--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One cannot expect to coast along and rise…" description: "\"One cannot expect to coast along and rise automatically to the top, no matter what friends you may have in the company. There may have been a time when..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6a/david-rockefeller-8932_business_one-cannot-expect-to-coast-along-and-ris_2513687.jpg" --- # One cannot expect to coast along and rise automatically to… ![“One cannot expect to coast along and rise automatically to the top, no matter what friends you may have in the company. There may have been a time when, in large corporations, a person could rise simply because he had a stock interest or because he had friends in top management. That's not true…” quote by David Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6a/david-rockefeller-8932_business_one-cannot-expect-to-coast-along-and-ris_2513687.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6a/david-rockefeller-8932_business_one-cannot-expect-to-coast-along-and-ris_2513687.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6a/david-rockefeller-8932_business_one-cannot-expect-to-coast-along-and-ris_2513687.jpg) > “One cannot expect to coast along and rise automatically to the top, no matter what friends you may have in the company. There may have been a time when, in large corporations, a person could rise simply because he had a stock interest or because he had friends in top management. That's not true today. Success in business requires training and discipline and hard work. But if you're not frightened by these things, the opportunities are just as great today as they ever were.” [David Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rockefeller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Success now depends on personal effort, training, and discipline rather than nepotism or stock ownership. **In simple terms:** Hard work beats connections. Key Takeaway Invest in skills, work hard. Themes business success meritocracy Mood determined realistic Type motivational pragmatic When to use this quote - career advancement - entrepreneurship - corporate promotion Key Concepts training discipline hard work Questions to Reflect On - How will you develop your skills? - What habits support disciplined work? A Different Perspective Networking alone cannot replace competence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Business success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business-success/) [Coast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coast/) [Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company/) [Corporations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corporations/) [Discipline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discipline/) [Finance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finance/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Frightened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frightened/) [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [Hard work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-work/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [Large Corporations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/large-corporations-436123/) [Management](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/management/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [No matter what](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/no-matter-what/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/) [Person Rise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person-rise-1180749/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Rise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rise/) [Rise Automatically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rise-automatically-1180748/) [Rise Simply](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rise-simply-1180747/) [Success In Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success-in-business-2/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Top management](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/top-management/) [Training](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/training/) ## Related quotes > [I am proof that one person can rise above any challenge, and if I can, then so will others if they are given the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-jal/i-am-proof-that-one-person-can-rise-above-any-challenge-and-if-i-can/) [Emmanuel Jal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuel-jal/) > [“A person never rise by pulling others down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/a-person-never-rise-by-pulling-others-down/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [A person may rise to the highest degree of contemplation even when busily occupied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-euphrasia-pelletier/a-person-may-rise-to-the-highest-degree-of-contemplation-even-when/) [Mary Euphrasia Pelletier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-euphrasia-pelletier/) > [Success in business requires training and discipline and hard work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rockefeller/success-in-business-requires-training-and-discipline-and-hard-work-2/) [David Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rockefeller/) > [Success in business requires training and discipline and hard work. 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