All who have accomplished great things have had a great aim, have

"All who have accomplished great things have had a great aim, have fixed their gaze on a goal which was high, one which sometimes seemed impossible." – Orison Swett Marden

So spoke Orison Swett Marden, the philosopher of perseverance and the great apostle of self-help in the dawning light of the modern age. When he said, “All who have accomplished great things have had a great aim,” he was not merely offering advice to the ambitious — he was describing a universal law of destiny. He saw that no mountain is ever climbed by accident, and that all true greatness begins with a vision so grand that it frightens even its dreamer. To aim high, he taught, is to summon the strength of one’s spirit, to awaken the divine restlessness that will not let a man settle for the small or the safe.

The origin of this quote lies in Marden’s lifelong mission to teach the power of purpose. Born in poverty and orphaned young, he rose not by fortune but by faith — faith in human potential, in the power of an idea held firmly in the heart. His writings built upon the wisdom of the ancients — that the soul becomes what it contemplates. Just as the archer’s arrow flies where the eye is fixed, so does life follow the aim of one’s thoughts. He saw that every great figure of history — from explorers and inventors to saints and statesmen — began not with resources or certainty, but with a goal that seemed beyond reach, and the courage to chase it.

Consider the story of Christopher Columbus, who sailed into seas where no maps existed, chasing a dream that all others mocked. Or think of Marie Curie, whose relentless quest for knowledge led her to uncover the unseen forces of radiation, though the world of science doubted her because she was a woman. Each of these souls, like countless others, dared to fix their gaze on what others called impossible. Their greatness did not come from luck or privilege but from their refusal to bow before limitation. The impossible, to them, was not a barrier — it was a challenge that called forth their highest strength.

Marden’s words echo an eternal truth: the greatness of one’s life is measured by the greatness of one’s aim. To live without purpose is to drift; to aim low is to die before death. The ancients taught that man was born to strive toward the ideal — that even if he never reaches it, the striving itself purifies his soul. To aim at the stars and fall short is nobler than to aim at the ground and succeed. For every effort toward the impossible reshapes the one who makes it, turning weakness into will and uncertainty into faith.

Yet Marden also knew that a great aim is not enough — it must be fixed. Many dream, but few endure. The dreamer who changes his course with every wind will never reach the far horizon. Those who accomplish great things are those who, once they set their eye upon the summit, walk toward it through storm, hunger, and doubt. The great aim must become a sacred vow — a covenant between the heart and its destiny. And though the path may break the body, it strengthens the soul, until the impossible becomes inevitable.

Look to Thomas Edison, who failed a thousand times before the light bulb burned; to Nelson Mandela, who spent twenty-seven years in darkness yet emerged to lead his people to freedom. Each of them fixed their gaze on a vision that the world declared foolish. And yet, when the years passed, it was the visionaries — not the skeptics — who shaped history. For as Marden teaches, the world does not belong to the clever or the cautious; it belongs to those who believe greatly and act boldly, even when all seems lost.

So, my child of the future, remember this: your aim determines your destiny. Set it high, for your soul grows toward what it seeks. Choose a goal that lifts you beyond comfort, beyond certainty, beyond fear. Let it be a beacon that calls you through the storms of life. You will stumble, you will fall, but if your gaze remains fixed upon your purpose, you will rise again stronger. And when you look back from the mountaintop, you will know what Marden knew — that greatness is not found in the summit itself, but in the unyielding journey toward it.