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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“Against the flow of constant entropy, maintenance people must swim always upstream, progresses against the current like a watchful trout. The only satisfaction they can get from their work is to do it well. The measure of success in their labors is that the result is invisible, unnoticed. Thanks to them, everything is the same as it ever was.”
Stewart Brand (born 1938) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Success is terrifying. Like happiness, it is often appreciated in retrospect. It's only later that you place it in perspective. Years from now, I'll look back and say, "God, wasn't it wonderful?”
Julie Andrews (born 1935) first seen 1966 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: This Week (18 September 1966)
“Our future as an industrial and trading nation depends on the success of our export drive. Increased production and increased exports are vital to the health of the shipping industry... Our fundamental need is still increased production to enable us to increase our volume of exports and so pay for our imports... That is the need of the country to-day.”
Clement Attlee (1883–1967) first seen 1949 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech to the Chamber of Shipping of the United Kingdom at the Dorchester Hotel (13 October 1949), quoted in The Times (14 October 1949), p. 4
“Who in their right mind wouldn't listen to what Larry Bird tells them? He knows what it takes to be a successful player, and he's letting us do the things to have the success.”
Larry Bird (born 1956) first seen 1998 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Reggie Miller — reported in Associated Press (May 12, 1998) "Report Says Bird Is Coach of the Year", The Orlando Sentinel, p. C4.
“In any creative field--any creative field--you must first understand that you have no value whatsoever. Your work has no value whatsoever. You are completely worthless. Whatever potential you have is just that--potential--and when you are discussing self-publishing a comic book, you have about the same chance of success as 10 thousand others. (p. 21)”
“He was, first and last, the born fighter, to whom the consciousness of being matched against a great adversary suffices, and who can dispense with success. Life for him was an adventure, perilous indeed, but men are not made for safe havens. The fullness of life is in the hazards of life. And, at the worst, there is that in us which can turn defeat into victory.”
Edith Hamilton (1867–1963) first seen 1942 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Referring to Aeschylus in The Great Age of Greek Literature (1942)
“Success is more a function of consistent common sense than it is of genius.”
An Wang (1920–1990) first seen 1986 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Lessons : An Autobiography (1986)
“Though we have achieved considerable success in our policy of increasing production and maintaining full employment, this has been accompanied by constant pressure for higher wages resulting in higher prices. We have not yet found out how we can maintain full employment in combination with stable or decreasing costs and prices.”
Stafford Cripps (1889–1952) first seen 1945 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Memorandum, 'The Dollar Situation: Forthcoming Discussions with U.S.A. and Canada' (4 July 1949), quoted in Correlli Barnett, The Lost Victory: British Dreams, British Realities: 1945–1950 (1996), p. 353
“We all know that great leaders can create great successes...success for the Chicago public education fund is to bring great leaders into Chicago's public schools.”
Kenneth Griffin (born 1968) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I think I have more of a fear of success. I want to have a good time, I want to hang out with my friends and laugh about shit, I want to make music where I can just say 'Hey, check this out, this is crazy, have a listen…and anyway, what did you do today?'”
Devin Townsend (born 1972) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The rhetorical extremism, the winking at violence, the reveling in vulgarity, and the embrace of amoralism are not bugs but features of Trumpism. Intellectual and moral coarsening is both a condition and a consequence of the demagogue's success. Trumpism really does corrupt.”
Bill Kristol (born 1952) first seen 2018 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Twitter post (20 October 2018)
“The Balkan situation was far from secure, with the Odrysians and Scythians only recently defeated and with the Triballi still defiant. Yet Philip was confident of success in the interest of the Greek-speaking world and of Macedonia in particular.”
N. G. L. Hammond (1907–2001) said by 2001 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Genius of Alexander the Great", p.21, Gerald Duckworth & Co Ltd (November 26, 2004)
“The satisfaction you feel from your own success pales in comparison to the despair you feel from this person's personal triumphs, even if those triumphs are completely unrelated to your life.”
Chuck Klosterman (born 1972) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We never expected anything, actually. I think we still don't expect anything. We were proud of the album when we finished it, so whatever success it has we are just like, 'Wow, cool.' It's not going to change the way we work or think. I'm as proud of this record now as I was when we finished it.”
John Dolmayan (born 1972) first seen 2001 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Craine, Charlie Hip Online Article September 2001
“All we can do is keep applying the creosote, propping ourselves up with health and success, trying to keep the rain and the damp and the rot at bay for a little longer, trying to postpone the moment of complete collapse of abandonment for the same reason that one waits as long as possible for the alcoholic drink of the day: because the longer you leave it, the better it will feel. (p. 227).”
Geoff Dyer (born 1958) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If my goals and victories can help the world remember Chernobyl and bring a smile to the face of the people still suffering then I dedicate all my success to them.”
Andriy Shevchenko (born 1976) first seen 2005 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On Chernobylhttp://blogs.guardian.co.uk/observer/archives/2005/02/22/curse_of_the_observer_interview.html
“For the late twentieth-century museum director there is no more certain prospect for audience acclaim and sponsor success than those Impressionist and Post-impressionist artists who were so reviled a century earlier”
Nicholas Serota (born 1946) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I don't think artists should be sponsored. You should not rely on grants. You either make a success of your art or you don’t. I worked as an artist for a number of years without making much money – I have never had any financial backing in that way. Things are now very good for me but for a lot of the time things were not.”
Peter Blake (born 1932) first seen 2006 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Colin Serjent, "Blake's 08, Nerve (Autumn 2006).
“You always expect to do well at a club like this in big competitions and we haven't done that. That is a disappointment to the newcomers like me who haven't tasted success here and also to those who've been here longer and won things in the past. We have to address that.”
Edwin van der Sar (born 1970) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The last thing I want to turn into is a fat Hollywood jerk. I was brought up without much money and I was happy. I don't think that I will strive for money or success and end up greedy or big-headed. That only leads to unhappiness. I can still be down-to-earth and do this job as long as I enjoy it.”
Leonardo DiCaprio (born 1974) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It always amazes me that those who fight for the luxuries of life, are the first to resent those who have them. Also, people seek targets for whatever hurts them, especially their own lack of success. Personally, I regard every knock as a boost.”
Cary Grant (1904–1986) said by 1986 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Experience shows that the success of a programming course critically depends on the choice of these examples.”
Niklaus Wirth (1934–2024) said by 2024 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“You can do something that walks a line, and invariably, whatever that line is, it will be crossed by people who don't know any better and want to ape the success.”
David Fincher (born 1962) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The Irish had owed their success to crime. Winston practically admitted it. They had defied British rule,—and British rulers had given in to them. How could such a state of things be said to fit in with the scheme of the Empire?”
Arthur Balfour (1848–1930) first seen 1906 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Remarks after the publication of Winston Churchill's book The Aftermath (1929), quoted in Blanche E. C. Dugdale, Arthur James Balfour, First Earl of Balfour, K.G., O.M., F.R.S., Etc. 1906–1930 (London: Hutchinson & Co. …
“He was confident, I think, of the success over both Eddis and Attolia right up until the world heard that the Thief of Eddis had stolen the queen of Attolia and meant to marry her.”
Megan Whalen Turner (born 1965) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Above all, the ominous clouds of those phenomena that we are with varying success seeking to explain by means of the quantum of action, are throwing their shadows over the sphere of physical knowledge, threatening no one knows what new revolution.”
Hermann Weyl (1885–1955) said by 1955 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The most deadly agents of cultural infections are not the brazen cynics, but the sectarians prone to self-delusion and the timorous organization men anxious not to miss the band-waggon, who unquestioningly equate popularity and worldly success with intrinsic merit.”
Stanislav Andreski (1919–2007) said by 2007 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In the 1930s, when I started, Martha Graham was the only dancer doing anything modern, but she did it all to classical music. I couldn't see myself doing Swan Lake every night, and I wanted to develop a truly American style. The only dancer in the movies at that time with any success was Fred Astaire, but he did very small, elegant steps in a top hat, white tie, and tails.”
Gene Kelly (1912–1996) said by 1996 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Remember the mind is your best muscle ...BIG ARMS can move rocks, but BIG WORDS can move mountains... Ride the brain train for success....”
Sylvester Stallone (born 1946) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I tried to explain to her the significance of the great poet, but without much success, The Waste Land not figuring very largely in Mam's scheme of things. "The thing is," I said finally, "he won the Nobel Prize." "Well," she said, with that unerring grasp of inessentials which is the prerogative of mothers, "I’m not surprised. It was a beautiful overcoat.”
Alan Bennett (born 1934) first seen 1994 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Introduction, p. x (1994).
“Praise be to Allah. We are successful every time. Martyrdom, victory, fighting with the infidel is always a success.”
Mullah Dadullah (1966–2007) said by 2007 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Jewish success is due to a culture that promotes excellence, blessed with self discipline, education, dedication and a quest for leaving this world a better place.”
Nonie Darwish (born 1949) first seen 2007 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Address at the Feat of Tabernacles convention, Jerusalem (2007)
“Here then we see God’s way of success in our work, whatever it may be – a trinity of prayer, faith and patience.”
James O. Fraser (1886–1938) first seen 1916 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: 16 January 1916 Source: Geraldine Taylor. Behind the Ranges: The Life-changing Story of J.O. Fraser. Singapore: OMF International (IHQ) Ltd., 1998, 151.
“Charity may cover a multitude of sins, but success transmutes them into virtues.”
Hugh Kingsmill (1889–1949) said by 1949 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Adolf Hitler may have been wrong all down the line, but one thing is beyond dispute: the man was able to work his way up from lance corporal in the German Army to Führer of a people of almost 80 million. … His success alone proved that I should subordinate myself to this man.”
Adolf Eichmann (1906–1962) first seen 1962 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in "The Eichmann Memoir" in The Personalist Volume XLII (1962).
“I'm a little surprised that commercial success has arrived. I used to think that it was hopeless, that it would never happen.”
John Banville (born 1945) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I could have kept [writing "Irish" novels such as Birchwood] and probably had a good deal more success than I did, especially on this side of the Atlantic. But you have to try to do many things. You have to try to do things that you actually think you're incapable of.”
John Banville (born 1945) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“A religion so cheerless, a philosophy so sorrowful, could never have succeeded with the masses of mankind if presented only as a system of metaphysics. Buddhism owed its success to its catholic spirit and its beautiful morality.”
William Winwood Reade (1838–1875) said by 1875 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We, in the UAE, have no such word as “impossible”; it does not exist in our lexicon. Such a word is used by the lazy and the weak, who fear challenges and progress. When one doubts his potential and capabilities as well as his confidence, he will lose the compass that leads him to success and excellence, thus failing to achieve his goal. I require you, youth, to insist on number one.”
Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum (born 1949) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Working collectively and collaboratively is the difference between mediocrity by yourself...or success as a team. You have to share the pain... and the responsibility... and if you do then you will also share in the rewards.”
Michael Bloomberg (born 1942) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Adapted from Niall Ferguson, THE SQUARE AND THE TOWER: Networks and Power, from Freemasons to Facebook, Penguin Press, 2017. As quoted in Niall Ferguson, The Secret to Henry Kissinger's success (January 20, 2018)”
Henry Kissinger (1923–2023) said by 2023 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We are all born worthy. Worthy of love, worthy of success.”
Jamie Lee Curtis (born 1958) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Success is fucking up on your own terms.”
Guillermo del Toro (born 1964) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Ferdinand had foresight and unbelievable luck. His success actually bordered on fiction.”
Imelda Marcos (born 1929) first seen 1998 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in "Imelda and the Cash" by Werner Raffetseder in Saga magazine (April 1998).
“The success of SpaceShipOne was Justice Day for dreamers and pioneers past, present and future.”
Vanna Bonta (1958–2014) said by 2014 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Sometimes success needs interruption to regain focus and shake off complacency.”
Lennox Lewis (born 1965) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I received a letter from the Reich Ministry of Sports. They want me to split from Joe Jacobs, my manager since 1928.... I really need Joe Jacobs. I owe all my success in America to him.”
Max Schmeling (1905–2005) first seen 1935 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: To Adolf Hitler, 1935
“I painted [circa 1960-62] through the whole history of art toward abstraction. I painted like crazy [and] I had some success with all that, or gained some respect. But than I felt it wasn't it, and so I burned the crap in some sort of action in the courtyard. And then I began. It was wonderful to make something and then destroy it. It was doing something and I felt very free.”
Gerhard Richter (born 1932) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Conservatism is itself a modernism, and in this lies the secret of its success.”
Roger Scruton (1944–2020) said by 2020 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Imagination, devotion, perseverance, together with divine grace, will assure your success.”
Haile Selassie (1892–1975) first seen 1948 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Address on the 18th anniversary of his coronation (2 November 1948)