--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Never let success hide its emptiness from…" description: "\"Never let success hide its emptiness from you, achievement its nothingness, toil its desolation. And so...keep alive the incentive to push on further, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47e/dag-hammarskj-ld-2606_achievement_never-let-success-hide-its-emptiness-fro_2072540.jpg" --- # Never let success hide its emptiness from you, achievement… ![“Never let success hide its emptiness from you, achievement its nothingness, toil its desolation. And so...keep alive the incentive to push on further, that pain in the soul which drives us beyond ourselves...Do not look back. And do not dream about the future, either. It will neither give you back…” quote by Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47e/dag-hammarskj-ld-2606_achievement_never-let-success-hide-its-emptiness-fro_2072540.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47e/dag-hammarskj-ld-2606_achievement_never-let-success-hide-its-emptiness-fro_2072540.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47e/dag-hammarskj-ld-2606_achievement_never-let-success-hide-its-emptiness-fro_2072540.jpg) > “Never let success hide its emptiness from you, achievement its nothingness, toil its desolation. And so...keep alive the incentive to push on further, that pain in the soul which drives us beyond ourselves...Do not look back. And do not dream about the future, either. It will neither give you back the past, nor satisfy your other daydreams. Your duty, your reward - your destiny - are here and now.” [Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Success can feel empty; continual effort and present‑moment focus give purpose. **In simple terms:** Keep striving, stay present. Key Takeaway Focus on current purpose, not past or future. Themes purpose mindfulness effort impermanence motivation Mood thoughtful determined Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career - creative projects - personal growth - spiritual practice Key Concepts existential meaning self‑discipline Questions to Reflect On - What drives you beyond achievement? - How can you stay present while planning? A Different Perspective Ignoring present duties can lead to stagnation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Achievement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/achievement/) [Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Desolation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desolation/) [Destiny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destiny/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Duty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duty/) [Emptiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emptiness/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Here and now](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/here-and-now/) [Incentives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incentives/) [Nothingness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nothingness/) [Our destiny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-destiny/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Rewards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rewards/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Toil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/toil/) [Your destiny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/your-destiny/) ## Related quotes > [Do not look back and do not dream about the future. It will neither give you back the past, nor satisfy your other daydreams.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/do-not-look-back-and-do-not-dream-about-the-future-it-will-neither/) [Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/) > [“Lenorah, it has always, and will always be you. I love you like nothing else I have ever known. You are the reason I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-richardson/lenorah-it-has-always-and-will-always-be-you-i-love-you-like-nothing/) [Angela Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-richardson/) > [“One mustn’t dream of one’s future; one must earn it. And you have no future, Salgado. Neither you, nor a country that keeps producing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/one-mustn-t-dream-of-one-s-future-one-must-earn-it-and-you-have-no/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafón](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [“It is not all about the certificate,it is your dream Your dream is what you stand for Your dream is your future.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-c-lekwuwa/it-is-not-all-about-the-certificate-it-is-your-dream-your-dream-is/) f.c. lekwuwa > [One mustn't dream of one's future; one must earn it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/one-mustn-t-dream-of-one-s-future-one-must-earn-it/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [We live in the present, we dream of the future and we learn eternal truths from the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiang-kai-shek/we-live-in-the-present-we-dream-of-the-future-and-we-learn-eternal/) [Chiang Kai-shek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiang-kai-shek/) > [“I sigh, and keep getting back in that chair and dream of a future in which women in the public eye don’t need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-rodham-clinton/i-sigh-and-keep-getting-back-in-that-chair-and-dream-of-a-future-in/) [Hillary Rodham Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-rodham-clinton/) > [Keep looking up! I learn from the past, dream about the future and look up. There's nothing like a beautiful sunset to end a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-boston/keep-looking-up-i-learn-from-the-past-dream-about-the-future-and-look/) [Rachel Boston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-boston/) > [“We learn from the past, dream of the future but don’t do shit in the present. Or at least I don’t.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-baynes/we-learn-from-the-past-dream-of-the-future-but-don-t-do-shit-in-the/) Zach Baynes > [“I couldn't dream of a future, I couldn't reliably remember my past.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-collison/i-couldn-t-dream-of-a-future-i-couldn-t-reliably-remember-my-past/) Linda Collison > [“Bird memories are therefore a tree's dream of the future.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-george-haskell/bird-memories-are-therefore-a-tree-s-dream-of-the-future/) David George Haskell > [Thus my faith grew that my beautiful dream for the future would become reality after all, even though this might require long years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/thus-my-faith-grew-that-my-beautiful-dream-for-the-future-would/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [As human beings, it is our nature to dream about the future, but there is no future without a healthy nature. It's the common…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupita-nyong-o/as-human-beings-it-is-our-nature-to-dream-about-the-future-but-there/) [Lupita Nyong'o](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupita-nyong-o/) > [“A friend once told me the hurt that came with the end of a relationship was painful because it was the death of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-neill/a-friend-once-told-me-the-hurt-that-came-with-the-end-of-a/) [Chloe Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-neill/) > [“Sometimes," Helena continued, "I have a terrible dream of the future. Not now, but presently, people may forget their loyalty to their kings and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/sometimes-helena-continued-i-have-a-terrible-dream-of-the-future-not/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) ## More by Dag Hammarskjold > [“Didst thou give me this inescapable loneliness so that it would be easier for me to give thee all?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/didst-thou-give-me-this-inescapable-loneliness-so-that-it-would-be/) [Dag Hammarskjöld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/) > [Beneath the hush a whisper from long ago, promising peace of mind and a burden shared. No peace which is not peace for all,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/beneath-the-hush-a-whisper-from-long-ago-promising-peace-of-mind-and/) [Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/) > [For the sacrificed, in the hour of sacrifice, only one thing counts: faith-alone among enemies and skeptics. Faith, in spite of the humiliation which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/for-the-sacrificed-in-the-hour-of-sacrifice-only-one-thing-counts/) [Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/) > [Friendship needs no words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/friendship-needs-no-words/) [Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/) > [If even dying is to be made a social function, then, grant me the favor of sneaking out on tiptoe without disturbing the party.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/if-even-dying-is-to-be-made-a-social-function-then-grant-me-the-favor/) [Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/) > [Your position never gives you the right to command. It only imposes on you the duty of so living your life that others can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/your-position-never-gives-you-the-right-to-command-it-only-imposes-on/) [Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/) > [I have only my own burden to bear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/i-have-only-my-own-burden-to-bear/) [Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/) > [Life yields only to the conqueror. Never accept whatcan be gained by giving in. You will be living off stolen goods, and your muscles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/life-yields-only-to-the-conqueror-never-accept-whatcan-be-gained-by/) [Dag Hammarskjöld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/) > [I never discuss discussions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/i-never-discuss-discussions/) [Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/) > [We all have within us a center of stillness surrounded by silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/we-all-have-within-us-a-center-of-stillness-surrounded-by-silence/) [Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/) > [There is a point at which everything becomes simple and there is no longer any question of choice, because all you have staked will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/there-is-a-point-at-which-everything-becomes-simple-and-there-is-no/) [Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/) > [God does not die on the day when we cease to believe in a personal deity, but we die on the day when our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/god-does-not-die-on-the-day-when-we-cease-to-believe-in-a-personal/) [Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/) > [The concept of loyalty is distorted when it is understood to mean blind acceptance. It is correctly interpreted when it is assumed to cover…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/the-concept-of-loyalty-is-distorted-when-it-is-understood-to-mean/) [Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/) > [Those who invoke history will certainly be heard by history. And they will have to accept its verdict.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/those-who-invoke-history-will-certainly-be-heard-by-history-and-they/) [Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/) > [Your body must become familiar with its death - in all its possible forms and degrees - as a self-evident, imminent, and emotionally neutral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/your-body-must-become-familiar-with-its-death-in-all-its-possible/) [Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/) [Explore all 155 Dag Hammarskjold quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/) ## More Achievement quotes > [You, of Canada, are building a magnificent record of achievement. My country rejoices in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/you-of-canada-are-building-a-magnificent-record-of-achievement-my/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [“If attempting to make the world a civilized one, makes you a bad woman in the eyes of the dumb patriarchal society, then, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/if-attempting-to-make-the-world-a-civilized-one-makes-you-a-bad-woman/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [One achieves true human dignity only when one serves. Only he is great who subjects himself to taking part in the achievement of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-antonio-primo-de-rivera/one-achieves-true-human-dignity-only-when-one-serves-only-he-is-great/) Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera > [Needs cause motivation. Deep-rooted desires for esteem, affection, belonging, achievement, self-actualization, power, and control motivate us to push for what we want and need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorii-myers/needs-cause-motivation-deep-rooted-desires-for-esteem-affection/) [Lorii Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorii-myers/) > [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [It's tragic what America has become because there is a great segment of society that now resents luxury and success and achievement by others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-leach/it-s-tragic-what-america-has-become-because-there-is-a-great-segment/) [Robin Leach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-leach/) > [To preserve an unclouded capacity for the enjoyment of life is an unusual moral and psychological achievement. Contrary to popular belief, it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/to-preserve-an-unclouded-capacity-for-the-enjoyment-of-life-is-an/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [Joel Lane documents a life we don’t quite live, in a city we can’t quite find: half glimpsed and half imagined, we know it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaz-brenchley/joel-lane-documents-a-life-we-don-t-quite-live-in-a-city-we-can-t/) Chaz Brenchley > [The main substantive achievement of neoliberalism has been to redistribute rather than to generate wealth and income.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harvey/the-main-substantive-achievement-of-neoliberalism-has-been-to/) [David Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harvey/) > [Every profession has an ideology and a drive for power that goes far beyond its achievements and it is the task of democracy to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feyerabend/every-profession-has-an-ideology-and-a-drive-for-power-that-goes-far/) [Paul Feyerabend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feyerabend/) > [We have Internet now and people are not stupid. But it seems that some people are trying to push the same agenda of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassem-youssef/we-have-internet-now-and-people-are-not-stupid-but-it-seems-that-some/) [Bassem Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassem-youssef/) > [“If you find a way where there seems to be no way, that’s what we call miracle, not personal achievement.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nkwachukwu-ogbuagu/if-you-find-a-way-where-there-seems-to-be-no-way-that-s-what-we-call/) [Nkwachukwu Ogbuagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nkwachukwu-ogbuagu/) > [The Baseball Hall of Fame is something every player dreams about, but being a member of God's Hall of Fame is the greatest achievement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-carter/the-baseball-hall-of-fame-is-something-every-player-dreams-about-but/) [Gary Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-carter/) > [Cease speaking of enemies when an achievement can kindle a great light. Solitude will transmit the message better than the murmurs of crowds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-roerich/cease-speaking-of-enemies-when-an-achievement-can-kindle-a-great/) Nicholas Roerich > [Every scene is a challenge. There are technical challenges, but often it's the simplest challenge where you feel a sense of achievement when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-deakins/every-scene-is-a-challenge-there-are-technical-challenges-but-often/) [Roger Deakins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-deakins/) [Browse all 3,867 Achievement quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/achievement/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Never let success hide its emptiness from you, achievement its nothingness, toil its desolation. And so...keep alive the incentive to push on further, that pain in the soul which drives us beyond ourselves...Do not look back. And do not dream about the future, either. 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