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
It ain’t no disgrace for a man to fall, but to lie there and grunt is.
—Josh Billings (Henry Wheeler Shaw) (1818–85) American Humorist, Author, Lecturer
Not to alter one’s faults is to be faulty indeed.
—Confucius (551–479 BCE) Chinese Philosopher
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
The wisest of the wise may err.
—Aeschylus (525–456 BCE) Greek Playwright
I have a theory that the only original things we ever do are mistakes.
—Billy Joel (b.1949) American Singer, Songwriter, Musician
What is defeat?—Nothing but education; nothing but the first step to something better.
—Wendell Phillips (1811–84) American Abolitionist, Lawyer, Orator
Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without.
—Confucius (551–479 BCE) Chinese Philosopher
He only is exempt from failures who makes no effort.
—Richard Whately (1787–1863) English Philosopher, Theologian
It is worse than a crime: it is a mistake.
—Joseph Fouche (1759–1820) French Statesman, Minister
We forget our faults easily when they are known to ourselves alone.
—Francois de La Rochefoucauld (1613–80) French Writer
War is a series of catastrophes that results in victory.
—Georges Clemenceau (1841–1929) French Statesman, Physician, Journalist
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
It’s good to fail now and again – you learn a lot more out of failure than you do out of success.
—Ian Hunter (b.1939) English Singer, Songwriter
No man fails who does his best…
—Orison Swett Marden (1850–1924) American New Thought Writer, Physician, Entrepreneur
Self-distrust is the cause of most of our failures.—In the assurance of strength there is strength; and they are the weakest, however strong, who have no faith in themselves or their powers.
—Christian Nestell Bovee (1820–1904) American Writer, Aphorist
It is impossible to enjoy idling thoroughly unless one has plenty of work to do.
—Jerome K. Jerome (1859–1927) English Humorous Writer, Novelist, Playwright
None mess up more often than the old-except the young.
—Malcolm S. Forbes (1919–1990) American Publisher, Businessperson
The greatest general is he who makes the fewest mistakes.
—Napoleon I (1769–1821) Emperor of France
Nobody trips over mountains. It is the small pebble that causes you to stumble. Pass all the pebbles in your path and you will find you have crossed the mountain.
—Unknown
It is the nature of every person to error, but only the fool perseveres in error.
—Cicero (106BCE–43BCE) Roman Philosopher, Orator, Politician, Lawyer
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 (b.1952) American Buddhist Teacher
A man’s errors are his portals of discovery.
—James Joyce (1882–1941) Irish Novelist, Poet
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 Historian, Writer, Editor
There are no mistakes. The events we bring upon ourselves, no matter how unpleasant, are necessary in order to learn what we need to learn; whatever steps we take, they’re necessary to reach the places we’ve chosen to go.
—Richard Bach (b.1936) American Writer, Aviator
Murder is always a mistake. One should never do anything that one cannot talk about after dinner.
—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) Irish Poet, Playwright
Just because you make mistakes doesn’t mean you are one.
—Anonymous
If you’re gonna be a failure, at least be one at something you enjoy.
—Sylvester Stallone (b.1946) American Actor, Screenwriter, Director
Men’s faults to themselves seldom appear.
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616) British Playwright
We’ve all heard that we have to learn from our mistakes, but I think it’s more important to learn from successes. If you learn only from your mistakes, you are inclined to learn only errors.
—Norman Vincent Peale (1898–1993) American Clergyman, Self-Help Author
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