Karoly Takacs. You’ve probably never heard of him. However, in Hungary, he’s a national hero – everybody there knows his name and his incredible story. After reading his story, you’ll never forget him…

In 1938, Karoly Takacs of the Hungarian Army, was the top pistol shooter in the world. He was expected to win the gold in the 1940 Olympic Games scheduled for Tokyo.

Those expectations vanished one terrible day just months before the Olympics. While training with his army squad, a hand grenade exploded in Takacs’ right hand, and Takacs’ shooting hand was blown off.

Takacs spent a month in the hospital depressed at both the loss of his hand, and the end to his Olympic dream. At that point most people would have quit. And they would have probably spent the rest of their life feeling sorry for themselves. Most people would have quit but not Takacs. Takacs was a winner. Winners know that they can’t let circumstances keep them down. They understand that life is hard and that they can’t let life beat them down. Winners know in their heart that quitting is not an option.

Takacs did the unthinkable; he picked himself up, dusted himself off, and decided to learn how to shoot with his left hand! His reasoning was simple. He simply asked himself, “Why not?”

Instead of focusing on what he didn’t have – a world class right shooting hand, he decided to focus on what he did have – incredible mental toughness, and a healthy left hand that with time, could be developed to shoot like a champion.

For months Takacs practiced by himself. No one knew what he was doing. Maybe he didn’t want to subject himself to people who most certainly would have discouraged him from his rekindled dream.

In the spring of 1939 he showed up at the Hungarian National Pistol Shooting Championship. Other shooters approached Takacs to give him their condolences and to congratulate him on having the strength to come watch them shoot. They were surprised when he said, “I didn’t come to watch, I came to compete.” They were even more surprised when Takacs won!

The 1940 and 1944 Olympics were cancelled because of World War II. It looked like Takacs’ Olympic Dream would never have a chance to realize itself. But Takacs kept training and in 1944 he qualified for the London Olympics. At the age of 38, Takacs won the Gold Medal and set a new world record in pistol shooting. Four years later, Takacs won the Gold Medal again at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. Takacs – a man with the mental toughness to bounce back from anything.

Winners in every field have a special trait that helps them become unstoppable. A special characteristic that allows them to survive major setbacks on the road to success. Winners recover QUICKLY. Bouncing back is not enough. Winners bounce back QUICKLY. They take their hit, they experience their setback, they have the wind taken out of their sails, but they immediately recover. Right away they FORCE themselves to look at the bright side of things – ANY bright side, and they say to themselves, “That’s OK. There is always a way. I will find a way.” They dust themselves off, and pick up where they left off.

The reason quick recovery is important is that if you recover quickly, you don’t lose your momentum and your drive. Takacs recovered in only one month. If he had wallowed in his misery, if he had stayed “under the circumstances,” if he had played the martyr, and felt sorry for himself much longer, he would have lost his mental edge – his “eye of the tiger” and he never would have been able to come back.

When a boxer gets knocked down, he has ten seconds to get back up. If he gets up in eleven seconds, he loses the fight. Remember that next time you get knocked down.

Takacs definitely had a right to feel sorry for himself. He had a right to stay depressed and to ask himself “Why me?” for the rest of his life. He had the right to act like a mediocre man.

Takacs could have let his terrible accident cause him to become permanently discouraged, to take up heavy drinking, to quit on life alltogether, and maybe even to end his own life. He could have acted like a loser.

But Takacs made the DECISION to dig deep inside and to find a solution. To pick himself up and to learn to shoot all over again. Winners always search for a solution. Losers always search for an escape.

Next time you get knocked down, DECIDE you will act like a winner. DECIDE to act like Takacs. Get up quickly, take action, and astound the world!

A man always has two reasons for doing anything a good reason and the real reason


An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across her neck.

One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water.

Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do. After 2 years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house."

The old woman smiled, "Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side?" "That's because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them." "For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house."

Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You've just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them.

So, to all of my crackpot friends, have a great day and remember to smell the flowers on your side of the path!
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The Pencil Maker took the pencil aside, just before putting him into the box.

"There are 5 things you need to know," he told the pencil, "Before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best pencil you can be."

"One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in Someone's hand."

"Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you'll need it to become a better pencil."

"Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make."

"Four: The most important part of you will always be what's inside."

"And Five: On every surface you are used on, you must leave your mark. No matter what the condition, you must continue to write."

The pencil understood and promised to remember, and went into the box with purpose in its heart.

Now replacing the place of the pencil with you. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best person you can be.

One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in God's hand. And allow other human beings to access you for the many gifts you possess.

Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, by going through various problems in life, but you'll need it to become a stronger person.

Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make.

Four: The most important part of you will always be what's on the inside.

And Five: On every surface you walk through, you must leave your mark. No matter what the situation, you must continue to do your duties.

Allow this parable on the pencil to encourage you to know that you are a special person and only you can fulfil the purpose to which you were born to accomplish.

Never allow yourself to get discouraged and think that your life is insignificant and cannot make a change.


A home without books is a body without soul





Rank Name Author Pages My Score My Review Buy Now
1 The Power of Positive Thinking Dr. Norman Vincent Peale 218 10/10 Link Link


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My mother used to ask me what the most important part of the body is. Through the years I would take a guess at what I thought was the correct answer. When I was younger, I thought sound was very important to us as humans, so I said, “My ears, Mommy.”She said, “No. Many people are deaf. But you keep thinking about it and I will ask you again soon.” Several years passed before she asked me again. Since making my first attempt, I had contemplated the correct answer.

So this time I told her, “Mommy, sight is very important to everybody, so it must be our eyes.” She looked at me and told me, “You are learning fast, but the answer is not correct because there are many people who are blind.” Stumped again, I continued my quest for knowledge and over the years, Mother asked me a couple more times and always her answer was, “No. But you are getting smarter every year, my child.”

Then one year, my grandfather died. Everybody was hurt. Everybody was crying. Even my father cried.

I remember that especially because it was only the second time I saw him cry. My Mom looked at me when it was our turn to say our final good-bye to my Grandfather. She asked me, “Do you know the most important body part yet, my dear?” I was shocked when she asked me this now. I always thought this was a game between her and me.

She saw the confusion on my face and told me, “This question is very important. It shows that you have really lived in your life. For every body part you gave me in the past, I have told you were wrong and I have given you an example why. But today is the day you need to learn this important lesson.”

She looked down at me as only a mother can. I saw her eyes well up with tears. She said, “My dear, the most important body part is your shoulder.” I asked, “Is it because it holds up my head?”

She replied, “No, it is because it can hold the head of a friend or a loved one when they cry. Everybody needs a shoulder to cry on sometime in life, my dear. I only hope that you have enough love and friends that you will always have a shoulder to cry on when you need it.”

Then and there I knew the most important body part is not a selfish one. It is made for others and not for yourself. It is sympathetic to the pain of others. People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did . But people will NEVER forget how you made them feel.

Good friends are like stars… You don’t always see them, but you always know they are there.



Fall seven times and stand up on eight You miss 100% of the shots you don't take There are no traffic jams along the extra mile Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing If your goals dont scare you, they are'nt big enough Life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life Do what you love, love what you do There is always a room at the top It is always too early to quit Never complain and never explain Believe you can and you're halfway there If opportunity don't knock, build a door The best way to predict the future is to invent it Be the change that you wish to see in the world If not us, then who? If not now, then when? Key to failure is trying to please everybody Opportunities don't happen, you create them If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough Life is lived - out side comfort zone Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever. So NEVER QUIT






  • You have to learn rules of the game. And then you have to play better than others

  • When life gives you a lemon, you should make a lemonade

  • When someone tells you "You Can't". Turn around and say "Watch me!"

  • Success is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved!!






  • Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice

  • Small minds discuss people. Average minds discuss events. While, Great minds discuss ideas!!!

  • Life begins at the end of your comfort zone

  • No matter how you feel, Get up, Dress up, Show up and Never give up








  • You are so much stronger than what you think

  • Success does not come to you, you go to it

  • I can not do everything, but I can do something






  • Success is a journey not a destination

  • A Human can achieve whatever he believes in

  • Do not limit yourself

  • Your future always depend on what you are doing now







  • If you don’t build your dream, someone else will hire you to help them build theirs

  • Lack of will : Difference between a successful person and rest

  • One success leads another

  • Some people dream of success, while others wake up and work hard on it







  • Do something today that your future self will thank you for

  • Have fun in what you are doing, you will never fail

  • It is not days in your life but life in your days that count

  • The road to success is never easy but it is interesting

  • Success is how you bounce when you hit bottom

  • The more I want to get it done, the less I call it work

  • Success is doing common things uncommonly well

  • Success will not lower its standards to us, we must raise our bars






  • Let your past make you better, not bitter

  • Hard work beats talent when talent does not work hard

  • Life's failures are stepping stones for Success








  • Things usually turn out better than you think

  • Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off the goal

  • Failures are useful because they tell what not to do next time

  • Shoot for the sky, even if you fail you will land among the stars






  • Be patient. Things will change for the better

  • Success is not about winning each battle, it is about winning war

  • When you let go of toxic people in life, life becomes so much easier

  • Successful person is the one who can build a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him



  •   Quotes by World's Most Famous 500 Authors/Philosophers/Persons: