--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If one felt successful, there'd be so…" description: "\"If one felt successful, there'd be so little incentive to be successful.\" — Alain de Botton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a12/alain-de-botton-221_being-successful_if-one-felt-successful-there-d-be-so-lit_1424318.jpg" --- # If one felt successful, there'd be so little incentive to… ![“If one felt successful, there'd be so little incentive to be successful.” quote by Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a12/alain-de-botton-221_being-successful_if-one-felt-successful-there-d-be-so-lit_1424318.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a12/alain-de-botton-221_being-successful_if-one-felt-successful-there-d-be-so-lit_1424318.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a12/alain-de-botton-221_being-successful_if-one-felt-successful-there-d-be-so-lit_1424318.jpg) > “If one felt successful, there'd be so little incentive to be successful.” [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He suggests that if success were easy, it would diminish the drive to achieve, implying that challenge fuels ambition. **In simple terms:** Easy success reduces drive; challenge fuels ambition. Key Takeaway Seek challenges to stay motivated. Themes motivation success challenge Mood contemplative inspirational Type philosophical self‑help When to use this quote - career planning - skill development - goal setting Key Concepts psychology philosophy Questions to Reflect On - What challenges keep you motivated? - How do you balance comfort with growth? A Different Perspective Some may argue that success can inspire further achievement. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Being successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-successful/) [Incentive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incentive/) [Incentives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incentives/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful/) ## Related quotes > [There's precious little incentive to try and make it in the world of management - and that's especially true in England.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jermaine-jenas/there-s-precious-little-incentive-to-try-and-make-it-in-the-world-of/) [Jermaine Jenas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jermaine-jenas/) > [“Because people are paid virtually nothing, they have very little incentive to do much actual work.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-tudor/because-people-are-paid-virtually-nothing-they-have-very-little/) [Daniel Tudor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-tudor/) > [If you need scale in order to create value, it's hard to get scale, because there's little incentive for the first people to use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-schachter/if-you-need-scale-in-order-to-create-value-it-s-hard-to-get-scale/) [Joshua Schachter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-schachter/) > [If you're being successful, you have a little bit more energy because you're doing the right things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordy-nelson/if-you-re-being-successful-you-have-a-little-bit-more-energy-because/) [Jordy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordy-nelson/) > [Every picture that is successful has one little miracle in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/every-picture-that-is-successful-has-one-little-miracle-in-it/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [There is little incentive even for the media to encourage whistle-blowing or ruffling powerful feathers. 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There is never an open road, except the wide road that leads to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kirubi/business-is-always-a-struggle-there-are-always-obstacles-and/) Chris Kirubi > [You cannot be successful without passion. If you don't love what you're doing, if you don't have passion for it - forget it. Do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/you-cannot-be-successful-without-passion-if-you-don-t-love-what-you/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [You can't not be a little different from others and be successful for three decades.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-sheen/you-can-t-not-be-a-little-different-from-others-and-be-successful-for/) [Charlie Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-sheen/) > [Everyone has a breaking point, turning point, stress point, the game is permeated with it. The fans don't see it because we make it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-winfield/everyone-has-a-breaking-point-turning-point-stress-point-the-game-is/) [Dave Winfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-winfield/) > [If you increase the number of rockets you build and you buy, then it's the scale of the economy, the price is going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-chiao/if-you-increase-the-number-of-rockets-you-build-and-you-buy-then-it-s/) [Leroy Chiao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-chiao/) > [Hockey is a unique sport in the sense that you need each and every guy helping each other and pulling in the same direction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gretzky/hockey-is-a-unique-sport-in-the-sense-that-you-need-each-and-every/) [Wayne Gretzky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gretzky/) > [There has always been a display of wealth and always will be, until the depression comes, which it always does. And let me tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/there-has-always-been-a-display-of-wealth-and-always-will-be-until/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [I think there is a big and significant difference between being a leader and being a manager-leaders lead from the heart. You have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-jung/i-think-there-is-a-big-and-significant-difference-between-being-a/) [Andrea Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-jung/) > [There's nobody that wants the president to be successful more than I.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-r-clapper/there-s-nobody-that-wants-the-president-to-be-successful-more-than-i/) [James R. Clapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-r-clapper/) > [Don't worry about your individual numbers. Worry about the team. 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There are very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blair-hull/also-it-s-not-the-mathematical-skill-that-s-critical-to-winning-it-s/) Blair Hull [Browse all 1,002 Being successful quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-successful/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If one felt successful, there'd be so little incentive to be successful.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alain de Botton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/if-one-felt-successful-there-d-be-so-little-incentive-to-be-successful/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Being successful" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/if-one-felt-successful-there-d-be-so-little-incentive-to-be-successful/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a12/alain-de-botton-221_being-successful_if-one-felt-successful-there-d-be-so-lit_1424318.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a12/alain-de-botton-221_being-successful_if-one-felt-successful-there-d-be-so-lit_1424318.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a12/alain-de-botton-221_being-successful_if-one-felt-successful-there-d-be-so-lit_1424318.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If one felt successful, there'd be so little incentive to be successful.” — Alain de Botton", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alain de Botton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If one felt successful, there'd be...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/if-one-felt-successful-there-d-be-so-little-incentive-to-be-successful/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/if-one-felt-successful-there-d-be-so-little-incentive-to-be-successful/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```