Having a growth mindset (the belief that you are in control of your own ability, and can learn and improve) is the key to success. Yes, hard work, effort, and persistence are all important, but not as important as having that underlying belief that you are in control of your own destiny
Although the principles of separation of church and state along with freedom of the press were advocated by many different Enlightenment philosophers, perhaps the most famous was John Locke.
