Quote of the day by Oracle founder Larry Ellison: "Great achievers are driven, not so much by the pursuit of success, but by…" - a powerful lesson on ambition, failure and the mindset behind extraordinary achievement

Most people assume successful individuals are pulled forward purely by ambition, chasing wealth, recognition and big wins. Larry Ellison , the co-founder of Oracle, offered a different explanation for what actually drives people to the top. "Great achievers are driven, not so much by the pursuit of success, but by the fear of failure ," he said. It is not really an argument in favour of fear. It is an observation about where a lot of real discipline actually comes from, and it fits closely with how Ellison himself has described building one of the largest technology companies in the world from a much smaller and far less certain starting point.