"The two most important requirements for major success are: first, being in the right place at the right time, and second, doing something about it"
About this Quote
The intent is practical, almost sales-like: a mantra for opportunists who don’t want to be called opportunists. Kroc is dressing a ruthless business truth in American grit. The subtext: you don’t invent the wave; you spot it and you paddle harder than the next person. Coming from the man who scaled McDonald’s, that’s not abstract wisdom - it’s autobiography. The McDonald brothers had the system; Kroc had the obsession, the franchising vision, and the stomach for expansion. His “right place” was discovering a scalable model just as car culture, highways, and suburban families made speed and uniformity a national craving.
What makes the line work is the sequencing. It flatters humility first (credit the moment), then reclaims authority (credit the move). It’s a permission slip to be both lucky and relentless, and a warning that most people fail at success not because they lack talent, but because they hesitate when the door finally cracks open.
Quote Details
| Topic | Success |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Kroc, Ray. (2026, January 17). The two most important requirements for major success are: first, being in the right place at the right time, and second, doing something about it. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-two-most-important-requirements-for-major-71031/
Chicago Style
Kroc, Ray. "The two most important requirements for major success are: first, being in the right place at the right time, and second, doing something about it." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-two-most-important-requirements-for-major-71031/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"The two most important requirements for major success are: first, being in the right place at the right time, and second, doing something about it." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-two-most-important-requirements-for-major-71031/. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
