Achievement is not always success, while reputed failure often is. It is honest endeavor, persistent effort to do the best possible under any and all circumstances.

Orison Swett Marden (1850–1924), a leading figure in the early self-help and “success” literature movement and founder of Success magazine (1897), frequently argued that character and perseverance matter more than public acclaim. This quotation reflects the moralized, late‑19th/early‑20th‑century American ethos in which “success” was framed as an inner standard rather than a mere tally of achievements or social reputation. Marden often wrote for readers navigating competitive business and professional life, urging them to judge themselves by sincere effort and steadfastness amid setbacks rather than by external verdicts of triumph or failure.

The quotation separates outward results (“achievement,” “reputed failure”) from the deeper measure of a life well lived: integrity of effort. Marden suggests that visible accomplishments can be hollow if they lack honest striving, while apparent failures may be genuine successes when they represent courageous persistence under difficult conditions. The emphasis on “under any and all circumstances” broadens success into a moral discipline—doing one’s best regardless of obstacles, luck, or recognition. In this view, success is less a destination than a habitual posture: sustained, conscientious endeavor that builds character even when outcomes disappoint.