--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Dig into almost every overnight success…" description: "\"Dig into almost every overnight success story and you’ll find about a decade’s worth of hard work and perseverance.\" — Austin Kleon" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1e/austin-kleon-1835_decades_dig-into-almost-every-overnight-success_357444.jpg" --- # Dig into almost every overnight success story and you’ll… ![“Dig into almost every overnight success story and you’ll find about a decade’s worth of hard work and perseverance.” quote by Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1e/austin-kleon-1835_decades_dig-into-almost-every-overnight-success_357444.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1e/austin-kleon-1835_decades_dig-into-almost-every-overnight-success_357444.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1e/austin-kleon-1835_decades_dig-into-almost-every-overnight-success_357444.jpg) > “Dig into almost every overnight success story and you’ll find about a decade’s worth of hard work and perseverance.” [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Success that appears instant usually rests on years of unseen effort and persistence. **In simple terms:** Hard work precedes fame. Key Takeaway Invest time before expecting results. Themes perseverance hard work success patience Mood reflective inspirational Type advice motivational When to use this quote - career building - creative projects - skill development - entrepreneurship Key Concepts growth mindset delayed gratification Questions to Reflect On - What long‑term effort are you overlooking? - How can you celebrate incremental progress? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on "overnight" can undervalue gradual progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Decades](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decades/) [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [Hard work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-work/) [Hard Work And Perseverance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-work-and-perseverance/) [Overnight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overnight/) [Overnight success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overnight-success/) [Perseverance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perseverance/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Success stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success-stories/) [Success story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success-story/) [Work Perseverance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-perseverance-931449/) ## Related quotes > [“Overnight success is a myth. Dig into almost every overnight success story and you’ll find about a decade’s worth of hard work and perseverance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/overnight-success-is-a-myth-dig-into-almost-every-overnight-success/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“Aside from a very select few, there are no overnight success stories. Most of the time that single step took a thousand miles to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-henegan/aside-from-a-very-select-few-there-are-no-overnight-success-stories/) [Carl Henegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-henegan/) > [Overnight success stories take a long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/overnight-success-stories-take-a-long-time/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [People who think achieving success is a linear A-to-Z process, a straight shot to the top, simply aren't in touch with reality. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/people-who-think-achieving-success-is-a-linear-a-to-z-process-a/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [“To achieve what 1% of the worlds population has (Financial Freedom), you must be willing to do what only 1% dare to do..hard work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manoj-arora/to-achieve-what-1-of-the-worlds-population-has-financial-freedom-you/) [Manoj Arora](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manoj-arora/) > [Whether you want to be the top violinist or a CEO, strangely enough, hard work and perseverance can overcome a lot of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-clifford-hudson/whether-you-want-to-be-the-top-violinist-or-a-ceo-strangely-enough/) [J Clifford Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-clifford-hudson/) > [Success is not easy and I think everyone should know that hard work and perseverance and being open to giving back are so much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/success-is-not-easy-and-i-think-everyone-should-know-that-hard-work/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [Find out what your passions are and gauge your limit. 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Great things come from hard work and perseverance.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobe-bryant/i-have-nothing-in-common-with-lazy-people-who-blame-others-for-their/) [Kobe Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobe-bryant/) > [“Blacks must learn that true freedom from poverty is available only through hard work and perseverance, not through affirmative action programs, protesting, or blind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rev-jesse-lee-peterson/blacks-must-learn-that-true-freedom-from-poverty-is-available-only/) [Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rev-jesse-lee-peterson/) > [Life is difficult no matter what, but hard work and perseverance make it a lot easier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/life-is-difficult-no-matter-what-but-hard-work-and-perseverance-make/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [Great things come from hard work and perseverance. No excuses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobe-bryant/great-things-come-from-hard-work-and-perseverance-no-excuses/) [Kobe Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobe-bryant/) > [“Hard work and perseverance trumps talent most of the time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-harrelson/hard-work-and-perseverance-trumps-talent-most-of-the-time/) [T.C. Harrelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-harrelson/) > [We are still a country where hard work and perseverance can earn you a better life... Yet we are rightfully troubled that many of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/we-are-still-a-country-where-hard-work-and-perseverance-can-earn-you/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) ## More by Austin Kleon > [“The thing is, you can cut off a couple passions and only focus on one, but after a while, you’ll start to feel phantom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/the-thing-is-you-can-cut-off-a-couple-passions-and-only-focus-on-one/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [Don't think of your website as a self-promotion machine, think of it as a self-invention machine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/don-t-think-of-your-website-as-a-self-promotion-machine-think-of-it/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“We want you to take from us. We want you, at first, to steal from us, because you can’t steal. You will take what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/we-want-you-to-take-from-us-we-want-you-at-first-to-steal-from-us/) [austin kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“Validation is for parking.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/validation-is-for-parking/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“If you want fans, you have to be a fan first. If you want to be accepted by a community, you have to first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/if-you-want-fans-you-have-to-be-a-fan-first-if-you-want-to-be/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“Social media sites are the perfect place to share daily updates. Don’t worry about being on every platform; pick and choose based on what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/social-media-sites-are-the-perfect-place-to-share-daily-updates-don-t/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“Writing a page a day doesn't seem like much, but do it for 365 days and you have enough to fill a novel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/writing-a-page-a-day-doesn-t-seem-like-much-but-do-it-for-365-days/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [Be boring. (It’s the only way to get work done.)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/be-boring-it-s-the-only-way-to-get-work-done/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [It sounds a little extreme, but in this day and age, if your work isn't online, it doesn't exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/it-sounds-a-little-extreme-but-in-this-day-and-age-if-your-work-isn-t/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“Don't wait until you know who you are to get started. If I'd waited to know who I was or what I was about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/don-t-wait-until-you-know-who-you-are-to-get-started-if-i-d-waited-to/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [Your brain gets too comfortable in your everyday surroundings. You need to make it uncomfortable. You need to spend some time in another land,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/your-brain-gets-too-comfortable-in-your-everyday-surroundings-you/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [Nothing is more paralyzing than the idea of limitless possibilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/nothing-is-more-paralyzing-than-the-idea-of-limitless-possibilities/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“Whenever Picasso learned how to do something, he abandoned it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/whenever-picasso-learned-how-to-do-something-he-abandoned-it/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“The writer Jonathan Lethem has said that when people call something “original,” nine out of ten times they just don’t know the references or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/the-writer-jonathan-lethem-has-said-that-when-people-call-something/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“Stock and flow” is an economic concept that writer Robin Sloan has adapted into a metaphor for media: “Flow is the feed. It’s the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/stock-and-flow-is-an-economic-concept-that-writer-robin-sloan-has/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) [Explore all 204 Austin Kleon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) ## More Decades quotes > [Nature will eventually do what nature has always done. It will respond in a self-stabilizing manner over the long term with moderate variability over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-sununu/nature-will-eventually-do-what-nature-has-always-done-it-will-respond/) [John H. Sununu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-h-sununu/) > [Music's free and music's for everyone to enjoy and express and interpret. It transcends countries and times and decades.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bat-for-lashes/music-s-free-and-music-s-for-everyone-to-enjoy-and-express-and/) [Bat for Lashes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bat-for-lashes/) > [I should have liked to get married, but over many decades I have lived essentially alone. I go to sleep when I'm tired, get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-dennis/i-should-have-liked-to-get-married-but-over-many-decades-i-have-lived/) [Felix Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-dennis/) > [In a couple of decades you have half of the wells that are drilled right now, and you're talking about numbers in the millions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-fox/in-a-couple-of-decades-you-have-half-of-the-wells-that-are-drilled/) [Josh Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-fox/) > [Among the many factors that make a return to halcyon days of the first decades of the postwar era virtually impossible is the decline…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-gilpin/among-the-many-factors-that-make-a-return-to-halcyon-days-of-the/) [Robert Gilpin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-gilpin/) > [We're focused on providing innovations in software, driving the continuous improvement for a much better experience, and there's a lot going on here that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/we-re-focused-on-providing-innovations-in-software-driving-the/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [UN peacekeeping operations are now increasingly complex and multi-dimensional, going beyond monitoring a ceasefire to actually bringing failed States back to life, often after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/un-peacekeeping-operations-are-now-increasingly-complex-and-multi/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [But we need to be very clear: because of our decades of collective denial, no gradual, incremental options are now available to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/but-we-need-to-be-very-clear-because-of-our-decades-of-collective/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [It's funny, I used to say on 'That 70's Show', you could really put us in any decade, and it was about the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-prepon/it-s-funny-i-used-to-say-on-that-70-s-show-you-could-really-put-us-in/) [Laura Prepon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-prepon/) > [So a truthful assessment of how America is doing in the war on terror as a result of President Bush's war on Iraq is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-olver/so-a-truthful-assessment-of-how-america-is-doing-in-the-war-on-terror/) [John Olver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-olver/) > [... many folks take them seriously because they just 'know' that evolution can never be seen in the immediate here and now. 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We have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoshihiko-noda/the-greatest-problem-in-japanese-politics-over-the-last-two-decades/) [Yoshihiko Noda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoshihiko-noda/) [Browse all 1,717 Decades quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decades/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Dig into almost every overnight success story and you’ll find about a decade’s worth of hard work and perseverance.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Austin Kleon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/dig-into-almost-every-overnight-success-story-and-you-ll-find-about-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Decades" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/dig-into-almost-every-overnight-success-story-and-you-ll-find-about-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1e/austin-kleon-1835_decades_dig-into-almost-every-overnight-success_357444.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1e/austin-kleon-1835_decades_dig-into-almost-every-overnight-success_357444.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1e/austin-kleon-1835_decades_dig-into-almost-every-overnight-success_357444.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Dig into almost every overnight success story and you’ll find about a decade’s worth of hard work and…” — Austin Kleon", "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": "Austin Kleon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Dig into almost every overnight success...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/dig-into-almost-every-overnight-success-story-and-you-ll-find-about-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/dig-into-almost-every-overnight-success-story-and-you-ll-find-about-a/#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 } } ] } ```