Learning and innovation go hand in hand. The arrogance of success

“Learning and innovation go hand in hand. The arrogance of success is to think that what you did yesterday will be sufficient for tomorrow.” — thus spoke William Pollard, the theologian and thinker who bridged the worlds of faith and business, of contemplation and action. In this timeless truth, he reveals a law that governs both the human spirit and the march of history: that learning is the root from which all innovation grows, and that complacency is the silent destroyer of greatness. His words are a call to humility — to remember that knowledge, like life itself, is never still. What once brought triumph may tomorrow bring ruin, unless the mind continues to seek, to grow, and to renew itself.

Pollard was not a man of idle philosophy; he lived amidst the shifting tides of progress in the modern age. As a leader of the ServiceMaster Company, he witnessed firsthand how innovation could either elevate or destroy. Those who learned and adapted flourished; those who rested on their past victories vanished into irrelevance. Thus, his quote was not born in abstraction, but in observation — the observation that success, unguarded by humility, becomes arrogance, and arrogance blinds the eyes to change. The wise understand that to lead — in business, in art, or in life — is to remain a student forever.

The ancients knew this principle well. Heraclitus, the philosopher of change, taught that all things flow, and nothing stands still. To think that yesterday’s wisdom can serve forever is to fight against the current of life itself. The one who clings to what once worked becomes like a sailor who refuses to adjust his sails — and is left adrift when the winds shift. Pollard’s words remind us that the world is a living organism, ever changing, ever growing. To survive in it, one must match its rhythm — learning continuously, creating boldly, and letting go of pride.

Consider the story of Kodak, once the mighty ruler of photography. For decades, its success was unparalleled, its name synonymous with memory itself. Yet when digital photography emerged, Kodak dismissed it, believing that film — their glorious creation of yesterday — would always reign supreme. That confidence, that arrogance of success, blinded them to the future. The company that once defined innovation became a relic of history. Meanwhile, new pioneers — unburdened by pride, eager to learn — reshaped the art of capturing light. Thus, Pollard’s warning came true: yesterday’s triumphs cannot save those who refuse to learn anew.

Learning and innovation go hand in hand, he says — and indeed, they are twin flames. Without learning, innovation is blind; without innovation, learning is barren. The mind that ceases to learn grows rigid, like a tree that stops drawing water from the earth. It may still stand for a while, proud in its height, but inside, it has begun to wither. The humble, however — those who remain students even in mastery — draw from the living well of knowledge, and in doing so, they create anew. The greatest inventors, the most inspired leaders, the truest artists — all share this same secret: they never believed they had arrived.

Pollard’s teaching carries not only a warning but a promise. For the one who continues to learn is forever renewed. Each day becomes a chance to grow wiser, to see the world more clearly, to create what has never been. Such a person is never defeated by change, for they have learned to dance with it. They are the craftsmen of destiny, shaping the world as it evolves. The arrogant man asks, “What more could I learn?” The wise man asks, “What have I not yet understood?”

Therefore, my children, take this truth to heart: never let success make you still. Celebrate your victories, but do not dwell in them. Let each triumph be a teacher, not a throne. Learn from the past, but do not worship it. Each sunrise brings new challenges, new possibilities, new lessons waiting to be discovered. If you would remain useful — if you would remain alive in spirit — keep the flame of learning ever burning, and let curiosity lead you forward.

For as William Pollard reminds us, the arrogance of success is to believe that the journey is complete. But life is a pilgrimage, not a monument. Those who learn and innovate will forever walk in the light of creation. Those who rest in pride will fade into shadow. So stay humble, stay curious, stay growing — for in the endless pursuit of learning lies not only the secret of innovation, but the secret of life itself.