--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nothing of real worth can be obtained…" description: "\"Nothing of real worth can be obtained without courageous working. Man owes his growth chiefly to the active striving of the will, that encounter with d..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/934/samuel-smiles-2037_active_nothing-of-real-worth-can-be-obtained-wi_2281438.png" --- # Nothing of real worth can be obtained without courageous… ![“Nothing of real worth can be obtained without courageous working. Man owes his growth chiefly to the active striving of the will, that encounter with difficulty which he calls effort; and it is astonishing to find how often results apparently impracticable are then made possible.” quote by Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/934/samuel-smiles-2037_active_nothing-of-real-worth-can-be-obtained-wi_2281438.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/934/samuel-smiles-2037_active_nothing-of-real-worth-can-be-obtained-wi_2281438.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/934/samuel-smiles-2037_active_nothing-of-real-worth-can-be-obtained-wi_2281438.png) > “Nothing of real worth can be obtained without courageous working. Man owes his growth chiefly to the active striving of the will, that encounter with difficulty which he calls effort; and it is astonishing to find how often results apparently impracticable are then made possible.” [Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Courageous effort is essential; the will’s active striving turns difficult goals into achievable results. **In simple terms:** Hard work and courage produce success. Key Takeaway Embrace effort despite difficulty. Themes effort willpower growth achievement Mood determined hopeful Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - career advancement - academic study - physical training - artistic creation Key Concepts courage perseverance goal‑setting Questions to Reflect On - What obstacles test your will? - How can you sustain effort over time? A Different Perspective Effort alone may not guarantee success without strategy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Active](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/active/) [Astonishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astonishing/) [Courageous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courageous/) [Courageous Working](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courageous-working-5326190/) [Difficulty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficulty/) [Effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effort/) [Effort Astonishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effort-astonishing-5326191/) [Encounters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encounters/) [Growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth/) [Hard work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-work/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Obtained Courageous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obtained-courageous-5326192/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Results](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/results/) [Strive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strive/) [Striving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/striving/) [Working man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-man/) ## Related quotes > [I'm very proud of being Italian-American, but people don't realize that the mafia is just this aberration. 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Political scientists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/was-my-first-indication-that-the-policies-of-mamaw-s-party-of-the/) [J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) > [There is nothing glamorous in what I do. I'm a working man. Perhaps I’m luckier than most in that I receive considerable satisfaction from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bass/there-is-nothing-glamorous-in-what-i-do-i-m-a-working-man-perhaps-i-m/) [Saul Bass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bass/) > [I have received delegations of working men who, apparently speaking with the utmost sincerity, have declared that they would regard it as a genuine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/i-have-received-delegations-of-working-men-who-apparently-speaking/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [Karl Lagerfeld is the hardest-working man in showbiz!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophilus-london/karl-lagerfeld-is-the-hardest-working-man-in-showbiz/) [Theophilus London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophilus-london/) ## More by Samuel Smiles > [Biographies of great, but especially of good men are most instructive and useful as helps, guides, and incentives to others. Some of the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/biographies-of-great-but-especially-of-good-men-are-most-instructive/) [Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/) > [Diligence, above all, is the mother of good luck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/diligence-above-all-is-the-mother-of-good-luck/) [Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/) > [The women of the poorer classes make sacrifices, and run risks, and bear privations, and exercise patience and kindness to a degree that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/the-women-of-the-poorer-classes-make-sacrifices-and-run-risks-and/) [Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/) > [Self-respect is the noblest garment with which a man can clothe himself, the most elevating feeling with which the mind can be inspired.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/self-respect-is-the-noblest-garment-with-which-a-man-can-clothe/) [Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/) > [The experience gathered from books, though often valuable, is but of the nature of learning; whereas, the experience gained from actual life is of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/the-experience-gathered-from-books-though-often-valuable-is-but-of/) [Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/) > [The apprenticeship of difficulty is one which the greatest of men have had to serve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/the-apprenticeship-of-difficulty-is-one-which-the-greatest-of-men/) [Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/) > [The spirit of self-help is the root of all genuine growth in the individual; and, exhibited in the lives of many, it constitutes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/the-spirit-of-self-help-is-the-root-of-all-genuine-growth-in-the/) [Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/) > [The wise man... if he would live at peace with others, he will bear and forbear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/the-wise-man-if-he-would-live-at-peace-with-others-he-will-bear-and/) [Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/) > [Those who are the most persistent, and work in the true spirit, will invariably be the most successful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/those-who-are-the-most-persistent-and-work-in-the-true-spirit-will/) [Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/) > [The iron rail proved a magicians' road. It virtually reduced England to a sixth of its size. It brought the country nearer to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/the-iron-rail-proved-a-magicians-road-it-virtually-reduced-england-to/) [Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/) > [This extraordinary metal, the soul of every manufacture, and the mainspring perhaps of civilised society. Of iron.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/this-extraordinary-metal-the-soul-of-every-manufacture-and-the/) [Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/) > [Man cannot aspire if he looked down; if he rise, he must look up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/man-cannot-aspire-if-he-looked-down-if-he-rise-he-must-look-up/) [Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/) > [The life of a good man is at the same time the most eloquent lesson of virtue and the most severe reproof of vice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/the-life-of-a-good-man-is-at-the-same-time-the-most-eloquent-lesson/) [Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/) > [It is a grand old name, that of gentleman, and has been recognized as a rank and power in all stages of society. 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Whole foods are the best for you when you are super active, so I get plenty of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/witney-carson/i-eat-healthy-most-of-the-time-whole-foods-are-the-best-for-you-when/) [Witney Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/witney-carson/) > [Art shows us how to see things that are constructive and good, and to be an active part of that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/art-shows-us-how-to-see-things-that-are-constructive-and-good-and-to/) [Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/) > [Love, like truth and beauty, is concrete. Love is not fundamentally a sweet feeling; not, at heart, a matter of sentiment, attachment, or being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carter-heyward/love-like-truth-and-beauty-is-concrete-love-is-not-fundamentally-a/) [Carter Heyward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carter-heyward/) > [Studying Sol's interior by looking for analogous patterns on its incandescent face is known as helioseismology, an active - if largely unpronounceable - research…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/studying-sol-s-interior-by-looking-for-analogous-patterns-on-its/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [Science manipulates things and gives up living in them. 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That's always easier once you've made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-brownlee/you-need-to-enjoy-yourself-and-just-get-into-the-routine-of-keeping/) [Alistair Brownlee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-brownlee/) [Browse all 2,212 Active quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/active/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Nothing of real worth can be obtained without courageous working. 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