--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Compared to 1999...we cannot quite…" description: "\"Compared to 1999...we cannot quite declare victory, but we can declare progress.\" — Jakob Nielsen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02f/jakob-nielsen-15787_inspirational_compared-to-1999-we-cannot-quite-declare_906259.jpg" --- # Compared to 1999...we cannot quite declare victory, but we… ![“Compared to 1999...we cannot quite declare victory, but we can declare progress.” quote by Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02f/jakob-nielsen-15787_inspirational_compared-to-1999-we-cannot-quite-declare_906259.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02f/jakob-nielsen-15787_inspirational_compared-to-1999-we-cannot-quite-declare_906259.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02f/jakob-nielsen-15787_inspirational_compared-to-1999-we-cannot-quite-declare_906259.jpg) > “Compared to 1999...we cannot quite declare victory, but we can declare progress.” [Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We haven't fully won the battle against complexity, but we are making measurable improvements. **In simple terms:** Progress is happening, though not total victory. Key Takeaway Celebrate incremental gains. Themes technology usability progress Mood optimistic analytical Type motivational strategic When to use this quote - software releases - UX audits - team retrospectives Key Concepts human‑centered design iteration metrics Questions to Reflect On - What small win can you acknowledge today? - Which area still needs major work? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on progress can ignore remaining critical flaws. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Progress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/progress/) [Victory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/victory/) ## Related quotes > [“the conceptual breakthrough, if any, is the ability to call a retreat and declare victory at the same time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-g-chang/the-conceptual-breakthrough-if-any-is-the-ability-to-call-a-retreat/) [Gordon G. Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-g-chang/) > [There is a cultural norm on the left of being afraid to declare victory, which is related to the binary of reform/revolution. Whereas reformists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-kauffman/there-is-a-cultural-norm-on-the-left-of-being-afraid-to-declare/) [Cynthia Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-kauffman/) > [“The days of mourning are over now. Wipe those tears from your eyes and speak healing to your wounded heart. Choose to declare victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gift-gugu-mona/the-days-of-mourning-are-over-now-wipe-those-tears-from-your-eyes-and/) [Gift Gugu Mona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gift-gugu-mona/) > [The best policy is to declare victory and leave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-aiken/the-best-policy-is-to-declare-victory-and-leave/) [George Aiken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-aiken/) > [Now you must take money quickly, or there will be many companies saying they do the same thing. You need to take the money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-winblad/now-you-must-take-money-quickly-or-there-will-be-many-companies/) Ann Winblad > [“Celebrate Successes, but Don't Declare Victory”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-guckenheimer/celebrate-successes-but-don-t-declare-victory/) Sam Guckenheimer > [The triumph of the Confederacy... would be a victory for the powers of evil which would give courage to the enemies of progress and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/the-triumph-of-the-confederacy-would-be-a-victory-for-the-powers-of/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [Freedom is one of the deepest and noblest aspirations of the human spirit. People, worldwide, hunger for the right of self-determination, for those inalienable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/freedom-is-one-of-the-deepest-and-noblest-aspirations-of-the-human/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [You can't have the fruits without the roots. It's the principle of sequencing: Private Victories proceed Public Victories. Self-mastery and self-discipline are the foundation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/you-can-t-have-the-fruits-without-the-roots-it-s-the-principle-of/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [It is according to the shapes that I lay the plans for victory, but the multitude does not comprehend this. Although everyone can see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/it-is-according-to-the-shapes-that-i-lay-the-plans-for-victory-but/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [The one means that wins the easiest victory over reason is terror and force.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/the-one-means-that-wins-the-easiest-victory-over-reason-is-terror-and/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [If you hate yourself... The world will hate you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cv-pillay/if-you-hate-yourself-the-world-will-hate-you/) [Cv Pillay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cv-pillay/) > [ That country \[Carthage\] was rapidly sinking into the state of barbarism from whence it had been raised by the Phoenician colonies and Roman laws;… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/that-country-carthage-was-rapidly-sinking-into-the-state-of-barbarism/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) ## More by Jakob Nielsen > [Users are not designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/users-are-not-designers/) [Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/) > [Developing fewer features allows you to conserve development resources and spend more time refining those features that users really need. Fewer features mean fewer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/developing-fewer-features-allows-you-to-conserve-development/) [Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/) > [Even the best designers produce successful products only if their designs solve the right problems. A wonderful interface to the wrong features will fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/even-the-best-designers-produce-successful-products-only-if-their/) [Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/) > [Clear content, simple navigation and answers to customer questions have the biggest impact on business value. Advanced technology matters much less.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/clear-content-simple-navigation-and-answers-to-customer-questions/) [Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/) > [Three Tips: Simplify, Simplify, Simplify.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/three-tips-simplify-simplify-simplify/) [Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/) > [A general principle for all user interface design is to go through all of your design elements and remove them one at a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/a-general-principle-for-all-user-interface-design-is-to-go-through/) [Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/) > [The system should speak the users' language, with words, phrases and concepts familiar to the user, rather than system-oriented terms. Follow real-world conventions, making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/the-system-should-speak-the-users-language-with-words-phrases-and/) [Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/) > [Consistency is one of the most powerful usability principles: when things always behave the same, users don't have to worry about what will happen.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/consistency-is-one-of-the-most-powerful-usability-principles-when/) [Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/) > [Ultimately, users visit your website for its content. Everything else is just the backdrop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/ultimately-users-visit-your-website-for-its-content-everything-else/) [Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/) > [People have to want to change before there's any chance of helping them do so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/people-have-to-want-to-change-before-there-s-any-chance-of-helping/) [Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/) > [The web is the ultimate customer-empowering environment. He or she who clicks the mouse gets to decide everything. It is so easy to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/the-web-is-the-ultimate-customer-empowering-environment-he-or-she-who/) [Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/) > [Minimize the user's memory load by making objects, actions, and options visible. The user should not have to remember information from one part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/minimize-the-user-s-memory-load-by-making-objects-actions-and-options/) [Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/) > [Windows '98 is so similar to Windows '95 because Apple hasn't invented anything worth copying since 1995.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/windows-98-is-so-similar-to-windows-95-because-apple-hasn-t-invented/) [Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/) > [Usability rules the web. Simply stated, if the customer can't find a product, then he or she will not buy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/usability-rules-the-web-simply-stated-if-the-customer-can-t-find-a/) [Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/) > [If your users have many questions, it's a failure of your primary site design. It becomes not so much customer support, as much as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/if-your-users-have-many-questions-it-s-a-failure-of-your-primary-site/) [Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/) [Explore all 42 Jakob Nielsen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/) ## More Inspirational quotes > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We talk to God--that is prayer; God talks to us--that is inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-emilie-cady/we-talk-to-god-that-is-prayer-god-talks-to-us-that-is-inspiration/) [H. Emilie Cady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-emilie-cady/) > [You cant be controlling in improv.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-walsh/you-cant-be-controlling-in-improv/) [Matt Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-walsh/) > [The man who can master his time can master nearly anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-man-who-can-master-his-time-can-master-nearly-anything/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Just understand that the good that you want is already here. All you have to do is get in harmony with it. And you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/just-understand-that-the-good-that-you-want-is-already-here-all-you/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/if-you-want-to-build-a-ship-don-t-drum-up-the-men-to-gather-wood/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [Obviously, if you don't love life, you can't enjoy an oyster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-clark/obviously-if-you-don-t-love-life-you-can-t-enjoy-an-oyster/) [Eleanor Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-clark/) > [It's not the method, it's the mindset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gilbert/it-s-not-the-method-it-s-the-mindset/) [Andy Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gilbert/) > [It's a hard thing to describe. It's just this sense that you got something to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/it-s-a-hard-thing-to-describe-it-s-just-this-sense-that-you-got/) [Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/) > [Too much familiarity breeds contempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/too-much-familiarity-breeds-contempt/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [We never really perceive what color is physically!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-albers/we-never-really-perceive-what-color-is-physically/) [Josef Albers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-albers/) > [Politics is not an issue whether you like or dislike , but every citizen must involve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khem-veasna/politics-is-not-an-issue-whether-you-like-or-dislike-but-every/) [Khem Veasna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khem-veasna/) > [God reveals Himself through surprises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/god-reveals-himself-through-surprises/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) [Browse all 114,561 Inspirational quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Compared to 1999...we cannot quite declare victory, but we can declare progress.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jakob Nielsen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/compared-to-1999-we-cannot-quite-declare-victory-but-we-can-declare/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Inspirational" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/compared-to-1999-we-cannot-quite-declare-victory-but-we-can-declare/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02f/jakob-nielsen-15787_inspirational_compared-to-1999-we-cannot-quite-declare_906259.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02f/jakob-nielsen-15787_inspirational_compared-to-1999-we-cannot-quite-declare_906259.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02f/jakob-nielsen-15787_inspirational_compared-to-1999-we-cannot-quite-declare_906259.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Compared to 1999...we cannot quite declare victory, but we can declare progress.” — Jakob Nielsen", "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": "Jakob Nielsen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Compared to 1999...we cannot quite declare...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/compared-to-1999-we-cannot-quite-declare-victory-but-we-can-declare/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/compared-to-1999-we-cannot-quite-declare-victory-but-we-can-declare/#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 } } ] } ```