---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Competition is. In every business, no…"
description: "\"Competition is. In every business, no matter how small or how large, someone is just around the corner forever trying to steal your ideas and build his..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6b/alice-foote-macdougall-17624_around-the-corner_competition-is-in-every-business-no-matt_1194758.jpg"
---

#  Competition is. In every business, no matter how small or…

![“Competition is. In every business, no matter how small or how large, someone is just around the corner forever trying to steal your ideas and build his success out of your imagination, struggling after that which you have toiled endless years to secure, striving to outdo you in each and every way…” quote by Alice Foote MacDougall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6b/alice-foote-macdougall-17624_around-the-corner_competition-is-in-every-business-no-matt_1194758.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6b/alice-foote-macdougall-17624_around-the-corner_competition-is-in-every-business-no-matt_1194758.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6b/alice-foote-macdougall-17624_around-the-corner_competition-is-in-every-business-no-matt_1194758.jpg)

> “Competition is. In every business, no matter how small or how large, someone is just around the corner forever trying to steal your ideas and build his success out of your imagination, struggling after that which you have toiled endless years to secure, striving to outdo you in each and every way. If such a competitor would work as hard to originate as he does to copy, he would much more quickly gain success.”

[Alice Foote MacDougall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-foote-macdougall/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Competition drives innovation but also fuels fear of imitation, urging vigilance and originality.

**In simple terms:** Competition pushes you to protect and innovate.

Key Takeaway

Guard ideas and keep improving.

Themes

competition innovation fear originality

Mood

anxious determined

Type

advice motivational

When to use this quote

- startup launches
- product development
- branding
- R&amp;D
- market entry

Key Concepts

intellectual property market dynamics creative pressure

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance protecting ideas with sharing knowledge?
- What systems can deter competitors from copying?

A Different Perspective

Copying can be mitigated with strong brand identity and continuous innovation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Around the corner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/around-the-corner/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Competition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competition/) [Competition Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competition-business-394303/) [Competitor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competitor/) [Competitor Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competitor-work-1167284/) [Competitors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competitors/) [Copies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/copies/) [Corners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corners/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Endless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/endless/) [Forever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forever/) [Gains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gains/) [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Secure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secure/) [Steal Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steal-ideas-433524/) [Stealing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stealing/) [Strive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strive/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/)

## Related quotes

> [I'm a competitor and work hard every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jalen-brunson/i-m-a-competitor-and-work-hard-every-day/)

[Jalen Brunson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jalen-brunson/)

> [There is a healthy competition as there would be in any business. But we do not spend our days thinking about what Marvel is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-nelson/there-is-a-healthy-competition-as-there-would-be-in-any-business-but/)

[Diane Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-nelson/)

> [I view it as a real competition. We're in a business where, you know what, there's no babies here. You go out, win the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-randolph/i-view-it-as-a-real-competition-we-re-in-a-business-where-you-know/)

[Willie Randolph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-randolph/)

> [The problem is not whether business will survive in competition with business, but whether any business will survive at all in the face of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-joseph-mcginley/the-problem-is-not-whether-business-will-survive-in-competition-with/)

[Laurence Joseph McGinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-joseph-mcginley/)

> [Competition in business is a blessing, for without it, we wouldn't be motivated to improve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nabil-n-jamal/competition-in-business-is-a-blessing-for-without-it-we-wouldn-t-be/)

[Nabil N Jamal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nabil-n-jamal/)

> [The positive aspect of competition in a business scenario is it helps you to be more alert and innovative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/the-positive-aspect-of-competition-in-a-business-scenario-is-it-helps/)

[Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/)

> [Copyright? Copy RIGHT: Steal ideas, steal facts but do not steal words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-poynter/copyright-copy-right-steal-ideas-steal-facts-but-do-not-steal-words/)

[Dan Poynter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-poynter/)

> [People will steal ideas and put them into songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mccready/people-will-steal-ideas-and-put-them-into-songs/)

[Mike McCready](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mccready/)

> [To steal ideas from one person, would be plagiarism, to steal ideas from many is called research.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-steal-ideas-from-one-person-would-be-plagiarism-to-steal-ideas/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I hate people who steal my ideas, before I think of them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/weet-lover/i-hate-people-who-steal-my-ideas-before-i-think-of-them/)

[Weet Lover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/weet-lover/)

> [I think it's important to be aware of different people's styles and how you adapt or change or steal their ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hemsworth/i-think-it-s-important-to-be-aware-of-different-people-s-styles-and/)

[Chris Hemsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hemsworth/)

> [One can steal ideas, but no one can steal execution or passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-ferriss/one-can-steal-ideas-but-no-one-can-steal-execution-or-passion/)

[Tim Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-ferriss/)

> [To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-steal-ideas-from-one-person-is-plagiarism-to-steal-from-many-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The only reason I'd ask what happen today, is to steal some ideas to tweet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/the-only-reason-i-d-ask-what-happen-today-is-to-steal-some-ideas-to/)

[Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/)

> [I look at comic books, and I do very eclectic mood boards with ideas and images that have to do with a character or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-byrne/i-look-at-comic-books-and-i-do-very-eclectic-mood-boards-with-ideas/)

[Alexandra Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-byrne/)

## More by Alice Foote MacDougall

> [It takes real courage to do battle in the unspectacular task. We always listen for the applause of our co-workers. He is courageous who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-foote-macdougall/it-takes-real-courage-to-do-battle-in-the-unspectacular-task-we/)

[Alice Foote MacDougall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-foote-macdougall/)

> [Commercialism is the blemish on the fair face of American life. Fighting against the terrible conditions of the explorer and pioneer, our forefathers had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-foote-macdougall/commercialism-is-the-blemish-on-the-fair-face-of-american-life/)

[Alice Foote MacDougall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-foote-macdougall/)

> [Not only is orderliness an economy; it produces rest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-foote-macdougall/not-only-is-orderliness-an-economy-it-produces-rest/)

[Alice Foote MacDougall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-foote-macdougall/)

> [... the deep experience of the lonely climb on the mountain of success brings a wealth beyond power to compute. To you all suffering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-foote-macdougall/the-deep-experience-of-the-lonely-climb-on-the-mountain-of-success/)

[Alice Foote MacDougall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-foote-macdougall/)

> [Imagination is a valuable asset in business and she has a sister, Understanding, who also serves. Together they make a splendid team and business…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-foote-macdougall/imagination-is-a-valuable-asset-in-business-and-she-has-a-sister/)

[Alice Foote MacDougall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-foote-macdougall/)

> [for the poor the whole world is a self-constituted critic; your smallest action is open to debate. No secret place of your soul is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-foote-macdougall/for-the-poor-the-whole-world-is-a-self-constituted-critic-your/)

[Alice Foote MacDougall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-foote-macdougall/)

> [Life is beset by many annoyances, and those that stand out above all are the life- insurance and advertising agents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-foote-macdougall/life-is-beset-by-many-annoyances-and-those-that-stand-out-above-all/)

[Alice Foote MacDougall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-foote-macdougall/)

> [Poverty is relative, and the lack of food and of the necessities of life is not necessarily a hardship. Spiritual and social ostracism, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-foote-macdougall/poverty-is-relative-and-the-lack-of-food-and-of-the-necessities-of/)

[Alice Foote MacDougall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-foote-macdougall/)

> [Much of the success of life depends upon keeping one's mind open to opportunity and seizing it when it comes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-foote-macdougall/much-of-the-success-of-life-depends-upon-keeping-one-s-mind-open-to/)

[Alice Foote MacDougall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-foote-macdougall/)

> [When one is working out a problem ... life becomes duality. One's ego transacts the ordinary routine of things, as if the mind had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-foote-macdougall/when-one-is-working-out-a-problem-life-becomes-duality-one-s-ego/)

[Alice Foote MacDougall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-foote-macdougall/)

> [When one is altering the face of the universe one cannot remember small helpful acts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-foote-macdougall/when-one-is-altering-the-face-of-the-universe-one-cannot-remember/)

[Alice Foote MacDougall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-foote-macdougall/)

> [... hunger and cold, ill-health and pain are nothing. They pass. The thing that remains is ignorant criticism, well-meaning but futile advice, the contempt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-foote-macdougall/hunger-and-cold-ill-health-and-pain-are-nothing-they-pass-the-thing/)

[Alice Foote MacDougall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-foote-macdougall/)

> [In business everyone is out to grab, to fight, to win. Either you are the under or the over dog. It is up to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-foote-macdougall/in-business-everyone-is-out-to-grab-to-fight-to-win-either-you-are/)

[Alice Foote MacDougall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-foote-macdougall/)

> [Perhaps nothing in all my business has helped me more than faith in my fellow man. From the very first I felt confident that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-foote-macdougall/perhaps-nothing-in-all-my-business-has-helped-me-more-than-faith-in/)

[Alice Foote MacDougall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-foote-macdougall/)

> [You realize the futility of worry. You learn to hate the small and the little. Life is a pie which you cut in large…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-foote-macdougall/you-realize-the-futility-of-worry-you-learn-to-hate-the-small-and-the/)

[Alice Foote MacDougall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-foote-macdougall/)

[Explore all 36 Alice Foote MacDougall quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-foote-macdougall/)

## More Around the corner quotes

> [I feel excited about getting older as an actress, too. I think there are some amazing opportunities around the corner and I don't need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sutton-foster/i-feel-excited-about-getting-older-as-an-actress-too-i-think-there/)

[Sutton Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sutton-foster/)

> [You'll never see me coming around the corner not smiling... I mean, I enjoy every moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquem-griffin/you-ll-never-see-me-coming-around-the-corner-not-smiling-i-mean-i/)

[Shaquem Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquem-griffin/)

> [Curiosity is the essence of human existence. 'Who are we? Where are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going?'... I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/curiosity-is-the-essence-of-human-existence-who-are-we-where-are-we/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [You'd never think of taking a cab if you had to walk a mile down Chicago's Michigan Avenue. But in a bad city you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helmut-jahn/you-d-never-think-of-taking-a-cab-if-you-had-to-walk-a-mile-down/)

[Helmut Jahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helmut-jahn/)

> [With the great people that you work with, it's that they're never giving up and they're never thinking something's finished until they've really, really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-price/with-the-great-people-that-you-work-with-it-s-that-they-re-never/)

[Steven Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-price/)

> [At some point during almost every romantic comedy, the female lead suddenly trips and falls, stumbling helplessly over something ridiculous like a leaf, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-handler/at-some-point-during-almost-every-romantic-comedy-the-female-lead/)

[Chelsea Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-handler/)

> [“A courteous war mage. The world really was coming to an end. And then Pritkin ran back around the corner followed by half a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-chance/a-courteous-war-mage-the-world-really-was-coming-to-an-end-and-then/)

[Karen Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-chance/)

> [You don't know what's coming for you in life, and you don't know what's around the corner. When you're in a great deal of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-h-wyman/you-don-t-know-what-s-coming-for-you-in-life-and-you-don-t-know-what/)

[J.H. Wyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-h-wyman/)

> [Brooklyn, where I grew up, is a competitive burg - there's always a pretty boy around the corner there, and you gotta look better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophilus-london/brooklyn-where-i-grew-up-is-a-competitive-burg-there-s-always-a/)

[Theophilus London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophilus-london/)

> [One thing that's certain: around the corner from every ugly thing, there's something really beautiful. If we stop at every bitter interaction; we'll never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soledad-o-brien/one-thing-that-s-certain-around-the-corner-from-every-ugly-thing/)

[Soledad O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soledad-o-brien/)

> [“job 14:1 man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of troubles "If that isn't your experience now it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/job-14-1-man-who-is-born-of-a-woman-is-few-of-days-and-full-of/)

[John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/)

> [Many live in dread of what is coming. Why should we? The unknown puts adventure into life. ... The unexpected around the corner gives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-stanley-jones/many-live-in-dread-of-what-is-coming-why-should-we-the-unknown-puts/)

[E. Stanley Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-stanley-jones/)

> [And as I reinvent myself and I'm constantly curious about everything, I can't wait to see what's around the corner in newfound art and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pam-grier/and-as-i-reinvent-myself-and-i-m-constantly-curious-about-everything/)

[Pam Grier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pam-grier/)

> [I know what is around the corner - I just don't know where the corner is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-keegan/i-know-what-is-around-the-corner-i-just-don-t-know-where-the-corner-is/)

[Kevin Keegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-keegan/)

> [I love being the age I am, because if there's enough pain or grief, I have enough experience now to realize that there's joy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-gilbert/i-love-being-the-age-i-am-because-if-there-s-enough-pain-or-grief-i/)

[Sara Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-gilbert/)

[Browse all 569 Around the corner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/around-the-corner/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Competition is. In every business, no matter how small or how large, someone is just around the corner forever trying to steal your ideas and build his success out of your imagination, struggling after that which you have toiled endless years to secure, striving to outdo you in each and every way. If such a competitor would work as hard to originate as he does to copy, he would much more quickly gain success.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Alice Foote MacDougall"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-foote-macdougall/competition-is-in-every-business-no-matter-how-small-or-how-large/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Around the corner"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-foote-macdougall/competition-is-in-every-business-no-matter-how-small-or-how-large/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6b/alice-foote-macdougall-17624_around-the-corner_competition-is-in-every-business-no-matt_1194758.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6b/alice-foote-macdougall-17624_around-the-corner_competition-is-in-every-business-no-matt_1194758.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6b/alice-foote-macdougall-17624_around-the-corner_competition-is-in-every-business-no-matt_1194758.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Competition is. In every business, no matter how small or how large, someone is just around the corner…” — Alice Foote MacDougall",
                "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": "Alice Foote MacDougall",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-foote-macdougall/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Competition is. In every business, no...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-foote-macdougall/competition-is-in-every-business-no-matter-how-small-or-how-large/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-foote-macdougall/competition-is-in-every-business-no-matter-how-small-or-how-large/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
