Russell Simmons

In my experience, there’s only one thing that will always steer you toward success: That’s to have a vision and to stick with it... Once I have a vision for a new venture, I’m going to ride that vision until the wheels come off.

Always focus on your effort, instead of the results of that effort.

I know some people say "Keep your eyes on the prize," but I disagree. When your eyes are stuck on the prize, you're going to keep stumbling and crashing into things. If you really want to get ahead, you've got to keep your eyes focused on the path.

In the yogic tradition, this principle of using intense effort to burn through life’s distractions is called Tapas. It’s another Sanskrit word, roughly defined as “heat” or “essential energy.” The concept is that through a disciplined approach to work and self-sacrifice, Tapas will burn away the negativity that separates us from God. By working our hardest and happily enduring the hardships of life we are able to create a sense of peace and clarity in ourselves.

The key ingredient to any kind of happiness or success is to never give less than your best.

I don't believe that people create their own visions. Rather, I believe that visions are actually God's way of communicating with us.

What holds most people back isn't the quality of their ideas, but their lack of faith in themselves.

Whatever obstacles appear in your path, put your head down and get past them. Those obstacles aren't real. They're just God's way of testing you. He's asking you, "Do you want to make it or not?"

It's important to focus on what we do best and master one craft at a time.

In the end, the overriding factor in whether or not you realize your dreams is going to be you. Not the world. YOU.

Always try to be yourself.

Any kind of lasting success is rooted in honesty.

A clear and focused mind will last a lifetime. Getting your mind in shape is nothing less than the key to sustainable success in the world.

Jesus and Muhammad didn't reveal themselves to prove what they could do. They revealed themselves so you could see what *you* can do.

If you aren't passionate about a vision, it's hard to have faith in it.

The word mantra comes from two Sanskrit words man, (“to think”) and tra (“tool’). So the literal translation is “a tool of thought.” And that’s how mantras are used in Buddhist and Hindu practices, as tools that clear your mind of distractions. Because when you focus on repeating that mantra over and over again, soon the noise will die down and all you will hear is your inner voice.

You've got to tell God thank you every day.

When I start my day by reflecting on all the things I have to be grateful for, I'll have a much more rewarding day.

Your purpose is to act on the resources God gives you. If God gives you a bucket of fish, you have to distribute those fish. If you don't, they're going to rot, attract a bunch of flies, and start stinking up your soul.

The person who understands Dharma will have the opposite reaction to a "hard" job. That person will be eager to get started, no matter what kind of work is in front of her, because she understands that she's doing God's work. And when you're working for God, nothing is too hard.

Age ain't nothing but a number.

But rich or poor, black or white, none of us are entitled to anything.

The pain that's created by avoiding hard work is actually much worse than any pain created from the actual work itself. Because if you don't begin to work on those ideas that God has blessed you with, they will become stagnant inside of you and eventually begin to eat away at you. You might seem OK on the outside, but inside you will be ill from not getting those ideas out of your heart and into the world. Stalling leads to sickness. But taking steps, even baby steps, always leads to success.

You have to live your life as if you are already where you want to be.

I'm just suggesting that when you're faced with fear and anxiety, don't medicate. Meditate instead.

In my experience, there's only one thing that will always steer you toward success: That's to have a vision and to stick with it… Once I have a vision for a new venture, I'm going to ride that vision until the wheels come off.

I knew it was unrealistic to think I could build an institution overnight. But if I took baby steps, eventually it would happen.

I’m just suggesting that when you’re faced with fear and anxiety, don’t medicate. Meditate instead.

You’ve got to tell God thank you every day.

The biggest thing that separates you from the success you seek is fear.

I knew it was unrealistic to think I could build an institution overnight. But if I took baby steps, eventually it would happen.

The key ingredient to any kind of happiness or success is to never give less than your best.

My purpose is defined by the power of giving back and sharing.

When you do good by the world, the world will do good by you.

Whether it appears on the surface to be pedestrian or prestigious, tedious or tremendous, every moment must be infused with love and hard work. There is simply no other way to find long-term success in this world. It’s as important a principle as can be found in this book.

As I like to say, 'What are you left with after a celebration? A hangover.'

While the toys can be a lot of fun, I’ve learned firsthand that real richness lies in simply being happy with what you have.

This book is not about anything else but encouraging people to take control of their lives and to have the courage to embrace their own spiritual evolution.

Meditation has made me realize the futility of getting worked up about things I can’t control—which is essentially everything.

When you can give your full attention to serving the world, instead of worrying about the world giving you things, you will be so attractive that people will literally start throwing money at your feet.

The lesson to remember is that when you’re trying to change people’s minds, no matter how “right” you are, you’ll never sway them unless they can hear the love in your voice.

Anxiety is an equal opportunity destroyer. No matter who you are or what position you occupy, until you can purge anxiety from your life, any success and happiness you might enjoy will always be fleeting.

The truth, however, is that when you put your head down and work your hardest at any task, it’s actually a very powerful form of moving prayer.

If you don’t have twenty minutes to delve into your self through meditation, then that means you need two hours.

I knew it was unrealistic to think I could build an institution overnight. But if I took baby steps, eventually it would happen.

The pain that’s created by avoiding hard work is actually much worse than any pain created from the actual work itself. Because if you don’t begin to work on those ideas that God has blessed you with, they will become stagnant inside of you and eventually begin to eat away at you. You might seem OK on the outside, but inside you will be ill from not getting those ideas out of your heart and into the world. Stalling leads to sickness. But taking steps, even baby steps, always leads to success.

In short, a calm mind is a creative mind. And a creative mind is going to bring a lot of success into your life.

Ellen [DeGeneres] doesn’t only have a talk show, she also runs a record label, does stand-up, and writes a blog and books of her own. She’s got a lot on her plate. But when she went on the Today show, she said she meditates every day. ‘Because it feels good,’ she explained. ‘Kinda like when you have to shut your computer down, just sometimes when it goes crazy, you just shut it down and when you turn it on, it’s okay again. That’s what meditation is for me.