---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Success isn't a result of spontaneous…"
description: "\"Success isn't a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire. --Arnold H. Glasow\" — Anonymous"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d89/arnold-h-glasow-2-177973_fire_success-isn-t-a-result-of-spontaneous-co_1975423.jpg"
---

#  Success isn't a result of spontaneous combustion. You must…

![“Success isn't a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire. --Arnold H. Glasow” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d89/arnold-h-glasow-2-177973_fire_success-isn-t-a-result-of-spontaneous-co_1975423.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d89/arnold-h-glasow-2-177973_fire_success-isn-t-a-result-of-spontaneous-co_1975423.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d89/arnold-h-glasow-2-177973_fire_success-isn-t-a-result-of-spontaneous-co_1975423.jpg)

> “Success isn't a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire. --Arnold H. Glasow”

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

## About This Quote

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

Motivation requires deliberate effort and personal drive, not passive luck.

**In simple terms:** You must work hard to achieve success.

Key Takeaway

Take active steps toward your goals.

Themes

motivation effort self‑discipline

Mood

determined optimistic

Type

inspirational motivational

When to use this quote

- career advancement
- entrepreneurship
- creative projects
- personal development

Key Concepts

personal agency goal setting

Questions to Reflect On

- What actions can you take today to ignite your ambition?
- How do you sustain motivation after the initial spark?

A Different Perspective

Effort alone may not guarantee success without resources or opportunity.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Combustion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/combustion/) [Fire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fire/) [Result Spontaneous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/result-spontaneous-981197/) [Spontaneous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spontaneous/) [Spontaneous combustion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spontaneous-combustion/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Success Isn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success-isn/)

## Related quotes

> [Success isn't a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-h-glasow/success-isn-t-a-result-of-spontaneous-combustion-you-must-set/)

[Arnold H. Glasow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-h-glasow/)

> [Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion. You must first set yourself on fire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-shero/success-is-not-the-result-of-spontaneous-combustion-you-must-first/)

[Fred Shero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-shero/)

> [Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/success-is-not-the-result-of-spontaneous-combustion-you-must-set/)

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

> [Spontaneous combustion IS a form of harm, Mr. D," Chiron put in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/spontaneous-combustion-is-a-form-of-harm-mr-d-chiron-put-in/)

[Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/)

> [Fulfilling the four needs in an integrated way is like combining elements in chemistry. When we reach a "critical mass" of integration, we experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/fulfilling-the-four-needs-in-an-integrated-way-is-like-combining/)

[Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/)

> [A twenty three on the verge of spontaneous combustion. Woe-is-me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/incubus/a-twenty-three-on-the-verge-of-spontaneous-combustion-woe-is-me/)

[Incubus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/incubus/)

> [What would happen if you melted? You know, you never really hear this talked about much, but spontaneous combustion? It exists! People burn from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keanu-reeves/what-would-happen-if-you-melted-you-know-you-never-really-hear-this/)

[Keanu Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keanu-reeves/)

> [I fell into writing, I suppose, being one of those awful children who wrote verses. I went to a convent in New York-the Blessed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/i-fell-into-writing-i-suppose-being-one-of-those-awful-children-who/)

[Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/)

> [I started getting really curious about art. I read about the Dadaists and the Futurists and the Constructivists - those kind of movements which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-deitch/i-started-getting-really-curious-about-art-i-read-about-the-dadaists/)

[Jeffrey Deitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-deitch/)

> [ Ben \[Peeler\] and I have known each other for a decade. He trusts my crazy ideas and spontaneous combustion and he gets the players… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-lynne/ben-peeler-and-i-have-known-each-other-for-a-decade-he-trusts-my/)

[Shelby Lynne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-lynne/)

> [“Success is not due to spontaneous combustion. You have to set yourself on fire.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/various-attributed-sources/success-is-not-due-to-spontaneous-combustion-you-have-to-set-yourself/)

[Various attributed sources](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/various-attributed-sources/)

> [“What the hell do you want from me?” “Spontaneous combustion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/poppet/what-the-hell-do-you-want-from-me-spontaneous-combustion/)

[Poppet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/poppet/)

> [Creativity is the mother of all energies, nurturer of your most alive self. It charges up every part of you. When you're plugged in,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-orloff/creativity-is-the-mother-of-all-energies-nurturer-of-your-most-alive/)

[Judith Orloff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-orloff/)

> [Like a lot of what happens in novels, inspiration is a sort of spontaneous combustion--the oily rags of the head and heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-elkin/like-a-lot-of-what-happens-in-novels-inspiration-is-a-sort-of/)

[Stanley Elkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-elkin/)

> [I’m not dead yet. It’s all good. (Omari) Good. That whole spontaneous combustion thing can be a real buzzkill. Ruins your clothes, too. (Nero)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/i-m-not-dead-yet-it-s-all-good-omari-good-that-whole-spontaneous/)

[Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/)

## More by Anonymous

> [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/)

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

> [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/)

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

> [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/)

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

> [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/)

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

> [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/)

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

> [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/)

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

> [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/)

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

> [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/)

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

> [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/)

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

> [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/)

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

> [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/)

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

> [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/)

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

> [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/)

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

> [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/)

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

> [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/)

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

[Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More Combustion quotes

> [Shakespeare doesn't belong to the past. If his material is valid, it is valid now. It's like coal. The only meaningfulness of a piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-brook/shakespeare-doesn-t-belong-to-the-past-if-his-material-is-valid-it-is/)

[Peter Brook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-brook/)

> [Spontaneous combustion IS a form of harm, Mr. D," Chiron put in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/spontaneous-combustion-is-a-form-of-harm-mr-d-chiron-put-in/)

[Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/)

> [Fulfilling the four needs in an integrated way is like combining elements in chemistry. When we reach a "critical mass" of integration, we experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/fulfilling-the-four-needs-in-an-integrated-way-is-like-combining/)

[Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/)

> [It's pretty boring, working by yourself. The scene happens in between the two of you, and then you don't know what it's going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/it-s-pretty-boring-working-by-yourself-the-scene-happens-in-between/)

[Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/)

> [“Success is not due to spontaneous combustion. You have to set yourself on fire.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/various-attributed-sources/success-is-not-due-to-spontaneous-combustion-you-have-to-set-yourself/)

[Various attributed sources](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/various-attributed-sources/)

> [Everybody thinks an automobile needs an engine. Well, an automobile doesn't necessarily need an engine. What we do is shift electric motors into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-mitchell/everybody-thinks-an-automobile-needs-an-engine-well-an-automobile/)

[William J. Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-mitchell/)

> [...it ought to be possible to establish a coordinated global program to accomplish the strategic goal of completely eliminating the internal combustion engine over,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/it-ought-to-be-possible-to-establish-a-coordinated-global-program-to/)

[Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/)

> [Possibly the tragedy of the bicycle is that it was invented too close in time to the car. In the historical scheme, pedal power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ballantine/possibly-the-tragedy-of-the-bicycle-is-that-it-was-invented-too-close/)

[Richard Ballantine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ballantine/)

> [Fear is like the steam that fires the combustion engine. You need fear to get a performance going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-weisz/fear-is-like-the-steam-that-fires-the-combustion-engine-you-need-fear/)

[Rachel Weisz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-weisz/)

> [Spontaneous combustion of grassroots politics is the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-morris/spontaneous-combustion-of-grassroots-politics-is-the-future/)

[Dick Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-morris/)

> [Our opposition will never understand the Democratic Party. Our Party is--to the unpracticed eyes of the old Republican Tories--a mysterious contraption that usually seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-h-humphrey/our-opposition-will-never-understand-the-democratic-party-our-party/)

[Hubert H. Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-h-humphrey/)

> [To many of us now, computers, silicon chips, data processing, cybernetics, and all the other innovations of the dawning high technology age are as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/to-many-of-us-now-computers-silicon-chips-data-processing-cybernetics/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [What if I am, in some way, only a sophisticated fire that has acquired an ability to regulate its rate of combustion and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/what-if-i-am-in-some-way-only-a-sophisticated-fire-that-has-acquired/)

[Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/)

> [I know that the right kind of leader for the Labour Party is a desiccated calculating machine who must not in any way permit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aneurin-bevan/i-know-that-the-right-kind-of-leader-for-the-labour-party-is-a/)

[Aneurin Bevan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aneurin-bevan/)

> [The vanishing point leads to the missiles of today, which can take us out of this world. It could be that the west's greatest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hockney/the-vanishing-point-leads-to-the-missiles-of-today-which-can-take-us/)

[David Hockney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hockney/)

[Browse all 64 Combustion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/combustion/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Success isn't a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire. --Arnold H. Glasow",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Anonymous"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/success-isn-t-a-result-of-spontaneous-combustion-you-must-set-2/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Combustion"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/success-isn-t-a-result-of-spontaneous-combustion-you-must-set-2/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d89/arnold-h-glasow-2-177973_fire_success-isn-t-a-result-of-spontaneous-co_1975423.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d89/arnold-h-glasow-2-177973_fire_success-isn-t-a-result-of-spontaneous-co_1975423.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d89/arnold-h-glasow-2-177973_fire_success-isn-t-a-result-of-spontaneous-co_1975423.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Success isn't a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire. --Arnold H. Glasow” — Anonymous",
                "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": "Anonymous",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Success isn't a result of spontaneous...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/success-isn-t-a-result-of-spontaneous-combustion-you-must-set-2/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/success-isn-t-a-result-of-spontaneous-combustion-you-must-set-2/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
