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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“One of the curious features of modern physics is that in spite of its overwhelming success in explaining a vast range of physical phenomena from quark to quasar, it fails to give us a single metaphor for how the universe really works.”
Nick Herbert (physicist) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Wellesley's success...appears to have been nothing more than an affair of a rear-guard, and is ridiculously magnified.”
Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey (1764–1845) first seen 1807 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter to Lord Grenville on the Duke of Wellington's successes in the Peninsular War (25 May 1809), quoted in Rory Muir, Britain and the Defeat of Napoleon, 1807–1815 (1996), p. 94
“[Accounts from Russia lead me to conclude,] as you probably have done, that no reasonable hope of success is to be entertained in that quarter.”
Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey (1764–1845) first seen 1807 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter to Lord Grenville (1 November 1812) on Napoleon's ill-fated invasion of Russia, quoted in Rory Muir, Britain and the Defeat of Napoleon, 1807–1815 (1996), p. 231
“With all the uncertainty of the success of the next campaign, and with the absolute certainty that we are now making our last effort...I should be willing to conclude a peace, which compared with our situation a year ago would be most advantageous, though it may be one to which, with our resources entire, I should not have been willing to submit.”
Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey (1764–1845) first seen 1764 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter to Lord Fitzwilliam (9 April 1813), quoted in E. A. Smith, Lord Grey. 1764-1845 (1990; 1996), pp. 174-175
“Parading about in the latest gowns and making dull platitudes for an entire evening doesn't constitute social success in my book.”
Irene Dunne (1898–1990) said by 1990 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There is a far higher degree of probability of success through non-warlike means than through the Communist strategy of civil war.”
Kirby Page (1890–1957) said by 1957 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Abstract perfection should always be the direction aimed at by human efforts, however imperfect they may be; and the success of sanitary legislation will be indicated by the nearness or the distance of its actual practice from this perfect idea.”
Robert Chambers (publisher, born 1802) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Regardless of all the pressures upon them, people are fighting bravely against this suppression. The success of Iranians all across the world is also the happiest thought. What I always say is that goodwill wins over bad.”
Farah Pahlavi (born 1938) first seen 2010 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Interview: Farah Pahlavi Recalls 30 Years In Exile, Radio Free Europe, (July 27, 2010).
“One would have to look long and without success, I think, to find in the writings of Tolstoy, or even in the literature of modern socialism, anything approaching in passionate bitterness the words used by Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Micah to condemn the oppressors of the poor...”
Robert Hunter (author) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Curiosity and openness to new ways of thinking ensures future success more than any other quality. Learn, read, question, think. In developing the ability to exercise those traits, you will not only be successful in business, but in the business of life.”
Edgar Bronfman Sr. (1929–2013) first seen 2013 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2013/10/17/liberal-arts-are-best-preparation-even-business-career-essay
“I have learned that success in business, and perhaps in most aspects of life, requires both self-discipline and objectively imposed discipline from outside.’”
Edgar Bronfman Sr. (1929–2013) said by 2013 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“... when there are marriages between races, very often it is not the best of either. And this is another factor that commonly militates against the success of such marriages, in that it is the lower levels that tend to unite in most cases.”
Rousas John Rushdoony (1916–2001) said by 2001 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Dr. Smith and all of his sensible disciples have believed that people would not strive to do anything well unless there were a reasonable measure of agreement between the success of their efforts and the rewards they would receive.”
George Stigler (1911–1991) said by 1991 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Loose ideas on the subject of business will not answer. It must be reduced to something of a science. It has its principles, upon a knowledge and an application of which, success in it mainly depends.”
Christian Nestell Bovee (1820–1904) said by 1904 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Success for a woman means absolute surrender, in whatever direction. Whether she paints a picture, or loves a man, there is no division of labor possible in her economy. To the attainment of any end worth living for, a symmetrical sacrifice of her nature is compulsory upon her.”
Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward (1844–1911) first seen 1877 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Study of Avis (1877)
“She had turned her back upon them all and no awful fate had overtaken her; instead, she had taken a firm hold upon life and made of it a fine, even glittering, success; and this is a thing which is not easily forgiven.”
Louis Bromfield (1896–1956) said by 1956 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“You wanna know what scares people? Success. When you don’t make moves and you don’t climb up the ladder, everybody loves you because you’re not competition.”
Nicki Minaj (born 1982) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Education is a fundamental principle of what made America a success. We can't afford to throw any young people away.”
Ben Carson (born 1951) first seen 2013 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in "Carson at CPAC: How to destroy America in 4 steps", Human Events (March 17, 2013)
“Not everyone has to be a high-powered neurosurgeon to add significantly to the equation that brings about success here.”
Ben Carson (born 1951) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“What is important – what I consider success – is that we make a contribution to our world.”
Ben Carson (born 1951) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Do you have a brain? Then use it. It's all you need to overcome any problem. That's the secret. That's my simple but powerful prescription for life, love, and success in a dangerous world.”
Ben Carson (born 1951) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Pleasers … make up what Earl Shorris has called “the oppressed middle,” the middle-managers who enjoy “the comforts of fearful people” and pay by submitting to their superiors’ definitions of happiness and success.”
Sam Keen (1931–2025) said by 2025 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“A novelist could probably run a military campaign with some success. They could certainly run a country.”
Colm Tóibín (born 1955) first seen 2013 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Colm Tóibín, novelist – portrait of the artist, The Guardian (19 February 2013)
“PETA has a proven track record of success. Each victory PETA wins for the animals is a stepping stone upon which we build a more compassionate world for all beings - and we will never give up our fight until all animals are treated with respect and kindness.”
Bea Arthur (1922–2009) first seen 2004 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Interview, The Human Society (January 7, 2004)
“No group is able, and few are willing, to stand up to the potent homogenizing forces of advanced industrial society. All Americans, from African Americans to Greek Americans, buy the same goods, look at the same movies and television, pursue the same activities and have—more or less—the same desires for success.”
Russell Jacoby (born 1945) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I met Walter Pitts, then in his teens, who promptly set me right in matters of theory. It is to him that I am principally indebted for all subsequent success. He remains my best adviser and sharpest critic. You shall never publish this until it passes through his hands.”
Warren S. McCulloch (1898–1969) said by 1969 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“… exclude the need for appearances: what counts is not appearances; the value of life does not depend on the approval of others or on success, but on what we have inside us.”
Pope Francis (1936–2025) first seen 2014 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in "Imposition of the Ashes - Homily of pope Francis" at www.vatican.va (5 March 2014)
“Management is the most noble of professions if it’s practiced well. No other occupation offers as many ways to help others learn and grow, take responsibility and be recognized for achievement, and contribute to the success of a team”
Clayton M. Christensen (1952–2020) first seen 2011 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Christensen (2011) in: Harvard Business Review (2011) HBR's 10 Must Reads on Managing Yourself. p. 4
“The first myth of management is that it exists. The second myth of management is that success equals skill.”
Robert Heller (1932–2012) first seen 1984 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Robert Heller cited in : Jonathon Green (1984) The Cynic's Lexicon: A Dictionary of Amoral Advice. p. 92
“My first book “The Naked Manager”, a big success in 1971, had been followed by many others, and I wanted to write still more. Writing books is very interesting as each new project takes you in a different direction. You learn a lot – especially about what you yourself really think.”
Robert Heller (1932–2012) said by 2012 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“People who are emotionally adapt — who know and manage their feelings well, and who read and deal effectively with other people's feelings — are at an advantage in any domain in life, whether in romance and intimate relationships or picking up the unspoken rules that govern success in organizational politics.”
Daniel Goleman (born 1946) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The enforcement of a rigid system of discipline in the government of works of great magnitude is indispensable to success. All subordinates should be accountable to and be directed by their immediate superiors only; as obedience cannot be enforced where the foreman in immediate charge is interfered with by a superior officer giving orders directly to his subordinates.”
Daniel McCallum (1815–1878) said by 1878 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: p. 40. Partly cited in: Chandler (1977, p. 102)
“The metaphor suggests that different environments favor different species of organizations based on different methods of organizing and that congruence with the environment is the key to success.”
Gareth Morgan (business theorist) first seen 1998 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: p. 35 (Morgan, 1998)
“Look for every seed of enthusiasm, and try to build pockets of success.”
Gareth Morgan (business theorist) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Mass communications analysts concentrate on “who sends what information, for what purposes, through what channels, to which people, with what effect”. The information profession is more interested in “who seeks what information, for what purposes, through what channels, from which people and sources, with what success”.”
Brian Campbell Vickery (1918–2009) said by 2009 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Kirsha thought of Hitler as the world's greatest bully; indeed his admiration for him stemmed from what he heard of his cruelty and barbarity. He wished him success, viewing him like those mythical bravados of literature Antar and Abu Zaid.”
Naguib Mahfouz (1911–2006) said by 2006 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I saw that an humble man, with the blessing of the Lord, might live on a little, and that where the heart was set on greatness, success in business did not satisfy the craving; but that commonly with an increase of wealth the desire of wealth increased. There was a care on my mind so to pass my time that nothing might hinder me from the most steady attention to the voice of the true Shepherd”
John Woolman (1720–1772) said by 1772 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We must understand that no party in the country can with success base itself on or identify itself with one social element or class. To be successful we have still to reorganize from top to bottom the social structure on which our party rests. We agree that in the modern world great extremes of poverty and wealth shall be replaced by an infinite variety of plenty.”
Rab Butler (1902–1982) first seen 1946 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech to the Conservative Party's first post-war conference on political education (30 March 1946), quoted in The Times (1 April 1946), p. 2
“The creeds of religion correspond to theories of science... intuitions of the human soul should be studied by the methods which are adopted with such great success in the region of positive science.”
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1888–1975) said by 1975 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In her new, more mature incarnation, she embraced the idea that maturity meant thinking about risk long before you pondered the reward, and that success and happiness in life were as much about avoiding mistakes as making your mark in the world.”
Nicholas Sparks (born 1965) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Fate holds the strings, and men like children move But as they're led: success is from above.”
George Granville, 1st Baron Lansdowne (1666–1735) said by 1735 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Success in all types of organization depends increasingly on the development of customized software solutions, yet more than half of software projects now in the works will exceed both their schedules and their budgets by more than 50%.”
Barry Boehm (1935–2022) said by 2022 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“True success depends on one’s commitment to hard work, the courage to unlearn old habits, and the openness to embrace new industry approaches.”
Usama Mukwaya (born 1989) first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: In: "" at The Independent. 20 September 2025
“Good leaders make people feel that they're at the very heart of things, not at the periphery. Everyone feels that he or she makes a difference to the success of the organization. When that happens, people feel centered and that gives their work meaning.”
Warren Bennis (1925–2014) first seen 1999 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Warren Bennis (1999) Managing People Is Like Herding Cats. p. 89
“Goodness is always an asset. A man who is straight, friendly and useful may never be famous, but he is respected and liked by all who know him. He has laid a sound foundation for success and he will have a worthwhile life.”
Herbert N. Casson (1869–1951) first seen 1948 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Herbert N. Casson in: Forbes (1948). p. 42
“Success in the marketplace increasingly depends on learning, yet most people don't know how to learn.”
Chris Argyris (1923–2013) first seen 1991 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Chris Argyris (1991, p. 99) as cited in: Greenwood (2000) The Role of Reflection in Managerial Learning. p. xv
“Success in science and scientific work come not through the provision of unlimited or big resources, but in the wise and careful selection of problems and objectives. Above all, what is required is hard sustained work and dedication.”
Lal Bahadur Shastri (1904–1966) said by 1966 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Expect not... that efforts for the moral regeneration of man can be immediately crowned with success; operations upon masses are ever slow in progress, and their effects distant.”
Adolphe Quetelet (1796–1874) said by 1874 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I have a feeling that if the women of India take to science and interest themselves in the progress and advance of science as well, they will achieve what even men have failed to do. Women have one quality--the quality of devotion. It is one of the most important passports to success in science. Let us therefore not imagine that intellect is a sole prerogative of males only in science.”
C. V. Raman (1888–1970) said by 1970 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“On opportunities: People equate survival in Britain with success. If you are still around you must be doing OK. Nobody sees the lost opportunities. We are the world leaders in creating lost opportunities.”
Ivor Tiefenbrun (born 1946) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source