“You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want.” These words spoken by the “The Master of Motivation,” also known as the late Zig Ziglar, have been coined as one of the keys to finding success in life. Read on to learn more pearls of wisdom from one of the world’s best success teachers.

Born in 1926 in Alabama, Hilary Hinton Ziglar was the tenth of twelve children. Ziglar spent the earlier part of his working career as a top salesman at various companies before becoming a motivational speaker and author. Over five decades he authored nearly thirty books–ten of which were featured on Best Seller lists–on sales skills and motivation, and became well known for his often sold out live seminars. In fact, if you Google the name Zig Ziglar, over 4.5 million results come up!

Ziglar appeared on popular televisions shows like TODAY, 60 Minutes, 20/20 and he even shared the stage with other highly influential leaders like Rudy Giuliani, Colin Powell and half a dozen former U.S. Presidents.  According to Ziglar’s bio, his sales and motivational training has ignited and “impacted more than a quarter billion people and continues to make a difference in the lives of those who act on his philosophy.” Some of his most meaningful and impactful thoughts about success are:

• “Remember that failure is an event, not a person.”
• “Success is the maximum utilization of the ability that you have.”
• “Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.”
• “It’s not what you’ve got; it’s what you use that makes a difference.”
• “Sometimes adversity is what you need to face in order to become successful.”
• “If you don’t see yourself as a winner then you can’t perform as a winner.”
• “Success is the maximum utilization of the ability that you have.”
• “Honesty and integrity are absolutely essential for success in life – all areas of life. The really good news is that anyone can develop both honesty and integrity.”
• “You do not pay the price of success; you enjoy the price of success.”
• “You cannot climb the ladder of success dressed in the costume of failure.”

Though Ziglar passed away in late 2012, his teaching legacy lives on. As you strive for success in your life, remember the wise words of Zig Ziglar noted above, and this additional final thought he once shared: “You can’t make it as a wandering generality. You must become a meaningful specific.”