ARNOLD’S 6 RULES FOR SUCCESS

 1. Trust yourself

Many young people are getting so much advice from their parents and from their 

teachers and from everyone. But what is most important is that you have to dig deep 

down, dig deep down and ask yourselves, who do you want to be? Not what, but who. 

Figure out for yourselves what makes you happy, no matter how crazy it may sound to 

other people.

2. Break the Rules

Break the rules, not the law, but break the rules. It is impossible to be a maverick 

or a true original if you’re too well behaved and don’t want to break the rules. You 

have to think outside the box. That’s what I believe. After all, what is the point of 

being on this earth if all you want to do is be liked by everyone and avoid trouble?

3. Don’t Be Afraid to Fail

Anything I’ve ever attempted, I was always willing to fail. So you can’t always win, 

but don't be afraid of making decisions. You can’t be paralyzed by fear of failure or 

you will never push yourself. You keep pushing because you believe in yourself and in 

your vision and you know that it is the right thing to do, and success will come. So 

don’t be afraid to fail.

4. Don’t Listen to the Naysayers

How many times have you heard that you can’t do this and you can’t do that and it’s 

never been done before? I love it when someone says that no one has ever done this 

before, because then when I do it that means that I’m the first one that has done it. 

So pay no attention to the people that say it can’t be done. I never listen to, “You 

can’t.” (Applause) I always listen to myself and say, “Yes, you can.”

5. Work Your Butt Off

You never want to fail because you didn’t work hard enough. Mohammed Ali, one of my 

great heroes, had a great line in the ’70s when he was asked, “How many sit-ups do you 

do?” He said, “I don’t count my sit-ups. I only start counting when it starts hurting. 

When I feel pain, that’s when I start counting, because that’s when it really counts.” 

That’s what makes you a champion. No pain, no gain.

But when you’re out there partying, horsing around, someone out there at the same time 

is working hard. Someone is getting smarter and someone is winning. Just remember 

that. Now, if you want to coast through life, don’t pay attention to any of those 

rules. But if you want to win, there is absolutely no way around hard, hard work. Just 

remember, you can’t climb the ladder of success with your hands in your pockets.

6. Give Back

Whatever path that you take in your lives, you must always find time to give something 

back, something back to your community, give something back to your state or to your 

country.

Remember these 6 rules. Trust yourself, break some rules, don’t be afraid to fail, 

ignore the naysayers, work like hell, and give something back.