Not the Salary But the Opportunity

by Orison Swett Marden

The value of a job comes not only in the paycheck but also in the chance to learn new skills and absorb the secrets of business. Self-help pioneer Orison Swett Marden-the preeminent motivational expert of the early 20th century and a forerunner of Dale Carnegie and Norman Vincent Peale, Stephen R. Covey and Anthony Robbins-recognized this truth a century ago, and in this concise 1909 work, he explains how to find the "salary" beyond mere dollars and sense. From the vital importance of self-respect to the best way to cultivate the right attitude for success in the business world, Marden's advice is just as timely today as it was a century ago...and just as useful. American writer and editor ORISON SWETT MARDEN (1850-1924) was born in New England and studied at Boston University and Andover Theological Seminary. In 1897, he founded Success Magazine.

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Orison Swett Marden (1850-1924) was an American writer associated with the New Thought Movement. He also held a degree in medicine, and was a successful hotel owner.

Marden was born in Thornton Gore, New Hampshire to Lewis and Martha Marden. When he was three years old, his mother died at the age of 22, leaving Orison and his two sisters in the care of their father, a farmer, hunter, and trapper. When Orison was seven years old, his father died from injuries incurred while in the woods, and the children were shuttled from one guardian to another, with Orison working as a "hired boy" to earn his keep. Inspired by an early self-help book by the Scottish author Samuel Smiles, which he found in an attic, Marden set out to improve himself and his life circumstances. He persevered in advancing himself and graduated from Boston University in 1871. He later graduated from Harvard with an M.D. in 1881 and an LL.B. degree in 1882. He also studied at the Boston School of Oratory and Andover Theological Seminary.