--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The secret of getting on the shortlist is…" description: "\"The secret of getting on the shortlist is doing your best work fearlessly for a long time before you get on the list.\" — Seth Godin" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bc/seth-godin-152_best-work_the-secret-of-getting-on-the-shortlist-i_2293341.png" --- # The secret of getting on the shortlist is doing your best… ![“The secret of getting on the shortlist is doing your best work fearlessly for a long time before you get on the list.” quote by Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bc/seth-godin-152_best-work_the-secret-of-getting-on-the-shortlist-i_2293341.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bc/seth-godin-152_best-work_the-secret-of-getting-on-the-shortlist-i_2293341.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bc/seth-godin-152_best-work_the-secret-of-getting-on-the-shortlist-i_2293341.png) > “The secret of getting on the shortlist is doing your best work fearlessly for a long time before you get on the list.” [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 comes from consistently delivering excellent work over time, not from short‑term tactics. **In simple terms:** Consistent quality beats shortcuts. Key Takeaway Focus on long‑term excellence. Themes perseverance quality career success Mood determined inspired Type motivational practical When to use this quote - job applications - freelance projects - performance reviews Key Concepts reputation networking skill development Questions to Reflect On - How can you sustain high quality under pressure? - What habits support long‑term excellence? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Best work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-work/) [Doing your best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-your-best/) [Getting Shortlist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/getting-shortlist-2324954/) [Lists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lists/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-time/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) [Secret Getting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret-getting-902497/) [Shortlist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shortlist-169668/) [Shortlist Doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shortlist-doing-5397422/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Work Fearlessly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-fearlessly-1962832/) ## Related quotes > [With all those prizes the most interesting thing is getting on to the shortlist, because that tells you who people see as your peers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-malouf/with-all-those-prizes-the-most-interesting-thing-is-getting-on-to-the/) [David Malouf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-malouf/) > [If you train yourself in memory work, you fearlessly attack and rearrange your material, for you can retain your original impression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-carlson/if-you-train-yourself-in-memory-work-you-fearlessly-attack-and/) [John F. Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-carlson/) > [“When people have not learned to interpret the past, to read the present; and to imagine and empower the future, they are living a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/when-people-have-not-learned-to-interpret-the-past-to-read-the/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [“Never being on the shortlist of people’s attention may arouse a sensation of desolation but may, all together, be an expectant challenge to excel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/never-being-on-the-shortlist-of-people-s-attention-may-arouse-a/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [The great news is we have an all-female shortlist with no positive discrimination or anything, isn't that fantastic?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-leadsom/the-great-news-is-we-have-an-all-female-shortlist-with-no-positive/) [Andrea Leadsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-leadsom/) > [The first secret of getting what you want is knowing what you want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-d-hlavaty/the-first-secret-of-getting-what-you-want-is-knowing-what-you-want/) [Arthur D. Hlavaty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-d-hlavaty/) > [The secret of getting ahead is getting started](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-secret-of-getting-ahead-is-getting-started/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In my sophomore year, a kid told me that the secret to getting women is to play really, really hard to get. I followed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-kinnear/in-my-sophomore-year-a-kid-told-me-that-the-secret-to-getting-women/) [Greg Kinnear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-kinnear/) > [There is one secret for getting over a break-up: To unconditionally love yourself!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senora-roy/there-is-one-secret-for-getting-over-a-break-up-to-unconditionally/) [Senora Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senora-roy/) > [The secret of getting things done is to act!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/the-secret-of-getting-things-done-is-to-act/) [Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/) > [Our best work can't possibly appeal to the average masses, only our average work can. Finding the humility to happily walk away from those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/our-best-work-can-t-possibly-appeal-to-the-average-masses-only-our/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [“It turns out that the people who like their jobs the most are also the ones who are doing the best work, making the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/it-turns-out-that-the-people-who-like-their-jobs-the-most-are-also/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [It turns out that the people who like their jobs the most are also the ones who are doing the best work, making the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/it-turns-out-that-the-people-who-like-their-jobs-the-most-are-also-2/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Isn't the drawing board the place where all the best work happens? It's not a bad thing to go back there. It's the entire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/isn-t-the-drawing-board-the-place-where-all-the-best-work-happens-it/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [You are far more likely to do your best work if you are willing to delight a few as opposed to soothe the masses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/you-are-far-more-likely-to-do-your-best-work-if-you-are-willing-to/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) ## 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 Best work quotes > [I do my best work when I am in pain and turmoil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sting/i-do-my-best-work-when-i-am-in-pain-and-turmoil/) [Sting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sting/) > [The only features I've done have been on the lower-budget end, for what they were. It's really all about getting the best people aboard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-garris/the-only-features-i-ve-done-have-been-on-the-lower-budget-end-for/) [Mick Garris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-garris/) > [The books we enjoy as children stay with us forever -- they have a special impact. Paragraph after paragraph and page after page, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sid-fleischman/the-books-we-enjoy-as-children-stay-with-us-forever-they-have-a/) [Sid Fleischman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sid-fleischman/) > [“One's best work comes when we are fully alive, happy, and inspired.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-schiffer/one-s-best-work-comes-when-we-are-fully-alive-happy-and-inspired/) [Eric Schiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-schiffer/) > [To not be modest about it, you'll find that with only a couple of exceptions, most of the musicians that I've worked with have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/to-not-be-modest-about-it-you-ll-find-that-with-only-a-couple-of/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [I know some people say it's not the best to work with your family, but I have never understood that because it's always worked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-kardashian/i-know-some-people-say-it-s-not-the-best-to-work-with-your-family-but/) [Kim Kardashian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-kardashian/) > [We enjoy what we do and, for me, playing football is the best work in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joao-moutinho/we-enjoy-what-we-do-and-for-me-playing-football-is-the-best-work-in/) [Joao Moutinho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joao-moutinho/) > [You and I are stymied in our own creativity. We can only create as sub-creators, and even then our best work is only sub-creation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-chandler/you-and-i-are-stymied-in-our-own-creativity-we-can-only-create-as-sub/) [Matt Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-chandler/) > [There's no way a director can communicate with every single person on the set and yet they need to motivate and instill an ambition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-kennedy/there-s-no-way-a-director-can-communicate-with-every-single-person-on/) [Kathleen Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-kennedy/) > [Hope for the best and work for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deval-patrick/hope-for-the-best-and-work-for-it/) [Deval Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deval-patrick/) > [All I can do is focus on doing my best work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-ryder/all-i-can-do-is-focus-on-doing-my-best-work/) [Sam Ryder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-ryder/) > [I was wondering if the best was behind me, had the high point of my career already happened. Then I saw what Manolo had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-cox/i-was-wondering-if-the-best-was-behind-me-had-the-high-point-of-my/) [Patrick Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-cox/) > [The only thing I can do is wipe my arse, brush my teeth, turn up and do the best work I can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hardy/the-only-thing-i-can-do-is-wipe-my-arse-brush-my-teeth-turn-up-and-do/) [Tom Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hardy/) > [The best work for creative folks on the team is when the problem is big and the solution escapes everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-sinofsky/the-best-work-for-creative-folks-on-the-team-is-when-the-problem-is/) [Steven Sinofsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-sinofsky/) > [There should always be that leeway because if you think of your character as sort of absolutely fixed, then you just try and find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-abrahamson/there-should-always-be-that-leeway-because-if-you-think-of-your/) [Lenny Abrahamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-abrahamson/) [Browse all 403 Best work quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-work/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The secret of getting on the shortlist is doing your best work fearlessly for a long time before you get on the list.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Seth Godin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-secret-of-getting-on-the-shortlist-is-doing-your-best-work/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Best work" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-secret-of-getting-on-the-shortlist-is-doing-your-best-work/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bc/seth-godin-152_best-work_the-secret-of-getting-on-the-shortlist-i_2293341.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bc/seth-godin-152_best-work_the-secret-of-getting-on-the-shortlist-i_2293341.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bc/seth-godin-152_best-work_the-secret-of-getting-on-the-shortlist-i_2293341.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The secret of getting on the shortlist is doing your best work fearlessly for a long time before you get on…” — Seth Godin", "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": "Seth Godin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The secret of getting on the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-secret-of-getting-on-the-shortlist-is-doing-your-best-work/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-secret-of-getting-on-the-shortlist-is-doing-your-best-work/#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 } } ] } ```