A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him.

The aphorism frames success as a kind of alchemy: the ability to convert hostility, criticism, or misfortune (“bricks” thrown in anger) into constructive material for one’s own growth (“a firm foundation”). It implies resilience and agency—setbacks do not merely happen to the successful person; they are repurposed into learning, discipline, and strategic advantage. The image also suggests that opposition is inevitable, even normal, and that what distinguishes a “successful man” is not the absence of attacks but the capacity to build steadily despite them. In a broader moral sense, it commends composure and creativity over retaliation.

A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.
A successful person is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at them.
A successful man is one who can build a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him.