Character: The Grandest Thing in the World

by Orison Swett Marden

Life is a leaf of paper white, Whereon each one of us may write His word or two, and then comes night. Greatly begin! Though thou have time But for a line, be that sublime, - Not failure, but low aim, is crime. - LOWELL. -Chapter IX One in a series of phenomenal bestsellers in its day, CHARACTER: THE GRANDEST THING IN THE WORLD was first published in 1899 and remains a little-known classic in the literature of personal development. As a predecessor of today's personal success gurus reminiscent of Stephen Covey and Anthony Robbins, Marden's goal here is to catalog those traits essential who set high ideals for themselves in seeking "the grandest thing in the world." Also available from Cosimo Classics: Marden's Cheerfulness as a Life Power and Pushing to the Front, Vols. 1 and 2. AUTHOR BIO: American writer and editor ORISON SWETT MARDEN (1850-1924) was born in New England and studied at Boston University and Andover Theological Seminary. In 1897, he founded Success Magazine.

Genres: Philosophy, Self Help

60 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1899

About the author

Orison Swett Marden (1850-1924) was an American writer associated with the New Thought Movement. He also held a degree in medicine, and was a successful hotel owner.

Marden was born in Thornton Gore, New Hampshire to Lewis and Martha Marden. When he was three years old, his mother died at the age of 22, leaving Orison and his two sisters in the care of their father, a farmer, hunter, and trapper. When Orison was seven years old, his father died from injuries incurred while in the woods, and the children were shuttled from one guardian to another, with Orison working as a "hired boy" to earn his keep. Inspired by an early self-help book by the Scottish author Samuel Smiles, which he found in an attic, Marden set out to improve himself and his life circumstances. He persevered in advancing himself and graduated from Boston University in 1871. He later graduated from Harvard with an M.D. in 1881 and an LL.B. degree in 1882. He also studied at the Boston School of Oratory and Andover Theological Seminary.

Reviews

[Hal Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a catalog of beliefs that died in 1914. Consequently, although often smug and always complacent, it is also very sad.

[Alaa Jerbi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good and inspiring book that emphasizes on the importance of character in men.

[David Nachmias · Rating 5 out of 5]

a hymn to integrity disguised as self-help. Its optimism can feel of another age. The prose is simple, almost sermon-like, but it carries a rare clarity of purpose: to remind the reader that greatness begins in quiet, ethical choices. A manual for inner architecture rather than outward success.