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
When a junior executive lost IBM $10m on a risky venture, Tom Watson, Jr., rejected his offer to resign. “You can’t be serious,” said IBM’s head, “we’ve just spent $10m educating you!”
—Unknown
You can actually shift your thinking in such a way as to make a wrong decision or mistake an impossibility.
—Susan Jeffers (1938–2012) American Psychologist, Self-Help Author
No man ever became great or good except through many and great mistakes.
—William Ewart Gladstone (1809–98) English Liberal Statesman, Prime Minister
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
Rather than cripple, failure can strengthen. Depending on how we respond to them, blows can shatter us as if we were a cheap clay pot or temper us as they would steel.
—Unknown
The Providence that watches over the affairs of men, works out their mistakes, at times, to a healthier issue than could have been accomplished by their wisest forethought.
—James Anthony Froude (1818–94) British Historian, Novelist, Biographer, Editor
There is no mistake in nature.
—Byron Katie (b.1942) American Speaker, Author
Never mistake motion for action.
—Ernest Hemingway (1899–1961) American Author, Journalist, Short Story Writer
Recently, I was asked if I was going to fire an employee who made a mistake that cost the company $600,000. No, I replied, I just spent $600,000 training him.
—Thomas J. Watson, Sr. (1874–1956) American Business Executive
If you haven’t failed, you’re not trying hard enough.
—Unknown
The voice of conscience is so delicate that it is easy to stifle it; but it is also so clear that it is impossible to mistake it.
—Anne Louise Germaine de Stael (1766–1817) French Woman of Letters
Risk takers: their goal in life is not to succeed, make money, be happy or be anything other than engaged.
—Unknown
If I have an art form of leadership, it is to make as many mistakes as quickly as I can in order to learn.
—Unknown
In the long run, avoiding activity that might hurt causes more agony than acting, failing, and dealing with the pain.
—Unknown
I believe that the very purpose of life is to be happy. From the very core of our being, we desire contentment. In my own limited experience I have found that the more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well-being. Cultivating a close, warmhearted feeling for others automatically puts the mind at ease. It helps remove whatever fears or insecurities we may have and gives us the strength to cope with any obstacles we encounter. It is the principal source of success in life. Since we are not solely material creatures, it is a mistake to place all our hopes for happiness on external development alone. The key is to develop inner peace.
—The 14th Dalai Lama (b.1935) Tibetan Buddhist Religious Leader, Civil Rights Leader, Philosopher, Author
You must cease from looking at human mistakes and look at successes; cease from seeing faults and see virtues.
—Wallace Wattles (1860–1911) American New Thought Author
It is only an error of judgment to make a mistake, but it argues an infirmity of character to adhere to it when discovered. The Chinese say, “The glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time you fall.”
—Christian Nestell Bovee (1820–1904) American Writer, Aphorist
Only those who do nothing at all make no mistakes…but that would be a mistake.
—Unknown
No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong.
—Francois de La Rochefoucauld (1613–80) French Writer
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
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
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
Failure’s pain subsides faster than the ache of regret.
—Unknown
To the true innovator, there’s no such thing as a mistake. Each miscue is considered part of the process, a marker on the map that says where not to go.
—Unknown
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
Any man may make a mistake, but none but a fool will continue in it.
—Cicero (106BCE–43BCE) Roman Philosopher, Orator, Politician, Lawyer
There are few, very few, that will own themselves in a mistake, though all the world see them to be in downright nonsense.
—Jonathan Swift (1667–1745) Irish Satirist
Not only is there little stigma attributed to going bankrupt among cutting-edge entrepreneurs, it’s even seen as a good source of business experience.
—Unknown
All courses of action are risky, so prudence is not in avoiding danger (it’s possible), but calculating risk and acting decisively. Make mistakes of ambition and not mistakes of sloth. Develop the strength to do bold things, not the strength to suffer.
—Niccolo Machiavelli (1469–1527) Florentine Political Philosopher
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