“What men want is not talent, it is purpose; in other words, not the power to achieve, but will to labor. I believe that labor judiciously and continuously applied becomes genius.”
“Knowledge without labor is profitless. Knowledge with labor is genius.”
“Men give me credit for some genius. All the genius I have lies in this; when I have a subject in hand, I study it profoundly. Day and night it is before me. My mind becomes pervaded with it. Then the effort that I have made is what people are pleased to call the fruit of genius. It is the fruit of labor and thought.”
“Genius begins great works; labor alone finishes them.”
“Employ your time in improving yourself by other men's writings so that you shall come easily by what others have labored hard for.”
“Doing easily what others find difficult is talent; doing what is impossible for talent is genius.”