An Iron Will
Orison Swett Marden 1901
This short self-help book uses stories of determined people to explain how to strengthen willpower. Its examples reach from military leaders to people facing illness.
55 pages 1h 3m reading time
- An early American self-help book by one of the most widely read success writers of his time.
- Argues that willpower is not a fixed gift but can be built up through daily practice, much like a muscle grows stronger with use.
- Argues that steady determination matters more than talent, luck, or good starting conditions in deciding what a person achieves.
Grew from a burned book
It grew out of Marden's earlier book Pushing to the Front, whose first draft he lost in a hotel fire.
Rewritten from memory
After the fire, Marden rebuilt that earlier book largely from memory, and this volume reworks part of it.
A slim gift book
The publisher Thomas Y. Crowell issued it as one of a series of small, short Marden books.
Inspired by another book
Marden credited Samuel Smiles' Self-Help, found as a poor boy, with inspiring him to write books like this.
