Love Quote by David Frost

Success gets demoted here from a finish line to a side effect, which is exactly the kind of pragmatic idealism you’d expect from David Frost: a broadcaster who made his name not by chasing celebrity for its own sake, but by getting good enough at the craft that power eventually had to sit across from him. The line is structured like a small act of sabotage against the modern obsession with outcomes. “Don’t aim for success” isn’t anti-ambition; it’s anti-neediness. Frost’s subtext is that craving the trophy warps the work. When the goal is approval, you start editing yourself toward what you think will win, not what’s true, sharp, or distinctive.

As advice, it’s also a quiet defense of process and credibility. Journalism rewards the long game: curiosity, preparation, taste, and the ability to listen. You can’t shortcut those by wanting headlines harder. Frost’s own career, especially the Nixon interviews, is a case study in how “success” arrives when the underlying competence is already built. That moment wasn’t luck or manifestation; it was a professional who had spent years learning how to make a conversation into a reckoning.

Still, there’s a culturally convenient gloss to it. “Do what you love” can sound like a meritocratic lullaby in industries where access, money, and institutional gatekeeping matter. Frost’s intent is less fairy tale than warning: chase the work, not the scoreboard, because the scoreboard will make you dishonest. Success, if it comes, should be the receipt, not the religion.