Editorial status
altered
The popular imperative turns Thoreau's conditional sentence into two commands and removes its surrounding context. The source is Walden, not a standalone slogan.
If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.
Earliest traceable appearance in this record: 1854, Walden, chapter ‘What I Lived For’.