Discipline

Nobody cares how tough your upbringing was. Nobody cares if you suffered some discrimination. And moreover, you have to remember that whatever you've gone through, it pales in comparison to the hardships previous generations endured — and they overcame them.

This is not about you.

You don't have to be smarter than the next person. All you have to do is be willing to work harder than the next person.

Ignore the competition and just run your race. People will try to distract you. Keep your eyes straight ahead and run your race.

You don't have to have a dream. Be micro-ambitious. Put your head down and work with pride on whatever is in front of you. You never know where you might end up.

All forms of success, from being a great mother to being a great actor, take tenacity and determination. They say for every light on Broadway there is a broken heart, an unrealized dream — and that's the same in every profession.

There are absolutely no acceptable shortcuts to success in life. Cheating, for whatever reason and in any field, is wrong and is at best a temporary solution to a greater problem.

Never prostitute your integrity to get a job or to keep one.

I have three words for you. Persistence, persistence... persistence.

Success comes to the prepared mind. Success is not like rain that falls from the sky equally upon everyone. Success is what you reap when you sow with passion and optimism.

Without hard work, we are not entitled to a good life—and without compassion, we will not attain the good life in a world-majority population of have-nots.

It's not whether your attitude is good or bad, but does it define your direction? People usually fall short because they're a degree or two off in attitude, and over time and distance, that can put you in a place far away from where you would like to be.