--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If hard work is the key to success, most…" description: "\"If hard work is the key to success, most people would rather pick the lock.\" — Claude Maxwell MacDonald" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/385/claude-maxwell-macdonald-53314_entrepreneur_if-hard-work-is-the-key-to-success-most_2631178.png" --- # If hard work is the key to success, most people would… ![“If hard work is the key to success, most people would rather pick the lock.” quote by Claude Maxwell MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/385/claude-maxwell-macdonald-53314_entrepreneur_if-hard-work-is-the-key-to-success-most_2631178.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/385/claude-maxwell-macdonald-53314_entrepreneur_if-hard-work-is-the-key-to-success-most_2631178.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/385/claude-maxwell-macdonald-53314_entrepreneur_if-hard-work-is-the-key-to-success-most_2631178.png) > “If hard work is the key to success, most people would rather pick the lock.” [Claude Maxwell MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-maxwell-macdonald/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote humorously points out that while hard work is praised as the key to success, many prefer shortcuts, highlighting a conflict between effort and desire for easy gains. **In simple terms:** People often seek shortcuts instead of working hard. Key Takeaway Weize the value of effort over shortcuts. Themes work ethic shortcuts success motivation human nature Mood critical inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career advancement - academic study - personal projects - entrepreneurship Key Concepts behavioral economics psychology effort vs reward Questions to Reflect On - Why do people favor shortcuts? - How can we encourage perseverance? A Different Perspective Shortcuts may lead to unsustainable outcomes and missed learning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Entrepreneur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entrepreneur/) [Entrepreneurship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entrepreneurship/) [Funny work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny-work/) [Hard work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-work/) [Key to success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/key-to-success/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Success People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success-people/) [Successful entrepreneurs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful-entrepreneurs/) ## Related quotes > [Hard work is the key of success!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bubbly/hard-work-is-the-key-of-success/) Bubbly > [Hard work is the key to success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/hard-work-is-the-key-to-success/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Hard work is the key for success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-v-sindhu/hard-work-is-the-key-for-success/) [P. V. Sindhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-v-sindhu/) > [I just know one thing that hard work is the key to success and I believe in this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nidhhi-agerwal/i-just-know-one-thing-that-hard-work-is-the-key-to-success-and-i/) [Nidhhi Agerwal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nidhhi-agerwal/) > [If you cant find the key to success, pick the lock.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-morgan/if-you-cant-find-the-key-to-success-pick-the-lock/) [Harriet Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-morgan/) > [If you can't find the key to success, pick the lock.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richie/if-you-can-t-find-the-key-to-success-pick-the-lock/) [Richie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richie/) > [Hard work is the key that can unlock the door to success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/hard-work-is-the-key-that-can-unlock-the-door-to-success/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [“The dictionary is the only place that success comes before work. work is the key to success, and hard work can help you accomplish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-lombardi/the-dictionary-is-the-only-place-that-success-comes-before-work-work/) [Vince Lombardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-lombardi/) > [Persistence and love of one's work is the key.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-russo/persistence-and-love-of-one-s-work-is-the-key/) [Paul Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-russo/) > [“six is old enough to know how to pick a lock, but not old enough to know that you don’t want to be picking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-wray-gregoire/six-is-old-enough-to-know-how-to-pick-a-lock-but-not-old-enough-to/) Sheila Wray Gregoire > [Pick-a-lock, Pick-a-lock, you'll regret the day, When you took a mouse thief and locked him away, Silly cat, look at that, it's two for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-jacques/pick-a-lock-pick-a-lock-you-ll-regret-the-day-when-you-took-a-mouse/) [Brian Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-jacques/) > [I can pick a lock. How do you think I got into my parents' liquor cabinet in middle school?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/i-can-pick-a-lock-how-do-you-think-i-got-into-my-parents-liquor/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [“Honey, I was a Detective with Homicide for ten years and before that I boosted cars for a living. Trust me, I not only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-d-angelo/honey-i-was-a-detective-with-homicide-for-ten-years-and-before-that-i/) [Nina D'Angelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-d-angelo/) > [“Do you have anything to pick a lock?” She asked desperately. “Always.” I slid one of the three bobby-pins I always kept with me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-bode/do-you-have-anything-to-pick-a-lock-she-asked-desperately-always-i/) [Maya Bode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-bode/) > [Do you know how to pick a lock?" "Not in the least, I'm afraid." "I often wonder what we go to school for," said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/do-you-know-how-to-pick-a-lock-not-in-the-least-i-m-afraid-i-often/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) ## More by Claude Maxwell MacDonald > [Worriers spend a lot of time shoveling smoke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-maxwell-macdonald/worriers-spend-a-lot-of-time-shoveling-smoke/) [Claude Maxwell MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-maxwell-macdonald/) > [Maturity is a stage of life when you don't see eye to eye but can walk arm in arm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-maxwell-macdonald/maturity-is-a-stage-of-life-when-you-don-t-see-eye-to-eye-but-can/) [Claude Maxwell MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-maxwell-macdonald/) > [What isn't tried won't work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-maxwell-macdonald/what-isn-t-tried-won-t-work/) [Claude Maxwell MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-maxwell-macdonald/) > [Opportunity is a bird that never perches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-maxwell-macdonald/opportunity-is-a-bird-that-never-perches/) [Claude Maxwell MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-maxwell-macdonald/) > [Most worries are reruns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-maxwell-macdonald/most-worries-are-reruns/) [Claude Maxwell MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-maxwell-macdonald/) [Explore all 6 Claude Maxwell MacDonald quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-maxwell-macdonald/) ## More Entrepreneur quotes > [It's a great story for us whenever an entrepreneur makes a crazy amount of money and we get to tell the world about it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-lacy/it-s-a-great-story-for-us-whenever-an-entrepreneur-makes-a-crazy/) [Sarah Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-lacy/) > [What is entrepreneurship, after all? Bigness is not the issue. Poor people are the ones who take challenges every day. The guy who sells…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/what-is-entrepreneurship-after-all-bigness-is-not-the-issue-poor/) [Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/) > [Without a vision there is no possibility of creating something larger than what al-ready exists. An entrepreneur has to be able to bring something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/without-a-vision-there-is-no-possibility-of-creating-something-larger/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [The very first company I started failed with a great bang. The second one failed a little bit less, but still failed. The third…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-levchin/the-very-first-company-i-started-failed-with-a-great-bang-the-second/) [Max Levchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-levchin/) > [If following your passion to a place where there's no pain probably isn't the business, I don't think an entrepreneur can sustain in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-cook/if-following-your-passion-to-a-place-where-there-s-no-pain-probably/) [Scott Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-cook/) > [I will work day and night to avoid failure, but if I can't, I'll pick myself up the next day. The most important thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-will-work-day-and-night-to-avoid-failure-but-if-i-can-t-i-ll-pick/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [The more entrepreneurs in the world that are getting their ideas financed, the more great companies there are going to be that we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-wilson/the-more-entrepreneurs-in-the-world-that-are-getting-their-ideas/) [Fred Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-wilson/) > [Anybody who is an entrepreneur is a person who essentially has impaired judgment. The odds of success are zilch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/anybody-who-is-an-entrepreneur-is-a-person-who-essentially-has/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [Faith is the ability to see things that don't yet exist. Faith, though, can turn difficulty into reality, positive reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/faith-is-the-ability-to-see-things-that-don-t-yet-exist-faith-though/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [We have a terror of seeming to exert ourselves, lest it be noticed that we exerted ourselves and did not succeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mignon-mclaughlin/we-have-a-terror-of-seeming-to-exert-ourselves-lest-it-be-noticed/) [Mignon McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mignon-mclaughlin/) > [All successful people - not just entrepreneurs - have got things wrong over and over again before finding the right solution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/all-successful-people-not-just-entrepreneurs-have-got-things-wrong/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [Solve a real problem. You don't start a company because you want to be an entrepreneur or the fame and glory that comes along…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-patzer/solve-a-real-problem-you-don-t-start-a-company-because-you-want-to-be/) [Aaron Patzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-patzer/) > [To be an entrepreneur, it just takes a lot of persistence, dedication, and drive. No matter what happens, you have to be wiling to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeet-banerjee/to-be-an-entrepreneur-it-just-takes-a-lot-of-persistence-dedication/) [Jeet Banerjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeet-banerjee/) > [I suffer from the delusion that every product of my imagination is not only possible, but always on the cusp of becoming real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-parker/i-suffer-from-the-delusion-that-every-product-of-my-imagination-is/) [Sean Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-parker/) > [You can make money two ways - make more, or spend less.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hope-bryant/you-can-make-money-two-ways-make-more-or-spend-less/) [John Hope Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hope-bryant/) [Browse all 2,095 Entrepreneur quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entrepreneur/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If hard work is the key to success, most people would rather pick the lock.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Claude Maxwell MacDonald" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-maxwell-macdonald/if-hard-work-is-the-key-to-success-most-people-would-rather-pick-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Entrepreneur" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-maxwell-macdonald/if-hard-work-is-the-key-to-success-most-people-would-rather-pick-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/385/claude-maxwell-macdonald-53314_entrepreneur_if-hard-work-is-the-key-to-success-most_2631178.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/385/claude-maxwell-macdonald-53314_entrepreneur_if-hard-work-is-the-key-to-success-most_2631178.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/385/claude-maxwell-macdonald-53314_entrepreneur_if-hard-work-is-the-key-to-success-most_2631178.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If hard work is the key to success, most people would rather pick the lock.” — Claude Maxwell MacDonald", "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": "Claude Maxwell MacDonald", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-maxwell-macdonald/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If hard work is the key...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-maxwell-macdonald/if-hard-work-is-the-key-to-success-most-people-would-rather-pick-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-maxwell-macdonald/if-hard-work-is-the-key-to-success-most-people-would-rather-pick-the/#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 } } ] } ```