How much do you have to show for your 'wisdom'?

When you are successful or winning, almost everything you say and everything you do is deemed right and wise. But when the opposite is the case, no one cares about what you have upstairs.
Have you ever wondered why it is easier for successful men and women to sell their books when they eventually write one? People desperately want to know how they became successful. How much you're taken seriously in life is heavily dependent on how much you have to show for your 'wisdom' and 'seriousness'.