"I've learned it's always better to have a small percentage of a big success, than a hundred percent of nothing"
About this Quote
Ambition tempts people to cling to ownership, but outcomes are driven by scale, distribution, and collaboration. Art Linkletter, a radio and television pioneer best known for House Party and Kids Say the Darndest Things, worked in an industry where success hinged on sponsors, networks, and strategic partners. His observation prizes results over ego: it is wiser to trade a slice of control for access to resources that can turn an idea into a phenomenon.
The line speaks to leverage. A small equity stake in a venture with momentum can be worth far more than total control over a project starved of capital, talent, or distribution. Creators, founders, and producers routinely face this crossroads. Take all the rights and go nowhere, or team up, concede points, and ride a larger engine. The logic extends beyond money. Partnerships add credibility, open doors, mitigate risk, and shorten the time to adoption. A modest share of a widely adopted solution compounds more than solitary ownership of a product that never ships.
There is also a lesson in humility. Insistence on owning 100 percent is often about identity and fear. Linkletter’s career illustrates a different mindset: align with the right platforms, accept interdependence, and let the pie grow. Mid-century broadcasting was built on sponsor integration and network reach; he excelled by working with those systems rather than against them. Even his role hosting the televised opening of Disneyland in 1955 shows how association with a bigger enterprise can magnify one’s impact.
Practically, the line advises choosing partners who add genuine lift, negotiating for aligned incentives, and valuing probability-weighted outcomes over theoretical control. Better to own a sliver of something that lives in the world than to guard the whole of an unrealized dream. Success loves company, and equity becomes meaningful only when there is something of substance to share.
The line speaks to leverage. A small equity stake in a venture with momentum can be worth far more than total control over a project starved of capital, talent, or distribution. Creators, founders, and producers routinely face this crossroads. Take all the rights and go nowhere, or team up, concede points, and ride a larger engine. The logic extends beyond money. Partnerships add credibility, open doors, mitigate risk, and shorten the time to adoption. A modest share of a widely adopted solution compounds more than solitary ownership of a product that never ships.
There is also a lesson in humility. Insistence on owning 100 percent is often about identity and fear. Linkletter’s career illustrates a different mindset: align with the right platforms, accept interdependence, and let the pie grow. Mid-century broadcasting was built on sponsor integration and network reach; he excelled by working with those systems rather than against them. Even his role hosting the televised opening of Disneyland in 1955 shows how association with a bigger enterprise can magnify one’s impact.
Practically, the line advises choosing partners who add genuine lift, negotiating for aligned incentives, and valuing probability-weighted outcomes over theoretical control. Better to own a sliver of something that lives in the world than to guard the whole of an unrealized dream. Success loves company, and equity becomes meaningful only when there is something of substance to share.
Quote Details
| Topic | Success |
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