--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And yet the real success goes to those…" description: "\"And yet the real success goes to those who obsess. The focus that leads you through the Dip to the other side is rewarded by a marketplace in search of..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b48/seth-1954_busy_and-yet-the-real-success-goes-to-those-w_346512.png" --- # And yet the real success goes to those who obsess. The… ![“And yet the real success goes to those who obsess. The focus that leads you through the Dip to the other side is rewarded by a marketplace in search of the best in the world. A woodpecker can tap twenty times on a thousand trees and get nowhere, but stay busy. Or he can tap twenty-thousand times…” quote by Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b48/seth-1954_busy_and-yet-the-real-success-goes-to-those-w_346512.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b48/seth-1954_busy_and-yet-the-real-success-goes-to-those-w_346512.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b48/seth-1954_busy_and-yet-the-real-success-goes-to-those-w_346512.png) > “And yet the real success goes to those who obsess. The focus that leads you through the Dip to the other side is rewarded by a marketplace in search of the best in the world. A woodpecker can tap twenty times on a thousand trees and get nowhere, but stay busy. Or he can tap twenty-thousand times on one tree and get dinner.” [Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth/) ## 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 focused, persistent effort on one valuable target rather than scattered activity. **In simple terms:** Focus on one thing to succeed. Key Takeaway Choose a single, valuable pursuit and stay persistent. Themes focus persistence success Mood determined strategic Type advice motivational When to use this quote - entrepreneurship - career advancement - creative projects - skill mastery Key Concepts strategic focus effort allocation Questions to Reflect On - What single goal will you commit to? - How do you balance focus with flexibility? A Different Perspective Over‑focus can lead to missed opportunities elsewhere. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dinner/) [Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) [Marketplace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marketplace/) [Real success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-success/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree/) [Twenties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twenties/) [Woodpeckers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/woodpeckers/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“And yet the real success goes to those who obsess. The focus that leads you through the Dip to the other side is rewarded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/and-yet-the-real-success-goes-to-those-who-obsess-the-focus-that-2/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [“A woodpecker can tap twenty times on a thousand trees and get nowhere, but stay busy. Or he can tap twenty-thousand times on one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/a-woodpecker-can-tap-twenty-times-on-a-thousand-trees-and-get-nowhere/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [All bad jazz sounds like Woody Woodpecker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-kottke/all-bad-jazz-sounds-like-woody-woodpecker/) [Leo Kottke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-kottke/) > [“Hey, it could be worse," Hammond said of their efforts to protect the woodpecker. "It could be a butterfly." Butterflies were easy, I said.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-roman/hey-it-could-be-worse-hammond-said-of-their-efforts-to-protect-the/) [Joe Roman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-roman/) > [As the woodpecker taps in a spiral quest From the root to the top of the tree, Then flies to another tree, So have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-lanier/as-the-woodpecker-taps-in-a-spiral-quest-from-the-root-to-the-top-of/) [Sidney Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-lanier/) > [A woodpecker's drilling Echoes To the mountain clouds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dakotsu-iida/a-woodpecker-s-drilling-echoes-to-the-mountain-clouds/) Dakotsu Iida > [If we built houses the way we build software, the first woodpecker to come along would destroy civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-stoll/if-we-built-houses-the-way-we-build-software-the-first-woodpecker-to/) [Clifford Stoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-stoll/) > [If only, if only," the woodpecker sighs, "The bark on the tree was as soft as the skies." While the wolf waits below, hungry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-sachar/if-only-if-only-the-woodpecker-sighs-the-bark-on-the-tree-was-as-soft/) [Louis Sachar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-sachar/) > [The day should come when all of the forms of life... will stand before the court - the pileated woodpecker as well as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/the-day-should-come-when-all-of-the-forms-of-life-will-stand-before/) [William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/) > [Somewhere lives a bad Cajun cook, just as somewhere must live one last ivory-billed woodpecker. For me, I don't expect ever to encounter either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-least-heat-moon/somewhere-lives-a-bad-cajun-cook-just-as-somewhere-must-live-one-last/) [William Least Heat-Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-least-heat-moon/) > [“Hey Chris, bet you don't know the Latin name of the red-headed woodpecker." That was a hard one. Chris had to say Melanerpes erythrocephalus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-raskin/hey-chris-bet-you-don-t-know-the-latin-name-of-the-red-headed/) [Ellen Raskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-raskin/) > [Even the woodpecker owes his success to the fact that he uses his head and keeps pecking away until he finishes the job he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coleman-cox/even-the-woodpecker-owes-his-success-to-the-fact-that-he-uses-his/) Coleman Cox > [When the woodpecker is searching for food, or laying siege to some hidden grub, the sound of his hammer is dead or muffled and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/when-the-woodpecker-is-searching-for-food-or-laying-siege-to-some/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [My father told me all about the birds and the bees, the liar - I went steady with a woodpecker till I was twenty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hope/my-father-told-me-all-about-the-birds-and-the-bees-the-liar-i-went/) [Bob Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hope/) > [More birds have adapted to a changing world than have failed. Very few have the narrow tolerance of the ivory-billed woodpecker or the Bachman's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-tory-peterson/more-birds-have-adapted-to-a-changing-world-than-have-failed-very-few/) [Roger Tory Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-tory-peterson/) ## More by Seth > [I've certainly seen a lot of my cartoonist friends embrace 'Little Lulu' in a much deeper way because their kids love it so much.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth/i-ve-certainly-seen-a-lot-of-my-cartoonist-friends-embrace-little/) [Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth/) > [We must be talented, powerful and resilient creatures indeed given how much we manage to produce despite the constant undercutting, ridicule and needless censorship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth/we-must-be-talented-powerful-and-resilient-creatures-indeed-given-how/) [Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth/) > [“If you become so frightened of realities that are not your own, if you take upon yourselves tragedies that do not exist in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth/if-you-become-so-frightened-of-realities-that-are-not-your-own-if-you/) [Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth/) > [The connection economy rewards the leader, the initiator, and the rebel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth/the-connection-economy-rewards-the-leader-the-initiator-and-the-rebel/) [Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth/) > [There is no other way to change your physical reality but by changing your thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth/there-is-no-other-way-to-change-your-physical-reality-but-by-changing/) [Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth/) > [The search for the right answer is the enemy of art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth/the-search-for-the-right-answer-is-the-enemy-of-art/) [Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth/) > [If you do not have a loving concern for the environment... it will no longer sustain you - you will not be worthy of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth/if-you-do-not-have-a-loving-concern-for-the-environment-it-will-no/) [Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth/) > [The only real help is self-help. Anything else is just designed to get you to the point where you can help yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth/the-only-real-help-is-self-help-anything-else-is-just-designed-to-get/) [Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth/) > [The easiest thing is to react. The second easiest thing is to respond. But the hardest thing is to initiate. – When people ask…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth/the-easiest-thing-is-to-react-the-second-easiest-thing-is-to-respond/) [Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth/) > [“Love. It has always seemed to me that love is a combination of lust and pity. (...) I've got to have some feelings of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth/love-it-has-always-seemed-to-me-that-love-is-a-combination-of-lust/) [Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth/) > [My life is mine and I form it. Tell yourself this often. Create your own life now, using your beliefs as an artist uses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth/my-life-is-mine-and-i-form-it-tell-yourself-this-often-create-your/) [Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth/) > [There's a huge difference between the shallow pleasure of instant applause and the long-lasting impact of true connection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth/there-s-a-huge-difference-between-the-shallow-pleasure-of-instant/) [Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth/) > [Ideas that spread win. Ideas don't have to be selfish to win, in fact, it turns out that the more generous the interactions an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth/ideas-that-spread-win-ideas-don-t-have-to-be-selfish-to-win-in-fact/) [Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth/) > [A good job is largely anonymous and forgotten (but still important). A personal job, on the other hand, is humanized. It brings us closer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth/a-good-job-is-largely-anonymous-and-forgotten-but-still-important-a/) [Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth/) > [Don’t try to change someone’s worldview is the strategy smart marketers follow. Don’t try to use facts to prove your case and to insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth/don-t-try-to-change-someone-s-worldview-is-the-strategy-smart/) [Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth/) [Explore all 195 Seth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth/) ## More Busy quotes > [Success doesn't have a downside for me. I'm busy, but I've always been busy whatever job I've had. My very first job working in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-derbyshire/success-doesn-t-have-a-downside-for-me-i-m-busy-but-i-ve-always-been/) Victoria Derbyshire > [I remember till 997th film, but after that I got so busy with multiple projects; I'm not sure which one released as my 1,000th…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brahmanandam/i-remember-till-997th-film-but-after-that-i-got-so-busy-with-multiple/) [Brahmanandam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brahmanandam/) > [I love to work in football, so for me it's not work. I'm not here first in the morning and last in the evening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-farke/i-love-to-work-in-football-so-for-me-it-s-not-work-i-m-not-here-first/) [Daniel Farke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-farke/) > [We all have time away from football to get our head down. At the same time it is a very busy schedule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reece-james/we-all-have-time-away-from-football-to-get-our-head-down-at-the-same/) [Reece James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reece-james/) > [I am on sabbatical as of right now, been too busy to think of about my OWN needs as of late.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-diamond/i-am-on-sabbatical-as-of-right-now-been-too-busy-to-think-of-about-my/) [Jim Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-diamond/) > [“I don't envy "busy." Busy means having a schedule, not living life. What I really covet is leisure and peace of mind. Those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-lynn-hope/i-don-t-envy-busy-busy-means-having-a-schedule-not-living-life-what-i/) [Donna Lynn Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-lynn-hope/) > [Focus on being productive instead of busy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-ferriss/focus-on-being-productive-instead-of-busy/) [Tim Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-ferriss/) > [I do spend a lot of weekends on the road. I have to pace myself. It can be pretty busy, but I'm not out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-sinise/i-do-spend-a-lot-of-weekends-on-the-road-i-have-to-pace-myself-it-can/) [Gary Sinise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-sinise/) > [Our civilization, bequeathed to us by fierce adventurers, eaters of meat and hunters, is so full of hurry and combat, so busy about many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/our-civilization-bequeathed-to-us-by-fierce-adventurers-eaters-of/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [I have no social life. There is no time for one. Once in a while I may go to dinner with a friend but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-halliday/i-have-no-social-life-there-is-no-time-for-one-once-in-a-while-i-may/) [Liz Halliday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-halliday/) > [I like acting too much and it's too, I'm just too busy doing that and I'm too hungry for it, to get behind the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-weisz/i-like-acting-too-much-and-it-s-too-i-m-just-too-busy-doing-that-and/) [Rachel Weisz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-weisz/) > [The hollow horn plays wasted words, proves to warn that he not busy being born is busy dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/the-hollow-horn-plays-wasted-words-proves-to-warn-that-he-not-busy/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [Films are tricky because for years you're getting told you're about to make it and you're about to be busy for four or six…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mills/films-are-tricky-because-for-years-you-re-getting-told-you-re-about/) [Mike Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mills/) > [Never be too busy for the people you love. Never allow pursuits or possessions to become bigger priorities than your relationships. Love is what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-willis/never-be-too-busy-for-the-people-you-love-never-allow-pursuits-or/) [Dave Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-willis/) > [“Get busy live'n, or get busy die'n”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-shawshank-redemption/get-busy-live-n-or-get-busy-die-n/) The Shawshank Redemption Browse all 3,372 Busy quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "And yet the real success goes to those who obsess. The focus that leads you through the Dip to the other side is rewarded by a marketplace in search of the best in the world. A woodpecker can tap twenty times on a thousand trees and get nowhere, but stay busy. Or he can tap twenty-thousand times on one tree and get dinner.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Seth" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth/and-yet-the-real-success-goes-to-those-who-obsess-the-focus-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Busy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth/and-yet-the-real-success-goes-to-those-who-obsess-the-focus-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b48/seth-1954_busy_and-yet-the-real-success-goes-to-those-w_346512.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b48/seth-1954_busy_and-yet-the-real-success-goes-to-those-w_346512.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b48/seth-1954_busy_and-yet-the-real-success-goes-to-those-w_346512.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“And yet the real success goes to those who obsess. The focus that leads you through the Dip to the other…” — Seth", "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", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "And yet the real success goes...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth/and-yet-the-real-success-goes-to-those-who-obsess-the-focus-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth/and-yet-the-real-success-goes-to-those-who-obsess-the-focus-that/#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 } } ] } ```