--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only thing all successful people have…" description: "\"The only thing all successful people have in common is that they're successful, so don't waste your time copying \"the successful strategies\" of others...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bc/seth-godin-152_common_the-only-thing-all-successful-people-hav_113420.png" --- # The only thing all successful people have in common is… ![“The only thing all successful people have in common is that they're successful, so don't waste your time copying "the successful strategies" of others.” quote by Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bc/seth-godin-152_common_the-only-thing-all-successful-people-hav_113420.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bc/seth-godin-152_common_the-only-thing-all-successful-people-hav_113420.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bc/seth-godin-152_common_the-only-thing-all-successful-people-hav_113420.png) > “The only thing all successful people have in common is that they're successful, so don't waste your time copying "the successful strategies" of others.” [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Success is not a formula to copy; it stems from unique circumstances and personal execution, so mimicking others’ strategies often wastes time. **In simple terms:** Copying others’ success rarely works. Key Takeaway Original effort beats imitation. Themes success individuality strategy efficiency Mood direct pragmatic Type advice business insight When to use this quote - Entrepreneur trying to replicate a rival’s business model - Student copying a study method that worked for a classmate Key Concepts law of diminishing returns on imitation Practical Applications - Identify personal strengths before adopting tactics - Iterate and refine your own approach Questions to Reflect On - When might emulating a proven method be beneficial? - How can you discern which aspects of success are transferable? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Creativity and innovation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity-and-innovation/) [Innovation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innovation/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Strategy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strategy/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful/) [Successful people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful-people/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Waste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waste/) ## Related quotes > [“Getting the right behaviors to occur at the right time in the right way and at the right frequency is what separates the successful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-c-daniels/getting-the-right-behaviors-to-occur-at-the-right-time-in-the-right/) Aubrey C. Daniels > [Successful strategies adhere to a basic pattern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-d-anthony/successful-strategies-adhere-to-a-basic-pattern/) [Scott D. Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-d-anthony/) > [Where do you put the fear when you choose to innovate? The fear is there, but you have to find a place to put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/where-do-you-put-the-fear-when-you-choose-to-innovate-the-fear-is/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [To become successful you don't need beautiful face,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hussein-nishah/to-become-successful-you-don-t-need-beautiful-face/) [Hussein Nishah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hussein-nishah/) > [To be successful, you don't have to have all this crazy start-up capital or a ton of knowledge. I think it's actually helpful sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-bush/to-be-successful-you-don-t-have-to-have-all-this-crazy-start-up/) [Lauren Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-bush/) > [YOU'LL NEVER BE SUCCESSFUL IF YOU DON'T ENCOUNTER FAILURE.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssa/you-ll-never-be-successful-if-you-don-t-encounter-failure/) [ALYSSA](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyssa/) > [“To be successful, you don't have to do extraordinary things. Just do ordinary things extraordinarily well.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rohn/to-be-successful-you-don-t-have-to-do-extraordinary-things-just-do/) John Rohn > [If you're successful, don't crow. If you're defeated, don't croak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-chadwick/if-you-re-successful-don-t-crow-if-you-re-defeated-don-t-croak/) [Samuel Chadwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-chadwick/) > [You'll never be successful until I don't have to give you a dime to do what you do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-thomas/you-ll-never-be-successful-until-i-don-t-have-to-give-you-a-dime-to/) [Eric Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-thomas/) > [Sometimes I'm successful, and sometimes I'm not, but I don't mind going down trying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wilmore/sometimes-i-m-successful-and-sometimes-i-m-not-but-i-don-t-mind-going/) [Larry Wilmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wilmore/) > [I want to be successful, but I don't really have what it takes to do it comfortably.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shania-twain/i-want-to-be-successful-but-i-don-t-really-have-what-it-takes-to-do/) [Shania Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shania-twain/) > [You cannot be successful if you don't bring on consensus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-faulconer/you-cannot-be-successful-if-you-don-t-bring-on-consensus/) [Kevin Faulconer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-faulconer/) > [The best thing about becoming successful is that you get flowers all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-best-thing-about-becoming-successful-is-that-you-get-flowers-all/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [That's a beautiful thing. The more successful you are, the more people are going to come and be a part of music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zara-larsson/that-s-a-beautiful-thing-the-more-successful-you-are-the-more-people/) [Zara Larsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zara-larsson/) > [There's only one thing that all the successful companies in the world have in common: None was started by one person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-s-only-one-thing-that-all-the-successful-companies-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Seth Godin > [“You weren't born to be a cog in the giant industrial machine. You were trained to become a cog. There's an alternative available to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/you-weren-t-born-to-be-a-cog-in-the-giant-industrial-machine-you-were/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Forgive yourself for not being the richest, the thinnest, the tallest, the one with the best hair. Forgive yourself for not being the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/forgive-yourself-for-not-being-the-richest-the-thinnest-the-tallest/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The easier it is to quantify, the less it's worth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-easier-it-is-to-quantify-the-less-it-s-worth/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Developing expertise or assets that are not easily copied is essential; otherwise you're just a middleman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/developing-expertise-or-assets-that-are-not-easily-copied-is/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Leadership is a choice. It's the choice not to do nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/leadership-is-a-choice-it-s-the-choice-not-to-do-nothing/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The next thing you do today will be the most important thing on your agenda, because, after all, you're doing it next. Well, perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-next-thing-you-do-today-will-be-the-most-important-thing-on-your/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [I look at Starbucks, Howard Schultz has made many brilliant decisions, and one of the things that they did was they invented the third…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/i-look-at-starbucks-howard-schultz-has-made-many-brilliant-decisions/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Be relentlessly generous, without focusing on when it will come back to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/be-relentlessly-generous-without-focusing-on-when-it-will-come-back/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The public square is more public than ever, but minds are rarely changed in 140 character bursts and by selfies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-public-square-is-more-public-than-ever-but-minds-are-rarely/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Making an average pitch to average people, or having an average gala for average people isn't going to scale anymore. You've got to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/making-an-average-pitch-to-average-people-or-having-an-average-gala/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Our job is to make change. Our job is to connect to people, to interact with them in a way that leaves them better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/our-job-is-to-make-change-our-job-is-to-connect-to-people-to-interact/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [“Life is actually far better than it is in the movies. And it takes longer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/life-is-actually-far-better-than-it-is-in-the-movies-and-it-takes/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [I don't think there's a shortage of remarkable ideas. I think your business has plenty of great opportunities to do great things. Nope, what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-shortage-of-remarkable-ideas-i-think-your/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The mirror we hold up to the person next to us is one of the most important pictures she will ever see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-mirror-we-hold-up-to-the-person-next-to-us-is-one-of-the-most/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [If you're a marketer who doesn't know how to invent, design, influence, adapt, and ultimately discard products, then you're no longer a marketer. You're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/if-you-re-a-marketer-who-doesn-t-know-how-to-invent-design-influence/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) [Explore all 1,110 Seth Godin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) ## More Common quotes > [I'm Fine!, the most common LIE in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/punkinhead-abhishek/i-m-fine-the-most-common-lie-in-the-world/) [Punkinhead Abhishek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/punkinhead-abhishek/) > [A flourishing, morally credible media is a vital component in the maintenance of genuinely public talk, argument about common good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/a-flourishing-morally-credible-media-is-a-vital-component-in-the/) [Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/) > [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [The ability of the gospel to unite us on common strengths and common truths is one of the great miracles . . . of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-ability-of-the-gospel-to-unite-us-on-common-strengths-and-common/) [Jeffrey R. 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If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-newton-john/when-you-have-a-cavity-in-your-tooth-and-you-let-it-get-worse/) [Olivia Newton-John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-newton-john/) > [There is nothing that we can properly call our own but our time, and yet everybody fools us out of it who has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/there-is-nothing-that-we-can-properly-call-our-own-but-our-time-and/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [Common sense is nothing more than a deposit of prejudices laid down in the mind before you reach eighteen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/common-sense-is-nothing-more-than-a-deposit-of-prejudices-laid-down/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/) [Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/) > [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. 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