Success Quote by Felicity Kendal

Show business runs on momentum, and Felicity Kendal’s line names the engine without romanticizing it. “Success breeds success” isn’t just a pep-talk tautology; it’s a description of an industry that treats validation as proof of value. One good run begets the next because casting directors, critics, and audiences all outsource judgment to whatever already looks like a sure bet. Success becomes its own credential: not merely that you were good, but that you were “bankable,” visible, easy to sell.

The second half is where the quote gets quietly bruising. Failure doesn’t lead to learning, reinvention, or a heroic comeback montage. It leads to “a sort of fallow period” - an agricultural metaphor that softens the sting while admitting the reality: after a miss, the phone stops ringing. “Fallow” implies waiting, forced rest, the ground left unused not because it’s worthless but because nobody is planting there right now. It’s a tactful way to describe the purgatory many performers know: the gap where confidence erodes and your professional identity starts to feel conditional.

Kendal, whose career has spanned stage, television, and shifting cultural tastes, speaks from a world where reputation is both art and currency. The intent feels less like complaint than calibration: a reminder that careers aren’t purely meritocratic narratives. They’re feedback loops. You’re not only performing roles; you’re constantly being priced by the market’s appetite for you. The wit is in how calmly she says the unsayable: luck has a memory, and it plays favorites.