True Success: A New Philosophy of Excellence [Paperback]

Tom Morris (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1995

Using the wisdom of great thinkers of the past and examples from his own life, Notre Dame philosophy professor Tom Morris illustrates the power of imagination and commitment and urges readers to strive for personal excellence instead of competitive excellence in today's business world.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This eclectic author, philosopher (Univ. of Notre Dame), composer, and rock guitarist joins a long list of others who write in a genre that appeals to New Age thinkers with substantial questions about life, work, and the topic of Morris's 13th book: success. Morris describes his seven Cs of success, which he relates to real-life situations, his personal remembrances, and exemplary anecdotes. The Cs are conception, confidence, concentration, consistency, commitment, character, and a capacity to enjoy the process along the way. Stephen Covey has sparked many imitators, and this is one of them; Morris's ideas are nothing but a rehash of Covey's solid The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People ( LJ 3/15/90). Recommended for general collections that do not own Covey's trendsetting tomes. See the preceeding review of Stephen Covey & others' First Things First for an assessment of his latest work.--Ed.
- Dale Farris, Groves, Tex.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

Slick sloganeering about the meaning of life, laced with quotable quotes from philosophical heavyweights. A professor of philosophy at Notre Dame who takes considerable pride in his success teaching football players, Morris is a master of catchy mnemonics, especially alliteration. Here, he explains how the key to success lies in the seven C's of conception, confidence, concentration, consistency, commitment of emotional energy, character, and capacity to enjoy. Each C is spelled out in its own chapter, and all are full of appropriate examples from Morris' own life and stories gleaned from other sources and studded with sayings from the likes of Socrates, Thoreau, Bacon, Confucius, and Carlyle. His advice is determinedly simplistic: e.g., make a list of your goals on a 3x5 card and tape it up where you'll see it frequently. He cannot resist rhetoric such as ``you have to plan your work and then work your plan,'' but alliteration appears to be his favorite teaching device. Besides the seven C's of success, there's the 2- U Principle (involving uniqueness and union), the Human Happiness 4-U Thesis (involving the above plus usefulness and understanding), and the great I AM acrostic defining the basic dimensions of human life as the intellectual, aesthetic, and moral. His message is simple: don't confuse success with power, wealth, status, or fame, for it lies instead in personal excellence and fulfillment. There's little that is new or controversial in Morris' philosophy; the package he has put together demonstrates his facility as a teacher rather than any originality as a thinker. (First printing of 75,000) -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Trade (April 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425146154
• ISBN-13: 978-0425146156
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #668,950 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A WONDERFUL BOOK, April 7, 2000

By 

John (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: True Success: A New Philosophy of Excellence (Paperback)

Tom Morris has accomplished something remarkable in this book. He has made the thinking of the history's greatest minds much more accessable for the everday person (like me). Instead of surrounding philisophy with elitist airs, he focuses on how important it is to apply the great thinking of the past to our everyday lives.

Morris begins by debunking the popular myth of success. By weaving the thoughts of Socrates and others cleanly into the text he shows quite convincingly that becoming our best selves is the surest path to lasting success. He view is also quite practical - he recognizes that the measure of your life is in what you do, not just what you think. Also, he understands that money is very necessary part of life; it's just not a satisfying goal in and of itself.

Morris' 7Cs framework is a useful guide to pursuing success. As he points out the path to success isn't always easy. The 7Cs framework is a useful map, especially when you have to navigate the rough spots.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars True Success by Tom Morris, November 27, 2007

By 

Roger Caffrey - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: True Success: A New Philosophy of Excellence (Paperback)

I am not going into an extensive review other than to say that I have reread this book each year for the past three years. I am giving copies to my adult children and have recommended it my employees. If you are interested in improving your perspective of life and want reach a higher level of self satisfaction and appreciate, then get a copy of this book, unline key phrases as you read, and then reread it on occasion. The only reason I am giving this book a five star rating is they do offer the chance to rate it higher.

10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT Book!, May 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: True Success: A New Philosophy of Excellence (Paperback)

I picked it up thinking it was a spin on the voluntary simplicty view of success, but I GOT SO MUCH MORE out of it! It is fantastic! I have had no previous exposure to Philosophy, but this book really has me inspired to look up some of the works written by the people he quotes in it. Tom's idea of "true success" and how to achieve it can be applied to EVERY PART of a person's life--whether it's work, home, family life, community, etc., and still be congruent with a persons values and long-term goals. A REAL WINNER!