I attribute my success to this - I never gave or took any excuse.

Hear, O seeker of discipline and truth, the steadfast words of Florence Nightingale, the Lady with the Lamp, who declared: “I attribute my success to this – I never gave or took any excuse.” These words are not light counsel, but the iron creed of a woman who walked into the valley of death, who faced plague and squalor, who lifted men from the filth of war and carried them back into life. In her confession lies the secret of greatness: the refusal to bow to excuses, either from herself or from others, and the relentless choice of responsibility over comfort.

To never give an excuse is to stand in the fire of accountability. The soul that offers excuses surrenders its power, hiding its weakness beneath the veil of words. But Nightingale would not shield herself in this way. She took the full weight of her duty upon her shoulders, never saying “I could not” or “It was not my fault.” Instead, she pressed forward, finding ways where none seemed possible. To give no excuse is to speak with the voice of courage, declaring, “I will act, I will endure, I will do what must be done.”

To never take an excuse is equally fierce. She demanded of those who served under her the same discipline she imposed upon herself. Soldiers’ lives hung in the balance, and she would not tolerate laziness, carelessness, or delay. Excuses breed death when action is required. Nightingale knew that the battlefield and the hospital do not yield to excuses; they yield only to competence, effort, and persistence. By refusing to take excuses, she trained those around her to rise above weakness and to join her in the work of salvation.

Consider her life during the Crimean War. When Nightingale arrived at Scutari, she found hospitals overflowing with wounded men, rats crawling among them, and disease claiming more lives than bullets. Supplies were scarce, conditions horrific, and resistance from military officials immense. She might have excused herself, saying the task was impossible. She might have turned back, claiming the authorities barred her path. But she gave no excuse and took none. She labored day and night, cleaned wards, secured supplies, and reformed sanitation. In time, she reduced the death rate from nearly 50 percent to just 2 percent. This was her victory—not by miracle, but by refusal to accept excuses.

The meaning is plain: success is not gifted to the clever or the fortunate alone. It is claimed by those who cast off excuses and take responsibility for every challenge that stands before them. Excuses are the chains of mediocrity, the soft pillows of failure. Those who cling to them may find comfort in the moment but will never rise. Those who reject them, as Nightingale did, forge themselves into instruments of lasting change.

O listener, take this lesson into your own life. When tempted to say “I cannot,” pause and ask instead, “How can I?” When others offer excuses, resist the temptation to accept them, for in doing so you rob them of their strength. Begin with small matters: complete your tasks without justification, fulfill your promises without complaint, hold yourself to the fire of truth. In time, this discipline will make you unbreakable.

Therefore let this be your charge: never give or take any excuse. Let your word be iron, your actions unwavering, your discipline firm. In doing so, you will find that obstacles crumble, that respect follows, and that success, like a faithful servant, comes at last to those who earn it.

Thus the teaching of Florence Nightingale endures: “I attribute my success to this – I never gave or took any excuse.” It is the creed of the strong, the anthem of the determined, the torch passed to all who would live a life of purpose. Take it, live it, and let your own deeds shine with the same undying light.