Quote of the Day: Arthur C. Brooks on Success

January has a way of daring us to believe in clean starts: new planners, fresh goals, a quiet promise that this time we’ll do it “right.” But the deeper January question isn’t what you want, it’s what you’re willing to own. As “The more control you have over your life, the more responsible you feel for your own success - or failure” reminds us, control doesn’t just bring comfort; it delivers a bill with your name on it.

That’s the trapdoor in the sentence: empowerment first, accountability second. When you choose your direction, you can’t outsource the outcome to traffic, temperament, or the calendar. Your wins feel earned, which is a beautiful kind of pride. Yet your setbacks can start to feel like moral verdicts, not data. The point isn’t to carry shame; it’s to carry ownership without turning it into self-punishment.

Use the quote like a tool, not a whip. Separate what you can influence from what you can’t, and then aim your effort precisely. Take full responsibility for inputs, sleep, preparation, practice, relationships, attention, and treat results as feedback shaped by both agency and chance. This is how freedom stays energizing instead of crushing: you steer, but you don’t pretend you control the ocean.

Arthur C. Brooks has lived the arc he writes about, moving from professional musician to economist, leading AEI, teaching at Harvard, and studying happiness and leadership with uncommon clarity about what actually makes a life work.

Today, pick one goal that matters and write two columns on paper: “Under My Control” and “Not Under My Control.” Then choose one item from the first column and do it in the next 20 minutes, send the email, take the walk, outline the plan, apologize cleanly. Let that small act of ownership be your quiet vote for success, and may it steady your day.