André Maurois (1885–1967) French writer
Un Art de Vivre (The Art of Living) (1939), The Art of Friendship
The Myth of Sisyphus (1942), Absurd Creation
Context: In that daily effort in which intelligence and passion mingle and delight each other, the absurd man discovers a discipline that will make up the greatest of his strengths. The required diligence and doggedness and lucidity thus resemble the conqueror's attitude. To create is likewise to give a shape to one's fate. For all these characters, their work defines them at least as much as it is defined by them. The actor taught us this: There is no frontier between being and appearing.
André Maurois (1885–1967) French writer
Un Art de Vivre (The Art of Living) (1939), The Art of Friendship
“Each person's greatest room for growth is in the areas of his or her greatest strength.”
Marcus Buckingham (1966) British writer
Source: Now, Discover Your Strengths (2001), p. 8
Pythagoras (-585–-495 BC) ancient Greek mathematician and philosopher
As reported by Alexander Polyhistor, and Diogenes Laërtius in Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers, "Pythagoras", Sect. 30, in the translation of C. D. Yonge (1853)
Thomas à Kempis (1380–1471) German canon regular
Source: Dictionary of Burning Words of Brilliant Writers (1895), P. 578.
Tulsidas (1532–1623) Hindu poet-saint
Quoted in "A Garden of Deeds: Ramacharitmanas, a Message of Human Ethics", p. 5
“Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential.”
Winston S. Churchill (1874–1965) Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
First mentioned as "Continuous effort — not strength or intelligence — is the key to unlocking and using our potential." according to Quote Investigator in the 1981 book The Reflecting Pond: Meditations for Self-Discovery by Liane Cordes, Quote Page 89, Hazelden Publishing, Center City, Minnesota. For further research on this quote see: Quote Investigator (August 31, 2013): Continuous Effort — Not Strength or Intelligence — Is the Key to Unlocking and Using Our Potential Winston Churchill? Liane Cordes? Liane Cardes? Apocryphal? Archived http://archive.is/E0M12 on June 2, 2020. <br class="br">Source: https://quoteinvestigator.com/2013/08/21/effort/ from the original
Julio Iglesias (1943) Spanish recording artist; singer-songwriter
On how he credits discipline as the secret of his success in "Julio Iglesias reflects on a life that 'has been a miracle'" https://apnews.com/7ef030336a5b4a1a949723346d64ec51 in AP News (2019 Jun 14)