--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Call the roll in your memory of…" description: "\"Call the roll in your memory of conspicuously successful [business] giants and, if you know anything about their careers, you will be struck by the fac..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8e/b-c-forbes-2124_business_call-the-roll-in-your-memory-of-conspicu_1588698.jpg" --- # Call the roll in your memory of conspicuously successful… ![“Call the roll in your memory of conspicuously successful [business] giants and, if you know anything about their careers, you will be struck by the fact that almost every one of them encountered inordinate difficulties sufficient to crush all but the gamest of spirits. Edison went hungry many…” quote by B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8e/b-c-forbes-2124_business_call-the-roll-in-your-memory-of-conspicu_1588698.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8e/b-c-forbes-2124_business_call-the-roll-in-your-memory-of-conspicu_1588698.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8e/b-c-forbes-2124_business_call-the-roll-in-your-memory-of-conspicu_1588698.jpg) > “Call the roll in your memory of conspicuously successful \[business\] giants and, if you know anything about their careers, you will be struck by the fact that almost every one of them encountered inordinate difficulties sufficient to crush all but the gamest of spirits. Edison went hungry many times before he became famous.” [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Success often follows severe hardship; perseverance distinguishes the truly resilient. **In simple terms:** Hardship builds resilience. Key Takeaway Embrace challenges as growth opportunities. Themes perseverance resilience business hardship determination Mood determined reflective Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - startup founding - career setbacks - financial crises - personal adversity Key Concepts Stoicism growth mindset entrepreneurship Questions to Reflect On - What obstacles have you faced that shaped your path? - How can you turn setbacks into strengths? A Different Perspective Not every difficulty leads to success; external factors matter. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Business Giants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business-giants-6016129/) [Careers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/careers/) [Crush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crush/) [Difficulty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficulty/) [Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/edison/) [Edison Went](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/edison-went-6016130/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Giants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giants/) [Hungry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hungry/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Our memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-memories/) [Spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirit/) [Spirits Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirits-edison-6016131/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful/) [Successful business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful-business/) [Sufficient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sufficient/) ## Related quotes > [The most famous self-made man in the world today is our own Edison. Talk with Mr. Edison and he will tell you he owes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/the-most-famous-self-made-man-in-the-world-today-is-our-own-edison/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [The average person would have quit at the first failure. That’s why there have been many average men and only one Edison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/the-average-person-would-have-quit-at-the-first-failure-that-s-why/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [Yes, my grandfather worked with Thomas Edison on the electric car, and he sold electric cars at the 1900 World's Fair in Paris.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-jardine/yes-my-grandfather-worked-with-thomas-edison-on-the-electric-car-and/) [Al Jardine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-jardine/) > [When Edison first started out with his "crazy" idea for the light bulb, skeptics were unmoved. They called Thomas Edison a con man and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-rottenberg/when-edison-first-started-out-with-his-crazy-idea-for-the-light-bulb/) [Linda Rottenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-rottenberg/) > [When Marconi suggested the possibility of wireless transmission of sound (the radio),he was committed to a mental institution. But people like Lincoln, Edison, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-marconi-suggested-the-possibility-of-wireless-transmission-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Mr Edison gave America just what was needed at that moment in history. They say that when people think of me, they think of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/mr-edison-gave-america-just-what-was-needed-at-that-moment-in-history/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) > [Now, suppose a Negro does something really magnificent, and I glory, not in the benefit to mankind, but in the fact that the doer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/now-suppose-a-negro-does-something-really-magnificent-and-i-glory-not/) [Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/) > [“I have not failed,” said Thomas Edison. “I’ve just found ten thousand ways that won’t work.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-moore/i-have-not-failed-said-thomas-edison-i-ve-just-found-ten-thousand/) [Margaret Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-moore/) > [ If he \[Thomas Edison\] had a needle to find in a haystack, he would not stop to reason where it was most likely to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/if-he-thomas-edison-had-a-needle-to-find-in-a-haystack-he-would-not/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) > [Without doubt, Thomas Edison is my greatest contemporary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/without-doubt-thomas-edison-is-my-greatest-contemporary/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) > [“The State's got the Burden of Proof, Edison says, kind of like we do every day.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/the-state-s-got-the-burden-of-proof-edison-says-kind-of-like-we-do/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“And, of course, he eventually found it—proving that genius often really is just persistence in disguise. In applying the entirety of his physical and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-of-course-he-eventually-found-it-proving-that-genius-often-really/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Edison invented the lightbulb the way Steve Jobs invented the MP3 player: he wasn’t the first, but he was the first to make something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/edison-invented-the-lightbulb-the-way-steve-jobs-invented-the-mp3/) [Steven Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-johnson/) > [Now tell me what got two thumbs and knows how to spit rhymes? Two thumbs up, you gon point em at this guy. Al…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xv/now-tell-me-what-got-two-thumbs-and-knows-how-to-spit-rhymes-two/) [XV](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xv/) > [“Edison concentrated upon the work of harmonizing natural laws”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/edison-concentrated-upon-the-work-of-harmonizing-natural-laws/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) ## More by B. C. Forbes > [Our future and our fate lie in our wills more than in our hands, for our hands are but the instruments of our wills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/our-future-and-our-fate-lie-in-our-wills-more-than-in-our-hands-for/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [What one thing does the world need most today-apart, that is, from the all-inclusive thing we call righteousness? Aren't you inclined to agree that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/what-one-thing-does-the-world-need-most-today-apart-that-is-from-the/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Are soft-hearted people handicapped in business? You have heard a businessman say of someone else, He's all right, but he's too soft-hearted… To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/are-soft-hearted-people-handicapped-in-business-you-have-heard-a/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Search and you will find that at the base and birth of every great business organization was an enthusiast, man consumed with earnestness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/search-and-you-will-find-that-at-the-base-and-birth-of-every-great/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [A big business man was telling Henry Ford about a coach driver of super-expertness with his whip. The driver was telling how he could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/a-big-business-man-was-telling-henry-ford-about-a-coach-driver-of/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Better to be occasionally cheated than perpetually suspicious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/better-to-be-occasionally-cheated-than-perpetually-suspicious/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Honesty pays dividends both in dollars and in peace of mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/honesty-pays-dividends-both-in-dollars-and-in-peace-of-mind/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Timing is everything. Tell me how a young man spends his evenings and I will tell you how far he is likely to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/timing-is-everything-tell-me-how-a-young-man-spends-his-evenings-and/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [To succeed, we must have the will to succeed, we must have stamina, determination, backbone, perseverance, self-reliance, and faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/to-succeed-we-must-have-the-will-to-succeed-we-must-have-stamina/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [There are two brands of discontent: the brand that merely fosters greed and snarling and back-biting, and the brand that inspires greater and greater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/there-are-two-brands-of-discontent-the-brand-that-merely-fosters/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Which class is happiest, the rich, the middle class or the poor? A very successful executive of a large organization touches upon this vital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/which-class-is-happiest-the-rich-the-middle-class-or-the-poor-a-very/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Are your desires purely selfish? Do your tastes run to a grand home, automobiles, fine clothes, an abundance of amusements, and so forth? If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/are-your-desires-purely-selfish-do-your-tastes-run-to-a-grand-home/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [When you delve deep enough, you find that practically every great fortune and great enterprise in America have sprung from the courageous enterprise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/when-you-delve-deep-enough-you-find-that-practically-every-great/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [It can be set down as a broad, general principle that we cannot indulge in idleness and abundance during both the first and second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/it-can-be-set-down-as-a-broad-general-principle-that-we-cannot/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [The Christmas spirit brings home to us-or should bring home to us-the profound Biblical truth that it is more blessed to give than to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/the-christmas-spirit-brings-home-to-us-or-should-bring-home-to-us-the/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) [Explore all 184 B. C. Forbes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) ## More Business quotes > [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/) [Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/) > [You can laugh at me, but I understand show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-can-laugh-at-me-but-i-understand-show-business/) [Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/) [Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/) > [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/) [Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/) > [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/) [Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) > [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/) [Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/) > [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/) [Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/) > [I'm not into business at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-mercury/i-m-not-into-business-at-all/) [Freddie Mercury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-mercury/) > [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) [Browse all 39,016 Business quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Call the roll in your memory of conspicuously successful [business] giants and, if you know anything about their careers, you will be struck by the fact that almost every one of them encountered inordinate difficulties sufficient to crush all but the gamest of spirits. Edison went hungry many times before he became famous.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "B. C. Forbes" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/call-the-roll-in-your-memory-of-conspicuously-successful-business/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Business" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/call-the-roll-in-your-memory-of-conspicuously-successful-business/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8e/b-c-forbes-2124_business_call-the-roll-in-your-memory-of-conspicu_1588698.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8e/b-c-forbes-2124_business_call-the-roll-in-your-memory-of-conspicu_1588698.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8e/b-c-forbes-2124_business_call-the-roll-in-your-memory-of-conspicu_1588698.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Call the roll in your memory of conspicuously successful [business] giants and, if you know anything about…” — B. C. Forbes", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "B. C. Forbes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Call the roll in your memory...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/call-the-roll-in-your-memory-of-conspicuously-successful-business/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/call-the-roll-in-your-memory-of-conspicuously-successful-business/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```