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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“The three great American vices seem to be efficiency, punctuality, and the desire for achievement and success. They are the things that make the Americans so unhappy and so nervous.”
Lin Yutang (1895–1976) said by 1976 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If this life be not a real fight, in which something is eternally gained for the universe by success, it is no better than a game of private theatricals from which one may withdraw at will. But it feels like a real fight.”
William James (1842–1910) said by 1910 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Anyone who has to fight, even with the most modern weapons, against an enemy in complete command of the air, fights like a savage against modern European troops, under the same handicaps and with the same chances of success.”
Erwin Rommel (1891–1944) said by 1944 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Simply put, when you invite people’s best thinking and lead like a multiplier, your team will give you more—more discretionary effort, more mental and physical energy, and more of the fresh ideas critical for long-term success.”
Greg McKeown (author) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The world judge of men by their ability in their profession, and we judge of ourselves by the same test; for it is on that on which our success in life depends.”
William Hazlitt (1778–1830) said by 1830 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The way to secure success, is to be more anxious about obtaining than about deserving it; the surest hindrance to it is to have too high a standard of refinement in our own minds, or too high an opinion of the discernment of the public.”
William Hazlitt (1778–1830) said by 1830 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I... found a significant advantage in selecting aged traders, using as a selection criterion their cumulative years of experience rather than their absolute success... [O]lder people have been exposed longer to the rare event and can be, convincingly, more resistant to it.”
Nassim Nicholas Taleb (born 1960) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Success is becoming in middle adulthood what you dreamed to be in late childhood.”
Nassim Nicholas Taleb (born 1960) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I like thinking big. I always have. To me it's very simple: if you're going to be thinking anyway, you might as well think big. Most people think small, because most people are afraid of success, afraid of making decisions, afraid of winning. And that gives people like me a great advantage.”
Donald Trump (born 1946) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If you don't tell people about your success, they probably won't know about it.”
Donald Trump (born 1946) first seen 2004 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Trump: How to Get Rich (2004), p. xiii
“Passion is absolutely necessary to achieve any kind of long-lasting success. I know this from experience. If you don't have passion, everything you do will ultimately fizzle out or, at best, be mediocre.”
Donald Trump (born 1946) first seen 2007 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Trump 101 The Way to Success (2007), p. 2
“Well, I think I was born with a drive for success. I had a father who was successful. He was a builder in Brooklyn and Koreans. And he was successful. And, you know, I have a certain gene. I'm a gene believer. Hey, when you connect two race horses, you usually end up with a fast horse. And I really was -- you know, I had a -- a good gene pool from the standpoint of that.”
Donald Trump (born 1946) first seen 2010 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: CNN interview (February 2010)
“They all said, a lot of the pundits on television, "Well, Donald will never run, and one of the main reasons is he's private and he's probably not as successful as everybody thinks." So I said to myself, you know, nobody's ever going to know unless I run, because I'm really proud of my success.”
Donald Trump (born 1946) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I think that I would be a great uniter. I think that I would have great diplomatic skills. I think that I would be able to get along with people very well. I've had a great success in my life. I think the world would unite if I were the leader of the United States.”
Donald Trump (born 1946) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein? This guy’s been talked about for years…. Are people still talking about this guy? This creep? That is unbelievable. I can’t believe you’re asking a question on Epstein at a time like this, when we’re having some of the greatest success and also tragedy with what happened in Texas. It just seems like a desecration.”
Donald Trump (born 1946) first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Responding to a reporter’s question to Attorney General Pam Bondi regarding Jeffrey Epstein, quoted in Trump questions why people are talking about ‘creep’ Epstein - despite his push to release the files Yahoo News (Jul…
“Already, I’ve secured a record-breaking $18 trillion of investment into the United States, which means jobs, wage increases, growth, factory openings and far greater national security. Much of this success has been accomplished by tariffs, my favorite word, tariffs, which for many decades have been used successfully by other countries against us, but not anymore.”
Donald Trump (born 1946) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I have determined that the fastest way to bring The Trump Kennedy Center to the highest level of Success, Beauty, and Grandeur, is to cease Entertainment Operations for an approximately two year period of time, with a scheduled Grand Reopening that will rival and surpass anything that has taken place with respect to such a Facility before.”
Donald Trump (born 1946) first seen 2026 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Announcement of closure of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (1 February 2026), referred to by Trump as "The Trump Kennedy Center" without authorization of such a renaming by the US Congress.
“The Super Bowl Halftime Show is absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER! It makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and doesn’t represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence.”
Donald Trump (born 1946) first seen 2026 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Claimed about the show with the US rapper Bad Bunny, quoted in "Trump says Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime was 'absolutely terrible'" Reuters ( February 9, 2026)
“Enjoy your sweat because hard work doesn't guarantee success, but without it, you don't have a chance.”
Alex Rodriguez (born 1975) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There are only three ways of dealing with sex. It may be gratified; it may be repressed; or it may be sublimated. The latter is, through history, often an ideal and frequently a success, but it is always an instability.”
Theodore Sturgeon (1918–1985) said by 1985 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Gentlemen, there is nothing sweeter than success, and you boys have got it!”
Margaret Thatcher (1925–2013) first seen 1980 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Her comment to the SAS group, at 9.45 p.m. soon after Operation Nimrod (5 May 1980)
“It is not our policy to suppress success.”
Margaret Thatcher (1925–2013) said by 2013 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Singapore's success shows us that:”
Margaret Thatcher (1925–2013) said by 2013 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There are no absolute certainties in this universe. A man must try to whip order into a yelping pack of probabilities, and uniform success is impossible.”
Jack Vance (1916–2013) said by 2013 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There is a limit to the success of conservative populism and the exploitation of "little guy" or "silent majority" rhetoric, and it is very often reached because of the emaciated, corrupted personalities of the demagogues themselves.”
Christopher Hitchens (1949–2011) first seen 1990 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Nixon: Maestro of Resentment" (1990).
“I knew that however bad the Republican party was, the Democratic party was much worse. The elements of which the Republican party was composed gave better ground for the ultimate hope of the success of the colored man's cause than those of the Democratic party.”
Frederick Douglass (1818–1895) said by 1895 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in Life and Times of Frederick Douglass (1941), chapter 47, p. 579
“I am an enthusiast, but not a crank in the sense that I have some pet theories as to the proper construction of a flying machine. I wish to avail myself of all that is already known and then if possible add my mite to help on the future worker who will attain final success.”
Wilbur Wright (1867–1912) first seen 1899 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter of inquiry to the Smithsonian Institution requesting available publications on human flight (30 May 1899)
“The central conservative truth is that it is culture, not politics, that determines the success of a society. The central liberal truth is that politics can change a culture and save it from itself.”
Daniel Patrick Moynihan (1927–2003) first seen 2003 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: 'Memorandum dated March 2003' in Steven Weisman ed., "Daniel Patrick Moynihan: A Portrait in Letters of an American Visionary
“[Before her success] I totally felt a waste of space. I was lousy. Yes I did, yes. And now I feel that, it turns out there was one thing I was good at, and I'd always expected I could tell a story, and I suppose it's rather sad that I needed confirmation by being published.”
J. K. Rowling (born 1965) first seen 2003 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in an interview with Jeremy Paxman, on Newsnight, from an edited transcript as published in "'Harry is a lot, lot, lot angrier in this book'", The Telegraph (20 June 2003)
“Though I had success in my research both when I was mad and when I was not, eventually I felt that my work would be better respected if I thought and acted like a 'normal' person.”
John Forbes Nash Jr. (1928–2015) first seen 2001 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in A Beautiful Mind, (2001); also cited in Quantum Phaith (2011), by Jeffrey Strickland, p. 197
“We can come to look upon the deaths of our enemies with as much regret as we feel for those of our friends, namely, when we miss their existence as witnesses to our success.”
Arthur Schopenhauer (1788–1860) said by 1860 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There is only one success … to be able to spend your life in your own way.”
Christopher Morley (1890–1957) first seen 1922 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Where the Blue Begins (1922)
“Thomas A. Edison "failed" ten thousand times before he perfected the incandescent electric light bulb. That is--he met with temporary defeat ten thousand times, before his efforts were crowned with success. p. 73”
Napoleon Hill (1883–1970) said by 1970 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“No person may enjoy outstanding success without good health. Many of the causes of ill health are subject to mastery and control. These, in the main are: a. Overeating of foods not conducive to health. b. Wrong habits of thought... c. Wrong use of, and over indulgence in sex. d. Lack of proper physical exercise e. An inadequate supply of fresh air, due to improper breathing. p. 86”
Napoleon Hill (1883–1970) said by 1970 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Success comes through the application of power, and power is attained through the cooperative efforts of other people. A negative personality will not induce cooperation. p. 87”
Napoleon Hill (1883–1970) said by 1970 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The most damaging forms of intemperance are connected with eating, strong drink, and sexual activities. Overindulgence in any of these is fatal to success. p.88”
Napoleon Hill (1883–1970) said by 1970 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Sons and daughters of wealthy men, and others who inherit money which they did not earn... Power in the hands of one who did not acquire it gradually, is often fatal to success.”
Napoleon Hill (1883–1970) said by 1970 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Mind control is the result of self-discipline and habit. You either control your mind or it controls you. There is no half-way compromise. The most practical of all methods for controlling the mind is the habit of keeping it busy with a definite purpose, backed by a definite plan...Without this control, success is not possible. p. 173”
Napoleon Hill (1883–1970) said by 1970 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Give hope (the magic ingredient for success) — you will have hope and be made hopeful.”
W. Clement Stone (1902–2002) said by 2002 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“What will remain of the greatest effort of the human civilizations for an enlargement of universal civilization I shall not attempt to foresee, after ten years of talk in which victors and vanquished have gone on the same tack to shatter, one by one, every guarantee of success.”
Georges Clemenceau (1841–1929) said by 1929 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I had all the disadvantages necessary for success.”
Larry Ellison (born 1944) first seen 2018 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: 2018 interview with Fox Business
“If the success of the Bush presidency hinges on the outcome of the war in Iraq, that war is even more critical to the cabal that exploited 9/11 to maneuver us into it... All the neocon eggs are in the Baghdad basket.”
Pat Buchanan (born 1938) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I believe that anyone can be successful in life, regardless of natural talent or the environment within which we live. This is not based on measuring success by human competitiveness for wealth, possessions, influence, and fame, but adhering to God's standards of truth, justice, humility, service, compassion, forgiveness, and love.”
Jimmy Carter (1924–2024) said by 2024 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There is no deodorant like success.”
Elizabeth Taylor (1932–2011) first seen 1964 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: LIFE (18 Dec 1964) Page 82
“Physicians have this advantage: the sun lights their success and the earth covers their failures.”
Michel de Montaigne (1533–1592) said by 1592 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“All science must start with some assumptions as to the ultimate analysis of the facts with which it deals. These assumptions are justified partly by their adherence to the types of occurrence of which we are directly conscious, and partly by their success in representing the observed facts with a certain generality, devoid of ad hoc suppositions.”
Alfred North Whitehead (1861–1947) said by 1947 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Systems, scientific and philosophic, come and go. Each method of limited understanding is at length exhausted. In its prime each system is a triumphant success: in its decay it is an obstructive nuisance.”
Alfred North Whitehead (1861–1947) said by 1947 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Soul-serving requires a heart that beats hard against the ribs. It requires a soul full of the milk of human kindness. This is the sine qua non of success.”
Charles Spurgeon (1834–1892) said by 1892 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I owe my success to the fact that I never had a clock in my workroom. Seventy-five of us worked twenty hours every day and slept only four hours — and thrived on it.”
Thomas Edison (1847–1931) said by 1931 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Diary entry, as quoted in Defending and Parenting Children Who Learn Differently : Lessons from Edison's Mother (2007) by Scott Teel, p. 12
“I have had a larger responsibility of human lives than ever man or woman had before. And I attribute my success to this — I never gave or took an excuse. Yes, I do see the difference now between me and other men. When a disaster happens, I act and they make excuses.”
Florence Nightingale (1820–1910) first seen 1861 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter to Miss H. Bonham Carter, 1861. As quoted in The Gigantic Book of Teachers' Wisdom (2007) by Frank McCourt and Erin Gruwell, p. 410