--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To succeed in life, you need three…" description: "\"To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funnybone.\" — Reba McEntire" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/027/reba-mcentire-4189_life_to-succeed-in-life-you-need-three-things_1788911.jpg" --- # To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a… ![“To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funnybone.” quote by Reba McEntire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/027/reba-mcentire-4189_life_to-succeed-in-life-you-need-three-things_1788911.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/027/reba-mcentire-4189_life_to-succeed-in-life-you-need-three-things_1788911.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/027/reba-mcentire-4189_life_to-succeed-in-life-you-need-three-things_1788911.jpg) > “To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funnybone.” [Reba McEntire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reba-mcentire/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Success requires three metaphorical bones: wishbone (hope), backbone (strength), funnybone (humor). **In simple terms:** Hope, strength, and humor are essential for success. Key Takeaway Cultivate optimism, resilience, and humor. Themes success personal development hope strength humor Mood encouraging optimistic Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - building confidence - maintaining joy - overcoming setbacks Key Concepts goal setting mental health resilience training Questions to Reflect On - Which of these qualities do you need most? - How can humor help in tough times? A Different Perspective Too many "bones" can oversimplify complex challenges. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) ## Related quotes > [“To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funnybone.”—Reba McEntire”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reba-mcentire/to-succeed-in-life-you-need-three-things-a-wishbone-a-backbone-and-a-2/) [Reba McEntire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reba-mcentire/) > [To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funny bone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reba-mcentire/to-succeed-in-life-you-need-three-things-a-wishbone-a-backbone-and-a/) [Reba McEntire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reba-mcentire/) > [To succeed in your life, you need these three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funny bone...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/to-succeed-in-your-life-you-need-these-three-things-a-wishbone-a/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [We like them big ... but we'll settle for players with three kinds of bones - a funnybone, a wishbone and a backbone. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duffy-daugherty/we-like-them-big-but-we-ll-settle-for-players-with-three-kinds-of/) [Duffy Daugherty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duffy-daugherty/) > [“To succeed in life, you need three things: A Wishbone, A Back Bone, and a Funny Bone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reba-mcentire/to-succeed-in-life-you-need-three-things-a-wishbone-a-back-bone-and-a/) [Reba McEntire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reba-mcentire/) > [“To thrive in life you need three bones. A wishbone. A backbone. And a funny bone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reba-mcentire/to-thrive-in-life-you-need-three-bones-a-wishbone-a-backbone-and-a/) [Reba McEntire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reba-mcentire/) > [If you want to succeed in life...you must pick 3 bones to carry with you at all times: a wish bone, a backbone, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reba-mcentire/if-you-want-to-succeed-in-life-you-must-pick-3-bones-to-carry-with/) [Reba McEntire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reba-mcentire/) > [“You gotta stop wearing your wishbone where your backbone oughtta be.” This”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/you-gotta-stop-wearing-your-wishbone-where-your-backbone-oughtta-be/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [Many a man has failed because he had his wishbone where his backbone should have been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/many-a-man-has-failed-because-he-had-his-wishbone-where-his-backbone/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [“You’re wishin’ too much, baby. You gotta stop wearing your wishbone where your backbone oughtta be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/you-re-wishin-too-much-baby-you-gotta-stop-wearing-your-wishbone/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [Stop wearing your wishbone where your backbone ought to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/stop-wearing-your-wishbone-where-your-backbone-ought-to-be/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [“Some people develop a wishbone where their backbone should be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/some-people-develop-a-wishbone-where-their-backbone-should-be/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [“Never grow a wishbone where your backbone ought to be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clementine-paddleford/never-grow-a-wishbone-where-your-backbone-ought-to-be/) [Clementine Paddleford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clementine-paddleford/) > [“To succeed in life you must believe and take first step in working towards your goals.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/to-succeed-in-life-you-must-believe-and-take-first-step-in-working/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [“Your will to succeed in life supercede all other things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/your-will-to-succeed-in-life-supercede-all-other-things/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) ## More by Reba McEntire > [I use all my skills that I can muster up, but the fun thing is that I find some untapped skills every once in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reba-mcentire/i-use-all-my-skills-that-i-can-muster-up-but-the-fun-thing-is-that-i/) [Reba McEntire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reba-mcentire/) > [For me, singing sad songs often has a way of healing a situation. It gets the hurt out in the open into the light,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reba-mcentire/for-me-singing-sad-songs-often-has-a-way-of-healing-a-situation-it/) [Reba McEntire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reba-mcentire/) > [Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to him belong, they are weak, but he is strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reba-mcentire/jesus-loves-me-this-i-know-for-the-bible-tells-me-so-little-ones-to/) [Reba McEntire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reba-mcentire/) > [I think it's the way I talk. I think they thought I was too country. And I'm not ashamed of that by any means.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reba-mcentire/i-think-it-s-the-way-i-talk-i-think-they-thought-i-was-too-country/) [Reba McEntire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reba-mcentire/) > [I'm open to any kind of situation in a song as long as it touches my heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reba-mcentire/i-m-open-to-any-kind-of-situation-in-a-song-as-long-as-it-touches-my/) [Reba McEntire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reba-mcentire/) > [So, I think it has to do with the product and what you take to the public. 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I just knew that there was a reason that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reba-mcentire/never-have-doubted-it-even-when-the-plane-crash-happened-i-wasn-t-mad/) [Reba McEntire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reba-mcentire/) [Explore all 115 Reba McEntire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reba-mcentire/) ## More Life quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. 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When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/) [Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/) > [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/) Deanna L. Lawlis > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/) [Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/) > [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) [Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funnybone.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Reba McEntire" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reba-mcentire/to-succeed-in-life-you-need-three-things-a-wishbone-a-backbone-and-a-3/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Life" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reba-mcentire/to-succeed-in-life-you-need-three-things-a-wishbone-a-backbone-and-a-3/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/027/reba-mcentire-4189_life_to-succeed-in-life-you-need-three-things_1788911.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/027/reba-mcentire-4189_life_to-succeed-in-life-you-need-three-things_1788911.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/027/reba-mcentire-4189_life_to-succeed-in-life-you-need-three-things_1788911.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funnybone.” — Reba McEntire", "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": "Reba McEntire", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reba-mcentire/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "To succeed in life, you need...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reba-mcentire/to-succeed-in-life-you-need-three-things-a-wishbone-a-backbone-and-a-3/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reba-mcentire/to-succeed-in-life-you-need-three-things-a-wishbone-a-backbone-and-a-3/#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 } } ] } ```