“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out” –Robert Collier

We all know that success doesn’t come easily, but what does it actually mean to achieve it? Who was Robert Collier, and more importantly, what did he know about success?

Robert Collier was a spiritual self-help author from St. Louis, Missouri. His teachings guided many towards healing through the law of attraction, Metaphysical practices, and New Thought methods.

Before he found success in writing, Mr. Collier had a life full of struggles and successes through his own efforts, which is why this quote in particular rings of truth; someone who’s actually achieved success.

In this quote, Robert Collier defines success on his terms, which he’s obviously achieved because his publishing company is still up and running after more than 90 years, with the help of his descendants. To understand a bit more about this quote learn a little bit more about the man behind the quote itself.

Who Was Robert Collier?

Robert Collier was born on April 19, 1885, to Mary and John Collier. John Collier worked as a foreign correspondent for his brother Peter, who owned Collier Magazine. This meant that he was often away, leaving Mary to care for their two sons until her death when Robert was around 12 years old.

Robert was educated in a seminary with the intent of becoming a priest but changed his mind before the final ceremony. He then headed to West Virginia, where he spent the next eight years working in the mining industry as an engineer. While he was there, he read a lot of material that would inspire him to become a writer.

Metaphysics and New Though Movement:

As a young man, Collier was ill with an un-diagnosable chronic disease, which played a big part in his skepticism of traditional medicine. In fact, he believed that most ailments were a result of foods that had been chemically treated.

Eventually, and miraculously, Robert Collier healed himself through Christian science methods after suffering for some time. After that, he started rigorously studying metaphysics and the New Thought Movement. He dove into researching the powers of the human mind, the Law of Attraction, and other metaphysical elements.

What Did Robert Collier Know About Success, Anyway?

His life-changing success in copywriting, paired with his beliefs led him to strike out on his own, writing his first publication, a volume of seven books called, “The Book of Life”.  The next year, he wrote his most famous book, “Secret of the Ages” that made one million dollars in its first six months, which was a remarkable success in 1926. Over the next 25 years, it would sell over 300,000 copies.

He founded Robert Collier Publications which is still going to this day, thanks to the Collier family. He passed in 1950, leaving behind an eternal memorial through his work that has even gone on to inspire authors like self-help guru Rhonda Byrne, who wrote the popular law of attraction book, The Secret.

What to Take Away from This Quote:

“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day-in, and day-out.”

Robert Collier wrote this particular quote in one of his later books, “Riches Within Your Reach!” He attributed much of his success to the use of the law of attraction, while never forgetting the actual hard work it took him to learn and then write these works. He studied for many years and struggles many times before achieving his greatest success.

What this quote truly means is that success isn’t handed to anyone. It’s achieved by hard work and what you do every day to get to your goal. Your efforts don’t have to be big leaps and bounds to achieve success, take a realistic approach to taking the necessary steps. When you’ve achieved such success, don’t forget to remember what brought you to it in the first place.

Other Quotes By Robert Collier

• “Visualize this thing that you want, see it, feel it, believe in it. Make your mental blueprint, and begin to build.”
• “The first principle of success is desire – knowing what you want. Desire is the planting of your seed.”
• “In every adversity there lies the seed of an equivalent advantage. In every defeat is a lesson showing you how to win the victory next time.”
• “Constant repetition carries conviction.”
• “Your chances of success in any undertaking can always be measured by your belief in yourself.”
• “If you don’t make things happen then things will happen to you.”
• “Any thought that is passed on to the subconscious often enough and convincingly enough is finally accepted.”
• “Supply always comes on the heels of demand.”
• “See things as you would have them be instead of as they are.”

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