Is Success Hereditary?

Is success hereditary?
— The answer to this question is negative: many have succeeded quite unlike their fathers, and the reverse holds true as well.

What are the qualifications that lead to practical success?
— An individual's success depends on his ability and his energy: 1 — Does he try to follow the golden rule: "Do unto people as you would have people do unto you"? 2 — Does he take a hand in the affairs of society? 3 — Does he care about responsibility, and do people respect him? 4 — Does he begin with small things, working his way step by step to the top? 5 — Does he listen to every new idea with enthusiasm? 6 — Does he broaden his ideas by study and inquiry?

What are the traits an individual needs in order to attain success?
— This is the answer of an expert who has studied the various conditions that lead to success: devotion to a goal and cleaving to a lofty idea — and this requires thinking straight, within the practical sphere, and then searching out what the soul aspires to, whatever efforts it may cost. And here are some of the qualities you will need: 1 — Influence over others, and adaptability. 2 — Capacity for work, and the giving of sufficient time to perform it. 3 — Courage to face obstacles and difficulties. 4 — Good health. 5 — Participation in social activity. 6 — A liberal education, which leads to sound, disinterested thinking!