams, The Associated Press (3 February 2004). MVP Williams Leads AFC in Pro Bowl Win

All my life I've kinda dreamed of being the best, and doing the best, and it hasn't always been easy for me. So I've been trying, but it's really special to have come such a long way, it's just really fulfilling. And the fact that I'm just making history right now and the fact that I was able to win four in a row, it doesn't happen every day.
~ Serena Williams, The Age (26 January 2003). It's history, Serena-style

My game has matured, and mentally, I've just matured to another level. That is a major factor in it. Some people mature really late.
~ Serena Williams, The Associated Press (27 December 2002). Serena Named AP Female Athlete of Year

I just had a great year. . . . More than any person other than Serena could ask for, I guess. Everyone has their year and this year is her year.
~ Venus Williams, The Associated Press (8 September 2002). Serena beats Venus to win U.S. Open, third straight major title

I'm so proud to have followed her achievements and to have done it in her lifetime.
~ Venus Williams (on becoming the first African American to win Wimbledon since Althea Gibson, 2000).

We've reached the best of our profession Actually, I'd like to stay No. 1, but I'd like to see Serena No. 1, also. I'm not giving it up, but I'm sure she'll get there.
~ Venus Williams, The Associated Press (6 June 2002). Sister Slam II: Venus, Serena set up all-Williams French Open final

Not-really-trying is just as much effort as trying-really-hard. The only difference . . . is that not-really-trying receives no reward.
~ Andrew Norman (A.N.) Wilson

I'm standing! I'm standing! My legs stood up!
~ August Wilson, The Piano Lesson (1987).

I had to be first in everything because in my perverse heart I felt myself the least of God's creatures.
~ Bill Wilson

Not doing more than the average is what keeps the average down.
~ William M. Winans

Justice is exalted, strengthened, and honored by the judicious praise of merit.
~ William Winter, Oration Delivered Before the Goethe Society, New York City (28 January 1889). The Press and the Stage, Section IX

'Tis a thing impossible to frame
Conceptions equal to the soul's desires;
And the most difficult of tasks to keep
Heights which the soul is competent to gain.
~ William Wordsworth, The Excursion (1814). Book IV: Despondency Corrected

So build we up the Being that we are.
~ William Wordsworth, The Excursion (1814). Book IV: Despondency Corrected

The thrill I had looked forward to for so long just wasn't there. In the middle of war, amidst so much suffering and death Hollywood seemed far off and unimportant.
~ William Wyler (on receiving news that he had won his first Oscar award).