Ask yourself the secret of your success. Listen to your answer

Hear the timeless words of Richard Bach: “Ask yourself the secret of your success. Listen to your answer, and practice it.” These words, though quiet in form, thunder with wisdom. For in them lies the call to turn inward, to seek truth not in the voices of the world, but in the chambers of your own heart. The world is full of noise—teachers, critics, rivals, and false guides—but Bach reminds us that the truest compass lies within. To ask yourself is to enter the temple of the soul, to uncover the hidden law that has already carried you forward.

The ancients knew this path. The oracle at Delphi bore upon its stone the words: “Know thyself.” Kings and philosophers traveled far to hear this truth, yet its simplicity was easily overlooked. To know yourself, to listen to the whisper of your own spirit, is to find the wellspring of strength that no enemy can take. Bach’s words echo this same teaching, urging us not only to ask, but to attend with humility, and then to live by the answer. For what use is wisdom if it is not practiced?

Consider the tale of Benjamin Franklin, born the son of a candle-maker, with no inheritance but his own wits. In his youth, he asked himself the secret of advancement. His answer was clear: discipline, thrift, and a devotion to learning. He did not merely note this truth—he lived it daily. He set a chart of virtues, practicing them with relentless care. By listening to his own answer and applying it, he rose from obscurity to become one of the founding lights of America. His story is proof that the secret of success lies not in fortune, but in recognizing and applying one’s own principles.

Yet Bach’s words carry an even deeper call: to honor the uniqueness of each person’s path. What fuels one man’s journey may not fuel another’s. For some, the secret of their success lies in courage; for others, in patience; for still others, in kindness or creativity. Thus each must ask, each must listen, and each must practice according to their own truth. There is no single formula for greatness—there is only the sacred alignment between one’s inner compass and one’s outward deeds.

But beware: many ask and do not listen. They hear their own voice faintly, then drown it in the noise of comparison. They long for another’s path, believing their own too small or too simple. Yet the seed does not envy the oak; it becomes its own tree in its own time. To deny your inner answer is to abandon the very secret that could guide you. To honor it is to walk the path of authenticity, which is the only path that leads to lasting success.

The lesson is clear: do not seek the secret of your greatness outside yourself. Begin within. Sit in stillness, ask your heart, “What has carried me forward? What strength is mine to use?” Then listen with honesty, without fear, without comparison. And when you have heard, rise and practice it with devotion, day after day, until it shapes your destiny. For truth, when lived, becomes power.

Practical action is simple yet profound. Reflect daily upon your victories, great or small, and ask what made them possible. Was it your persistence? Your curiosity? Your kindness? Then commit to cultivate this trait like a farmer waters his field. Write it down, remind yourself often, and let each act be a practice of this strength. Over time, the small discipline becomes a towering force, and the secret of your success becomes not only known, but embodied.

So let Richard Bach’s words echo in your spirit: “Ask yourself the secret of your success. Listen to your answer, and practice it.” This is the teaching of the ancients, dressed in modern voice. It is a call to self-knowledge, to self-trust, and to faithful practice. Walk this path, and your life will not be built on accident, but on the eternal foundation of your own truth. And those who come after you will see not only your victories, but the inner wisdom that carried you there.