For every failure, there’s an alternative course of action. You just have to find it. When you come to a roadblock, take a detour.
—Mary Kay Ash (1918–2001) American Entrepreneur, Businessperson
Success is the proper utilization of failure.
—Unknown
Believe and act as if it were impossible to fail.
—Charles F. Kettering (1876–1958) American Inventor, Entrepreneur, Businessperson
All of us have failed to reach our dream of perfection, so I rate us on the basis of our splendid failure to do the impossible.
—William Faulkner (1897–1962) American Novelist
It is really true what philosophy tells us, that life must be understood backwards. But with this, one forgets the second proposition, that it must be lived forwards.
—Soren Kierkegaard (1813–55) Danish Philosopher, Theologian
If a person weren’t failing in some way, shape or form, would he or she need to blame, justify, or complain? The obvious answer is no.
—T. Harv Eker (b.1954) American Motivational Speaker, Lecturer, Author
Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.
—Robert F. Kennedy (1925–68) American Politician, Civil Rights Activist
Why don’t I see goodness and beauty everywhere? Because you cannot see outside of you what you fail to see inside.
—Anthony de Mello (1931–87) Indian-born American Theologian
In the long run, avoiding activity that might hurt causes more agony than acting, failing, and dealing with the pain.
—Unknown
Every human being who reaches the age of understanding of the purpose of money wishes for it. Wishing will not bring riches. But desiring riches with a state of mind that becomes an obsessions, then planning definite ways and means to acquire riches, and backing those plans with persistence which does not recognize failure, will bring riches.
—Napoleon Hill (1883–1970) American Author, Journalist, Attorney, Lecturer
There was never any fear for me, no fear of failure. If I miss a shot, so what?
—Michael Jordan (b.1963) American Sportsperson, Businessperson
It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed. In this life we get nothing save by effort.
—Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) American Head of State, Political leader, Historian, Explorer
Pursuing success is like chasing the horizon, and failure is an integral part of an interesting life.
—Unknown
We need to teach the highly educated man that it is not a disgrace to fail and that he must analyze every failure to find its cause. He must learn how to fail intelligently, for failing is one of the greatest arts in the world.
—Charles F. Kettering (1876–1958) American Inventor, Entrepreneur, Businessperson
There is but one cause of human failure. And that is man’s lack of faith in his true self.
—William James (1842–1910) American Philosopher, Psychologist, Physician
The instinct of nearly all societies is to lock up anybody who is truly free. First, society begins by trying to beat you up. If this fails, they try to poison you. If this fails too, the finish by loading honors on your head.
—Jean Cocteau (1889–1963) French Poet, Playwright, Film Director
Those who have failed to work toward the truth have missed the purpose of living.
—Buddhist Teaching
Show me a completely contented person and I’ll show you a failure.
—Thomas Edison (1847–1931) American Inventor, Scientist, Entrepreneur
Too many of those with unrealized aspirations have set them aside due to fear of failure. The bigger the dream, the greater the fear. Doing less than our best allays this fear. I could have done better if I’d tried, we assure ourselves. Among the least appreciated reasons for doing superficial, second-rate work of any kind is the comfort of knowing it’s not our best that’s on the line. By not trying too hard, we avoid learning what our true potential is, and having to fulfill it. Doing our best can be deeply threatening. It forces us to consider what we’re actually capable of accomplishing. Once we learn that lesson, we can’t unlearn it. Our true potential becomes both a shining light we can follow and an oppressive burden of expectation that might, or might not, be met.
—Unknown
A true friend is one who overlooks your failures and tolerates your successes.
—Doug Larson (1926–2017) American Columnist
Get rid of your fear of failure, your tensions about succeeding, you will be yourself. Relaxed. You wouldn’t be driving with your brakes on. That’s what would happen.
—Anthony de Mello (1931–87) Indian-born American Theologian
You’re on the road to success when you realize that failure is only a detour.
—Unknown
The single biggest difference between financial success and financial failure is how well you manage your money. It’s simple: to master money, you must manage money.
—T. Harv Eker (b.1954) American Motivational Speaker, Lecturer, Author
If you haven’t failed, you’re not trying hard enough.
—Unknown
My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure.
—Abraham Lincoln (1809–65) American Head of State
Whatever your fate is, whatever the hell happens, you say, “This is what I need”. It may look like a wreck, but go at it as though it were an opportunity, a challenge. If you bring love to that moment—not discouragement—you will find the strength there. Any disaster you can survive is an improvement in your character, your stature, and your life. What a privilege!! This is when the spontaneity of your own nature will have a chance to flow. Then, when looking back at your life, you will see that the moments which seemed to be great failures, followed by wreckage, were the incidents that shaped the life you have now. You’ll see this is really true. Nothing can happen to you that is not positive. Even though it looks and feels at the moment like a negative crisis, it is not. The crisis throws you back, and when you are required to exhibit strength, it comes.
—Joseph Campbell (1904–87) American Mythologist, Writer, Lecturer
Failure’s pain subsides faster than the ache of regret.
—Unknown
I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot…And I missed. And I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is precisely…Why I succeed.
—Michael Jordan (b.1963) American Sportsperson, Businessperson
Those who take bold chances don’t think failure is the opposite of success. They believe complacency is.
—Unknown
We more frequently fail to face the right problem than fail to solve the problem we face.
—Unknown