Are they gloomy, morose and irritable?
If they were to that extent they would not be successful.

On the contrary, they are robust, confident individuals who have taken advantage of every rightful opportunity and possessed _the power to smile_ when all about them were in the dumps.

When everyone else thought that there wasn't a chance to win these fellows stepped in and took charge.
When we interview the failures we find that all of them give one excuse: "_I didn't have the confidence._" They may not say it in exactly these words but the meaning is plain.

They ran through the whole gamut of _self-distrust_ which is the natural result of not having started early in the study of self--the serious realization of their own capabilities.
[Illustration: _Preparing to Pair With the Prickly Pear_] This makes it easy to understand their plight.

If we know ourselves we are strengthened that much, because we can bolster up our weaknesses.