--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The common belief that everyone can do…" description: "\"“The common belief that everyone can do anything if they just try hard enough is a formula for inefficiency at best and for complete failure at worst.”..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96a/w-j-king-103336_failure_the-common-belief-that-everyone-can-do-a_2516529.jpg" --- # The common belief that everyone can do anything if they… ![“The common belief that everyone can do anything if they just try hard enough is a formula for inefficiency at best and for complete failure at worst.” quote by W.J. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96a/w-j-king-103336_failure_the-common-belief-that-everyone-can-do-a_2516529.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96a/w-j-king-103336_failure_the-common-belief-that-everyone-can-do-a_2516529.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96a/w-j-king-103336_failure_the-common-belief-that-everyone-can-do-a_2516529.jpg) > ““The common belief that everyone can do anything if they just try hard enough is a formula for inefficiency at best and for complete failure at worst.”” W.J. King ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Blind optimism without realistic effort leads to inefficiency and potential failure. **In simple terms:** Hard work plus realistic expectations succeed. Key Takeaway Balance effort with realistic goals. Themes effort realism failure Mood pragmatic motivational Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - career planning - education - project management Key Concepts productivity psychology Questions to Reflect On - What realistic steps can you take? - How do you measure progress? A Different Perspective Over‑optimism can be harmful. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Productivity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/productivity/) ## Related quotes > [In this room we understand why this war might be fought...it's about our common belief that no one has the right to tell two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-harkness/in-this-room-we-understand-why-this-war-might-be-fought-it-s-about/) [Deborah Harkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-harkness/) > [For me it was a calling to public service. I often tell people other than a whole lot of zeros, he and I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/for-me-it-was-a-calling-to-public-service-i-often-tell-people-other/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [ It's a very common belief \[among Mormons\] that the Constitution will hang by a thread and the Church will save it. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-shipps/it-s-a-very-common-belief-among-mormons-that-the-constitution-will/) Jan Shipps > [Let's remember what truly unites us. It's a common belief in a better economic future. A belief in a meritocracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trish-regan/let-s-remember-what-truly-unites-us-it-s-a-common-belief-in-a-better/) [Trish Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trish-regan/) > [ There is a common belief that under modern conditions peace cannot be assured except on the basis of an equal balance of armaments...\[but\] true… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-xxiii/there-is-a-common-belief-that-under-modern-conditions-peace-cannot-be/) [Pope John XXIII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-xxiii/) > [“Experience, contrary to common belief, is mostly imagination.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/experience-contrary-to-common-belief-is-mostly-imagination/) [Ruth Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-benedict/) > [Friendship is a common belief in the same fallacies, mountebanks and hobgoblins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/friendship-is-a-common-belief-in-the-same-fallacies-mountebanks-and/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [Watching the economies in various parts of the world, I believe that there is scope for improvement everywhere. There is some corruption and inefficiency…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/athanasios-orphanides/watching-the-economies-in-various-parts-of-the-world-i-believe-that/) [Athanasios Orphanides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/athanasios-orphanides/) > [A vital function of the free market is to penalize inefficiency and misjudgment and to reward efficiency and good judgment. By distorting economic calculations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-hazlitt/a-vital-function-of-the-free-market-is-to-penalize-inefficiency-and/) [Henry Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-hazlitt/) > [Government-to-government foreign aid promotes statism, centralized planning, socialism, dependence, pauperization, inefficiency, and waste. It prolongs the poverty it is designed to cure. Voluntary private…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-hazlitt/government-to-government-foreign-aid-promotes-statism-centralized/) [Henry Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-hazlitt/) > [“Freedom, inefficiency, and prosperity are not in it frequently found together, and it is seldom easy to distinguish between the first two.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/freedom-inefficiency-and-prosperity-are-not-in-it-frequently-found/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you were a gladiator in olden days, I bet the inefficiency of how the gladiator fights were organized and scheduled would just drive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/if-you-were-a-gladiator-in-olden-days-i-bet-the-inefficiency-of-how/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [It is like using a smoke screen, the same thing for an individual. The topic here is Islam. If French politicians are no longer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/it-is-like-using-a-smoke-screen-the-same-thing-for-an-individual-the/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [We trained hard, but it seemed that every time we were beginning to form up into teams we would be reorganized. Presumably the plans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlton-ogburn/we-trained-hard-but-it-seemed-that-every-time-we-were-beginning-to/) Charlton Ogburn > [Unless structure follows strategy, inefficiency results.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-d-chandler-jr/unless-structure-follows-strategy-inefficiency-results/) Alfred D. Chandler, Jr ## More by W.J. King > [“You can’t take their type too seriously; they will be all steamed up over an idea today, but by tomorrow will have dropped it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-j-king/you-can-t-take-their-type-too-seriously-they-will-be-all-steamed-up/) W.J. King Explore all 2 W.J. King quotes ## More Failure quotes > [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/) > [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. You just take it in your stride because you know that you have done your best... Sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-dutta/failures-happen-you-can-t-cry-over-them-you-just-take-it-in-your/) [Divya Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-dutta/) > [No one is completely unhappy at the failure of his best friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/no-one-is-completely-unhappy-at-the-failure-of-his-best-friend/) [Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/) > [“Rhiannon's Law #28: If you're going to fuck up, be sure to fuck up good and proper. Nothing makes failure acceptable, so you might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/rhiannon-s-law-28-if-you-re-going-to-fuck-up-be-sure-to-fuck-up-good/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Failure is a part of life and you have to learn to deal with it. Failure is something that is part of life's cycle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/failure-is-a-part-of-life-and-you-have-to-learn-to-deal-with-it/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [First action was a mistake. What about the second? third? fourth and fifth?...Mehn you are bad...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/first-action-was-a-mistake-what-about-the-second-third-fourth-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [God's love never fail :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-s-love-never-fail/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don’t you just hate nights like that, when you think over every mistake you’ve made, every hurt you’ve received, every bit of meanness you’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/don-t-you-just-hate-nights-like-that-when-you-think-over-every/) [Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/) > [“Our failure to understand another being's inner reality doesn't make that reality any less real, or any less valuable to that being. (p.255)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-schulz/our-failure-to-understand-another-being-s-inner-reality-doesn-t-make/) [Kathryn Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-schulz/) > [I hope that the Palestinians don't make the mistake of unleashing a new intifada. They've tried it twice before, and the consequences were bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-segev/i-hope-that-the-palestinians-don-t-make-the-mistake-of-unleashing-a/) [Tom Segev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-segev/) > [Don't take too much comfort in the fact that you're successful today because tomorrow could bring failure. There's no surety in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-savage/don-t-take-too-much-comfort-in-the-fact-that-you-re-successful-today/) [Michael Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-savage/) > [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [failure in the theater is more public, more brilliant, more unreal than in any other field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/failure-in-the-theater-is-more-public-more-brilliant-more-unreal-than/) [Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/) > [As we are coming to the end of the year, I want you to forget about the past, the failure, the negative thoughts or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-we-are-coming-to-the-end-of-the-year-i-want-you-to-forget-about/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 27,498 Failure quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The common belief that everyone can do anything if they just try hard enough is a formula for inefficiency at best and for complete failure at worst.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "W.J. 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