The Salary Beyond Your Paycheck

The quality which you put into your work will determine the quality of your life. The habit of insisting upon the best of which you are capable, of always demanding of yourself the highest, never accepting the lowest or second best, no matter how small your remuneration, will make all the difference to you between failure and success.

The quality of your work will determine the quality of your life. Make a habit of insisting on doing your best. Always demand the highest standard of yourself, and never settle for the lowest or second best, no matter how little you are paid. That habit will make all the difference between failure and success.

"If the laborer gets no more than the wages his employer offers him, he is cheated; he cheats himself."

"If a worker gets only the wages his employer offers him, he is cheated. He cheats himself."

A boy or a man who works simply for his salary, and is actuated by no higher motive, is dishonest, and the one whom he most defrauds is himself. He is cheating himself, in the quality of his daily work, of that which all the after years, try as he may, can never give him back.

A boy or man who works only for his salary, with no higher purpose, is dishonest. The person he cheats most is himself. Through the quality of his daily work, he robs himself of something he can never regain. No matter how hard he tries, all the years to come can never give it back.

If I were allowed but one utterance on this subject, so vital to every young man starting on the journey of life, I would say: "Don't think too much of the amount of salary your employer gives you at the start. Think, rather, of the possible salary you can give yourself, in increasing your skill, in expanding your experience, in enlarging and ennobling yourself." A man's or a boy's work is material with which to build character and manhood. It is life's school for practical training of the faculties, stretching the mind, and strengthening and developing the intellect, not a mere mill for grinding out a salary of dollars and cents.

If I could say only one thing about this subject, which is vital to every young man starting out in life, I would say: "Don't think too much about the salary your employer pays you at first. Think instead about what you can earn for yourself by improving your skills, gaining experience, and growing into a better person." A man's or boy's work is material he can use to build character and manhood. Work is life's school for practical training. It stretches the mind and strengthens and develops the intellect. It is not merely a mill that grinds out a salary in dollars and cents.

Bismarck was said to have really founded the German Empire when working for a small salary as secretary to the German legation in Russia; for in that position he absorbed the secrets of strategy and diplomacy which later were used so effectively for his country. He worked so assiduously, so efficiently, that Germany prized his services more than those of the ambassador himself. If Bismarck had earned only his salary, he might have remained a perpetual clerk, and Germany a tangle of petty states.

Bismarck was said to have truly founded the German Empire while working for a small salary as secretary to the German legation in Russia. In that position, he learned the secrets of strategy and diplomacy that he later used so effectively for his country. He worked so hard and so well that Germany valued his services more than those of the ambassador himself. If Bismarck had done only enough to earn his salary, he might have remained a clerk forever, and Germany might have remained a tangle of petty states.

I have never known an employee to rise rapidly, or even to get beyond mediocrity, whose pay envelope was his goal, who could not see infinitely more in his work than what he found in the envelope on Saturday night. That is necessity; but the larger part of the real pay of a real man's work is outside of the pay envelope.

I have never known an employee to rise quickly, or even get beyond mediocrity, if the paycheck was their goal. Such employees could not see infinitely more in their work than what they found in their pay envelope on Saturday night. Pay is a necessity, but most of the real reward for a real man's work is outside the pay envelope.

One part of this outside salary is the opportunity of the employee to absorb the secrets of his employer's success, and to learn from his mistakes, while he is being paid for learning his trade or profession. The other part, and the best of all, is the opportunity for growth, for development, for mental expansion; the opportunity to become a larger, broader, more efficient man.

Part of this extra pay is the chance to learn the secrets of your employer's success and learn from their mistakes. You get paid while learning your trade or profession. The other part, and the best of all, is the chance to grow, develop, and expand your mind. It is the chance to become a bigger, broader, more capable man.

The opportunity for growth in a disciplinary institution, where the practical faculties, the executive faculties, are brought into systematic, vigorous exercise at a definite time and for a definite number of hours, is an advantage beyond computation. There is no estimating the value of such training. It is the opportunity, my employee friend, that will help you to make a large man of yourself, which, perhaps, you could not possibly do without being employed in some kind of an institution which has the motive, the machinery, the patronage to give you the disciplining and training you need to bring out your strongest qualities. And instead of paying for the opportunity of unfolding and developing from a green, ignorant boy into a strong, level-headed, efficient man, you are paid!

The chance to grow in an institution that provides disciplined training is an immeasurable advantage. There, you exercise your practical and leadership abilities systematically and vigorously, at set times and for a set number of hours. The value of such training cannot be measured. My friend, as an employee, you have an opportunity to become a greater person. Perhaps you could not do this without working for an institution that has the motivation, resources, and customers to provide the discipline and training you need to bring out your strongest qualities. And instead of paying for the chance to grow from an inexperienced, ignorant boy into a strong, sensible, capable man, you are paid!

The youth who is always haggling over the question of how many dollars and cents he will sell his services for, little realizes how he is cheating himself by not looking at the larger salary he can pay himself in increasing his skill, in expanding his experience, and in making himself a better, stronger, more useful man.

A young man who is always haggling over how much he will be paid for his work hardly realizes how much he is cheating himself. He overlooks the greater reward he can give himself by improving his skills, gaining experience, and becoming a better, stronger, more useful man.

The few dollars he finds in his pay envelope are to this larger salary as the chips which fly from the sculptor's chisel are to the angel which he is trying to call out of the marble.

The few dollars in his pay envelope are only a small part of his larger salary. They are like the chips that fly from a sculptor's chisel as he tries to reveal the angel in the marble.

You can draw from the faithfulness of your work, from the grand spirit which you bring to it, the high purpose which emanates from you in its performance, a recompense so munificent that what your employer pays you will seem insignificant beside it. He pays you in dollars; you pay yourself in valuable experience, in fine training, in increased efficiency, in splendid discipline, in self-expression, in character building.

You can gain a reward so generous that your employer's pay will seem small by comparison. That reward comes from doing your work faithfully, bringing a great spirit to it, and showing a high purpose as you work. Your employer pays you in dollars. You pay yourself in valuable experience, excellent training, greater efficiency, strong discipline, self-expression, and a stronger character.

Then, too, the ideal employer gives those who work for him a great deal that is not found in the pay envelope. He gives them encouragement, sympathy. He inspires them with the possibility of doing something higher, better.

The ideal employer also gives employees much more than a paycheck. He gives them encouragement and sympathy. He inspires them to see that they can do something greater and better.

How small and narrow and really blind to his own interests must be the youth who can weigh a question of salary against all those privileges he receives in exchange for the meager services he is able to render his employer.

How small-minded and blind to his own interests a young person must be to weigh his salary against all the benefits he receives in exchange for the little work he can do for his employer.

Do not fear that your employer will not recognize your merit and advance you as rapidly as you deserve. It he is looking for efficient employees,—and what employer is not?—it will be to his own interest to do so,—just as soon as it is profitable. W. Bourke Cockran, himself a remarkable example of success, says: "The man who brings to his occupation a loyal desire to do his best is certain to succeed. By doing the thing at hand surpassingly well, he shows that it would be profitable to employ him in some higher form of occupation, and, when there is profit in his promotion, he is pretty sure to secure it."

Do not fear that your employer will fail to recognize your merit or promote you as quickly as you deserve. If your employer is looking for efficient employees, it will be in his own interest to promote you. And what employer is not looking for efficient employees? He will promote you as soon as it is profitable to do so. W. Bourke Cockran, himself a remarkable example of success, says: "A man who brings a loyal desire to do his best to his work is certain to succeed. By doing the task at hand exceptionally well, he shows that it would be profitable to employ him in a higher position. When his promotion would be profitable, he is pretty sure to get it."

Do you think that kings of business like Andrew Carnegie, John Wanamaker, Robert C. Ogden, and other lesser powers in the commercial world would have attained their present commanding success had they hesitated and haggled about a dollar or two of salary when they began their life-work? If they had, they would now probably be working on comparatively small salaries for other people. It was not salary, but opportunity, that each wanted,—a chance to show what was in him, to absorb the secrets of the business. They were satisfied with a dollar or two apiece a week, hardly enough to live on, while they were learning the lessons that made them what they are to-day. No, the boys who rise in the world are not those who, at the start, split hairs about salaries.

Do you think business leaders like Andrew Carnegie, John Wanamaker, Robert C. Ogden, and other less powerful figures would have achieved their great success if they had argued over a dollar or two in salary when they started out? If they had, they would probably now be working for others at comparatively low salaries. Each wanted opportunity, not salary: a chance to show what he could do and learn the secrets of the business. They were satisfied with a dollar or two a week each, hardly enough to live on. Meanwhile, they learned the lessons that made them what they are today. No, the boys who rise in the world are not the ones who fuss over salaries when they start out.

Often we see bright boys who have worked, perhaps for years, on small salaries, suddenly jumping, as if by magic, into high and responsible positions. Why? Simply because, while their employers were paying them but a few dollars a week, they were paying themselves vastly more in the fine quality of their work, in the enthusiasm, determination, and high purpose they brought to their tasks, and in increased insight into business methods.

We often see bright young men suddenly rise, as if by magic, to important positions of responsibility. They may have worked for years at low salaries. Why do they rise? Because while their employers paid them only a few dollars a week, they paid themselves far more. They gained by doing excellent work and bringing enthusiasm, determination, and a strong sense of purpose to their tasks. They also gained a better understanding of business methods.

Colonel Robert C. Clowry, president of the Western Union Telegraph Company, worked without pay as a messenger boy for months for experience, which he regarded as worth infinitely more than salary—and scores of our most successful men have cheerfully done the same thing.

Colonel Robert C. Clowry, president of the Western Union Telegraph Company, worked without pay as a messenger boy for months to gain experience. He considered the experience infinitely more valuable than a salary. Scores of our most successful men have cheerfully done the same.

A millionaire merchant of New York told me the story of his rise. "I walked from my home in New England to New York," he said, "where I secured a place to sweep out a store for three dollars and a half a week. At the end of a year, I accepted an offer from the firm to remain for five years at a salary of seven dollars and a half a week. Long before this time had expired, however, I had a proposition from another large concern in New York to act as its foreign representative at a salary of three thousand dollars a year. I told the manager that I was then under contract, but that, when my time should be completed, I should be glad to talk with him in regard to his proposition." When his contract was nearly up, he was called into the office of the head of the house, and a new contract with him for a term of years at three thousand dollars a year was proposed. The young man told his employers that the manager of another house had offered him that amount a year or more before, but that he did not accept it because he wouldn't break his contract. They told him they would think the matter over and see what they could do for him. Incredible as it may seem, they notified him, a little later, that they were prepared to enter into a ten-year contract with him at ten thousand dollars a year, and the contract was closed. He told me that he and his wife lived on eight dollars a week in New York, during a large part of this time, and that, by saving and investments, they laid up $117,000. At the end of his contract, he was taken into the firm as a partner, and became a millionaire.

A millionaire merchant from New York told me the story of his rise. "I walked from my home in New England to New York," he said, "where I got a job sweeping out a store for three dollars and fifty cents a week. At the end of a year, the firm offered me seven dollars and fifty cents a week to stay for five years. I accepted. But long before the five years were up, another large New York firm offered me a job as its foreign representative. The salary was three thousand dollars a year. I told the manager I was under contract. But I said I would be glad to discuss his offer when my contract ended." When his contract was nearly up, the head of the firm called him into his office. He offered the young man a new contract for several years at three thousand dollars a year. The young man told his employers that another firm had offered him that salary a year or more earlier. He had not accepted because he would not break his contract. They said they would think it over and see what they could do for him. Incredible as it may seem, they told him a little later that they were ready to offer him a ten-year contract. They would pay him ten thousand dollars a year, and he accepted. He told me that he and his wife lived on eight dollars a week in New York for much of that time. By saving and investing, they put aside $117,000. At the end of his contract, he became a partner in the firm and a millionaire.

Suppose that this boy had listened to his associates, who probably said to him, many times: "What a fool you are, George, to work here overtime to do the things which others neglect! Why should you stay here nights and help pack goods, and all that sort of thing, when it is not expected of you?" Would he then have risen above them, leaving them in the ranks of perpetual employees? No, but the boy who walked one hundred miles to New York to get a job saw in every opportunity a great occasion, for he could not tell when fate might be taking his measure for a larger place. The very first time he swept out the store, he felt within him the ability to become a great merchant, and he determined that he would be. He felt that the opportunity was the salary. The chance actually to do with his own hands the thing which he wanted to learn; to see the way in which princely merchants do business; to watch their methods; to absorb their processes; to make their secrets his own,—this was his salary, compared with which the three dollars and fifty cents looked contemptible. He put himself into training, always looking out for the main chance. He never allowed anything of importance to escape his attention. When he was not working, he was watching others, studying methods, and asking questions of everybody he came in contact with in the store, so eager was he to learn how everything was done. He told me that he did not go out of New York City for twelve years; that he preferred to study the store, and to absorb every bit of knowledge that he could, for he was bound some day to be a partner or to have a store of his own.

Suppose this boy had listened to his coworkers. They probably said to him many times: "What a fool you are, George, to work overtime doing things others neglect! Why stay here at night and help pack goods and do all that when no one expects you to?" Would he then have risen above them, leaving them in the ranks of lifelong employees? No. But the boy who walked one hundred miles to New York to get a job saw every opportunity as a great occasion. He could not tell when fate might be sizing him up for a greater role. The first time he swept out the store, he felt that he could become a great merchant. He determined that he would become one. He felt that the opportunity itself was his pay. He could do the work he wanted to learn with his own hands. He could see how grand merchants conducted business, watch their methods, absorb their processes, and make their secrets his own. This was his pay, and the three dollars and fifty cents seemed paltry by comparison. He trained himself, always looking for his best chance. He never let anything important escape his attention. When he was not working, he watched others, studied methods, and asked questions of everyone he met in the store. He was eager to learn how everything was done. He told me that he did not leave New York City for twelve years. He preferred to study the store and absorb every bit of knowledge he could. He was determined to become a partner or have a store of his own someday.

It is not difficult to see a proprietor in the boy who sweeps the store or waits on customers—if the qualities that make a proprietor are in him—by watching him work for a single day. You can tell by the spirit which he brings to his task whether there is in him the capacity for growth, expansion, enlargement; an ambition to rise, to be somebody, or an inclination to shirk, to do as little as possible for the largest amount of salary.

You can see a future store owner in a boy who sweeps the store or serves customers. If he has the qualities of an owner, you can see them by watching him work for a single day. His attitude toward his work shows whether he has the capacity to grow and develop. It shows whether he has the ambition to rise and become somebody, or prefers to do as little as possible for the highest pay.

When you get a job, just think of yourself as actually starting out in business for yourself, as really working for yourself. Get as much salary as you can, but remember that that is a very small part of the consideration. You have actually gotten an opportunity to get right into the very heart of the great activities of a large concern, to get close to men who do things; an opportunity to absorb knowledge and valuable secrets on every hand; an opportunity to drink in, through your eyes and your ears, knowledge wherever you go in the establishment, knowledge that will be invaluable to you in the future.

When you get a job, think of yourself as starting your own business and working for yourself. Get as much pay as you can, but remember that pay is only a small part of what matters. You have an opportunity to get right into the heart of a large company’s activities and work closely with men who get things done. You have a chance to absorb knowledge and valuable secrets from every direction. Everywhere you go in the company, you can learn by watching and listening. That knowledge will be invaluable to you in the future.

Every hint and every suggestion which you can pick up, every bit of knowledge you can absorb, you should regard as a part of your future capital which will be worth more than money capital when you start out for yourself.

Consider every hint, suggestion, and bit of knowledge you pick up part of your future capital. When you start out on your own, this knowledge will be worth more than money.

Just make up your mind that you are going to be a sponge in that institution and absorb every particle of information and knowledge possible.

Decide to be a sponge in that institution and absorb every bit of information and knowledge you can.

Resolve that you will call upon all of your resourcefulness, your inventiveness, your ingenuity, to devise new and better ways of doing things; that you will be progressive, up-to-date; that you will enter into your work with a spirit of enthusiasm and a zest which know no bounds, and you will be surprised to see how quickly you will attract the attention of those above you.

Resolve to use all your resourcefulness, creativity, and ingenuity to find new and better ways of doing things. Be progressive and up to date. Approach your work with boundless enthusiasm and zest. You will be surprised at how quickly you attract the attention of those above you.

This striving for excellence will make you grow. It will call out your resources, call out the best thing in you. The constant stretching of the mind over problems which interest you, which are to mean everything to you in the future, will help you expand into a broader, larger, more effective man.

Striving for excellence will help you grow. It will draw on your resources and bring out the best in you. Keep stretching your mind by tackling problems that interest you and will mean everything to you in the future. This will help you become a broader, more capable man.

If you work with this spirit, you will form a like habit of accuracy, of close observation; a habit of reading human nature; a habit of adjusting means to ends; a habit of thoroughness, of system; a habit of putting your best into everything you do, which means the ultimate attainment of your maximum efficiency. In other words, if you give your best to your employer, the best possible comes back to you in skill, training, shrewdness, acumen, and power.

If you work in this spirit, you will develop habits of accuracy and careful observation. You will learn to understand people and choose the right means to achieve your goals. You will develop habits of thoroughness and organization. You will also develop a habit of putting your best into everything you do. In time, this will help you reach your full potential. In other words, if you give your best to your employer, you get the best possible return in skill, training, shrewdness, insight, and power.

Your employer may pinch you on salary, but he can not close your eyes and ears; he can not shut off your perceptive faculties; he can not keep you from absorbing the secrets of his business which may have been purchased by him at an enormous cost of toil and sacrifice and even of several failures.

Your employer may pay you too little, but he cannot close your eyes and ears. He cannot stop you from observing and learning. He cannot keep you from absorbing the secrets of his business. He may have gained those secrets through enormous effort and sacrifice, and even several failures.

On the other hand, it is impossible for you to rob your employer by clipping your hours, shirking your work, by carelessness or indifference, without robbing yourself of infinitely more, of capital which is worth vastly more than money capital—the chance to make a man of yourself, the chance to have a clean record behind you instead of a smirched one.

On the other hand, you cannot rob your employer by cutting your hours, avoiding work, or being careless or indifferent without robbing yourself of infinitely more. You rob yourself of something far more valuable than money: the chance to make a man of yourself and to have a clean record instead of a tarnished one.

If you think you are being kept back, if you are working for too small a salary, if favoritism puts some one into a position above you which you have justly earned, never mind, no one can rob you of your greatest reward, the skill, the efficiency, the power you have gained, the consciousness of doing your level best, of giving the best thing in you to your employer, all of which advantages you will carry with you to your next position, whatever it may be.

If you think you are being held back, or that your salary is too low, never mind. If favoritism gives someone else a position you have rightfully earned, never mind that too. No one can rob you of your greatest reward. You have gained skill, efficiency, and power, and you know you have done your very best. You have given your employer the best you have to offer. You will carry all these advantages with you to your next position, whatever it may be.

Don't say to yourself, "I am not paid for doing this extra work; I do not get enough salary, anyway, and it is perfectly right for me to shirk when my employer is not in sight or to clip my hours when I can," for this means a loss of self-respect. You will never again have the same confidence in your ability to succeed; you will always be conscious that you have done a little, mean thing, and no amount of juggling with yourself can induce that inward monitor which says "right" to the well-done thing and "wrong" to the botched work, to alter its verdict in your favor. There is something within you that you cannot bribe; a divine sense of justice and right that can not be blindfolded. Nothing will ever compensate you for the loss of faith in yourself. You may still succeed when others have lost confidence in you, but never when you have lost confidence in yourself. If you do not respect yourself; if you do not believe in yourself, your career is at an end so far as its upward tendency is concerned.

Don't say to yourself, "I'm not paid for this extra work. I don't earn enough anyway. So it's perfectly right to slack off when my employer isn't watching or cut my hours when I can." Thinking this way means losing your self-respect. You will never again have the same confidence in your ability to succeed. You will always know that you did something petty and mean. No amount of rationalizing can change the verdict of your inner voice. It says "right" when you do a job well and "wrong" when you do it poorly. There is something within you that you cannot bribe. It is a divine sense of justice and right that cannot be blindfolded. Nothing will ever make up for losing faith in yourself. You may still succeed when others have lost confidence in you, but never when you have lost confidence in yourself. If you do not respect yourself or believe in yourself, your career will no longer move upward.

Then again, an employee's reputation is his capital. In the absence of money capital, his reputation means everything. It not only follows him around from one employer to another, but it also follows him when he goes into business for himself, and is always either helping or hindering him, according to its nature.

An employee's reputation is his capital. Without money, his reputation means everything. It follows him from one employer to another. It also follows him when he starts his own business. Depending on its nature, his reputation is always either helping or hindering him.

Contrast the condition of a young man starting out for himself who has looked upon his position as a sacred trust, a great opportunity, backed, buttressed, and supported by a splendid past, an untarnished reputation—a reputation for being a dead-in-earnest hard worker, square, loyal, and true to his employer's interests—with that of another young man of equal ability starting out for himself, who has done just as little work for his salary as possible, and who has gone on the principle that the more he could get out of an employer—the more salary he could get with less effort—the shrewder, smarter man he was.

Compare two young men of equal ability who are starting out on their own. The first has regarded his position as a sacred trust and a great opportunity. He starts out backed by an excellent work history and an untarnished reputation. He is known as a deeply committed hard worker, fair, loyal, and true to his employer’s interests. The second has done as little work as possible for his salary. He has believed that the more he could get from an employer, the smarter and shrewder he was. He wanted as much pay as possible for as little effort as possible.

The very reputation of the first young man is splendid credit. He is backed up by the good opinion of everybody that knows him. People are afraid of the other: they can not trust him. He beat his employer, why should not he beat others? Everybody knows that he has not been honest at heart with his employer, not loyal or true. He must work all the harder to overcome the handicap of a bad reputation, a smirched record.

The first young man’s reputation alone is a great asset. Everyone who knows him has a good opinion of him. People are afraid of the other young man. They cannot trust him. He cheated his employer, so why would he not cheat others? Everyone knows that he was not honest at heart with his employer, or loyal or true. He must work all the harder to overcome the handicap of a bad reputation and a tarnished record.

In other words, he is starting out in life with a heavy handicap, which, if it does not drag him down to failure, will make his burden infinitely greater, and success, even a purely commercial success, so much the harder to attain.

In other words, he is starting life with a heavy disadvantage. Even if it does not lead to failure, it will make his burden infinitely greater. It will also make success, even purely commercial success, much harder to achieve.

There is nothing like a good, solid, substantial reputation, a clean record, an untarnished past. It sticks to us through life, and is always helping us. We find it waiting at the bank when we try to borrow money, or at the jobber's when we ask for credit. It is always backing us up and helping us in all sorts of ways.

There is nothing like a strong, solid reputation, a clean record, and an unblemished past. A good reputation stays with us throughout life and is always helping us. We find it waiting at the bank when we try to borrow money, or at the wholesaler’s when we ask for credit. It is always backing us up and helping us in all sorts of ways.

Young men are sometimes surprised at their rapid advancement. They can not understand it, because they do not realize the tremendous power of a clean name, of a good reputation which is backing them.

Young men are sometimes surprised by how quickly they advance. They cannot understand their success because they do not realize the tremendous power of the good reputation behind them.

I know a young man who came to New York, got a position in a publishing house at fifteen dollars a week, and worked five years before he received thirty-five dollars a week.

I know a young man who came to New York and got a job at a publishing house for fifteen dollars a week. He worked for five years before he earned thirty-five dollars a week.

The other employees and his friends called him a fool for staying at the office after hours and taking work home nights and holidays, for such a small salary; but he told them that the opportunity was what he was after, not the salary.

His coworkers and friends called him a fool for working late and taking work home at night and on holidays for such a small salary. But he told them he was after the opportunity, not the salary.

His work attracted the attention of a publisher who offered him sixty dollars a week, and very soon advanced him to seventy-five; but he carried with him to the new position the same habits of painstaking, hard work, never thinking of the salary, but regarding the opportunity as everything.

His work caught the attention of a publisher who offered him sixty dollars a week. The publisher soon raised his pay to seventy-five dollars. But he brought the same careful, hardworking habits to his new position. He never thought about the salary, but regarded the opportunity as everything.

Employees sometimes think that they get no credit for trying to do more than they are paid for; but here is an instance of a young man who attracted the attention of others even outside of the firm he worked for, just because he was trying to earn a great deal more than he was paid for doing.

Employees sometimes think they get no credit for trying to do more than they are paid to do. But one young man attracted attention even from people outside his company. He did so simply by trying to earn much more than he was paid.

The result was, that in less than two years from the time he was receiving sixty dollars a week, he went to a third large publishing house at ten thousand dollars a year, and also with an interest in the business.

As a result, less than two years after earning sixty dollars a week, he joined a third large publishing house. He earned ten thousand dollars a year and had a stake in the business.

The salary is of very little importance to you in comparison with the reputation for integrity and efficiency you have left behind you and the experience you have gained while earning the salary. These are the great things.

Your salary matters very little compared with the reputation for integrity and efficiency you leave behind. The experience you gain while earning it matters more, too. These are the things that really matter.

In olden times boys had to give years of their time in order to learn a trade, and often would pay their employer for the opportunity. English boys used to think it was a great opportunity to be able to get into a good concern, with a chance to work without salary for years in order to learn their business or trade. Now the boy is paid for learning his trade.

In the past, boys had to spend years learning a trade, and often paid their employers for the opportunity. English boys once thought it was a great opportunity to join a good company. There, they could work without pay for years while learning a business or trade. Now boys are paid while they learn a trade.

Many employees may not think it is so very bad to clip their hours, to shirk at every opportunity, to sneak away and hide during business hours, to loiter when out on business for their employer, to go to their work in the morning all used up from dissipation; but often when they try to get another place their reputation has gone before them, and they are not wanted.

Many employees may not think it is very bad to work fewer hours than they should or avoid work whenever they can. They may think little of sneaking away and hiding during business hours or wasting time while running errands for their employer. They may even come to work in the morning exhausted from excessive drinking or other indulgences. But often, when they try to find another job, their reputation has already reached the employer, who does not want them.

Others excuse themselves for poor work on the ground that their employer does not appreciate their services and is mean to them. A youth might just as well excuse himself for his boorish manners and ungentlemanly conduct on the ground that other people were mean and ungentlemanly to him.

Others excuse their poor work by saying their employer does not appreciate their work and treats them badly. A young man might just as well excuse his rude manners and ungentlemanly behavior by saying others treated him badly and behaved ungentlemanly toward him.

My young friends, you have nothing to do with your employer's character or his method of doing things. You may not be able to make him do what is right, but you can do right yourself. You may not be able to make him a gentleman, but you can be one yourself; and you can not afford to ruin yourself and your whole future just because your employer is not what he ought to be. No matter how mean and stingy he may be, your opportunity for the time is with him, and it rests with you whether you will use it or abuse it, whether you will make of it a stepping-stone or a stumbling-block.

My young friends, your employer's character and way of doing things are not your responsibility. You may not be able to make him do what is right, but you can do what is right yourself. You may not be able to make him a gentleman, but you can be one yourself. You cannot afford to ruin yourself and your whole future just because your employer is not what he should be. No matter how mean and stingy he may be, your opportunity for now is with him. It is up to you to use it or misuse it, to make it a stepping stone or a stumbling block.

The fact is that your present position, your way of doing your work, is the key that will unlock the door above you. Slighted work, botched work, will never make a key to unlock the door to anything but failure and disgrace.

Your current position and the way you do your work are the key to opening the door above you. Careless, badly done work will never unlock a door to anything but failure and disgrace.

There is nothing else so valuable to you as an opportunity to build a name for yourself. Your reputation is the foundation for your future success, and if you slip rotten hours, and slighted, botched work into the foundation, your superstructure will topple. The foundation must be clean, solid, and firm.

Nothing is more valuable to you than an opportunity to build a name for yourself. Your reputation is the foundation of your future success. If you build it with wasted hours and careless, shoddy work, everything built on it will collapse. The foundation must be clean, solid, and firm.

The quality which you put into your work will determine the quality of your life. The habit of insisting upon the best of which you are capable, of always demanding of yourself the highest, never accepting the lowest or second best, no matter how small your remuneration, will make all the difference to you between mediocrity or failure, and success. If you bring to your work the spirit of an artist instead of an artisan, a burning zeal, an absorbing enthusiasm, these will take the drudgery out of it and make it a delight.

The quality you put into your work will determine the quality of your life. Make a habit of insisting on the best you can do. Always demand the highest of yourself, and never accept the lowest or second best, no matter how little you are paid. This habit will make all the difference between mediocrity or failure and success. Bring the spirit of an artist rather than a craftsperson to your work, with a burning zeal and absorbing enthusiasm. These will take the drudgery out of your work and make it a delight.

Take no chances of marring your reputation by the picayune and unworthy endeavor "to get square" with a stingy or mean employer. Never mind what kind of a man he is, resolve that you will approach your task in the spirit of a master, that whether he is a man of high ideals or not, you will be one. Remember that you are a sculptor and that every act is a chisel blow upon life's marble block. You can not afford to strike false blows which may mar the angel that sleeps in the stone. Whether it is beautiful or hideous, divine or brutal, the image you evolve from the block must stand as an expression of yourself, of your ideals. Those who do not care how they do their work, if they can only get through with it and get their salary for it, pay very dearly for their trifling; they cut very sorry figures in life. Regard your work as a great life school for the broadening, deepening, rounding into symmetry, harmony, beauty, of your God-given faculties, which are uncut diamonds sacredly intrusted to you for the polishing and bringing out of their hidden wealth and beauty. Look upon it as a man-builder, a character-builder, and not as a mere living-getter. Regard the living-getting, money-making part of your career as a mere incidental as compared with the man-making part of it.

Don't risk damaging your reputation by trying "to get even" with a stingy or mean employer. Such an effort is petty and unworthy. No matter what kind of man he is, resolve to approach your work with the spirit of a master. Whether he has high ideals or not, resolve to have them yourself. Remember that you are a sculptor, and every act is a blow of the chisel on life's block of marble. You cannot afford to strike false blows that may damage the angel sleeping in the stone. Whether beautiful or hideous, divine or brutal, the image you carve must stand as an expression of yourself and your ideals. Some people don't care how they do their work, as long as they finish it and get paid. They pay dearly for treating their work so lightly. They make a very poor showing in life. Regard your work as a great school for life. It can broaden, deepen, and shape your God-given abilities into a balanced, harmonious, and beautiful whole. Those abilities are uncut diamonds, sacredly entrusted to you to polish and reveal their hidden wealth and beauty. Look upon work as a way to build yourself and your character, not merely as a way to earn a living. Regard earning a living and making money as incidental compared with the work of becoming a better person.

The smallest people in the world are those who work for salary alone. The little money you get in your pay envelope is a pretty small, low motive for which to work. It may be necessary to secure your bread and butter, but you have something infinitely higher to satisfy than that; that is, your sense of the right; the demand in you to do your level best, to be a man, to do the square thing, the fair thing. These should speak so loud in you that the mere bread-and-butter question will be insignificant in comparison.

The smallest people in the world are those who work only for a salary. The little money in your paycheck is a small, low motive for working. You may need it to put food on the table, but you have something infinitely higher to satisfy. That is your sense of what is right and your inner demand to do your very best, to be a man, and to act honestly and fairly. These demands should speak so loudly within you that the mere question of earning a living becomes insignificant by comparison.

Many young employees, just because they do not get quite as much salary as they think they should, deliberately throw away all of the other, larger, grander remuneration possible for them outside of their pay envelope, for the sake of "getting square" with their employer. They deliberately adopt a shirking, do-as-little-as-possible policy, and instead of getting this larger, more important salary, which they can pay themselves, they prefer the consequent arrested development, and become small, narrow, inefficient, rutty men and women, with nothing large or magnanimous, nothing broad, noble, progressive in their nature. Their leadership faculties, their initiative, their planning ability, their ingenuity and resourcefulness, inventiveness, and all the qualities which make the leader, the large, full, complete man, remain undeveloped. While trying to "get square" with their employer, by giving him pinched service, they blight their own growth, strangle their own prospects, and go through life half men instead of full men—small, narrow, weak men, instead of the strong, grand, complete men they might be.

Many young employees think they are paid less than they deserve. Just for that reason, they deliberately throw away all the other, greater rewards they could gain beyond their pay. They do this to "get even" with their employer. They deliberately choose to shirk and do as little as possible. Instead of earning the greater, more important reward they can give themselves, they choose to stunt their own development. They become small-minded, narrow, inefficient men and women stuck in a rut. They have nothing generous, broad-minded, noble, or progressive in their nature. Their leadership skills, initiative, planning ability, ingenuity, resourcefulness, and inventiveness remain undeveloped. So do all the qualities that make a leader, a great, well-rounded, complete person. While trying to "get even" with their employer by doing as little as possible, they damage their own growth and destroy their own prospects. They go through life as half the people they could be. They are small-minded, narrow, and weak, instead of the strong, great, complete people they might have been.

I have known employees actually to work harder in scheming, shirking, trying to keep from working hard in the performance of their duties, than they would have worked if they had tried to do their best, and had given the largest, the most liberal service possible to their employers. The hardest work in the world is that which is grudgingly done.

I have known employees who worked harder at scheming and avoiding their duties than they would have worked by doing their best. They would have worked less hard if they had given their employers the fullest, most generous service possible. The hardest work in the world is work done grudgingly.

Start out with a tacit understanding with yourself that you will be a man, that you will express in your work the highest thing in you, the best thing in you. You can not afford to debase or demoralize yourself by bringing out your mean side, the lowest and most despicable thing in you.

Begin with a quiet understanding with yourself that you will be a man. Resolve to express the highest and best in you through your work. You cannot afford to degrade or corrupt yourself by bringing out your mean side, the lowest and most despicable part of you.

Never mind whether your employer appreciates the high quality of your work or not, or thinks more of you for your conscientiousness, you will certainly think more of yourself after getting the approval of that still small voice within you which says "right" to the noble act. The effort always to do your best will enlarge your capacity for doing things, and will encourage you to push ahead toward larger triumphs.

Never mind whether your employer appreciates the quality of your work or thinks more of you for your care. You will certainly think more of yourself when the quiet voice within you says "right" to a noble act. Always trying to do your best will increase your ability to get things done. It will also encourage you to press on toward greater triumphs.

Everywhere we see people who are haunted by the ghosts of half-finished jobs, the dishonest work done away back in their youth. These covered-up defects are always coming back to humiliate them later, to trip them up, and to bar their progress. The great failure army is full of people who have tried to get square with their employers for the small salary and lack of appreciation.

Everywhere we see people haunted by the ghosts of unfinished jobs and dishonest work from their youth. These hidden flaws keep coming back to embarrass them, trip them up, and block their progress. The great army of failures is full of people who tried to get even with employers for low pay and lack of appreciation.

No one can respect himself or have that sublime faith in himself which makes for high achievement while he puts half-hearted, mean service into his work. The man who has not learned to fling his whole soul into his task, who has not learned the secret of taking the drudgery out of his work by putting the best of himself into it, has not learned the first principles of success or happiness. Let other people do the poor jobs, the botched work, if they will. Keep your standard up. It is a lofty ideal that redeems the life from the curse of commonness and imparts a touch of nobility to the personality.

No one can respect themselves or have the deep self-confidence that leads to great achievement while doing half-hearted, shoddy work. A person must learn to put their whole soul into a task and make work less tedious by giving it their best. Without learning this, they have not learned the first principles of success or happiness. Let others do poor, botched work if they choose. Keep your standards high. A lofty ideal saves life from the curse of being ordinary and gives a person a touch of nobility.

No matter how small your salary, or how unappreciative your employer, bring the entire man to your task; be all there; fling your life into it with all the energy and enthusiasm you can muster. Poor work injures your employer a little, but it may ruin you. Be proud of your work and go to it every morning superbly equipped; go to it in the spirit of a master, of a conqueror. Determine to do your level best and never to demoralize yourself by doing your second best.

No matter how small your salary or how little your employer appreciates you, bring your whole self to your work. Be fully present. Put your life into your work with all the energy and enthusiasm you can muster. Poor work hurts your employer a little, but it may ruin you. Be proud of your work and come to it every morning fully prepared. Approach it like a master, a conqueror. Resolve to do your very best and never weaken yourself by settling for second best.

Conduct yourself in such a way that you can always look yourself in the face without wincing; then you will have a courage born of conviction, of personal nobility and integrity which have never been tarnished.

Live so that you can always face yourself without flinching. Then you will have courage born of conviction and of personal nobility and integrity that have never been tarnished.

What your employer thinks of you, what the world thinks of you, is not half as important as what you think of yourself. Others are with you comparatively little through life. You have to live with yourself day and night through your whole existence, and you can not afford to tie that divine thing in you to a scoundrel.

What your employer or the world thinks of you is less than half as important as what you think of yourself. Other people spend relatively little of your life with you. You have to live with yourself day and night for your whole life. You cannot afford to tie the divine part of yourself to a scoundrel.