To many outsiders, America is known as the land of opportunity. Many believe that by coming to this country they will suddenly get a new life. The American dream is one that many philosophers have studied and it still seems very real, but rare. However, the reason why it is not very common is not strictly due to economics, but to the laziness that is familiar with the term “freedom”. Dante Alighieri's famous text The Inferno outlines many moral ideas. In this tale, a man named Dante the Pilgrim embarks on a journey to Hell with Virgil. They pass through many different levels and circles of Hell, each representing a major sin or crime. Although it is a very controversial book, there is one specific passage that is important to be successful. In this quote Virgil addresses a tired Dante on his way through the seventh circle of Hell: “'Stand up! This is no time to get tired!' shouted my Master. “The sleeping man will never wake fame, and his desire and all his life pass by him like a dream, and the traces of his memory fade from time like smoke in the air, or ripples in a stream. So now get up. Control your breathing and invoke the soul strength that wins all battles unless you sink into the fall of the gross body. There is still an even longer ladder to climb: all this is not enough. If you understand me, show that you intend to profit from your time.'” (Page 207, lines 46-57) Through careful analysis and criticism, we can separate this passage and see the important themes portrayed in Dante's famous book The L hell and how they can link to success. First of all, we can look at the two sentences of Dante's text and see how they portray the brevity of life. We were always told to live among paper... they had to be that way. We can choose how to become prosperous, but if we simply follow human thinking we will find ourselves in Alighieri's Hell. The importance of the passage we analyzed is that it helps show people what really matters. Success doesn't come easily and is an uphill battle. Yet, if you follow what he has outlined, you can find what you are looking for. All you have to do is recognize three things: life is short, you have the strength to overcome anything, and obstacles are transforming you into a better person. No critic could argue that this was not in that passage. Alighieri can be seen as a Hellion, or a sadist, but the fact of the matter is that he knew what he was doing. He played a game in his book and, in the end, the reader changed. This was the purpose of his book and with his words people can become great leaders.