A constant struggle, a ceaseless battle to bring success from

Hear the voice of Orison Swett Marden, father of American self-help, who proclaimed: “A constant struggle, a ceaseless battle to bring success from inhospitable surroundings, is the price of all great achievements.” In these words he reveals the law that governs the lives of all who rise to greatness. Nothing worthy is handed freely; the crown of triumph is forged only through fire. The world is often unkind, conditions are harsh, and fortune rarely gives its favor. Yet it is within such inhospitable surroundings that strength is born and heroes are made.

Marden himself spoke not from ivory towers, but from the furnace of hardship. Orphaned young, forced to labor on a farm, he tasted deprivation and despair. Yet from this soil of adversity, he carved his path upward, educating himself, and later founding a movement to inspire millions. Thus, his declaration springs not from philosophy alone, but from the witness of his own life. He knew firsthand that only through unyielding struggle could one shape success out of barren ground.

History gives us endless testimony to his truth. Consider Nelson Mandela, imprisoned for 27 years in a cell that sought to crush both body and spirit. The walls were narrow, the labor was brutal, the surroundings utterly inhospitable. Yet through this long battle, he emerged not broken but unbreakable, leading South Africa into freedom and reconciliation. His greatness was not achieved despite the struggle—it was achieved because of it. Without the fire, the steel of his spirit would not have been tempered.

So too do we see this law in the story of the Wright brothers, who dared to conquer the sky. They were not blessed with wealth or privilege, but labored in a bicycle shop, surrounded by doubt and ridicule. Every attempt to fly was met with failure, crashes, and mockery. Yet they continued their ceaseless battle, adjusting, learning, persisting. From these humble and harsh beginnings, they lifted humankind into the air, proving once more that great achievements are purchased with perseverance against all odds.

The ancients knew this truth as well. The Spartans at Thermopylae, the Romans who carved an empire out of swamps and hills, the prophets who cried out in deserts—all understood that greatness is never born in comfort. It is the struggle against the hostile world that brings forth the heroic spirit. Ease breeds complacency; hardship breeds strength. The price is high, but so too is the reward: the immortality of deeds remembered across centuries.

The lesson, O seekers of wisdom, is both simple and stern: do not flee from inhospitable surroundings. Do not curse the hardship that greets you, nor despair at the long road. For these are not barriers meant to destroy you, but the forge in which your character is hammered and your destiny is shaped. Every trial you endure, every battle you fight, prepares you for the crown of your own achievement.

So, O children of tomorrow, embrace the ceaseless struggle. Welcome it as the companion of greatness. When you are weary, remember Mandela; when you are doubted, remember the Wright brothers; when you are tested, remember Marden himself. For the world yields only to those who refuse to surrender. And when at last you stand victorious, you will know the truth of his words: that the price of all great achievements is high, but the glory of endurance makes it worthy of every step.