For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, But the wicked stumble in time of calamity.
—The Holy Bible Scripture in the Christian Faith
He who has never failed somewhere, that man cannot be great.
—Herman Melville (1819–91) American Novelist, Short Story Writer, Essayist, Poet
It takes as much courage to have tried and failed as it does to have tried and succeeded.
—Anne Morrow Lindbergh (1906–2001) American Aviator, Author
Mistakes are stepping stones to success.
—Charles E. Popplestone
But have you ever noticed one encouraging thing about me, Marilla? I never make the same mistake twice. Oh don’t you see, Marilla? There must be a limit to the mistakes one person can make, and when I get to the end of them, then I’ll be through with them. That’s a very comforting thought.
—Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874–1942) Canadian Novelist
One who fears failure limits his activities. Failure is only the opportunity more intelligently to begin again.
—Henry Ford (1863–1947) American Businessperson, Engineer
When you make a mistake, don’t look back at it long. Take the reason of the thing into your mind, and then look forward. Mistakes are lessons of wisdom. The past cannot be changed. The future is yet in your power.
—Hugh Lawson White
Mistakes are the usual bridge between inexperience and wisdom.
—Phyllis Theroux (b.1939) American Journalist, Author
Experience teaches slowly and at the cost of mistakes.
—James Anthony Froude (1818–94) British Historian, Novelist, Biographer, Editor
I do not fear failure. I only fear the “slowing up” of the engine inside of me which is pounding, saying, “Keep going, someone must be on top, why not you?”
—George S. Patton (1885–1945) American Military Leader
A chief is a man who assumes responsibility. He says, “I was beaten”. He does not say, “My men were beaten”. Thus speaks a real man.
—Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900–44) French Novelist, Aviator
A mistake is simply another way of doing things.
—Katharine Graham (1917–2001) American Publisher
What can any of us do with his talent but try to develop his vision, so that through frequent failures we may learn better what we have missed in the past.
—William Carlos Williams (1883–1963) American Poet, Novelist, Cultural Historian
Failure is, in a sense, the highway to success, inasmuch as every discovery of what is false leads us to seek earnestly after what is true, and every fresh experience points out some form of error which we shall afterward carefully avoid.
—John Keats (1795–1821) English Poet
The politician who never made a mistake never made a decision.
—John Major (b.1943) British Head of State
To be wronged or robbed is nothing unless you continue to remember it.
—Confucius (551–479 BCE) Chinese Philosopher
It is said that only a fool learns from his own mistakes, a wise man from the mistakes of others.
—Unknown
Certain defects are necessary for the existence of individuality.
—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) German Poet
A man who has committed a mistake and doesn’t correct it is committing another mistake.
—Confucius (551–479 BCE) Chinese Philosopher
The sooner you make your first five thousand mistakes the sooner you will be able to correct them.
—Kimon Nicolaides (1891–1938) Greek-American Artist
Mistakes, scandals, and failures no longer signal catastrophe. The crucial thing is that they be made credible, and that the public be made aware of the efforts being expended in that direction. The “marketing” immunity of governments is similar to that of the major brands of washing powder.
—Jean Baudrillard (1929–2007) French Sociologist, Philosopher
The beauty of “spacing” children many years apart lies in the fact that parents have time to learn the mistakes that were made with the older ones — which permits them to make exactly the opposite mistakes with the younger ones.
—Sydney J. Harris (1917–86) American Essayist, Drama Critic
I beseech you, in the bowels of Christ, think it possible you may be mistaken.
—Oliver Cromwell (1599–1658) British Head of State, Military Leader
To avoid an occasion for our virtues is a worse degree of failure than to push forward pluckily and make a fall.
—Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–94) Scottish Novelist
A man’s life is interesting primarily when he has failed, I well know. For it’s a sign that he tried to surpass himself.
—Georges Clemenceau (1841–1929) French Head of State, Physician, Publisher, Political leader
A man finds he has been wrong at every stage of his career, only to deduce the astonishing conclusion that he is at last entirely right.
—Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–94) Scottish Novelist
A failure is a man who has blundered, but is not able to cash in on the experience.
—Elbert Hubbard (1856–1915) American Writer, Publisher, Artist, Philosopher
Laziness is a secret ingredient that goes into failure. But it’s only kept a secret from the person who fails.
—Robert Half
One of the reasons mature people stop learning is that they become less and less willing to risk failure.
—John W. Gardner (1912–2002) American Government Official, Political leader
Every great mistake has a halfway moment, a split second when it can be recalled and perhaps remedied.
—Pearl S. Buck (1892–1973) American Novelist, Human Rights Activist
He only is exempt from failures who makes no effort.
—Richard Whately (1787–1863) English Philosopher, Theologian
It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.
—Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930) Scottish Writer
Failure really isn’t terrible if you can say to yourself, hey, I know I’m gonna be successful at what I want to do some day. Failure doesn’t become a big hangup then because it’s only temporary. If failure is absolute, then it would be a disaster, but as long as it’s only temporary you can just go and achieve almost anything.
—Jerry Della Femina (b.1936) American Advertising Executive
An error is simply a failure to adjust immediately from a preconception to an actuality.
—John Cage (1912–92) American Composer, Philosopher, Poet, Artist
Many a man never fails because he never tries.
—Norman MacEwen (1881–1953) British Military Leader
Our mistakes from the past are just that: mistakes. And they were necessary to make in order to become the wiser person we became.
—Bill Maher (b.1956) American Comedian, TV Personality, Social Critic, Author, Actor
There’s nothing that cleanses your soul like getting the hell kicked out of you.
—Woody Hayes (1913–87) American Sportsperson
No man ever became great or good except through many and great mistakes.
—William Ewart Gladstone (1809–98) English Liberal Statesman, Prime Minister
The physician can bury his mistakes, but the architect can only advise his client to plant vines—so they should go as far as possible from home to build their first buildings.
—Frank Lloyd Wright (1867–1959) American Architect
We learn from our mistakes, and the amount we learn is in direct proportion to the amount we suffer from having made the mistakes.
—Tommy Prothro (1920–95) American Sportsperson
Failure is delay, but not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead-end street.
—William Arthur Ward (1921–94) American Author
Freedom is not worth having if it does not connote freedom to err. It passes my comprehension how human beings, be they ever so experienced and able, can delight in depriving other human beings of that precious right.
—Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869–1948) Indian Hindu Political leader
All wrong doing is done in the sincere belief that it is the best thing to do.
—Arnold Bennett (1867–1931) British Novelist, Playwright, Critic
Forgiveness is a virtue of the learned. To err is human, to forgive divine.
—Subhashita Manjari Sanskrit Anthology of Proverbs
There is no original truth, only original error.
—Gaston Bachelard (1884–1962) French Philosopher, Psychoanalyst, Poet
A man whose errors take ten years to correct is quite a man.
—J. Robert Oppenheimer (1904–67) American Nuclear Physicist
After all these years, I am still involved in the process of self-discovery. It’s better to explore life and make mistakes than to play it safe. Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life.
—Sophia Loren (b.1934) Italian Actor
Often we can achieve an even better result when we stumble yet are willing to start over, when we don’t give up after a mistake, when something doesn’t come easily but we throw ourselves into trying, when we’re not afraid to appear less than perfectly polished. By prizing heartfulness above faultlessness, we may reap more from our effort because we.
—Sharon Salzberg American Buddhist Teacher, Author
As long as the world is turning and spinning, we’re gonna be dizzy and we’re gonna make mistakes.
—Mel Brooks (b.1926) American Film Actor, Screenwriter, Composer, Comedian, Actor
Anyone who doesn’t make mistakes isn’t trying hard enough.
—Wess Roberts
The greatest mistake we make is living in constant fear that we will make one.
—John C. Maxwell (b.1947) American Christian Professional Speaker, Author, Clergyman
We may make mistakes—but they must never be mistakes which result from faintness of heart or abandonment of moral principles.
—Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945) American Head of State, Lawyer
Adversity is a severe instructor, set over us by one who knows us better than we do ourselves, as he loves us better too. He that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skill. Our antagonist is our helper. This conflict with difficulty makes us acquainted with our object, and compels us to consider it in all its relations. It will not suffer us to be superficial.
—Edmund Burke (1729–97) British Philosopher, Statesman
Error is a supposition that pleasure and pain, that intelligence, substance, life, are existent in matter. Error is neither Mind nor one of Mind’s faculties. Error is the contradiction of Truth. Error is a belief without understanding. Error is unreal because untrue. It is that which stemma to be and is not. If error were true, its truth would be error, and we should have a self-evident absurdity –namely, erroneous truth. Thus we should continue to lose the standard of Truth.
—Mary Baker Eddy (1821–1910) American Christian Science Religious Leader, Humanitarian, Writer
Mistakes are a fact of life. It is the response to error that counts.
—Nikki Giovanni (b.1943) American Poet, Writer, Activist, Educator
It is often the failure who is the pioneer in new lands, new undertakings, and new forms of expression.
—Eric Hoffer (1902–83) American Philosopher, Author
Trying to grow up is hurting, you know. You make mistakes. You try to learn from them, and when you don’t, it hurts even more.
—Aretha Franklin (1942–2018) American Gospel And Soul Singer
Laughing at our mistakes can lengthen our own life. Laughing at someone else’s can shorten it.
—Cullen Hightower (b.1923) American Humorist
The only man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything.
—Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) American Head of State, Political leader, Historian, Explorer
If you shut your door to all errors, truth will be shut out.
—Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941) Bengali Poet, Polymath
Failure sometimes enlarges the spirit. You have to fall back upon humanity and God.
—Charles Cooley (1864–1929) American Sociologist
A failure establishes only this, that our determination to succeed was not strong enough.
—Christian Nestell Bovee (1820–1904) American Writer, Aphorist
Don’t be afraid to make a mistake. But make sure you don’t make the same mistake twice.
—Akio Morita (1921–99) Japanese Entrepreneur
The man who has done his level best, and who is conscious that he has done his best, is a success, even though the world may write him down a failure.
—B. C. Forbes (1880–1954) Scottish-born American Journalist, Publisher
Most of the mistakes in thinking are inadequacies of perception rather than mistakes of logic.
—Edward de Bono (b.1933) Maltese-British Psychologist, Writer
There is something distinguished about even his failures; they sink not trivially but with a certain air of majesty; like a great ship, its flags flying, full of holes.
—George Jean Nathan (1882–1958) American Drama Critic, Editor
It is always well to accept your own shortcomings with candor but to regard those of your friends with polite incredulity.
—Russell Lynes (1910–91) American Art Historian, Photographer, Author, Editor
If you’re gonna be a failure, at least be one at something you enjoy.
—Sylvester Stallone (b.1946) American Actor, Film Director, Screenwriter
We made too many wrong mistakes.
—Yogi Berra (1925–2015) American Sportsperson
To make no mistakes is not in the power of man; but from their errors and mistakes the wise and good learn wisdom for the future.
—Plutarch (c.46–c.120 CE) Greek Biographer, Philosopher
Genius is often only the power of making continuous efforts. The line between failure and success is so fine that we scarcely know when we pass it—so fine that we are often on the line and do not know it. How many a man has thrown up his hands at a time when a little more effort, a little more patience, would have achieved success. As the tide goes clear out, so it comes clear in. In business sometimes prospects may seem darkest when really they are on the turn. A little more persistence, a little more effort, and what seemed hopeless failure may turn to glorious success. There is no failure except in no longer trying. There is no defeat except from within, no really insurmountable barrier save our own inherent weakness of purpose.
—Elbert Hubbard (1856–1915) American Writer, Publisher, Artist, Philosopher
It is the highest form of self-respect to admit our errors and mistakes and make amends for them. To make a mistake is only an error in judgment, but to adhere to it when it is discovered shows infirmity of character.
—Dale Turner (1917–2006) American Priest, Columnist, Epigrammist
A man who cannot make mistakes cannot do anything.
—Common Proverb
All men are liable to error, and most men are … by passion or interest, under temptation to it.
—John Locke (1632–1704) English Philosopher, Physician
I have learned more from my mistakes than from my successes.
—Humphry Davy (1778–1829) British Chemist, Inventor
Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.
—Franklin P. Jones
Men do not fail; they give up trying.
—Elihu Root (1845–1937) American Jurist, Statesman
The action of a fool cannot serve as a precedent.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
Virtually nothing comes out right the first time. Failures, repeated failures, are finger posts on the road to achievement. The only time you don’t want to fail is the last time you try something … One fails forward toward success.
—Charles F. Kettering (1876–1958) American Inventor, Entrepreneur, Businessperson
Wise men profit more from fools than fools from wise men; for the wise men shun the mistakes of fools, but fools do not imitate the successes of the wise.
—Cato the Elder (Marcus Porcius Cato) (234–149 BCE) Roman Statesman
Defeat should never be a source of discouragement, but rather a fresh stimulus.
—Robert South (1634–1716) English Theologian
Do not be afraid of mistakes, providing you do not make the same one twice.
—Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962) American First Lady, Diplomat, Humanitarian
If you’re not failing, you’re not trying anything.
—Woody Allen (b.1935) American Film Actor, Director
Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment.
—Rita Mae Brown (b.1944) American Writer, Feminist
The man who makes no mistakes does not usually make anything.
—Edward John Phelps (1822–1900) American Lawyer, Diplomat
Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.
—Scott Adams (b.1957) American Cartoonist
Never mistake motion for action.
—Ernest Hemingway (1899–1961) American Author, Journalist, Short Story Writer
We’re all human and we all goof. Do things that may be wrong, but do something!
—Newt Gingrich (b.1943) American Politician
Aim for success, not perfection. Never give up your right to be wrong, because then you will lose the ability to learn new things and move forward with your life. Remember that fear always lurks behind perfectionism. Confronting your fears and allowing yourself the right to be human can, paradoxically, make yourself a happier and more productive person.
—David M. Burns
I have a theory that the only original things we ever do are mistakes.
—Billy Joel (b.1949) American Singer, Songwriter, Musician
Truth will sooner come out from error than from confusion.
—Francis Bacon (1561–1626) English Philosopher
Of all acts of man repentance is the most divine. The greatest of all faults is to be conscious of none.
—Thomas Carlyle (1795–1881) Scottish Historian, Essayist
I can’t help detesting my relations. I suppose it comes from the fact that none of us can stand other people having the same faults as ourselves.
—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) Irish Poet, Playwright
Even the knowledge of my own fallibility cannot keep me from making mistakes. Only when I fall do I get up again.
—Vincent van Gogh (1853–90) Dutch Painter
Remember you will not always win. Some days, the most resourceful individual will taste defeat. But there is, in this case, always tomorrow – after you have done your best to achieve success today.
—Maxwell Maltz (1899–1975) American Surgeon, Motivational Writer
Failures to heroic minds are the stepping stones to success.
—Thomas Chandler Haliburton (1796–1865) Canadian Author, Humorist, Businessperson, Judge
There is only one real failure possible; and that is, not to be true to the best one knows.
—Frederic William Farrar (1831–1903) English Clergyman, Writer
Conceal a flaw, and the world will imagine the worst.
—Martial (40–104) Ancient Roman Latin Poet
Failure is more frequently from want of energy than want of capital.
—Daniel Webster (1782–1852) American Statesman, Lawyer
Constant effort and frequent mistakes are the stepping stones of genius.
—Elbert Hubbard (1856–1915) American Writer, Publisher, Artist, Philosopher
Would you like me to give you a formula for … success? It’s quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure… You’re thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn’t at all… You can be discouraged by failure–or you can learn from it. So go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Because, remember that’s where you’ll find success. On the far side.
—Thomas J. Watson, Sr. (1874–1956) American Business Executive
A man of genius makes no mistakes. His errors are volitional and are the portals of discovery.
—James Joyce (1882–1941) Irish Novelist, Poet
Failure is the foundation of success, and the means by which it is achieved.
—Laozi (fl.6th Century BCE) Chinese Philosopher, Sage
They fail, and they alone, who have not striven.
—Thomas Bailey Aldrich (1836-1907) American Writer, Poet, Critic, Editor.
The trouble in America is not that we are making too many mistakes, but that we are making too few.
—Philip H. Knight (b.1938) American Businessman
I have known men who could see through the motivations of others with the skill of a clairvoyant; only to prove blind to their own mistakes. I have been one of those men.
—Bernard M. Baruch (1870–1965) American Financier, Economic Consultant
A car crash harnesses elements of eroticism, aggression, desire, speed, drama, kinesthetic factors, the stylizing of motion, consumer goods, status — all these in one event. I myself see the car crash as a tremendous sexual event really: a liberation of human and machine libido (if there is such a thing).
—J. G. Ballard (1930–2009) English Novelist, Short Story Writer
In the game of life it’s a good idea to have a few early losses, which relieves you of the pressure of trying to maintain an undefeated season.
—Burton Hillis (William E. Vaughan) (1915–77) American Columnist, Author
What is to be got at to make the air sweet, the ground good under the feet, can only be got at by failure, trial, again and again and again failure.
—Sherwood Anderson (1876–1941) American Novelist, Short Story Writer
Nobody makes a greater mistake than he who does nothing because he could only do a little.
—Edmund Burke (1729–97) British Philosopher, Statesman
Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without.
—Confucius (551–479 BCE) Chinese Philosopher
I love fools experiments. I am always making them.
—Charles Darwin (1809–82) English Naturalist
Mistakes and errors are the discipline through which we advance.
—William Ellery Channing (1780–1842) American Unitarian Theologian, Poet
War is a series of catastrophes that results in victory.
—Georges Clemenceau (1841–1929) French Head of State, Physician, Publisher, Political leader
I sometimes react to making a mistake as if I have betrayed myself. My fear of making a mistake seems to be based on the hidden assumption that I am potentially perfect and that if I can just be very careful I will not fall from heaven. But a ‘mistake’ is a declaration of the way I am, a jolt to the way I intend, a reminder I am not dealing with the facts. When I have listened to my mistakes I have grown.
—Hugh Prather (b.1938) American Christian Author, Minister, Counselor
We have not passed that subtle line between childhood and adulthood until we move from the passive voice to the active voice — that is, until we have stopped saying “It got lost,” and say, “I lost it.”
—Sydney J. Harris (1917–86) American Essayist, Drama Critic
Forget past mistakes. Forget failures. Forget everything except what you’re going to do now and do it. Today is your lucky day.
—William C. Durant (1861–1947) American Industrialist
Don’t abuse your friends and expect them to consider it criticism.
—Elizabeth Taylor (b.1932) English Actor, Activist
Your best teacher is your last mistake.
—Ralph Nader (b.1934) American Lawyer, Consumer Activist
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, and comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.
—Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) American Head of State, Political leader, Historian, Explorer
Failures are divided into two classes — those who thought and never did, and those who did and never thought.
—John Charles Salak
The best fortune that can fall to a man is that which corrects his defects and makes up for his failings.
—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) German Poet
The only thing I regret about my past is the length of it. If I had to live my life again, I’d make the same mistakes, only sooner.
—Tallulah Bankhead (1902–68) American Actor, TV Personality
Show me a person who has never made a mistake and I’ll show you somebody who has never achieved much.
—Joan Collins (b.1933) English Actress
Sometimes we may learn more from a man’s errors than from his virtues.
—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–82) American Poet, Educator, Academic
I can pardon everybody’s mistakes except my own.
—Cato the Elder (Marcus Porcius Cato) (234–149 BCE) Roman Statesman
Some of the best lessons we ever learn are learned from past mistakes. The error of the past is the wisdom and success of the future.
—Dale Turner (1917–2006) American Priest, Columnist, Epigrammist
Some faults are so closely allied to qualities that it is difficult to weed out the vice without eradicating the virtue.
—Oliver Goldsmith (1730–74) Irish Novelist, Playwright, Poet
Don’t mistake activity for achievement.
—John Wooden (1910–2010) American Sportsperson
The probability that we may fall in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just; it shall not deter me.
—Abraham Lincoln (1809–65) American Head of State
If you must make a mistake, make a new one each time.
—Dale Carnegie (1888–1955) American Self-Help Author
In all science, error precedes the truth, and it is better it should go first than last.
—Hugh Walpole (1884–1941) English Novelist, Short Story Writer, Dramatist
Latent in every man is a venom of amazing bitterness, a black resentment; something that curses and loathes life, a feeling of being trapped, of having trusted and been fooled, of being the helpless prey of impotent rage, blind surrender, the victim of a savage, ruthless power that gives and takes away, enlists a man, and crowning injury inflicts upon him the humiliation of feeling sorry for himself.
—Paul Valery (1871–1945) French Critic, Poet
Life is not life unless you make mistakes.
—Joan Collins (b.1933) English Actress
So long as a person who has made mistakes… honestly and sincerely wishes to be cured and to mend his ways, we should welcome him and cure his sickness so that he can become a good comrade. We can never succeed if we just let ourselves go and lash at him.
—Mao Zedong (1893–1976) Chinese Statesman
Error is a hardy plant; it flourishes in every soil.
—Martin Farquhar Tupper (1810–89) English Poet, Writer
He that’s cheated twice by the same man is an accomplice with the cheater.
—Thomas Fuller (1608–61) English Cleric, Historian
People who make no mistakes lack boldness and the spirit of adventure. They are the brakes on the wheels of progress.
—Dale Turner (1917–2006) American Priest, Columnist, Epigrammist
What is defeat? — Nothing but education; nothing but the first step to something better.
—Wendell Phillips (1811–84) American Abolitionist, Lawyer, Orator
And what if I did run my ship aground; oh, still it was splendid to sail it.
—Henrik Ibsen (1828–1906) Norwegian Playwright
Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely.
—Auguste Rodin (1840–1917) French Sculptor
We’ll do all right if we can capitalize on our mistakes.
—Mickey Rivers (b.1948) American Sportsperson
In all the work we do, our most valuable asset can be the attitude of self-examination. It is forgivable to make mistakes, but to stand fast behind a wall of self-righteousness and make the same mistake twice is not forgivable.
—Dale Turner (1917–2006) American Priest, Columnist, Epigrammist
When we can begin to take our failures non-seriously, it means we are ceasing to be afraid of them. It is of immense importance to learn to laugh at ourselves.
—Katherine Mansfield (1888–1923) New Zealand-born British Author
People who bite the hand that feeds them usually lick the boot that kicks them.
—Eric Hoffer (1902–83) American Philosopher, Author
Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.
—Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born Physicist
Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!
—Walter Scott (1771–1832) Scottish Novelist, Poet, Playwright, Lawyer
A man’s errors are his portals of discovery.
—James Joyce (1882–1941) Irish Novelist, Poet
The more defects a man may have, the older he is, the less lovable, the more resounding his success.
—Marquis de Sade (1740–1814) French Political leader, Revolutionary, Novelist, Poet, Critic
Once we realize that imperfect understanding is the human condition, there is no shame in being wrong, only in failing to correct our mistakes.
—George Soros (b.1930) Hungarian-American Investor, Philanthropist
Truth is immortal; error is mortal.
—Mary Baker Eddy (1821–1910) American Christian Science Religious Leader, Humanitarian, Writer
All of us failed to match our dreams of perfection. So I rate us on the basis of our splendid failure to do the impossible.
—William Faulkner (1897–1962) American Novelist
Everybody knows if you are too careful you are so occupied in being careful that you are sure to stumble over something.
—Gertrude Stein (1874–1946) American Writer
Half our mistakes in life arise from feeling where we ought to think, and thinking where we ought to feel.
—John Churton Collins (1848–1908) English Literary Critic
Strong people make as many and as ghastly mistakes as weak people. The difference is that strong people admit them, laugh at them, learn from them. This is how they become strong.
—Richard J. Needham (1912–96) Canadian Humorist, Columnist, Writer
I have learned throughout my life as a composer chiefly through my mistakes and pursuits of false assumptions, not by my exposure to founts of wisdom and knowledge.
—Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971) Russian-born American Composer, Musician
The progress of rivers to the ocean is not so rapid as that of man to error.
—Voltaire (1694–1778) French Philosopher, Author
Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself, and know that everything in life has purpose. There are no mistakes, no coincidences, all events are blessings given to us to learn from.
—Elisabeth Kubler-Ross (1926-2004) American Psychiatrist
You will do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm.
—Colette (1873–1954) French Novelist, Performer
Failure at a task may be the result of having tackled it at the wrong time.
—Brendan Behan (1923–64) Irish Poet, Novelist, Playwright