Success in any undertaking comes of patient, unremitting effort. You cannot have it, unless you resolutely concentrate your energies upon your work; and resolutely refuse to be diverted by other subjects, no matter how important or interesting. When something else thrusts itself in, and demands notice, you must be ready to say: “I pass that by. I am going ahead.”
William Henry Seward by John Phillips
c. 1856
Oil painting on canvas, painted by Scottish-born painter John Philip, commissioned by George Washington Patterson, Lt. Governor and Congressman of NY and friend of Seward. John Philip (1817-1867) was a Victorian era Scottish painter best known for his portrayals of Spanish life.