Quotes by famous people, credited to who said them. Your own quotes must not match any of these. More are added all the time. 1,161,747 quotes Who coined it · How we decide
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Success and failure
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“I strongly disagree with the President's characterization today of NAFTA as a "success", and with his call on Congress to pass CAFTA this year. These comments are out of touch with American businesses and workers who have been forced to compete on an uneven playing field for years under bad deals like NAFTA.”
Russ Feingold (born 1953) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“But however mysterious is nature, however ignorant the doctor, however imperfect the present state of physical science, the patronage and the success of quacks and quackeries are infinitely more wonderful than those of honest and laborious men of science and their careful experiments.”
P. T. Barnum (1810–1891) said by 1891 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Life's great law is that poverty and hardship build character; prosperity and security destroy it. This isn't anybody's fault; it's merely a natural law, like gravity. Nor is it anything particular to America. Any other nation afflicted with such colossal success will fall into decadence as we are doing. History offers many examples.”
John Derbyshire (born 1945) first seen 2010 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Girly Nation, Taki's Magazine, December 29, 2010.
“My research began, naturally, in the Long Vacation of my 3rd year, 1906. My director of studies (and tutor) E. W. Barnes suggested the subject of integral functions of order 0... [After success,] Barnes was now encouraged to suggest a new problem: 'Prove the Riemann Hypothesis'.”
John Edensor Littlewood (1885–1977) said by 1977 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[I]t is necessary to insist upon this extraordinary but undeniable fact: experimental science has progressed thanks in great part to the work of men astoundingly mediocre, and even less than mediocre. That is to say, modern science, the root and symbol of our actual civilization, finds a place for the intellectually commonplace man and allows him to work therein with success.”
José Ortega y Gasset (1883–1955) said by 1955 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There's a lot of blood, sweat and guts between dreams and success.”
Bear Bryant (1913–1983) said by 1983 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“So,” Adrienne said. “You’re one of those.” “One of what?” Flora said, not turning her head. “One of those people who has a single success and takes that as a mandate to do anything you want.”
Gillian Anderson (born 1968) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The notion that one can discover large patterns or regularities in the procession of historical events is naturally attractive to those who are impressed by the success of the natural sciences in classifying, correlating, and above all predicting.”
Isaiah Berlin (1909–1997) said by 1997 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We need to distinguish between incentives at the organizational level and at the individual level, though some of the problems in designing incentive structures are common to both. We need to ask how, for the kinds of activities the public sector engages in, the organization is rewarded for "success" or punished for lack of it, and how individuals are similarly rewarded and punished.”
Joseph Stiglitz (born 1943) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There is a kind of success that is indistinguishable from panic.”
Edgar Degas (1834–1917) said by 1917 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quoted by Daniel Halévy, Degas Parle (1960) [My Friend Degas, trans. and ed. Mina Curtiss, Wesleyan University Press, 1964], p. 119
“Success is not an accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.”
Pelé (1940–2022) said by 2022 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I do not know whether I shall make progress; but I should prefer to lack success rather than to lack faith.”
Seneca the Younger (5 BC–65) said by 65 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The grand success of the British Empire depends not on its having followed any constitutional precedent of the past but on having met a new situation in history with a creation in law; and as a matter of fact the new constitutional system grew empirically and organically out of the practical necessities of the colonial situation.”
Jan Smuts (1870–1950) first seen 1870 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: From The League of Nations - A Practical Suggestion, 1918, pp. 37-38, as cited by W. K. Hancock in SMUTS 1: The Sanguine Years 1870-1919, p. 502
“One minute decides the outcome of a battle, one hour the success of a campaign, one day the fate of empires.”
Alexander Suvorov (1730–1800) first seen 1504 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Encyclopedia of Russian History" - Page 1504 by James R. Millar - Soviet Union - 2004.
“A thought is an arrow shot at the truth; it can hit a point, but not cover the whole target. But the archer is too well satisfied with his success to ask anything farther.”
Sri Aurobindo (1872–1950) said by 1950 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Only get rid altogether of your nonsensical trash about the beautiful, which I nor anybody else, nor yourself to boot, could ever understand,—only free yourself of that, and your success in life is as sure as daylight.”
Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804–1864) said by 1864 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The more Lil' Kim distorted her natural beauty to become a cartoonlike caricature of whiteness, the larger her success.”
Bell hooks (1952–2021) said by 2021 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I do not think that there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature.”
John D. Rockefeller (1839–1937) first seen 1901 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in How They Succeeded (1901) by Orison Swett Marden
“Success does not necessarily involve great intellect, or great position, or great wealth; it has to do with inner integrity. Remember that.”
Jane Roberts (1929–1984) said by 1984 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Statesmanship […] must consider first the fortunes of the common people. No statesman has a right to risk these fortunes unless he be reasonably assured of success.”
John Buchan (1875–1940) said by 1940 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“'A man who comes to be hanged,' pursued Jasper, impartially, 'has the satisfaction of knowing that he has brought society to its last resource. He is a man of such fatal importance that nothing will serve against him but the supreme effort of law. In a way, you know, that is success.'”
George Gissing (1857–1903) said by 1903 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Society functions in a way much more interesting than the multiple-choice pattern we have been rewarded for succeeding at in school. Success in life comes not from the ability to choose between the four presented answers, but from the rather more difficult and painfully acquired ability to formulate the questions. Page 28”
David Mamet (born 1947) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I'm still working, but we have to start by putting forward a diplomatic arrangement. This point obtained, we would have a good chance of success. For the moment, the Belgian shipping word in China should not be used at any price.”
Leopold II of Belgium (1835–1909) first seen 1853 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), 5. A prospectus by the military Chazal and Brialmont, The Importance of General Cha…
Also quoted by: Pierre Emmanuel Félix Chazal
“Truthfully, the job security in this business is uncertain, the hours are long, long and lonely, the audience is increasingly small, fickle and dissatisfied, like 3 of the 7 Dwarves. Respect is nonexistent, success fleeting; you'd be better off in a boy band, where at least you'd get laid before they made you obsolete. (2004) Popimage interview”
Grant Morrison (born 1960) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Our problem at the moment is a problem of success.”
Edward Heath (1916–2005) first seen 1973 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Six weeks before the three-day week, November 1973.
“The extreme emphasis upon the accumulation of wealth as a symbol of success in our society militates against the completely effective control of institutionally regulated modes of acquiring a fortune.”
Robert K. Merton (1910–2003) said by 2003 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Work, work and work and we are bound to success.”
Muhammad Ali Jinnah (1876–1948) first seen 1947 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech from Radio Pakistan at Lahore, 30 October 1947
“Success is peace of mind attained only through self-satisfaction and knowing you’ve made the effort, do the best of what you’re capable.”
John Wooden (1910–2010) said by 2010 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“No great amount of experience is required to discover that the greedy search for money or success will almost always lead men into unhappiness. Why? Because that kind of life makes them depend upon things outside themselves.”
André Maurois (1885–1967) said by 1967 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The Germans, who love order more than freedom, and whose ruling passion is obedience, rejoiced in their release from an uncomfortable equality into new ranks of superiors and inferiors. This is the second source of Hitler's success.”
Emil Ludwig (1881–1948) said by 1948 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Real success in business is to be found in achievements comparable rather with those of the artist or the scientist, of the inventor or statesman. And the joys sought in the profession of business must be like their joys and not the mere vulgar satisfaction which is experienced in the acquisition of money, in the exercise of power or in the frivolous pleasure of mere winning.”
Louis Brandeis (1856–1941) first seen 1912 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Business — The New Profession", La Follette's Weekly Magazine, Volume 4, No. 47 (November 23, 1912), p. 7.
“[T]he Disarmament Conference met early in 1932. Under the Presidency of good Arthur Henderson, whose Naval Disarmament Conference in London had been such a success for the Japanese, the only fear in the heart of every good Leftist was, of course, that the wicked Tories with their insane love of armaments might sabotage the whole affair.”
Quintin Hogg, Baron Hailsham of St Marylebone (1907–2001) said by 2001 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“To remember what needs to be remembered is the secret of success. (…) What is supremely important is to be free from contradictions: the goal and the way must not be on different levels, life and light must not quarrel; behavior must not betray belief. Call it honesty, integrity, wholeness; you must not go back, undo, uproot, abandon the conquered ground. (…)”
Nisargadatta Maharaj (1897–1981) said by 1981 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Youth is not enough. And love is not enough. And success is not enough. And, if we could achieve it, enough would not be enough.”
Mignon McLaughlin (1913–1983) said by 1983 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Like the British Constitution, she owes her success in practice to her inconsistencies in principle.”
Thomas Hardy (1840–1928) said by 1928 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“But that science moves inexorably closer to finding objective truth can only be denied by peculiar philosophers, naive literary critics, and misguided social scientists. The fantastic success of science in explaining and predicting, above all in making incredible advances in technology, is proof that scientists are steadily learning more and more about how the universe behaves.”
Martin Gardner (1914–2010) said by 2010 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The best Six Sigma projects begin not inside the business but outside it, focused on answering the question—how can we make the customer more competitive? What is critical to the customer’s success?... One thing we have discovered with certainty is that anything we do that makes the customer more successful inevitably results in a financial return for us.”
Jack Welch (1935–2020) first seen 2000 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As cited in: Peter S. Pande, Robert P. Neuman, and Roland R. Cavanagh. The six sigma way. McGraw-Hill,, 2000. p. 6
“Business success is less a function of grandiose predictions than it is a result of being able to respond rapidly to real changes as they occur.”
Jack Welch (1935–2020) said by 2020 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Experience shows that success is due less to ability than to zeal.”
Charles Buxton (1823–1871) said by 1871 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Success soon palls. The joyous time is, when the breeze first strikes your sails, and the waters rustle under your bows.”
Charles Buxton (1823–1871) said by 1871 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Also quoted by: Charles Buxton (attributed)
“When humanity will reach its goal, regarding the success of the bodies, namely they will reach the perfect level of love for one another, then all the bodies will unite to one body and one heart, and only then all the hoped for happiness at its highest peak, will be revealed to humanity.”
Yehuda Ashlag (1880–1954) said by 1954 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The feats of our brave troops are wonderful, God gave them success. — May He continue to help them to peace with honour, & the victory over Juda & Antichrist in British garb.”
Wilhelm II, German Emperor (1859–1941) first seen 1262 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter to Margarethe Landgraffin von Hessen (20 April 1941), quoted in John C. G. Röhl, Wilhelm II: Into the Abyss of War and Exile 1900-1941 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014), p. 1262
“It is understood that a defensive fleet does not merely serve to protect the interests of the traders of our great commercial cities, but that it is also needed, and bitterly needed, for the protection of the industry of our entire people and their success in the world.”
Wilhelm II, German Emperor (1859–1941) said by 1941 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Success sometimes may be defined as a disaster put on hold. Qualified. Has to be.”
Nadine Gordimer (1923–2014) first seen 2005 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Get a Life (2005)
“The trusts and combinations—the communism of pelf—whose machinations have prevented us from reaching the success we deserved, should not be forgotten nor forgiven.”
Grover Cleveland (1837–1908) first seen 1850 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter to Representative Thomas C. Catchings (27 August 1894), reported in Letters of Grover Cleveland, 1850–1908, ed. Allan Nevins (1933), p. 365
“In order to win victory now, we want the vote of every Republican — of every Grant Republican, and every anti-Grant Republican, in America — of every Blaine man and every anti-Blaine man. The vote of every follower of every candidate is needed to make success certain. Therefore I say, gentlemen and brethren, we are here to take calm counsel together, and inquire what we shall do.”
James A. Garfield (1831–1881) said by 1881 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The success of our popular government rests wholly upon the correct interpretation of the deliberate, intelligent, dependable popular will of America.”
Warren G. Harding (1865–1923) first seen 1921 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Inaugural address (4 March 1921).
“In reading Jung's account of his cases, it is impossible not to be aware that his success was due partly to an element of ruthlessness; he was dominated by curiosity rather than compassion.”
Colin Wilson (1931–2013) said by 2013 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Happy people are ignoramuses and glory is nothing else but success, and to achieve it one only has to be cunning.”
Mikhail Lermontov (1814–1841) said by 1841 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The two-party system has given this country the war of Lyndon Johnson, the Watergate of Nixon, and the incompetence of Carter. Saying we should keep the two-party system simply because it is working is like saying the Titanic voyage was a success because a few people survived on life-rafts.”
Eugene McCarthy (1916–2005) first seen 1978 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Chicago Tribune (10 September 1978)