Whatever you do to gain success, you have to hang in there and

“Whatever you do to gain success, you have to hang in there and hope good things happen. Always think positive.” Thus spoke Don Rickles, a man whose sharp humor and warm heart carried him through decades of triumph and trial. His words, simple on the surface, contain the quiet wisdom of endurance—a truth as old as human struggle itself. For success, he reminds us, is not born in moments of brilliance alone, but in the steadfastness of spirit, in the ability to hold fast when storms rage and faith is tested. To “hang in there,” as he says, is the humble phrasing of a timeless command: persevere.

Rickles, though known for laughter, spoke from a life that knew hardship. His world was one of stages and spotlights, where applause could fade as quickly as it came. He learned that fame, like fortune, is fickle—and that only positivity and perseverance could light the long road between rejection and acclaim. Beneath his wit was an ancient resilience, the same that burned in the hearts of all who have struggled to turn dreams into reality. His call to “always think positive” is not naïve optimism, but the discipline of hope—the act of refusing despair when the path seems endless.

The origin of Rickles’s wisdom lies in the truth of all great journeys: that destiny tests the patient more than the gifted. In every age, those who endure are those who believe that tomorrow can bring better things. The poet endures poverty for the sake of his verse; the inventor, failure for the sake of his vision; the leader, solitude for the sake of his people. To “hang in there,” then, is to declare allegiance to the unseen—to trust that beneath hardship, good things are being born, invisible but inevitable. The seed buried in darkness must not despair, for it cannot yet see the sun that awaits it.

Consider the story of Thomas Edison, whose thousands of failed experiments in pursuit of the electric light could have easily turned to ashes of frustration. Yet when asked about his failures, he replied, “I have not failed. I’ve just found ten thousand ways that won’t work.” Here was a man who understood Rickles’s creed. His faith was not in luck, but in effort; his hope was not passive wishing, but active perseverance. And through that hope, the world was illuminated—literally. From such examples we learn that success does not reward the swift, but the steadfast.

Rickles’s reminder to “always think positive” also speaks to the power of the mind to shape the world it perceives. The ancients believed that thought itself carried creative force—that to hold an image of good within the heart was to invite it into existence. Modern sages call this optimism; the philosophers of old called it faith. Both are rooted in the same truth: the world bends toward those who believe in its goodness. A mind filled with bitterness sees only barriers, but a heart filled with hope finds openings where others see walls.

Yet to think positively is not to deny pain or pretend that struggle does not exist. It is to look at the chaos and still say, “I will continue.” It is the courage to endure without bitterness, to smile even when the heart trembles. In this way, positivity becomes not a delusion, but an act of defiance—a quiet rebellion against despair. The warrior, the artist, the parent, the dreamer—all who persist in the face of hardship carry this ancient strength. Rickles, though clothed in the laughter of a comedian, carried the heart of a stoic philosopher.

Let the lesson, then, be this: success belongs to those who endure with faith. Whatever your path, whatever your craft, there will be hours when the goal seems far and the effort fruitless. In those moments, remember Rickles’s words—hang in there. Hope, even when reason tells you not to. The seed does not choose its storm, but it must endure it to break through the soil. Keep tending to your purpose, and in time, the fruit will come.

And so, as the ancients taught and Rickles reaffirmed, the greatest triumph is persistence with joy. Hold fast to your dream, but more importantly, hold fast to your belief in the goodness of life. For no success is truly won without the faith that good things will happen—and no darkness endures forever against a spirit that insists on light.