Samuel Smiles — Self-Help

A knowledge base on Self-Help (1859), Samuel Smiles's Victorian
self-improvement classic and the founding book of the entire self-help genre.
Extracted from the English original (Project Gutenberg #935); every claim is
grounded in a verbatim quote.

Smiles preaches growth from within rather than reliance on outside help;
perseverance and application against the cult of genius; industry as education,
not a source of wealth; character as life's true crown. His argument: a nation's
freedom grows out of individual character, not institutions.

Source: smiles.2pub.me