There are two kinds of people, those who do the work and those who take the credit. Try to be in the first group there is less competition there.

The saying contrasts quiet, substantive labor with the social maneuvering of claiming recognition. Its advice—choose the “doers”—frames integrity and competence as their own reward, while also making a pragmatic observation: credit-seeking is crowded because status is scarce, whereas sustained work is less glamorous and therefore less contested. Read as leadership counsel, it encourages focusing on outcomes rather than applause, and it implicitly critiques organizational and political cultures where visibility can eclipse contribution. The line’s wry final clause (“less competition”) underlines how ambition often gravitates toward symbols of success rather than the harder discipline of producing it.

1) “There are two kinds of people: those who do the work and those who take the credit. Try to be in the first group; there is much less competition.”
2) “There are two kinds of people—those who do the work and those who take the credit. Try to be among the first; there’s less competition.”