Alexandre Dumas? Ralph Waldo Emerson? William J. Snelling? Jacques-François Ancelot? Jules Janin? William Pulling? Alphonse de Lamartine? Anonymous?
Nothing succeeds like success.
This phrase has been attributed to several French writers including Alexandre Dumas who wrote “Le Comte de Monte-Cristo” (“The Count of Monte Cristo”). Would you please explore this topic?
Quote Investigator: This adage evolved over time, and the earliest instances located by QI occurred in French. The saying moved from French to English by 1847. QI believes that the origin of this saying is best described as anonymous. Here is an overview with dates:
1826: Rien ne réussit en France comme le succès. (Nothing succeeds in France like success.) Written by M.R.
1827: Rien ne réussit comme un succès. (Nothing succeeds like a success.) Written by Jacques-François Ancelot
1837: Rien ne réussit comme le succès. (Nothing succeeds like success.) Attributed to Jules Janin
1847: Nothing succeeds like success. Written by William J. Snelling who was translating a story by Alexandre Dumas into English
In 1826 “Le Mercure du dix-neuvième siècle” (“The Nineteenth Century Mercury”) published an article by a music critic who used the initials M.R. The critic employed a version of the saying while praising a piece of music. Passages in French in this article are followed by English translations. Boldface added to excepts by QI:[ref] 1826, Le Mercure du dix-neuvième siècle (The Nineteenth Century Mercury), Tome Quinzième (Fifteenth Volume), Théatres: Académie Royale De Musique by M.R., Start Page 69, Quote Page 73, Au Bureau Du Mercure, Paris. (Google Books Full View) link [/ref]
On a déjà dit que rien ne réussit en France comme le succès: vous allez voir réussir celui-ci.
It has already been said that nothing succeeds in France like success: you are going to see this one succeed.
Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.
In 1827 Jacques-François Ancelot published “L’homme du monde” (“The Man of the World”) which contained the following sentence:[ref] 1827, L’homme du monde (The Man of the World), M. Ancelot (Jacques-François Ancelot), Tome Premier (Volume 1), Chapitre III: Départ, (Chapter 3: Departure), Quote Page 64, Ambroise DuPont et Cie, Paris. (Google Books Full View) link [/ref]
Sénanges sait tout le parti qu’il peut tirer de l’avantage de l’emporter sur eux dans un pays où rien ne réussit comme un succès.
Sénanges knows all the advantage he can derive from winning them over in a country where nothing succeeds like a success.
In 1937 the journal “Revue Universelle” (“Universal Review”) printed an article about the writer Jules Janin who was given credit for the expression:[ref] 1837, Revue Universelle: Bibliothèque de l’homme du monde et de l’homme politique, Cinquième Année (Fifth Year), Tome II (Volume 2), Poètes et Romanciers Modernes de la France: M Jules Janin, Start Page 621, Quote Page 621, Société Belge de Librairie, Bruxelles. (Google Books Full View) link [/ref]
Rien ne réussit comme le succès, a dit M. Janin lui-même; mais il avait mieux fait déjà que de le dire: par son exemple, il l’avait prouvé.
Nothing succeeds like success, said Mr. Janin himself; but he had already done better than say it: by his example he had proved it.
In 1843 Alexandre Dumas published “Le Corricolo”, and he used the saying:[ref] 1843, Le Corricolo by Alexandre Dumas, Tome Deuxième (Volume 2), Chapter 15: Vardarelli, Quote Page 5, Société Belge de Librairie, Bruxelles. (Google Books Full View) link [/ref]
Rien ne réussit comme le succès. Le succès est l’aimant moral qui attire tout à lui.
In 1847 “The Commercial” newspaper of North Carolina published a translation by William J. Snelling of a section of the novel by Dumas. This text contained the earliest instance of the English version of the adage located by QI:[ref] 1847 November 25, The Commercial, The Vardarelli, Translated from the French of Alexander Dumas by William J. Snelling, (From the Boston Saturday Rambler), Quote Page 1, Column 5, Wilmington, North Carolina. (Newspapers_com) [/ref]
Nothing succeeds like success. Success is the moral loadstone that draws everything.
In 1849 translator William Pulling published a biographical sketch of the French author Alphonse de Lamartine. Pulling employed the saying under examination:[ref] 1949, A Biographical Sketch: The Poetical Meditations: And, Poetical and Religious Harmonies of M. de Lamartine, Translated by The Rev. William Pulling, Section: The Life of M. de Lamartine, Quote Page xi, C. Wright, London.(Google Books Full View) link [/ref]
What is there then, which could terrify the justice and delicacy of a biographer in the existence of a man, who has always succeeded in the midst of a world, in which nothing succeeds like success?
In 1870 transcendentalist philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson published an essay titled “Success”. He included the French version of the adage although he viewed it critically:[ref] 1870, Society and Solitude: Twelve Chapters by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Essay: Success, Start Page 236, Quote Page 242, Sampson Low, Son, & Marston, London. (Google Books Full View) link [/ref]
I have heard that Nelson used to say, “Never mind the justice or the impudence, only let me succeed.” Lord Brougham’s single duty of counsel is, “to get the prisoner clear.” Fuller says ’tis a maxim of lawyers, “that a crown once worn cleareth all defects of the wearer thereof.” Rien ne réussit mieux que le succès. And we Americans are tainted with this insanity, as our bankruptcies and our reckless politics may show.
In 1948 “The Macmillan Book Of Proverbs, Maxims, And Famous Phrases” included a pertinent entry that pointed to a 1854 novel by Alexandre Dumas:[ref] 1948, The Macmillan Book Of Proverbs, Maxims, And Famous Phrases, Selected and Arranged by Burton Stevenson, Topic: Success, Quote Page 2236, The Macmillan Company, New York. (Verified with scans) [/ref]
Nothing succeeds like success. (Rien ne réussit comme le succès.) Alexandre Dumas, Ange Pitou. Bk. i, ch, 7. (1854) A French proverb, sometimes worded, “Rien ne réussit mieux que le succès.”
In conclusion, the earliest instance in 1826 located by QI was written in French and was particularized to France. The saying evolved over time, and an English instance appeared by 1847. QI believes that the origin of this saying is best described as anonymous. Jacques-François Ancelot, Jules Janin, Alexandre Dumas all employed French instances.
Image Notes: Illustration from geralt at Pixabay depicting arrows of multiple colors pointing upward at an angle.
(Great thanks to an anonymous person whose inquiry about a variant expression attributed to Dorothy Parker led QI to formulate this question and perform this exploration. Thanks to researcher Barry Popik who listed the 1837 French citation on his website. Also, thanks to researcher Fred R. Shapiro who listed the 1849 English citation in “The New Yale Book of Quotations”.)