Nothing succeeds like success. Get a little success, and then

Hear the luminous words of Maya Angelou, poet of the soul and prophetess of resilience: “Nothing succeeds like success. Get a little success, and then just get a little more.” These words, though gentle in tone, blaze with the wisdom of perseverance. For they reveal that success is not a single mountain summit to be reached, but a chain of peaks, each one leading to another. The taste of one victory gives strength for the next, and step by step, the impossible is made possible.

Angelou, who rose from the hardship of silence and struggle to become a voice for generations, knew that greatness is not seized all at once. It is gathered piece by piece, like stones building a temple. She teaches that the smallest triumph—the overcoming of fear, the achievement of a goal, the endurance through a trial—becomes the seed of greater victories. Success feeds success, for it builds confidence, momentum, and courage. To win once is to believe you can win again.

This truth has echoed through history. Consider the journey of Abraham Lincoln, who faced defeat after defeat in elections, yet clung to the small successes that came along the way. A seat in the legislature here, a legal victory there—each one was a step forward, a stone laid on the road to the presidency. Had he despised the small victories and waited only for the great one, he would have faltered. Instead, he honored each moment of success, and from them, he built a destiny.

Or reflect upon the tale of the Wright brothers. Their first flight at Kitty Hawk in 1903 lasted only twelve seconds, a fragile and fleeting triumph. To some, it might have seemed insignificant, hardly worthy of celebration. Yet to them, it was enough. It was proof. They had achieved something that had never been done before. That little success became the foundation upon which they pursued greater flights, until the skies were truly conquered. One success unlocked the door to countless more.

The lesson here is clear and radiant: do not despise small beginnings. The world often waits for grand victories before it celebrates, but true wisdom sees the power of the smallest triumph. The student who learns a single new skill, the worker who completes a single task with excellence, the artist who finishes a single piece—all have taken a step into the flow of success. And once in that flow, they are carried forward to greater heights.

What, then, must you do? Seek first a small success. Do not wait for the perfect opportunity or the great breakthrough. Begin where you are. Conquer the day’s challenges. Fulfill your promise in little things. Celebrate progress, however small, for each triumph strengthens your spirit and builds your momentum. And then, as Angelou commands, get a little more. Keep pressing forward, expanding your victories until they form a chain of greatness.

Thus, let Maya Angelou’s words be a torch for your journey: “Nothing succeeds like success.” Do not scorn the small victory, for it is the doorway to the great one. Let each success, however humble, inspire another, until your life becomes a rising song of triumph. In this way, the ordinary becomes extraordinary, and the steady steps of today carve the heroic legacy of tomorrow.