“If you fail at the large things it means you have not large ambitions. Concentration, focus—that is ah. The aptitudes come, the tools forge themselves. ‘Give me a fulcrum and I will move the world’—but only if the desire to move the world is there.”
Ian Fleming
The quote is by Dr. No, not James Bond, in the novel.
Dr. No (Primary source)
Dr. No is the sixth novel in Ian Fleming’s James Bond series, marking the first appearance of the eponymous villain and introducing the tropical exoticism that would become a hallmark of the franchise.
“Surround yourself with human beings, my dear James. They are easier to fight for than principles.”
— Ian Fleming Primary source“When the odds are hopeless, when all seems to be lost, then is the time to be calm, to make a show of authority—at least of indifference.”
— Ian Fleming Primary source“It’s never too early to start winning.”
— Ian Fleming Primary source“Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it’s enemy action.”
— Ian Fleming Primary source“It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.”
— Leonardo da Vinci Disputed“The noblest question in the world is, what good may I do in it?”
— Benjamin Franklin Primary source“God helps them that help themselves.”
— Benjamin Franklin Primary source“We may give advice, but we cannot give conduct.”
— Benjamin Franklin Primary source