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Don't be misled into believing that somehow the world owes you a living. The boy who believes that his parents, or the government, or any one else owes him his livelihood and that he can collect it without labor will wake up one day and find himself working for another boy who did not have that belief and, therefore, earned the right to have others work for him.
David Sarnoff
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Success is earned through hard work, not entitlement.

This quote emphasizes that one should not assume that the world or others owe them a comfortable life without effort. It highlights the value of hard work and personal responsibility, warning that those who expect to be given a living without putting in the necessary effort will ultimately find themselves at the mercy of those who have worked for their success.

Themes

SuccessHard WorkResponsibilityEntitlementEffort

In practice

Example use cases

In a motivational speech to college students about the importance of hard work.

More from David Sarnoff

Whatever course you have chosen for yourself, it will not be a chore but an adventure if you bring to it a sense of the glory of striving.
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Let us not paralyze our capacity for good by brooding of man's capacity for evil.
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Freedom is the oxygen without which science cannot breathe.
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Work and live to serve others, to leave the world a little better than you found it and garner for yourself as much peace of mind as you can. This is happiness.
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The human brain must continue to frame the problems for the electronic machine to solve.
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I ... began my career as a wireless amateur. After 43 years in radio, I do not mind confessing that I am still an amateur. Despite many great achievements in the science of radio and electronics, what we know today is far less than what we have still to learn.
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