Success Quotes

200 Success Quotes for Work and Life That Will Push You Forward

Success looks different for everyone — a promotion, a business that finally works, a craft mastered, a life that feels balanced. That is why success quotes endure: they compress decades of experience from founders, athletes, leaders, and writers into a single line you can carry into your workday. This collection gathers 200 success quotes for work and life, grouped by what actually builds success — hard work, clear goals, leadership, persistence through failure, discipline, courage, teamwork, and the legacy you leave behind. Read them slowly, save the one that fits where you are today, and use it the next time the work gets hard. This collection of success quotes is meant to be used, not just read — pick one line each morning and carry it with you.

Success quotes: Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. — Albert Schweitzer
Success quotes: Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. — Albert Schweitzer
In this collection (17)
  1. Editor’s Picks: Best Success Quotes
  2. 1. Success and Hard Work
  3. 2. Ambition and Goals
  4. 3. Leadership and Influence
  5. 4. Persistence Through Failure
  6. 5. Discipline and Habits
  7. 6. Confidence and Courage
  8. 7. Innovation and Risk
  9. 8. Teamwork and Collaboration
  10. 9. Work Ethic and Craft
  11. 10. Wealth and Success Mindset
  12. 11. Balance and Wellbeing
  13. 12. Learning and Growth
  14. 13. Legacy of Success
  15. Related Quotes to Explore
  16. Frequently Asked Questions
  17. Attribution Note

Editor’s Picks: Best Success Quotes

QuoteBest For
“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” — Albert SchweitzerBest overall definition of success
“Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.” — John WoodenWhen you are chasing too hard
“He who conquers himself is the mightiest warrior.” — ConfuciusSelf-mastery
“Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to begin. Beginning makes the conditions perfect.” — Alan CohenStarting now
“The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.” — Ronald ReaganWhat real leadership is
“Failure is a detour, not a dead-end street.” — Zig ZiglarLearning from failure
“Discipline is the soul of an army.” — George WashingtonBuilding discipline
“Leadership is lifting a person’s vision to high sights.” — Peter DruckerTurning vision into reality
“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.” — Jim RohnOwning your day
“To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” — Ralph Waldo EmersonThe legacy test

1. Success and Hard Work

  1. “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” — Albert Schweitzer
  2. “The secret to success is to know something nobody else knows.” — Aristotle Onassis
  3. “The road to success and the road to failure are almost exactly the same.” — Colin R. Davis
  4. “There is no elevator to success. You have to take the stairs.” — Zig Ziglar
  5. “Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.” — John Wooden
  6. “Small deeds done are better than great deeds planned.” — Peter Marshall
  7. “I never dreamed about success. I worked for it.” — Estée Lauder
  8. “Success is not in what you have, but who you are.” — Bo Bennett
  9. “The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.” — Vidal Sassoon
  10. “Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get.” — Dale Carnegie
  11. “Begin where you are, use what you have, do what you can.” — Arthur Ashe
  12. “Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can’t lose.” — Bill Gates
  13. “The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.” — Jimmy Johnson
  14. “Success doesn’t come from what you do occasionally, it comes from what you do consistently.” — Marie Forleo
  15. “The best revenge is massive success.” — Frank Sinatra

What these success quotes teach: success is rarely a single breakthrough — it is the compound interest of ordinary work done well. Schweitzer flips the usual order: happiness is not the reward for success, it is often the fuel for it. And Marshall’s line is the most practical in the group: small deeds done beat great deeds planned — that is what quietly separates the people who make it from the people who only plan to. Read these success quotes slowly, and let the line that stings become a plan with a date. Pick the line from these success quotes that hits hardest today, and carry it into your work. The best of these success quotes work as daily cues, not one-time reads.

Success quotes: Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming. — John Wooden

2. Ambition and Goals

  1. “Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to begin. Beginning makes the conditions perfect.” — Alan Cohen
  2. “If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.” — Albert Einstein
  3. “Age is no barrier. It’s a limitation you put on your mind.” — Jackie Joyner-Kersee
  4. “Goals are the fuel in the furnace of achievement.” — Brian Tracy
  5. “Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.” — Tony Robbins
  6. “A goal properly set is halfway reached.” — Zig Ziglar
  7. “People with goals succeed because they know where they’re going.” — Earl Nightingale
  8. “Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.” — C.S. Lewis
  9. “Aim for the moon. If you miss, you may hit a star.” — W. Clement Stone
  10. “The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams.” — Oprah Winfrey
  11. “It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.” — Sir Edmund Hillary
  12. “Do what you love and the money will follow.” — Marsha Sinetar
  13. “Every great dream begins with a dreamer.” — Harriet Tubman
  14. “What you do today can improve all your tomorrows.” — Ralph Marston
  15. “The only thing that stands between you and your dream is the will to try and the belief that it is actually possible.” — Joel Brown

What these success quotes teach: ambition without a goal is just a wish with good lighting. Hill’s definition is the whole section in one sentence — a dream becomes a plan the moment it gets a deadline. And Michelangelo’s warning is the one most people need: aiming too low feels safe, but it is the only aim that guarantees you will never find out what you were capable of. Let these success quotes supply the first step, and let the habit carry the rest. The lesson running through these success quotes is simple: small steps, repeated daily, change everything.

3. Leadership and Influence

  1. “The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.” — Ronald Reagan
  2. “A leader is a dealer in hope.” — Napoleon Bonaparte
  3. “Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.” — Jack Welch
  4. “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” — Warren Bennis
  5. “Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.” — Dwight D. Eisenhower
  6. “The task of the leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been.” — Henry Kissinger
  7. “Leadership is lifting a person’s vision to high sights.” — Peter Drucker
  8. “Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them.” — John C. Maxwell
  9. “People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision.” — John C. Maxwell
  10. “A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be.” — Rosalynn Carter
  11. “A leader’s job is not to do the work for others, it’s to help others figure out how to do it themselves.” — Simon Sinek
  12. “A leader is someone who holds her- or himself accountable for finding the potential in people and processes.” — Brené Brown
  13. “The best leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders.” — Tom Peters
  14. “Great leaders are willing to sacrifice their own interests for the good of the team.” — Simon Sinek
  15. “To lead people, walk behind them.” — Lao Tzu

What these success quotes teach: leadership is not a title you are given — it is a trust you keep earning. Reagan’s line is the test: the greatest leader gets people to do great things, so character comes before strategy. And Welch draws the real promotion line: the day your success stops being about your own growth and starts being about other people’s, you have actually become a leader. The best of these success quotes work as daily cues, not one-time reads. Share one of these success quotes with someone who needs it today.

4. Persistence Through Failure

  1. “Success is not built on success. It’s built on failure. It’s built on frustration. Sometimes it’s built on catastrophe.” — Sumner Redstone
  2. “Failure is a detour, not a dead-end street.” — Zig Ziglar
  3. “There is no failure except in no longer trying.” — Elbert Hubbard
  4. “It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all.” — J.K. Rowling
  5. “Failure is success in progress.” — Attributed to Albert Einstein
  6. “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” — T.S. Eliot
  7. “The phoenix must burn to emerge.” — Janet Fitch
  8. “It is hard to beat a person who never gives up.” — Babe Ruth
  9. “It is not failure itself that holds you back; it is the fear of failure that paralyzes you.” — Brian Tracy
  10. “Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor.” — Truman Capote
  11. “Don’t let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.” — Babe Ruth
  12. “It’s fine to celebrate success, but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.” — Bill Gates
  13. “Every failure brings with it the seed of an equivalent success.” — Napoleon Hill
  14. “Winners are ordinary people with extraordinary determination.” — Unknown
  15. “Endurance is patience concentrated.” — Thomas Carlyle

What these success quotes teach: failure is not the end of the story — it is usually the chapter where the story gets honest. Redstone’s warning is the sharpest here: success is built on failure, frustration, and sometimes catastrophe. Rowling’s line is the permission slip: a life with no failures is usually just a life played too small to matter. Keep one of these success quotes where you will see it tomorrow morning, and let it set the first action of the day. Read these success quotes slowly, and let the line that stings become a plan with a date.

Success quotes: Failure is a detour, not a dead-end street. — Zig Ziglar

5. Discipline and Habits

  1. “Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.” — Jim Rohn
  2. “Discipline is choosing what you want most over what you want now.” — Attributed to Abraham Lincoln
  3. “You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.” — John C. Maxwell
  4. “Small daily improvements over time lead to stunning results.” — Robin Sharma
  5. “We first make our habits, and then our habits make us.” — John Dryden
  6. “Habit is the intersection of knowledge, skill, and desire.” — Stephen Covey
  7. “The first and best victory is to conquer self.” — Plato
  8. “Self-control is strength. Right thought is mastery. Calmness is power.” — James Allen
  9. “Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates.” — H. Jackson Brown Jr.
  10. “Discipline is the soul of an army.” — George Washington
  11. “He who conquers himself is the mightiest warrior.” — Confucius
  12. “Successful people do daily what unsuccessful people do occasionally.” — Unknown
  13. “The distance between dreams and reality is called discipline.” — Unknown
  14. “Your habits will determine your future.” — Jack Canfield
  15. “The pain of discipline weighs ounces; the pain of regret weighs tons.” — Jim Rohn

What these success quotes teach: motivation is a spark, but discipline is the engine — and engines, unlike sparks, run on schedule. Washington’s line reframes discipline as the soul of any effort, and Rohn’s surviving line weighs it honestly: the pain of discipline is always lighter than the pain of regret. Dryden’s warning completes it: you choose your habits first, and then your habits choose your future for you. Return to these success quotes whenever progress feels invisible; slow movement is still movement. Let these success quotes supply the first step, and let the habit carry the rest.

Success quotes: Discipline is the soul of an army. — George Washington

6. Confidence and Courage

  1. “Confidence comes not from always being right but from not fearing to be wrong.” — Peter T. McIntyre
  2. “Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle.” — Christian D. Larson
  3. “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement.” — Helen Keller
  4. “With confidence, you have won before you have started.” — Marcus Garvey
  5. “Confidence is contagious. So is lack of confidence.” — Vince Lombardi
  6. “It is confidence in our bodies, minds, and spirits that allows us to keep looking for new adventures.” — Oprah Winfrey
  7. “Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.” — John Wayne
  8. “Without courage, wisdom bears no fruit.” — Baltasar Gracián
  9. “The brave may not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all.” — Attributed to Richard Branson
  10. “Fear kills more dreams than failure ever will.” — Suzy Kassem
  11. “Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees the others.” — Aristotle
  12. “Confidence is the companion of success.” — Unknown
  13. “It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” — E.E. Cummings
  14. “Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
  15. “What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

What these success quotes teach: confidence is not the absence of doubt — it is action taken while doubt is still in the room. McIntyre’s line is the most useful definition here: confidence is not about being right, it is about not fearing to be wrong. And Kassem names the real enemy: fear quietly kills more dreams than failure ever could, because failure at least teaches you something. Pick the line from these success quotes that hits hardest today, and carry it into your work. The best of these success quotes work as daily cues, not one-time reads.

7. Innovation and Risk

  1. “If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got.” — Attributed to Albert Einstein
  2. “The future is already here — it’s just not very evenly distributed.” — William Gibson
  3. “If you’re not failing, you’re not innovating enough.” — Attributed to Elon Musk
  4. “Risk-taking is the cornerstone of empires.” — Estée Lauder
  5. “Do not be afraid to take a big step if one is indicated. You can’t cross a chasm in two small jumps.” — David Lloyd George
  6. “The biggest risk is not taking any risk.” — Attributed to Mark Zuckerberg
  7. “If you want something new, you have to stop doing something old.” — Peter Drucker
  8. “A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.” — John A. Shedd
  9. “The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing.” — Leo Buscaglia
  10. “Take calculated risks. That is quite different from being rash.” — George S. Patton
  11. “Risk more than others think is safe. Dream more than others think is practical.” — Howard Schultz
  12. “Creativity is thinking up new things. Innovation is doing new things.” — Theodore Levitt
  13. “The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” — Attributed to Socrates
  14. “Vision without execution is just hallucination.” — Thomas Edison
  15. “Innovation is seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought.” — Attributed to Albert Szent-Györgyi

What these success quotes teach: every innovation is a risk taken before the evidence is complete — that is what makes it innovation instead of imitation. Shedd’s ship is the image to keep: safety is not the purpose of a ship, and comfort is not the purpose of a career. Patton adds the discipline: take calculated risks, which is a very different thing from being rash. The lesson running through these success quotes is simple: small steps, repeated daily, change everything. Keep one of these success quotes where you will see it tomorrow morning, and let it set the first action of the day.

8. Teamwork and Collaboration

  1. “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” — African Proverb
  2. “The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team.” — John Wooden
  3. “No one is perfect, but a team can be.” — Meredith Belbin
  4. “It takes two flints to make a fire.” — Louisa May Alcott
  5. “A team is more than a collection of people. It is a process of give and take.” — Barbara Glacel
  6. “When a team outgrows individual performance and learns team confidence, excellence becomes a reality.” — Joe Paterno
  7. “Teamwork makes the dream work.” — Attributed to John C. Maxwell
  8. “A group becomes a team when each member is sure enough of himself and his contribution to praise the skills of others.” — Norman Shidle
  9. “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” — Harry S. Truman
  10. “No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play it.” — H.E. Luccock
  11. “The best teamwork comes from men who are working independently toward one goal in unison.” — James Cash Penney
  12. “Great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people.” — Steve Jobs
  13. “Unity is strength. When there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.” — Mattie Stepanek
  14. “Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.” — Attributed to Ryunosuke Satoro
  15. “The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined effort of each individual.” — Vince Lombardi

What these success quotes teach: talent gets you into the room, but teamwork decides what the room can build. Wooden’s line is the cleanest proof: stardom’s main ingredient is the rest of the team. And Truman’s rule is the leadership shortcut — when nobody is fighting over credit, the work itself moves faster, and the team ends up achieving more than any of its members could alone. Share one of these success quotes with someone who needs it today. Return to these success quotes whenever progress feels invisible; slow movement is still movement.

9. Work Ethic and Craft

  1. “Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.” — Aristotle
  2. “Quality is not an act, it is a habit.” — Aristotle
  3. “Work hard in silence, let your success be your noise.” — Attributed to Frank Ocean
  4. “The harder I work, the luckier I get.” — Samuel Goldwyn
  5. “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” — Colin Powell
  6. “The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.” — Vince Lombardi
  7. “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” — Tim Notke
  8. “Without hard work, nothing grows but weeds.” — Gordon B. Hinckley
  9. “Work gives you meaning and purpose, and life is empty without it.” — Stephen Hawking
  10. “Dreams don’t work unless you do.” — John C. Maxwell
  11. “The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” — Confucius
  12. “The reward for work well done is the opportunity to do more.” — Jonas Salk
  13. “Excellence is not a skill, it’s an attitude.” — Ralph Marston
  14. “Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” — Attributed to Francis of Assisi
  15. “Work is love made visible.” — Kahlil Gibran

What these success quotes teach: craft is what happens when effort meets standards. Aristotle’s two lines say the same thing from different angles: pleasure in the work produces perfection, and quality itself is a habit, not an event. And Confucius gives the method for the biggest jobs: nobody moves a mountain in one lift — you start by carrying away small stones, and you keep carrying them. Read these success quotes slowly, and let the line that stings become a plan with a date. Pick the line from these success quotes that hits hardest today, and carry it into your work.

10. Wealth and Success Mindset

  1. “Success is not measured by money, but by the difference you make in people’s lives.” — Unknown
  2. “Wealth is the slave of a wise man and the master of a fool.” — Seneca
  3. “Money is power, freedom, a cushion, the root of all evil, the sum of blessings.” — Carl Sandburg
  4. “The investor’s chief problem — and even his worst enemy — is likely to be himself.” — Benjamin Graham
  5. “He who is contented is rich.” — Lao Tzu
  6. “It is wealth to be content.” — Lao Tzu
  7. “The real measure of your wealth is how much you’d be worth if you lost all your money.” — Unknown
  8. “Self-investment is the foundation of all success.” — Brian Tracy
  9. “Wealth is built in the gap between income and ego.” — Morgan Housel
  10. “Real wealth is measured in time, not money.” — Unknown
  11. “Spend on what matters, save on what doesn’t, and invest the rest.” — Unknown
  12. “Wealth is like a tree: it grows from a small seed, with patience and care.” — Unknown
  13. “The fastest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put it in your pocket.” — Will Rogers
  14. “The only wealth which you will keep forever is the wealth you have given away.” — Marcus Aurelius
  15. “True success is not measured by wealth, but by the freedom it gives you to live on your terms.” — Unknown

What these success quotes teach: money is a tool for success, not the definition of it — and confusing the two is the most expensive mistake in this section. Sandburg’s line names money honestly: power, freedom, cushion, blessing and curse in one package. And Lao Tzu agrees from the old wisdom: he who is contented is rich. Let these success quotes supply the first step, and let the habit carry the rest. The lesson running through these success quotes is simple: small steps, repeated daily, change everything.

11. Balance and Wellbeing

  1. “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” — Attributed to Albert Einstein
  2. “The body is your temple. Keep it pure and clean for the soul to reside in.” — B.K.S. Iyengar
  3. “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being.” — World Health Organization
  4. “You can’t pour from an empty cup. Take care of yourself first.” — Unknown
  5. “Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is relax.” — Mark Black
  6. “Burnout is not a badge of honor. Rest is part of the work.” — Unknown
  7. “Wellness is the complete integration of body, mind, and spirit.” — Greg Anderson
  8. “Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony.” — Thomas Merton
  9. “It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.” — Mahatma Gandhi
  10. “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.” — Maya Angelou
  11. “Self-care is not selfish. You cannot serve from an empty vessel.” — Eleanor Brownn
  12. “A healthy outside starts from the inside.” — Robert Urich
  13. “Your mind will answer most questions if you learn to relax and wait for the answer.” — William S. Burroughs
  14. “The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” — William James
  15. “In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you.” — Deepak Chopra

What these success quotes teach: success that costs you your health is not success — it is a loan you repay with interest. Angelou’s definition is the test to carry: liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it — if any one of the three is missing, something is out of balance. And Black’s reminder is the permission most driven people never give themselves: sometimes the most productive thing you can do is relax. The best of these success quotes work as daily cues, not one-time reads. Share one of these success quotes with someone who needs it today.

12. Learning and Growth

  1. “Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence.” — Abigail Adams
  2. “Reading is essential for those who seek to rise above the ordinary.” — Jim Rohn
  3. “The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.” — Aristotle
  4. “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” — Attributed to Albert Einstein
  5. “Learning is the only thing the mind never exhausts, never fears, and never regrets.” — Leonardo da Vinci
  6. “I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught.” — Winston Churchill
  7. “Growth demands a temporary surrender of security.” — Gail Sheehy
  8. “Wonder is the beginning of wisdom.” — Socrates
  9. “I am still learning.” — Attributed to Michelangelo
  10. “Mistakes are proof that you are trying.” — Unknown
  11. “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” — John Dewey
  12. “Study without desire spoils the memory, and it retains nothing that it takes in.” — Leonardo da Vinci
  13. “Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.” — Chinese Proverb
  14. “Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.” — Anthony J. D’Angelo
  15. “The expert in anything was once a beginner.” — Helen Hayes

What these success quotes teach: success has an expiry date if learning stops — that is why the most successful people in this section sound like students, not experts. Einstein’s line is blunt: anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new. And Hayes gives every beginner permission: the expert was once exactly where you are now, and the only difference is the learning that happened in between. Keep one of these success quotes where you will see it tomorrow morning, and let it set the first action of the day. Read these success quotes slowly, and let the line that stings become a plan with a date.

13. Legacy of Success

  1. “Try to leave this world a little better than you found it.” — Attributed to Robert Baden-Powell
  2. “Success is not about what you accomplish in your life, it’s about what you inspire others to do.” — Unknown
  3. “The best way to lift yourself up is to help someone else up.” — Booker T. Washington
  4. “The greatest gift you can give someone is your time, because when you give your time, you are giving a portion of your life that you will never get back.” — Unknown
  5. “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?'” — Martin Luther King Jr.
  6. “The purpose of life is to contribute in some way to making things better.” — Robert F. Kennedy
  7. “To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
  8. “The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example.” — Benjamin Disraeli
  9. “A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.” — Greek Proverb
  10. “Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity.” — Horace Mann
  11. “The greatest legacy one can pass on to one’s children and grandchildren is not money or other material things accumulated in one’s life, but rather a legacy of character and faith.” — Billy Graham
  12. “How you spend your days is how you spend your life.” — Annie Dillard
  13. “The measure of a man is what he does with power.” — Plato
  14. “A good name is more desirable than great riches.” — Proverbs 22:1
  15. “Your legacy is every life you touch.” — Maya Angelou
  16. “Success is a journey, not a destination.” — Attributed to Arthur Ashe
  17. “The only thing you take with you when you’re gone is what you leave behind.” — John Allston
  18. “Success is getting up one more time than you fall down.” — Unknown
  19. “The best inheritance a parent can give his children is a few minutes of his time each day.” — O.A. Battista
  20. “What we do in life echoes in eternity.” — Attributed to Marcus Aurelius

What these success quotes teach: the final measure of success is not what you collected, but what continues after you. King’s question is the one to sit with: what are you doing for others? Emerson’s line is the answer in one sentence — if even one life breathed easier because you lived, that is success, and no title or bank balance can add to it or take it away. Return to these success quotes whenever progress feels invisible; slow movement is still movement. Let these success quotes supply the first step, and let the habit carry the rest.

Related Quotes to Explore

If these success quotes fired you up, keep going with more collections from CrownQuote: our 200 motivational quotes for success for daily drive, our 200 inspirational quotes for life for hope and perspective, and our 200 money quotes for wealth thinking.

Want to know more about one of the voices behind these words? Read about George Washington on Britannica — his words on discipline still carry weight.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are success quotes?

Success quotes are short, memorable sayings about what success means and how it is built — hard work, clear goals, leadership, persistence, discipline, and character. They are used as morning motivation, team-meeting openers, desk reminders, and captions. Unlike generic encouragement, the best success quotes name a specific habit or decision, so you can act on them the same day you read them. Keep one of these success quotes where you will see it tomorrow morning, and let it set the first action of the day.

How can I use success quotes at work?

Pick one quote each morning and attach it to a single action: a difficult call, a project you have been avoiding, or a conversation you need to lead. Teams use them to open meetings, managers use them to recognize effort, and individuals use them as wallpaper or journal prompts. The habit matters more than the quote — one line, one action, repeated daily, quietly changes how you work. Return to these success quotes whenever progress feels invisible; slow movement is still movement.

Which success quotes are best after a failure?

Quotes about persistence and learning from failure help most after a setback — lines that treat failure as information instead of a verdict. In this collection, start with Section 4 (Persistence Through Failure) and Section 9 (Work Ethic and Craft). Choose the one that feels true rather than the one that sounds nicest, and let it guide one small next step today. Pick the line from these success quotes that hits hardest today, and carry it into your work.

What is the difference between success quotes and motivational quotes?

The two overlap, but the emphasis differs. Motivational quotes usually push you to act right now — keep going, don’t quit, start today. Success quotes go further: they define what success is, how it is built over time, and what it should leave behind. If you need energy, read motivational quotes; if you need direction and a standard to measure yourself against, read success quotes. The lesson running through these success quotes is simple: small steps, repeated daily, change everything.

Attribution Note

A note on honesty: some famous quotes have debated origins. Where a quote is widely repeated under a name but scholars have not confirmed it as that person’s exact words, this article labels it “Attributed to” rather than stating it as fact. Quotes marked “Unknown” are traditional sayings or proverbs whose original author is not known. This keeps the collection honest: the wisdom is worth sharing, and so is the truth about where it came from. Where a quote’s origin is debated, these success quotes keep the honest label rather than a neat story.

CURATED BY

CrownQuote Editorial Team

The CrownQuote editorial team researches, verifies, and curates every quote collection on this site. Spot an error? Reach us through the Contact page and we will fix it.

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