---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The more successful the work, the more…"
description: "\"The more successful the work, the more people will step in to try to influence and manipulate the work for their own benefit.\" — Michael Gungor"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/408/michael-gungor-15350_benefits_the-more-successful-the-work-the-more-pe_447616.png"
---

#  The more successful the work, the more people will step in…

![“The more successful the work, the more people will step in to try to influence and manipulate the work for their own benefit.” quote by Michael Gungor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/408/michael-gungor-15350_benefits_the-more-successful-the-work-the-more-pe_447616.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/408/michael-gungor-15350_benefits_the-more-successful-the-work-the-more-pe_447616.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/408/michael-gungor-15350_benefits_the-more-successful-the-work-the-more-pe_447616.png)

> “The more successful the work, the more people will step in to try to influence and manipulate the work for their own benefit.”

[Michael Gungor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gungor/)

## About This Quote

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

Success attracts manipulation from those seeking personal gain.

**In simple terms:** Success draws people who want to influence you.

Key Takeaway

Guard your work against self‑interest.

Themes

success manipulation integrity

Mood

cautionary thought‑provoking

Type

reflective critical

When to use this quote

- business negotiations
- creative projects
- political campaigns
- non‑profit management

Key Concepts

ethics leadership

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you discern genuine help?
- What safeguards protect your vision?

A Different Perspective

Not all influence is harmful; some can be supportive.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful/)

## Related quotes

> [If we try to influence or elevate others, we shall soon see that success is in proportion to their belief of our belief in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-we-try-to-influence-or-elevate-others-we-shall-soon-see-that/)

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

> [There are thousands of ways to take action. For example, plant trees, pick up litter, join an organisation or movement that makes a difference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-thunburg/there-are-thousands-of-ways-to-take-action-for-example-plant-trees/)

[Greta Thunburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-thunburg/)

> [“By building mountains out of molehills, through lying by omission, agenda-setting, framing stories and issues in a certain light, and by manipulating what is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dice/by-building-mountains-out-of-molehills-through-lying-by-omission/)

[Mark Dice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dice/)

> [“Everyone to one extent or another must face life's trials. There will always be those who try to influence or even dominate us. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-goodkind/everyone-to-one-extent-or-another-must-face-life-s-trials-there-will/)

[Terry Goodkind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-goodkind/)

> [I am who I am, and I try to influence the team in my own way, especially with my performances on the pitch. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-vertonghen/i-am-who-i-am-and-i-try-to-influence-the-team-in-my-own-way/)

[Jan Vertonghen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-vertonghen/)

> [“Don't spoil him. Don't try to influence him. Your influence would be bad. The world is wide and has many marvellous people in it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/don-t-spoil-him-don-t-try-to-influence-him-your-influence-would-be/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [We must try to influence the government, not fight to take power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/we-must-try-to-influence-the-government-not-fight-to-take-power/)

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

> [We ought always to try to influence others for good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-ought-always-to-try-to-influence-others-for-good/)

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

> [You do have to do business with and to try to influence people you don't agree with, or find disagreeable, so it's important to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hague/you-do-have-to-do-business-with-and-to-try-to-influence-people-you/)

[William Hague](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hague/)

> [Because knowledge is not for showing off. If I do good work, people should notice me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chetan-bhagat/because-knowledge-is-not-for-showing-off-if-i-do-good-work-people/)

[Chetan Bhagat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chetan-bhagat/)

> [When I work, I work very hard. So I look to work with people who have that level of dedication. And I depend on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-cruise/when-i-work-i-work-very-hard-so-i-look-to-work-with-people-who-have/)

[Tom Cruise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-cruise/)

> [I have a real kind of fundamental philosophical belief that movies are better if everyone gets paid when they work, and if they don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-blum/i-have-a-real-kind-of-fundamental-philosophical-belief-that-movies/)

[Jason Blum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-blum/)

> [I always find that the best collaborations are when you work with people that know what they're doing, and you leave them alone to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-always-find-that-the-best-collaborations-are-when-you-work-with/)

[Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/)

> [I love to work with people and do what I love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-starr/i-love-to-work-with-people-and-do-what-i-love/)

[Martin Starr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-starr/)

> [Love and work are to people what water and sunshine are to plants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/love-and-work-are-to-people-what-water-and-sunshine-are-to-plants/)

[Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/)

## More by Michael Gungor

> [I used to flirt with fundamentalism, and I had this idea that creation was something that happened. Now I see creation as something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gungor/i-used-to-flirt-with-fundamentalism-and-i-had-this-idea-that-creation/)

[Michael Gungor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gungor/)

> [We are all creators. Whether or not we create is not up to us. We are human, and creating is what we do. Every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gungor/we-are-all-creators-whether-or-not-we-create-is-not-up-to-us-we-are/)

[Michael Gungor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gungor/)

> [I'm not one to call out an individual and say "I don't think that is honest." Who am I to know what is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gungor/i-m-not-one-to-call-out-an-individual-and-say-i-don-t-think-that-is/)

[Michael Gungor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gungor/)

> [“To truly see is to find hope.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gungor/to-truly-see-is-to-find-hope/)

[Michael Gungor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gungor/)

> [Any religious, philosophical or political idea that doesn't lead one towards love ought to be forsaken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gungor/any-religious-philosophical-or-political-idea-that-doesn-t-lead-one/)

[Michael Gungor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gungor/)

> [I think I'm just trying to be myself and write songs that are honest. That's what I hear in artist's that I like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gungor/i-think-i-m-just-trying-to-be-myself-and-write-songs-that-are-honest/)

[Michael Gungor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gungor/)

> [“Entitlement is not a friend of art. Work is. Pain is. Pain is that blessed and despised universal experience that creates more true art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gungor/entitlement-is-not-a-friend-of-art-work-is-pain-is-pain-is-that/)

[Michael Gungor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gungor/)

> [Burnout is what happens when you try to avoid being human for too long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gungor/burnout-is-what-happens-when-you-try-to-avoid-being-human-for-too-long/)

[Michael Gungor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gungor/)

> [Creativity is simply the human brain forming new connections between ideas, and we all are engaged in this process every day. The common idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gungor/creativity-is-simply-the-human-brain-forming-new-connections-between/)

[Michael Gungor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gungor/)

> [To me, God is the basic Reality of the universe. God is what is. That's how Moses wrote that God introduced Himself, isn't it?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gungor/to-me-god-is-the-basic-reality-of-the-universe-god-is-what-is-that-s/)

[Michael Gungor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gungor/)

> [Money is not the root of all kinds of evil. The love of money is. It’s also the root of a lot of bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gungor/money-is-not-the-root-of-all-kinds-of-evil-the-love-of-money-is-it-s/)

[Michael Gungor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gungor/)

> [I've found that limitations can be an artist's best friend sometimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gungor/i-ve-found-that-limitations-can-be-an-artist-s-best-friend-sometimes/)

[Michael Gungor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gungor/)

> [The danger of art created to rise above the noise is that it may end up being noise itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gungor/the-danger-of-art-created-to-rise-above-the-noise-is-that-it-may-end/)

[Michael Gungor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gungor/)

> [To me genres were always an imaginary things, they're just marketing channels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gungor/to-me-genres-were-always-an-imaginary-things-they-re-just-marketing/)

[Michael Gungor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gungor/)

> [If anyone should have a reason to not be afraid, to move beyond the expectations of culture, that is kind of the whole message…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gungor/if-anyone-should-have-a-reason-to-not-be-afraid-to-move-beyond-the/)

[Michael Gungor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gungor/)

[Explore all 43 Michael Gungor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gungor/)

## More Benefits quotes

> [If the members of parliament no longer consider themselves mandatories of the taxpayers but deputies of those receiving salaries, wages, subsidies, doles, and other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/if-the-members-of-parliament-no-longer-consider-themselves/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

> [ \[The Dalai Lama\] told me some years ago, "I've made every concession to China, and I've been as open and tolerant as I could,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/the-dalai-lama-told-me-some-years-ago-i-ve-made-every-concession-to/)

[Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/)

> [Anger is a rough water; if you can canalize it into a water mill, you can benefit from it. Anything bad can be transformed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/anger-is-a-rough-water-if-you-can-canalize-it-into-a-water-mill-you/)

[Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [Shortly after I turned 50, both Ted Turner and the AARP came into my life. The only difference? With AARP, there were benefits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-fonda/shortly-after-i-turned-50-both-ted-turner-and-the-aarp-came-into-my/)

[Jane Fonda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-fonda/)

> [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/)

[Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/)

> [Politics is about power. It is about the power of the state. It is about the power of the state as applied to individuals,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-rudd/politics-is-about-power-it-is-about-the-power-of-the-state-it-is/)

[Kevin Rudd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-rudd/)

> [Therefore, I see whatever exists as good, death is to me like life, sin like holiness, wisdom like foolishness, everything has to be as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/therefore-i-see-whatever-exists-as-good-death-is-to-me-like-life-sin/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

> [Trust is about keeping commitments, but in many instances, circumstances change and organizations therefore shed commitments, things such as retiree medical benefits, pension obligations,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-pfeffer/trust-is-about-keeping-commitments-but-in-many-instances/)

[Jeffrey Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-pfeffer/)

> [Neither novels or their readers benefit from any attempts to divine whether any facts hide inside a story. Such efforts attack the very idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/neither-novels-or-their-readers-benefit-from-any-attempts-to-divine/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-us-think-of-education-as-the-means-of-developing-our-greatest/)

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

> [To really be of benefit to others as the Buddha always taught, we ourselves must first get out of the swamp. One of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/to-really-be-of-benefit-to-others-as-the-buddha-always-taught-we/)

[Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/)

> [I won the seat of Oxley largely on an issue that has resulted in me being called a racist. That issue related to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-hanson/i-won-the-seat-of-oxley-largely-on-an-issue-that-has-resulted-in-me/)

[Pauline Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-hanson/)

> [Intelligence is a separate gift, for the benefit of students, so that they may think of themselves as intellectual and not very intelligent, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/intelligence-is-a-separate-gift-for-the-benefit-of-students-so-that/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [I've always said that I benefit, as an actor, from not having the illusion of security.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-sparks/i-ve-always-said-that-i-benefit-as-an-actor-from-not-having-the/)

[Hal Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-sparks/)

> [Benefits received are a delight to us as long as we think we can requite them; when that possibility is far exceeded, they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/benefits-received-are-a-delight-to-us-as-long-as-we-think-we-can/)

[Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/)

Browse all 3,616 Benefits quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The more successful the work, the more people will step in to try to influence and manipulate the work for their own benefit.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Michael Gungor"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gungor/the-more-successful-the-work-the-more-people-will-step-in-to-try-to/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Benefits"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gungor/the-more-successful-the-work-the-more-people-will-step-in-to-try-to/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/408/michael-gungor-15350_benefits_the-more-successful-the-work-the-more-pe_447616.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/408/michael-gungor-15350_benefits_the-more-successful-the-work-the-more-pe_447616.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/408/michael-gungor-15350_benefits_the-more-successful-the-work-the-more-pe_447616.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The more successful the work, the more people will step in to try to influence and manipulate the work for…” — Michael Gungor",
                "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": "Michael Gungor",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gungor/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The more successful the work, the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gungor/the-more-successful-the-work-the-more-people-will-step-in-to-try-to/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gungor/the-more-successful-the-work-the-more-people-will-step-in-to-try-to/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
