If you lose 12 times, will you just give up? Dale Carnegie, a pioneer in public speaking and self-development, kept trying. And he became famous by showing people how to be successful.
Carnegie was born in 1888 to a poor farming family in the central United States. The boy didn't see a train until he was 12 years old. In his teens, he had to get up at 4 am every day to milk the cows in his family.
When Carnegie first entered college, he felt hopeless because of his clothes and ordinary looks. His mother encouraged him, "Why not try to be better in other things instead of just dress and good looks?"
Carnegie tried to be more active in college. He joined the debate (辩论) team. But one after another, he lost 12 times. The young man was very upset. Ha said later that he thought of killing himself after so many failures.
But soon Carnegie was seen practicing public speaking on the riverside. His hard work paid off at last. In 1906, Carnegie won a famous speech contest and became widely known.
The young man made his own words come true, "Believe that you will succeed, and you will". In order to share his success, Carnegie opened schools and wrote books. His best-sellers include How to Win Friends and Influence People and How to Stop Worrying and Start Living. More than 50 million copies of his books have been printed in 38 languages. They are still helping people on the road.
