"People rarely succeed at anything unless they have…

American author Dale Carnegie (1888-1955) wrote in How to Win Friends and Influence People (1936):

“The chairman of the board of directors of one of the largest rubber companies in the United States told me that, according to his observations, people rarely succeed at anything unless they have fun doing it.”

“People rarely succeed at anything unless they have fun doing it” began to be cited in 1974, and Dale Carnegie later was given credit—even though an unnamed rubber company chairman had said it. “People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing” is another form of the Dale Carnegie-credited saying that became popular in the 2000s.

OCLC WorldCat record
How to win friends and influence people
Author: Dale Carnegie
Publisher: New York : Cardinal Edition, Publis. by Pocket Books, ©1936.
Edition/Format: Print book : English

Google Books
How To Win Friends and Influence People
By Dale Carnegie
New York, NY: Pocket Books
1981 (Originally published 1936)
Pg. 65:
The chairman of the board of directors of one of the largest rubber companies in the United States told me that, according to his observations, people rarely succeed at anything unless they have fun doing it.

3 January 1974, Payson (AZ) Roundup, pg. 1, left masthead:
Today’s Thought
Most people rarely succeed at anything unless they are having fun doing it.

11 September 1974, Great Bend (KS) Tribune, “Ness City As I See It” by Effie G.Herrick, pg. A24, col. 2:
People rarely succeed at anything unless they have fun doing it.

Google Books
The Complete Book of Zingers
By Croft M. Pentz
Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers
1990
Pg. 363:
People rarely succeed at anything unless they have fun doing it.

Google News Archive
13 March 1994, Lawrence (KS) Journal-World, “Advice to entrepreneurs: work hard” by Michael Dekker, pg. 3A, col. 4:
“The fun, the enjoyment comes in building the business, not where we are today. People rarely succeed in anything that they don’t have fun doing.” — Henry Bloch, H&R Block founder.

Google Books
Lightning Fast Enlightenment:
A Journey to the Secrets of Happiness
By Jordan S. Metzger
San Diego, CA: Profound Press
2000
Pg. 208:
Francois de La Rochefoucauld:
People rarely succeed at anything unless they have fun doing it.

Google Groups: alt.fan.conan-obrien
CONGRATS !! LN Nominated for Several Emmys !!
boobookitty
7/15/04
(...)
“People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing.”
—- Dale Carnegie

Being Investor
100 Inspirational Quotes that will inspire you to be Successful
By BeingInvestor on November 6, 2014
(...)
91. People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing. ~Dale Carnegie

Twitter
Dakota Meyer
‏@Dakota_Meyer
#MorningMotivation People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing. - Dale Carnegie
8:03 AM - 29 Apr 2015