"You've got to ask! Asking is, in my opinion, the world's most powerful - and neglected - secret to success and happiness"
About this Quote
The phrase "world's most powerful - and neglected - secret" is classic business-era mythmaking, but it also exposes a cultural discomfort. Asking risks rejection, embarrassment, looking needy, or being seen as transactional. Ross is betting that most people would rather preserve dignity than increase odds. In that sense, "neglected" is an indictment of middle-class etiquette: we are trained to wait our turn, to not impose, to not appear hungry.
Pairing "success and happiness" is the most revealing move. Ross collapses external achievement and internal wellbeing into the same mechanism: agency. Asking becomes a practice of self-authorization, a way to declare "I am allowed to want things" in a world that rewards quiet compliance. Its a motivational line, yes, but its also a map of power: those who already have it ask constantly, often without even noticing theyre doing it.
Quote Details
| Topic | Motivational |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Ross, Percy. (2026, January 16). You've got to ask! Asking is, in my opinion, the world's most powerful - and neglected - secret to success and happiness. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/youve-got-to-ask-asking-is-in-my-opinion-the-134376/
Chicago Style
Ross, Percy. "You've got to ask! Asking is, in my opinion, the world's most powerful - and neglected - secret to success and happiness." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/youve-got-to-ask-asking-is-in-my-opinion-the-134376/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"You've got to ask! Asking is, in my opinion, the world's most powerful - and neglected - secret to success and happiness." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/youve-got-to-ask-asking-is-in-my-opinion-the-134376/. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.











