If your idea spreads, you win. It’s that brutally simple. This isn’t about being perfect; it’s about being contagious. Your success hinges entirely on whether your concept gains traction and gets shared.
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Meaning
At its core, this quote means that in today’s world, adoption is everything. It’s not enough to have a good idea; the real victory is when that idea propagates through the market on its own.
Explanation
Look, I’ve seen this play out a hundred times. You can have the most brilliant, well-funded, perfectly engineered product in the world. But if it doesn’t get talked about, if it doesn’t get shared, if it doesn’t become part of the conversation… it’s just noise. It’s a tree falling in an empty forest. The “win” Godin talks about isn’t just a sale. It’s cultural penetration. It’s when your idea becomes a meme in the best sense of the word—a unit of cultural transmission. Your marketing, your product, your entire business model should be built around one simple question: “Is this remarkable enough that someone would tell a friend about it?” If the answer is no, you’re fighting an uphill battle against obscurity.
Quote Summary
| Context | Attributes |
|---|---|
| Original Language | English (3668) |
| Category | Business (233) |
| Topics | communication (196), ideas (9), success general (86) |
| Literary Style | factual (11), minimalist (442) |
| Emotion / Mood | pragmatic (36) |
| Overall Quote Score | 78 (178) |
Origin & Factcheck
This is straight from Seth Godin’s 2003 book, Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable. It’s a cornerstone of his philosophy. You sometimes see the sentiment echoed elsewhere, but this is the definitive source. No false attributions here.
Attribution Summary
| Context | Attributes |
|---|---|
| Author | Seth Godin (100) |
| Source Type | Book (4032) |
| Source/Book Name | Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable (43) |
| Origin Timeperiod | 21st Century (1892) |
| Original Language | English (3668) |
| Authenticity | Verified (4032) |
Author Bio
Seth Godin writes and teaches about marketing, leadership, and creative work. After earning an MBA from Stanford, he founded Yoyodyne, sold it to Yahoo!, and later launched ventures like Squidoo and the altMBA. He has authored bestsellers such as Permission Marketing, Purple Cow, Tribes, Linchpin, and This Is Marketing. He posts daily at seths.blog and speaks globally about making work that matters. If you’re starting with the Seth Godin book list, expect insights on trust, storytelling, and shipping creative projects that change culture.
| Official Website | Facebook | X
Where is this quotation located?
| Quotation | If your idea spreads, you win. If it doesn’t, you fail |
| Book Details | Publication Year/Date: 2003; ISBN/Unique Identifier: 9781591843177; Last edition: 2010; Number of pages: 160. |
| Where is it? | Chapter 26: Spreadability, page 142/160 |