Famous quotes
Quotes by famous people, credited to who said them. Your own quotes must not match any of these. More are added all the time. 1,159,190 quotes Who coined it · How we decide
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Success and failure
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“High ethics and religious principles form the basis for success and happiness in every area of life.”
John Templeton (1912–2008) said by 2008 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The English can laugh and at the same time strike you down, without the least compunction. It is the secret of their success as a nation.”
Peter Ackroyd (born 1949) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It is only the right of conquest (derived from military success) which gives the Crown of England any illusion of sovereignty over Wales and the north of Ireland.”
Owain Owain (1929–1993) said by 1993 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The effectiveness of my actions are unimportant. Total success is unimportant. The only element of importance is that I - slave to my surroundings - did everything I could... Two minutes to go. Indoctrination?”
Owain Owain (1929–1993) said by 1993 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Perhaps I will achieve a small success today. If so, I must not be taken in. I am not on a roll, I am not in the zone. It was an accident, a happenstance. Such things are bound to happen sometimes. The false feeling of confidence will soon pass.”
John S. Hall (born 1960) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I am not successful and I probably never will be. I look around and I see successful people, and I see that they have something I don't—success. Perhaps they were born that way, or perhaps they figured something out that I can never seem to learn. I don't know. That's why I'm not successful.”
John S. Hall (born 1960) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“As success converts treason into legitimacy, so belief converts fiction into fact, and "nothing is but what is not.”
Samuel Laman Blanchard (1804–1845) said by 1845 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“For me, success is being able to give back to your friends, your family, your community, those in need and the world entire.”
Richie Sambora (born 1959) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I have never been a child prodigy. When I think back to my childhood, I can not discern any sign of future success. My only real talent couldn't be found in any curriculum: whistling.”
Bobbejaan Schoepen (1925–2010) first seen 1964 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: HUMO, ̈(1964)
“The greatest credit for the evening's success must be given to the rich-voiced Juozapaitis as Giovanni, and bass-baritone Stefano de Peppo as… Leporello.”
Vytautas Juozapaitis (born 1963) first seen 2003 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Boston Herald (September 25, 2003)
“One day of good preaching is no match for six days of inconsistent practice. God will never honor His church with complete success until it completely honors Him.”
Theodore L. Cuyler (1822–1909) said by 1909 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“By a kind of happy pre-established harmony, such as a later age discovered between the needs of society and the self-interest of the individual, success in business is in itself almost a sign of spiritual grace, for it is a proof that a man has laboured faithfully in his vocation.”
R. H. Tawney (1880–1962) said by 1962 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“that women supply with success to recapture their husbands’ straying affection”
Chinua Achebe (1930–2013) said by 2013 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Wealth is the sinews of success.”
Bion of Borysthenes (born 325 BC) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If our devotees’ (may Allah give them success in obeying Him) hearts are gathered on meeting their obligation, their good fortune of meeting us would not have been delayed, and their joy of seeing us would have been expedited.”
Muhammad al-Mahdi (born 869) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Consultation with a wise advisor is a blessing, grace, guidance and success.”
Musa al-Kadhim (745–799) said by 799 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There are people who grew up in rough environments, and you just don't hear about it. And they make it in business. They're doctors. They're lawyers. But we're not talking about that. I don't think that makes me what I am. What makes me what I am is that you have success, but you keep your head on straight and you make the right decisions in life.”
Marshall Faulk (born 1973) first seen 2002 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Sports Illustrated January 2002.
“Women’s vulnerability confessing their desire to see men as a success object is matched by men’s confession of compulsiveness of sexual desire for women.”
Warren Farrell (born 1943) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Most women’s ideal is to not be sexual until nine conditions are met: physical attraction; respect; emotional compatibility; intelligence; singleness; success (or potential ); being asked out; being paid for; and the man risking rejection by initiating the first kiss…. Men want sex as long as only one condition is met—physical attraction.”
Warren Farrell (born 1943) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When women are at the height of their beauty power and exercise it, we call it marriage. When men are at the height of their success power and exercise it, we call it a mid-life crisis.”
Warren Farrell (born 1943) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“One danger of a man succeeding is that it teaches his wife and daughter not to worry about success.”
Warren Farrell (born 1943) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The trading of wit-covered put-downs is boys and men training each other to handle criticism, unconsciously knowing that the ability to handle criticism is a prerequisite to success.”
Warren Farrell (born 1943) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I was brought up knowing you can't do anything truly by yourself. It's God blessing you in some way, shape or form. I have a religious family, and that's just how I was raised. Being a running back, it's also very obvious to me. Any running back that's ever played football, all of the success comes from the people up front. There's no way a running back can be good if nobody is blocking for him.”
Javon Ringer (born 1987) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“He [ Manet ] begged me to go straight up and see his painting [ 'Le Balcon'] - Berthe was model for this painting], as he was rooted to the spot. I've never seen anyone in such a state, one minute he was laughing, the next insisting his picture was dreadful; in the next breath, sure it would be a huge success.”
Berthe Morisot (1841–1895) first seen 1869 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: quote from Berthe Morisot to her sister Edma Morisot, after visiting the Salon of Paris in 1869; as cited in The Correspondence of Berthe Morisot, with her family and friends, Denish Rouart with Adler and Garb; Camden P…
“I think that it will be a great success, that all this painting [of Edouard Manet, shortly after his death], so fresh, so vital, will electrify the 'Palais des Beaux Arts' [in Paris], which is accustomed to dead art. It will be the revenge for so many rebuffs, but a revenge that the poor boy only in his grave.”
Berthe Morisot (1841–1895) first seen 1884 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: in a letter to her sister Edma Morisot, c. Jan 1884; as cited in: Impressionist quartet, ed. Jeffrey Meyers; publishers, Harcourt, 2005, p. 124
“The institute (Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology)'s researchers laid the foundation for its success by daring to brave the challenges they faced and learning from their failures.”
Tsai Ing-wen (born 1956) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Of course I’m delighted that Fun Home has met with such success, but it still strikes me as very unlikely that an odd, cerebral story about a lesbian and her closeted gay suicidal mortician father would have struck a chord with anyone but me.”
Alison Bechdel (born 1960) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There are two thoughts that will ensure success in all you do; (1) Don't tell everything you know, and (2) until Ace Ventura, no actor had considered talking through his ass.”
Jim Carrey (born 1962) first seen 2003 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in Major in Success (2003) by Patrick Combs and Jack Canfield, p. 60
“Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion. You must first set yourself on fire.”
Fred Shero (1925–1990) said by 1990 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The new coherent picture is not yet available. With all their immense empirical success, G(eneral)R(elativity) and Q(uantum)M(echanics) have left us with an understanding of the physical world which is unclear and badly fragmented. At the foundations of physics there is today confusion and incoherence.”
Carlo Rovelli (born 1956) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If one takes the path of success, then one ends up either successful or unsuccessful, there is no third alternative.”
Imre Kertész (1929–2016) said by 2016 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Great results in science and engineering are "bunched" in the same person too often for success to be a matter of random luck.”
Richard Hamming (1915–1998) said by 1998 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Success will come easy once you function at your full potential.”
“Let the author beware of popularity, otherwise he will be defeated by success. (p144)”
Clarice Lispector (1920–1977) said by 1977 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“… it is precisely because it is not a democracy that China will likely be so successful...What is of vital importance for economic success is economic freedom, meaning the protection of private property, the rule of law, and minimal regulation and taxation, not the right to vote.”
Peter Schiff (born 1963) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We cannot judge either of the feelings or of the characters of men with perfect accuracy from their actions or their appearance in public; it is from their careless conversations, their half-finished sentences, that we may hope with the greatest probability of success to discover their real characters.”
Maria Edgeworth (1768–1849) first seen 1800 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Castle Rackrent (1800), Preface; Tales and Novels, vol. 1, p. 9.
“I’ll be there. I’ll fill in. Tap me in, coach. It was a struggle bus. I had two cars repossessed. I was signed and dropped by three different labels. People only know me maybe because of Teenage Dream and the whirlwind and success of that and the accolades.”
Katy Perry (born 1984) first seen 2024 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Katy Perry Has a Message for Young Artists in Her MTV VMAs Video Vanguard Speech ELLE (September 11, 2024).
“Your success and happiness depend on your willingness to help others solve their problems.”
T. B. Joshua (1963–2021) first seen 2009 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On the secret of success - "TB Joshua Sends Pastor Chris Member To School" All Voices (August 25 2009)
“I took care of the depth of my relationship with God and He took care of the breadth of my success.”
T. B. Joshua (1963–2021) first seen 2013 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On the secret of his success - "TB Joshua - How To Celebrate My 50th Birthday" Nigeria Films (June 10 2013)
“The people who run the international tests told us, "the biggest predictor of student success is choice." Nations that "attach the money to the kids" and thereby allow parents to choose between different public and private schools have higher test scores. This should be no surprise; competition makes us better.”
John Stossel (born 1947) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Success always calls for greater generosity — though most people, lost in the darkness of their own egos, treat it as an occasion for greater greed. Collecting boot is not an end itself, but only a means for building an empire. Riches would be of little use to us now — except as a means of winning new friends.”
Cyrus the Great (600–530 BC) said by 530 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: In Xenophon's Cyrus the Great: The Arts of Leadership and War (2006) p. 87, also quoted in "9 Timeless Leadership Lessons from Cyrus the Great" at Forbes.com (19 April 2012)
“What I do with the majority of my free time is help people get off drugs. It’s nice to just sit and listen to them talk about what’s going on in their life and not think about what’s going on with me for a while. Success is not money, it’s happiness. Interview with DJ AM”
Adam Goldstein (1973–2009) said by 2009 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Let reason count the stars, weigh the mountains, fathom the depths — the employment becomes her, and the success is glorious. But when the question is, "How shall man be just with God?" reason must be silent, revelation must speak; and he who will not hear it assimilates himself to the first deist, Cain; he may not kill a brother, he certainly destroys himself.”
Henry Melvill (1798–1871) said by 1871 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Vainglory, however, no matter how much medieval Christianity insisted it was a sin, is a motor of mankind, no more eradicable than sex. As long as combat was desirable as the source of honor and glory, the knight had no wish to share it with the commoner, even for the sake of success.”
Barbara Tuchman (1912–1989) said by 1989 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“For even in hell, I still have faith to one day be free with my father at the gates but make no mistakes, I'll show you what time takes to be a success on earth, mixed with all the hate”
“A man once said that the pinnacle of success Was when you've finally lost interest In money, compliments, and publicity A noble enough idea I suppose How on Earth he does this heaven only knows I know I need a lot more of all three of those Before I'll ever have the nerve to turn up my nose At any money, or compliments, or publicity”
Todd Snider (1966–2025) said by 2025 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Life’s been quite a journey. My career has been slow, yet steady. I like it that way. I never wished for overnight success. Neither did I want to rush through my career and suffer a burn-out.”
Yuvan Shankar Raja (born 1979) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Any great work of art … revives and readapts time and space, and the measure of its success is the extent to which it makes you an inhabitant of that world — the extent to which it invites you in and lets you breathe its strange, special air.”
Leonard Bernstein (1918–1990) first seen 1958 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: What Makes Opera Grand?", Vogue (December 1958)
“Interviewer: Your first serialized work is a tremendous success all of a sudden. Tell us the whole story of how a newcomer came to have her works serialized.”
Hiromu Arakawa (born 1973) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The great success of this system is that it makes the general public afraid of taking responsibility, afraid of taking a position or giving a definite answer, or even of making mistakes.”