---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The problem is not whether business will…"
description: "\"The problem is not whether business will survive in competition with business, but whether any business will survive at all in the face of social chang..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/932/laurence-joseph-mcginley-25560_business_the-problem-is-not-whether-business-will_2667382.jpg"
---

#  The problem is not whether business will survive in…

![“The problem is not whether business will survive in competition with business, but whether any business will survive at all in the face of social change” quote by Laurence Joseph McGinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/932/laurence-joseph-mcginley-25560_business_the-problem-is-not-whether-business-will_2667382.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/932/laurence-joseph-mcginley-25560_business_the-problem-is-not-whether-business-will_2667382.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/932/laurence-joseph-mcginley-25560_business_the-problem-is-not-whether-business-will_2667382.jpg)

> “The problem is not whether business will survive in competition with business, but whether any business will survive at all in the face of social change”

Laurence Joseph McGinley

## About This Quote

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

Business survival depends on adapting to societal shifts, not just competition.

**In simple terms:** Adapt to social change.

Key Takeaway

Embrace societal trends.

Themes

business strategy social change adaptation

Mood

analytical forward‑looking

Type

Business:1 Change:1 Social change:1 Problem Business:0 Competition Business:0 Business Survive:0

When to use this quote

- startup planning
- corporate policy
- risk management

Key Concepts

sustainability competition market dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- What social changes affect your industry?
- How can you future‑proof your business?

A Different Perspective

Focusing solely on competition can miss larger threats.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Social change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-change/)

## Related quotes

> [There is a healthy competition as there would be in any business. But we do not spend our days thinking about what Marvel is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-nelson/there-is-a-healthy-competition-as-there-would-be-in-any-business-but/)

[Diane Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-nelson/)

> [Competition is. In every business, no matter how small or how large, someone is just around the corner forever trying to steal your ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-foote-macdougall/competition-is-in-every-business-no-matter-how-small-or-how-large/)

[Alice Foote MacDougall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-foote-macdougall/)

> [The positive aspect of competition in a business scenario is it helps you to be more alert and innovative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/the-positive-aspect-of-competition-in-a-business-scenario-is-it-helps/)

[Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/)

> [Competition in business is a blessing, for without it, we wouldn't be motivated to improve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nabil-n-jamal/competition-in-business-is-a-blessing-for-without-it-we-wouldn-t-be/)

[Nabil N Jamal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nabil-n-jamal/)

> [I view it as a real competition. We're in a business where, you know what, there's no babies here. You go out, win the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-randolph/i-view-it-as-a-real-competition-we-re-in-a-business-where-you-know/)

Willie Randolph

> [“Confirmation bias is probably the single biggest problem in business, because even the most sophisticated people get it wrong. People go out and they’re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chip-heath/confirmation-bias-is-probably-the-single-biggest-problem-in-business/)

[Chip Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chip-heath/)

> [The problem in business isn't that women are overlooked because they are women, it's that most people subconsciously look to employ a mini-me. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steph-mcgovern/the-problem-in-business-isn-t-that-women-are-overlooked-because-they/)

[Steph McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steph-mcgovern/)

> [Virtually every problem that would show up in your business can be traced back to communications; somebody didn't talk to somebody about something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-allen/virtually-every-problem-that-would-show-up-in-your-business-can-be/)

[David Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-allen/)

> [I just have a serious problem with business for business' sake: this bottom-dollar mentality. I have a serious problem with evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-ament/i-just-have-a-serious-problem-with-business-for-business-sake-this/)

[Jeff Ament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-ament/)

> [I have a bad gambling problem. You're not in show business for 12 years and dress like this without a bad gambling problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artie-lange/i-have-a-bad-gambling-problem-you-re-not-in-show-business-for-12/)

[Artie Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-lange/)

> [The basic problem is with the business model of journalism. That business model is premised on the idea that talk is cheap and reporting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-alter/the-basic-problem-is-with-the-business-model-of-journalism-that/)

[Jonathan Alter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-alter/)

> [Focus on the core problem your business solves &amp; put out lots of content &amp; enthusiasm, &amp; ideas about how to solve that problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-fitton/focus-on-the-core-problem-your-business-solves-put-out-lots-of/)

[Laura Fitton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-fitton/)

> [Don’t start a business. Find a problem, Solve a problem, The business comes second.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-herjavec/don-t-start-a-business-find-a-problem-solve-a-problem-the-business/)

[Robert Herjavec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-herjavec/)

> [During the mourning period after my father passed, his friends and colleagues were saying there was no way the business would survive. There was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-smolyansky/during-the-mourning-period-after-my-father-passed-his-friends-and/)

[Julie Smolyansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-smolyansky/)

> [A small business can survive for a while without making a profit, but if its cashflow dries up, the impact is fatal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theo-paphitis/a-small-business-can-survive-for-a-while-without-making-a-profit-but/)

[Theo Paphitis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theo-paphitis/)

## More Business quotes

> [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/)

[Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/)

> [You can laugh at me, but I understand show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-can-laugh-at-me-but-i-understand-show-business/)

[Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/)

> [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/)

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

> [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/)

[Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/)

> [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/)

[Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/)

> [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/)

[Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/)

[Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/)

> [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/)

[Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/)

> [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/)

[Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/)

> [I'm not into business at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-mercury/i-m-not-into-business-at-all/)

[Freddie Mercury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-mercury/)

> [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

[Browse all 39,016 Business quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The problem is not whether business will survive in competition with business, but whether any business will survive at all in the face of social change",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Laurence Joseph McGinley"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-joseph-mcginley/the-problem-is-not-whether-business-will-survive-in-competition-with/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Business"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-joseph-mcginley/the-problem-is-not-whether-business-will-survive-in-competition-with/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/932/laurence-joseph-mcginley-25560_business_the-problem-is-not-whether-business-will_2667382.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/932/laurence-joseph-mcginley-25560_business_the-problem-is-not-whether-business-will_2667382.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/932/laurence-joseph-mcginley-25560_business_the-problem-is-not-whether-business-will_2667382.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The problem is not whether business will survive in competition with business, but whether any business will…” — Laurence Joseph McGinley",
                "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": "Laurence Joseph McGinley",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-joseph-mcginley/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The problem is not whether business...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-joseph-mcginley/the-problem-is-not-whether-business-will-survive-in-competition-with/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-joseph-mcginley/the-problem-is-not-whether-business-will-survive-in-competition-with/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
