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Quotes by famous people, credited to who said them. Your own quotes must not match any of these. More are added all the time. 1,158,269 quotes Who coined it · How we decide

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Success and failure

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• “I have told you that emotions also possess an electrical reality. Thoughts formed and sent out within the impulse range of emotion often succeed because of the peculiar nature of emotional electrical impulses themselves. They have a particularly strong electrical mass.”

  Jane Roberts (1929–1984) said by 1984 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “Civilisation is a conspiracy. What value would your police be if every criminal could find a sanctuary across the Channel, or your law courts, if no other tribunal recognised their decisions? Modern life is the silent compact of comfortable folk to keep up pretences. And it will succeed till the day comes when there is another compact to strip them bare.”

  John Buchan (1875–1940) said by 1940 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “Sometimes the things we want most are the hardest to get. That means you need to be even more determined to succeed. That's what it takes to be a winner. You have to want it bad enough to stick with it no matter how tough things get.”

  Chuck Norris (1940–2026) said by 2026 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “After all, dangers are everywhere; those who turn back because of dangers will never succeed in any life that we can imagine.”

  H. Rider Haggard (1856–1925) first seen 1915 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: The Holy Flower (1915), CHAPTER 9, BAUSI THE KING

• “You just have to dare to succeed.”

  Leopold II of Belgium (1835–1909) first seen 1835 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: All the King's Men' A search for the colonial ideas of some advisers and "accomplices" of Leopold II (1853-1892). (Hannes Vanhauwaert), Preface:A historiographical picture of Leopold II (1835-1909) Parliamentary Annals …

• “In business I believe the idea is to look for opportunities and if you do what others are doing you will never succeed.”

  Hari Punja (born 1936) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “I have always maintained that no nation can ever be worthy of its existence that cannot take its women along with the men. No struggle can ever succeed without women participating side by side with men. There are two powers in the world; one is the sword and the other is the pen. There is a great competition and rivalry between the two. There is a third power stronger than both, that of the women.”

  Muhammad Ali Jinnah (1876–1948) first seen 1940 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Speech at Islamia College for women (25 March 1940)

• “One who does not use his intelligence will not succeed and one who does not use his knowledge will have no intellect. One who understands will attain nobility and excellence, and one who is tolerant will triumph. Knowledge is a shield (against evil), truth begets honour and ignorance disgrace, understanding is distinction, generosity is salvation and good manners command love and respect.”

  Ja'far al-Sadiq (699–765) said by 765 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “If I am assassinated, there is only one person responsible: the president of the United States. If, by the hand of the devil, these perverse plans succeed...forget about Venezuelan oil, Mr. Bush. I will not hide, I will walk in the streets with all of you...but I know I am condemned to death.”

  Hugo Chávez (1954–2013) first seen 2005 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Hugo Chávez message to George Bush during his television/radio show ¡Aló Presidente! on February 20, 2005.

• “There are, and always have been, destructive pseudo-scientific notions linked to race and religion; these are the most widespread and damaging. Hopefully, educated people can succeed in shedding light into these areas of prejudice and ignorance, for as Voltaire once said: "Men will commit atrocities as long as they believe absurdities.”

  Martin Gardner (1914–2010) first seen 1968 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Bernard Sussman, "Exclusive Interview with Martin Gardner", Southwind (Miami-Dade Junior College), Vol. 3, No. 1 (Fall 1968)

• “I do not disguise from myself the fact that I can never make all the members of our nation equally happy and contented. But I have good hope that I shall succeed in bringing about a state of things with which all can be content who have the will to be so.”

  Wilhelm II, German Emperor (1859–1941) said by 1941 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “I would rather be beaten in Right than succeed in Wrong.”

  James A. Garfield (1831–1881) first seen 1880 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Maxims of James Abram Garfield (1880), compiled by William Ralston Balch, p. 1

• “We do not even inquire whether a black man is a rebel in arms, or not, if he is black, be he friend or foe, he is thought best kept at a distance. It is hardly possible God will let us succeed while such enormities are practiced.”

  James A. Garfield (1831–1881) first seen 1862 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Regarding slavery (1862), as quoted in Garfield: A Biography (1978), by Allan Peskin, p. 145

• “The men who succeed best in public life are those who take the risk of standing by their own convictions.”

  James A. Garfield (1831–1881) said by 1881 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “If the tide of defamation and abuse shall turn, and my administration come to be praised, future Vice-Presidents who may succeed to the Presidency may feel some slight encouragement to pursue an independent course.”

  John Tyler (1790–1862) first seen 1848 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Letter to Robert Tyler (12 March 1848).

• “The unrestricted competition so commonly advocated does not leave us the survival of the fittest. The unscrupulous succeed best in accumulating wealth.”

  Rutherford B. Hayes (1822–1893) first seen 1890 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Diary (12 December 1890)

• “I hate writing. I so intensely hate writing — I cannot tell you how much. The moment I am at the end of one project I have the idea that I didn’t really succeed in telling what I wanted to tell, that I need a new project — it’s an absolute nightmare. But my whole economy of writing is in fact based on an obsessional ritual to avoid the actual act of writing.”

  Slavoj Žižek (born 1949) first seen 2004 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Conversations with Žižek by Slavoj Žižek and Glyn Daly (Cambridge: Polity Press, 2004), p. 42

• “The totalitarian movements aim at and succeed in organizing masses—not classes, like the old interest parties of the Continental nation-states; not citizens with opinions about, interests in, the handling of public affairs, like the parties of Anglo-Saxon countries.”

  Hannah Arendt (1906–1975) said by 1975 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “To conceive the good, in fact, is not sufficient; it must be made to succeed among men. To accomplish this less pure paths must be followed.”

  Ernest Renan (1823–1892) said by 1892 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “Ideals are like stars; you will not succeed in touching them with your hands. But like the seafaring man on the desert of waters, you choose them as your guides, and following them you will reach your destiny.”

  Carl Schurz (1829–1906) first seen 1859 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Address, Faneuil Hall, Boston (18 April 1859)

• “If we would succeed in works of the imagination, we must offer a mild morality in the midst of rigid manners; but where the manners are corrupt, we must consistently hold up to view an austere morality.”

  Anne Louise Germaine de Staël (1766–1817) first seen 1800 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: The Influence of Literature upon Society (1800), Pt. 2, ch. 5

• “I'm a proud capitalist. I spent most of my career representing the corporate state of Delaware. I know America can't succeed unless American business succeeds. But let me be very clear: Capitalism without competition isn't capitalism; it's exploitation.”

  Joe Biden (born 1942) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “We're going to see more changes in the next 10 years than we've seen in the last 50 years. … The questions we must answer today are not about how much we trade, but about how we build resilience, lift up working people, reduce carbon emissions, and set up our economies to succeed over the long run. How to deliver growth from the bottom up and the middle out so no one gets left behind.”

  Joe Biden (born 1942) first seen 2023 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Remarks at the APEC CEO Summit, San Francisco, California (16 November 2023)

• “Nothing helps a lie succeed more than a generous helping of the truth.”

  Tom Holt (born 1961) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “Fascism has been famously described as "a counter-revolution against a revolution that never took place". You don't have to succeed in generating a new movement committed to a campaign of violence to create a monster much bigger than you are: a monster that will close down the last chance of saving Earth systems. If you are going to take a physical shot at capitalism, you had better not miss.”

  George Monbiot (born 1963) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “How simple it seems now. We thought the Sermon on the Mount was a nice allegory and nothing more. What we didn't understand until we got to be a little older was that it was the whole answer, the whole truth. That the way — the only way — to succeed and to be happy is to learn those rules so basic that a shepherd's son could teach them to an ignorant flock without notes or formulae.”

  Mario Cuomo (1932–2015) said by 2015 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “I came from an environment where I needed to succeed. There was no wealth or anything like that in the family. Not that we were paupers, but we had to fend for ourselves. Kids today are not as hungry as I was. They don’t understand how tough my generation was.”

  Alan Sugar (born 1947) first seen 2009 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: From an interview with Jan Moir, Daily Mail, 25th March 2009.

• “[S]till hope leads men to venture; and no one ever yet put himself in peril without the inward conviction that he would succeed in his design.”

  Thucydides (461–395 BC) said by 395 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “And it is certain that those who do not yield to their equals, who keep terms with their superiors, and are moderate towards their inferiors, on the whole succeed best.”

  Thucydides (461–395 BC) said by 395 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “A candidate for the priesthood could only succeed to office by slaying the priest, and having slain him, he retained office till he was himself slain by a stronger or a craftier.”

  James Frazer (1854–1941) said by 1941 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “As a consequence of this the men on strike are believed by millions of people who know nothing of the facts to be wild, riotous, drunken, worthless scamps, whereas the very opposite is the truth. The military and police have been sent to help the masters to crush the men. The trick won’t succeed.”

  Keir Hardie (1856–1915) said by 1915 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “It is only when the correct practice is followed for a long time, without interruptions and with a quality of positive attitude and eagerness, that it can succeed.”

  Patañjali (active around 201 BC) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “When I was a little boy I used to repeat: "If at first you don't succeed, try, try, try again." That is what I am doing. When I come back I hope I may be able to say, as Hotspur said in Henry IV, "Out of this nettle, danger, we pluck this flower, safety.”

  Neville Chamberlain (1869–1940) first seen 1938 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Speech at Heston Airport before his flight to Munich to meet Hitler (29 September 1938), quoted in The Times (30 September 1938), p. 12

• “We cannot agree that an act of plunder which threatens the livelihood of many nations should be allowed to succeed. And we must make sure that the life of the great trading nations of the world cannot in the future be strangled at any moment by some interruption to the free passage of the Canal.”

  Anthony Eden (1897–1977) first seen 1956 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Conclusion of broadcast (8 August 1956), quoted in Anthony Gorst and Lewis Johnman, The Suez Crisis (2013), p. 70

• “If we do not succeed with political union...then the historic decline of Europe which began with the First World War will resume.”

  Jacques Delors (1925–2023) first seen 1991 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Interview with Der Spiegel, quoted in The Times (14 October 1991), p. 1

• “Why brilliant fashion-designers, a notoriously non-analytic breed,sometimes succeed in anticipating the shape of things to come better than professional predictors, is one of the most obscure questions in history; and, for the historian of culture, one of the most central.”

  Eric Hobsbawm (1917–2012) first seen 1914 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Chapter Six, The Arts 1914-1945

• “It's a "hits" economy where resources flow to those that show some life. If a new novel, new product, or new service begins to succeed it is fed more; if it falters its left to wither.”

  Kevin Kelly (editor) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “Please understand, I am not saying that technology is unimportant. I understand that technology is important. But if we are just focusing on technology and investing in an IT manufacturing plant to come up with higher performance processing [chips], we will not succeed.”

  Satoru Iwata (1959–2015) said by 2015 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “I am giving you permission to succeed.”

  Martin de Maat (1949–2001) said by 2001 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “God, how pointless and empty the world is! Days filled with cheap and tarnished moments succeed each other, restless and haunted nights follow in bitter routine: the sun shines without brightness, and the moon rises without light.”

  Malcolm Lowry (1909–1957) said by 1957 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “Shi'ism is a religion of doing nothing. It can never succeed without doing nothing. When it succeeds, Shi'ism is still nothing. In the Islamic context at large, it partakes in the masculinism of its transcendental deity and in the Iranian context in particular it exacerbates itself by partaking in monarchical masculinity.”

  Hamid Dabashi (born 1951) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “Since the war we had produced a quarter more goods and services—and paid ourselves 80 per cent more money for doing it. That is why there is too much demand—too much spending power—and you will not stop that by fixing prices. What we have got to do is to stop pumping money in, or only pump it in at the same rate as the extra production we succeed in turning out.”

  Harold Macmillan (1894–1986) first seen 1956 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Broadcast (25 February 1956), quoted in 'Mr. Macmillan's Appeal', The Times (27 February 1956), p. 3

• “Let brothers and sisters from one end of the world, speak in all brotherly love, all affection, and one sweetness, to their brothers and sisters in the other extremity of the world. Then we shall succeed in rearing up one vast cathedral in this world, where men of all nations and races shall glorify the Supreme Ruler of the Universe.”

  Keshub Chunder Sen (1838–1884) first seen 1870 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Sermon preached at Mill-hill Chapel, Leeds on 28th August 1870.

• “You will be judged by what you succeed at gentlemen, not by what you attempt.”

  Clement Attlee (1883–1967) first seen 1945 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: On formation of Government after landslide victory in 1945.

• “The Spirit tells me - Fidel Castro will die - in the 90's. Oooh my! Some will try to kill him and they will not succeed. But there will come a change in his physical health, and he will not stay in power, and Cuba will be visited of God.”

  Benny Hinn (born 1952) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “I have a feeling that sooner or later I shall arrive at something legitimate, only I must begin, not with hypotheses, but with specific instances, no matter how minute. If I then succeed in distinguishing a clear structure, I get more from it than from a lofty imaginary construction. And the typical will automatically follow from a series of examples.”

  Paul Klee (1879–1940) first seen 1902 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Quote (Bern, April 1902), as cited in Artists on Art, from the 14th – 20th centuries, ed. Robert Goldwater and Marco Treves; Pantheon Books, 1972, London, p. 442

• “We document, explain, justify, construct, organize: these are good things, but we do not succeed in coming to the whole.. .But we may as well calm down: construction is not absolute. Our virtue is this: by cultivating the exact we have laid the foundations for a science of art, including the unknown X.”

  Paul Klee (1879–1940) first seen 1917 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Statement of 1917; as quoted in Teaching at the Bauhaus (2000) by Rainer Wick and Gabriele Diana Grawe, p. 231

• “It is still in the lap of the gods whether a society can succeed which is based on "civil liberties and human rights" conceived as I have tried to describe them; but of one thing at least we may be sure: the alternatives that have so far appeared have been immeasurably worse.”

  Learned Hand (1872–1961) first seen 1955 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: A Fanfare for Prometheus" (29 January 1955).

• “Remember, we need global help right now to get the vaccines. The person who needs the help cannot have ego. Ego never served anyone anyway, but if we keep ego or fake pride now, when we need help, we won't succeed. Heads down, get to work, source and administer the vaccines.”

  Chetan Bhagat (born 1974) first seen 2021 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: — Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) April 28, 2021 also quoted in [https://tfipost.com/2021/05/while-liberals-promote-pfizer-vaccine-the-company-bullied-latin-american-nations-to-put-sovereign-assets-as-collateral/

• “It's quite beyond my powers at my age, and yet I want to succeed in expressing what I feel.”

  Claude Monet (1840–1926) first seen 1908 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: his remark in 1908; as quoted in The Private Lives of the Impressionists Sue Roe; Harper Collins Publishers, New York, 2006, p. 269

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