---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Success breeds conservatism, and that…"
description: "\"Success breeds conservatism, and that means a love affair with the status quo and an aversion to change.\" — Frank Popoff"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e5/frank-popoff-238112_affair_success-breeds-conservatism-and-that-mea_2133901.png"
---

#  Success breeds conservatism, and that means a love affair…

![“Success breeds conservatism, and that means a love affair with the status quo and an aversion to change.” quote by Frank Popoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e5/frank-popoff-238112_affair_success-breeds-conservatism-and-that-mea_2133901.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e5/frank-popoff-238112_affair_success-breeds-conservatism-and-that-mea_2133901.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e5/frank-popoff-238112_affair_success-breeds-conservatism-and-that-mea_2133901.png)

> “Success breeds conservatism, and that means a love affair with the status quo and an aversion to change.”

Frank Popoff

## About This Quote

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

Success often leads to conservatism, creating a comfort with the status quo and resistance to change.

**In simple terms:** Success can cause resistance to change.

Key Takeaway

Stay open to innovation despite success.

Themes

success conservatism change resistance

Mood

cautious reflective

Type

Affair:0 Aversion:1 Conservatism:1 Europe:0 Love:0 Love affair:0 Mean:0 Status quo:1 Success:1 Conservatism Means:1 Success Breeds:1 Breeds Conservatism:1

When to use this quote

- corporate strategy
- personal development
- policy making

Key Concepts

business psychology social dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you guard against stagnation?
- What incentives promote continuous improvement?

A Different Perspective

Comfort can breed complacency.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Affair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affair/) [Aversion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aversion/) [Conservatism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservatism/) [Europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europe/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love affair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-affair/) [Status quo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/status-quo/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/)

## Related quotes

> [Conservative feminism is such an artificial term that doesn't mean much to me. For me conservatism means accepting reality. I acknowledge that there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristina-schroder/conservative-feminism-is-such-an-artificial-term-that-doesn-t-mean/)

[Kristina Schroder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristina-schroder/)

> [Plus, publishing's inherent conservatism, means that what little did get through was weighted towards the commercial end of the scale, which is not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-smith/plus-publishing-s-inherent-conservatism-means-that-what-little-did/)

[Deborah Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-smith/)

> [Conservatism means re-embracing true free enterprise. True free enterprise, which I believe and not because my parents were wealthy, not because I inherited millions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/conservatism-means-re-embracing-true-free-enterprise-true-free/)

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

> [Conservatism means believing in a strong national defense. Not because we want war, but because we love peace. Because history has taught us a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/conservatism-means-believing-in-a-strong-national-defense-not-because/)

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

> [Success breeds confidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/success-breeds-confidence/)

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

> [Sometimes success breeds apathy. Sometimes when you're doing quite well for yourself you're not as tough as you need to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-thomas/sometimes-success-breeds-apathy-sometimes-when-you-re-doing-quite/)

[Eric Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-thomas/)

> [Success breeds a disregard of the possibility of failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hyman-minsky/success-breeds-a-disregard-of-the-possibility-of-failure/)

[Hyman Minsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hyman-minsky/)

> [If you have been touched by the success fairy, people think you know why. People think success breeds enlightenment and you are duty-bound to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/if-you-have-been-touched-by-the-success-fairy-people-think-you-know/)

[Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/)

> [The old saying that "success breeds success" has something to it. It's that feeling of confidence that can banish negativity and procrastination and get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/the-old-saying-that-success-breeds-success-has-something-to-it-it-s/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [Success breeds volume, and it's just amazing how many young writers, artists, and musicians there are in town.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-curtis-chapman/success-breeds-volume-and-it-s-just-amazing-how-many-young-writers/)

[Steven Curtis Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-curtis-chapman/)

> [Success breeds success, and failure leads to a sort of fallow period.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-kendal/success-breeds-success-and-failure-leads-to-a-sort-of-fallow-period/)

[Felicity Kendal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-kendal/)

> [Success breeds inequality, and you don't want to choke off success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-deaton/success-breeds-inequality-and-you-don-t-want-to-choke-off-success/)

[Angus Deaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-deaton/)

> [Success breeds success and the more you are around a healthy and thriving athletics team, the more the people who only think they can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-lewis/success-breeds-success-and-the-more-you-are-around-a-healthy-and/)

[Denise Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-lewis/)

> [It was very easy for me to dedicate myself to the care of mothers, help them have healthy babies, help them be healthy, help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-lennox/it-was-very-easy-for-me-to-dedicate-myself-to-the-care-of-mothers/)

[Annie Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-lennox/)

> [Success breeds success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mia-hamm/success-breeds-success/)

[Mia Hamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mia-hamm/)

## More Affair quotes

> [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/)

[Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/)

> [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/)

[Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/)

> [Our guiding principle was that design is neither an intellectual nor a material affair, but simply an integral part of the stuff of life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-gropius/our-guiding-principle-was-that-design-is-neither-an-intellectual-nor/)

[Walter Gropius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-gropius/)

> [I wonder if it's possible to have a love affair that lasts forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/i-wonder-if-it-s-possible-to-have-a-love-affair-that-lasts-forever/)

[Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/)

> [For a young man to start his career with a love affair with an older woman was quite de rigueur ... Of course, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vita-sackville-west/for-a-young-man-to-start-his-career-with-a-love-affair-with-an-older/)

[Vita Sackville-West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vita-sackville-west/)

> [As long as the state permits itself to interfere in the affairs of literature, literature has the right to interfere with the affairs of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/as-long-as-the-state-permits-itself-to-interfere-in-the-affairs-of/)

[Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/)

> [Love is mainly an affair of short spasms. If these spasms disappoint us, love dies. It is very seldom that it weathers the experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/love-is-mainly-an-affair-of-short-spasms-if-these-spasms-disappoint/)

[Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/)

> [The Fundamental Principle that governs - or ought to govern -human affairs if we wish to avoid misunderstandings, conflicts, or pointless utopias, is negotiation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/the-fundamental-principle-that-governs-or-ought-to-govern-human/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [My hope does not rest in the affairs of this world. It rests in Christ who is coming again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/my-hope-does-not-rest-in-the-affairs-of-this-world-it-rests-in-christ/)

[Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/)

> [In 1953, the United States played a significant role in orchestrating the overthrow of Iran's popular prime minister, Mohammed Mossadegh. The Eisenhower administration believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/in-1953-the-united-states-played-a-significant-role-in-orchestrating/)

[Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/)

> [Not everyone likes the stable, gradual rise of our country. There are some who are using the democratic ideology to interfere in our internal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/not-everyone-likes-the-stable-gradual-rise-of-our-country-there-are/)

[Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/)

> [The archives recall not one single incriminating incident, not one drunken escapade, not one reported affair, not one spat with a team-mate or reporter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-atherton/the-archives-recall-not-one-single-incriminating-incident-not-one/)

Michael Atherton

> [“I ripped the sketch from the wall. "Liar." Edward looked more ravaged than usual. "That is a terrible word, coming from you." "Yup." "And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-jensen/i-ripped-the-sketch-from-the-wall-liar-edward-looked-more-ravaged/)

[Melissa Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-jensen/)

> [For some people, a one-night stand doesn't make any difference in a seven-year love affair. I don't believe the degree of betrayal is always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/for-some-people-a-one-night-stand-doesn-t-make-any-difference-in-a/)

[Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/)

> [And what is literature, Rabo," he said, "but an insider's newsletter about affairs relating to molecules, of no importance to anything in the universe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-what-is-literature-rabo-he-said-but-an-insider-s-newsletter-about/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

[Browse all 2,218 Affair quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affair/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Success breeds conservatism, and that means a love affair with the status quo and an aversion to change.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Frank Popoff"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-popoff/success-breeds-conservatism-and-that-means-a-love-affair-with-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Affair"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-popoff/success-breeds-conservatism-and-that-means-a-love-affair-with-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e5/frank-popoff-238112_affair_success-breeds-conservatism-and-that-mea_2133901.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e5/frank-popoff-238112_affair_success-breeds-conservatism-and-that-mea_2133901.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e5/frank-popoff-238112_affair_success-breeds-conservatism-and-that-mea_2133901.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Success breeds conservatism, and that means a love affair with the status quo and an aversion to change.” — Frank Popoff",
                "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": "Frank Popoff",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-popoff/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Success breeds conservatism, and that means...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-popoff/success-breeds-conservatism-and-that-means-a-love-affair-with-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-popoff/success-breeds-conservatism-and-that-means-a-love-affair-with-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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
