---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are some persons who never succeed…"
description: "\"There are some persons who never succeed from being too indolent to undertake anything; and others who regularly fail, because the instant they find su..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c86/william-hazlitt-326_failing_there-are-some-persons-who-never-succeed_442907.png"
---

#  There are some persons who never succeed from being too…

![“There are some persons who never succeed from being too indolent to undertake anything; and others who regularly fail, because the instant they find success in their power, they grow indifferent, and give over the attempt.” quote by William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c86/william-hazlitt-326_failing_there-are-some-persons-who-never-succeed_442907.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c86/william-hazlitt-326_failing_there-are-some-persons-who-never-succeed_442907.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c86/william-hazlitt-326_failing_there-are-some-persons-who-never-succeed_442907.png)

> “There are some persons who never succeed from being too indolent to undertake anything; and others who regularly fail, because the instant they find success in their power, they grow indifferent, and give over the attempt.”

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Indolence prevents success; success can breed indifference and eventual failure.

**In simple terms:** Laziness blocks achievement; success may cause complacency.

Key Takeaway

Stay diligent and humble after success.

Themes

effort success complacency

Mood

cautious inspirational

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- career advancement
- academic pursuits
- creative projects

Key Concepts

motivation human behavior

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you guard against complacency?
- What habits sustain long‑term effort?

A Different Perspective

Success can lead to stagnation if not managed.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/)

## Related quotes

> [It is simply this: do not tire, never lose interest, never grow indifferent—lose your invaluable curiosity and you let yourself die. It's as simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tove-jansson/it-is-simply-this-do-not-tire-never-lose-interest-never-grow/)

[Tove Jansson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tove-jansson/)

> [They are exactly the persons who are to succeed to the government of our country and to rule its future enmities, its friendships and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/they-are-exactly-the-persons-who-are-to-succeed-to-the-government-of/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Affirmative action has provided affirmative opportunities for capable, competent, and qualified persons to succeed on their merits or fail on their demerits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-n-green/affirmative-action-has-provided-affirmative-opportunities-for-capable/)

[Al N. Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-n-green/)

> [It is not the passion of a mind struggling with misfortune, or the hopelessness of its desires, but of a mind preying on itself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/it-is-not-the-passion-of-a-mind-struggling-with-misfortune-or-the/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [So You Want to Know All about her. Who she really is. (Was?) Why she swerved off the high road. Hard left to nowhere,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/so-you-want-to-know-all-about-her-who-she-really-is-was-why-she/)

[Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/)

> [There are some people, who place enormous value on their home and feel that it defines them, that a stain on the carpet is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-ballard/there-are-some-people-who-place-enormous-value-on-their-home-and-feel/)

[J. G. Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-ballard/)

> [As her time in Florence drew to a close she was only at ease amongst those to whom she felt indifferent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-her-time-in-florence-drew-to-a-close-she-was-only-at-ease-amongst/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Insect politics, indifferent universe. Bang your head against the wall, but apathy is worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-henley/insect-politics-indifferent-universe-bang-your-head-against-the-wall/)

[Don Henley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-henley/)

> [Whatever withdraws us from the power of our senses; whatever makes the past, the distant, or the future, predominate over the present, advances us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/whatever-withdraws-us-from-the-power-of-our-senses-whatever-makes-the/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [To be wise was to be above joy and sorrow, fear and pity, ambition and humiliation. It was to hate nothing and to love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ende/to-be-wise-was-to-be-above-joy-and-sorrow-fear-and-pity-ambition-and/)

[Michael Ende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ende/)

> [I only asked my friends to be friendly and polite, I found them indifferent and censorious; The one I left to silence, the other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevie-smith/i-only-asked-my-friends-to-be-friendly-and-polite-i-found-them/)

[Stevie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevie-smith/)

> [Further conceive, I beg, that a stone, while continuing in motion, should be capable of thinking and knowing, that it is endeavoring, as far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/further-conceive-i-beg-that-a-stone-while-continuing-in-motion-should/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Was man made stupid to see his own stupidity? Is God by definition indifferent, beyond us all? Is the eternal truth man's fighting soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-eberhart/was-man-made-stupid-to-see-his-own-stupidity-is-god-by-definition/)

[Richard Eberhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-eberhart/)

> [Wisdom views with an indifferent eye all finite joys, all blessings born to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-more/wisdom-views-with-an-indifferent-eye-all-finite-joys-all-blessings/)

[Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/)

> [The corporate state is an immensely powerful machine, ordered, legalistic, rational, yet utterly out of human control, wholly and perfectly indifferent to any human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-a-reich/the-corporate-state-is-an-immensely-powerful-machine-ordered/)

[Charles A. Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-a-reich/)

## More by William Hazlitt

> [First impressions are often the truest, as we find (not infrequently) to our cost, when we have been wheedled out of them by plausible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/first-impressions-are-often-the-truest-as-we-find-not-infrequently-to/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [The art of life is to know how to enjoy a little and to endure very much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-art-of-life-is-to-know-how-to-enjoy-a-little-and-to-endure-very/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [We are thankful for good-will rather than for services, for the motive than the quantum of favor received.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/we-are-thankful-for-good-will-rather-than-for-services-for-the-motive/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [The discussing the characters and foibles of common friends is a great sweetness and cement of friendship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-discussing-the-characters-and-foibles-of-common-friends-is-a/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [Want of principle is power. Truth and honesty set a limit to our efforts, which impudence and hypocrisy easily overleap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/want-of-principle-is-power-truth-and-honesty-set-a-limit-to-our/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [Repose is as necessary in conversation as in a picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/repose-is-as-necessary-in-conversation-as-in-a-picture/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [No act terminating in itself constitutes greatness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/no-act-terminating-in-itself-constitutes-greatness/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [Vice is man's nature: virtue is a habit--or a mask.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/vice-is-man-s-nature-virtue-is-a-habit-or-a-mask/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [We never do anything well till we cease to think about the manner doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/we-never-do-anything-well-till-we-cease-to-think-about-the-manner/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [Man is the only animal that laughs and weeps; for he is the only animal that is struck with the difference between what things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/man-is-the-only-animal-that-laughs-and-weeps-for-he-is-the-only/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [Those who have had none of the cares of this life to harass and disturb them, have been obliged to have recourse to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/those-who-have-had-none-of-the-cares-of-this-life-to-harass-and/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [Poverty, when it is voluntary, is never despicable, but takes an heroical aspect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/poverty-when-it-is-voluntary-is-never-despicable-but-takes-an/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [We are not satisfied to be right, unless we can prove others to be quite wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/we-are-not-satisfied-to-be-right-unless-we-can-prove-others-to-be/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [The world judge of men by their ability in their profession, and we judge of ourselves by the same test: for it is on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-world-judge-of-men-by-their-ability-in-their-profession-and-we/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [The best part of our lives we pass in counting on what is to come.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-best-part-of-our-lives-we-pass-in-counting-on-what-is-to-come/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

[Explore all 671 William Hazlitt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

## More Failing quotes

> [Many individuals spend a considerable portion of their lifetimes in terror of one imagined catastrophe or another. The classic is that your immortal soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/many-individuals-spend-a-considerable-portion-of-their-lifetimes-in/)

[L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/)

> [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/)

[Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/)

> [Apologies are not pass/fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-pausch/apologies-are-not-pass-fail/)

[Randy Pausch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-pausch/)

> [Trial by jury. Live wherever you can make a living. How could a government based on such principles fail?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-ambrose/trial-by-jury-live-wherever-you-can-make-a-living-how-could-a/)

[Stephen Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-ambrose/)

> [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

> [My willingness to fail gives me the ability to succeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinod-khosla/my-willingness-to-fail-gives-me-the-ability-to-succeed/)

[Vinod Khosla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinod-khosla/)

> [I would warn against holsters with devices for quick-draw. Devices always fail when you need them most.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-powell/i-would-warn-against-holsters-with-devices-for-quick-draw-devices/)

[William Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-powell/)

> [You can’t bake a cake without getting the kitchen messy. Halfway through surgery it looks like there’s been a murder in the operating room.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/price-pritchett/you-can-t-bake-a-cake-without-getting-the-kitchen-messy-halfway/)

[Price Pritchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/price-pritchett/)

> [We can't afford any president to fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/we-can-t-afford-any-president-to-fail/)

[Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/)

> [When I paint, I never think of selling. People simply fail to understand that we paint in order to experiment and to develop ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/when-i-paint-i-never-think-of-selling-people-simply-fail-to/)

[Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/)

> [Either dragons should exist completely or fail to exist at all, he felt. A dragon only half-existing was worse than the extremes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/either-dragons-should-exist-completely-or-fail-to-exist-at-all-he/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [I wake up every morning fearing I am going to fail. But I love a challenge, big or small. There's so much I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-mone/i-wake-up-every-morning-fearing-i-am-going-to-fail-but-i-love-a/)

[Michelle Mone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-mone/)

> [What I want is to be willing to fail rather than stagnate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dickey/what-i-want-is-to-be-willing-to-fail-rather-than-stagnate/)

[James Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dickey/)

> [In proportion as our inward life fails, we go more constantly and desperately to the post office. You may depend on it, that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/in-proportion-as-our-inward-life-fails-we-go-more-constantly-and/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [The very first company I started failed with a great bang. The second one failed a little bit less, but still failed. The third…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-levchin/the-very-first-company-i-started-failed-with-a-great-bang-the-second/)

[Max Levchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-levchin/)

Browse all 5,634 Failing quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "There are some persons who never succeed from being too indolent to undertake anything; and others who regularly fail, because the instant they find success in their power, they grow indifferent, and give over the attempt.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William Hazlitt"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/there-are-some-persons-who-never-succeed-from-being-too-indolent-to/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Failing"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/there-are-some-persons-who-never-succeed-from-being-too-indolent-to/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c86/william-hazlitt-326_failing_there-are-some-persons-who-never-succeed_442907.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c86/william-hazlitt-326_failing_there-are-some-persons-who-never-succeed_442907.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c86/william-hazlitt-326_failing_there-are-some-persons-who-never-succeed_442907.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“There are some persons who never succeed from being too indolent to undertake anything; and others who…” — William Hazlitt",
                "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": "William Hazlitt",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "There are some persons who never...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/there-are-some-persons-who-never-succeed-from-being-too-indolent-to/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/there-are-some-persons-who-never-succeed-from-being-too-indolent-to/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
