Wondering why success can seem so elusive?
You may have incorporated a number of success habits into your daily routine, yet you still encounter failure at every turn.
The attempts you’ve made only bring a temporary sense of progress. Eventually, you’re hit with another dead end. You probably feel you have no choice but to turn back and start all over again.
Out of frustration, you may be considering giving up on your dreams.
We’re here to tell you that it’s not time to give up your dreams just yet. In fact, the failure you are experiencing now may eventually catapult you to success.
Today, we’re sharing with you a collection of quotes on failure & success to help you find a way forward, even if you haven’t achieved your goals or realized your vision yet.
Why Read Quotes on Failure & Success?
When you start to get discouraged because of setbacks in your pursuit of success, reading quotes on failure and success can remind you that those setbacks are simply steppingstones on the path to victory.
Many famous people failed in their first attempts. However, their determination and belief in their own vision propelled them to success.
Many of the quotes in today’s collection are from these influential personalities. They experienced firsthand how it feels to fail miserably.
However, rather than giving up, these individuals used their mistakes and setbacks as learning tools, becoming stronger and more determined to succeed.
In the end, that’s exactly what they did—and so will you.
Let’s check out the quotes that will propel you to greatness!
67 Quotes on Failure & Success
- “Failure isn't fatal, but failure to change might be.” – John Wooden
- “You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.” – Maya Angelou
- “Just because you fail once, doesn’t mean you’re gonna fail at everything. Keep trying, hold on, and always, always, always believe in yourself, because if you don’t, then who will, sweetie?” – Marilyn Monroe
- “Failure is not the opposite of success, it’s part of success.” – Arianna Huffington
- “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas A. Edison
- “Don’t bury your failures, let them inspire you.” – Robert Kiyosaki
- “You always pass failure on your way to success.” – Mickey Rooney
- “If you don’t try at anything, you can’t fail… it takes back bone to lead the life you want.” – Richard Yates
- “Success is most often achieved by those who don’t know that failure is inevitable.” – Coco Chanel
Success is most often achieved by those who don’t know that failure is inevitable.” – Coco Chanel
- “I don’t let failure defeat me; instead I rise above it to make me stronger.” – Amanda Ray
- “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” – Robert F. Kennedy
- “Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.” – Winston Churchill
- “Failure is not falling down but refusing to get up.” – Chinese Proverb
- “Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. Failure is delay, not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead end. Failure is something we can avoid only by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.” – Denis Waitley
- “Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.” – Nelson Mandela
- “Failure is success in progress.” – Albert Einstein
- “Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough.” – Og Mandino
- “Don’t worry about failures, worry about the chances you miss when you don’t even try.” – Jack Canfield
- “Successful people don’t fear failure but understand that it’s necessary to learn and grow from.” – Robert Kiyosaki
- “When you take risks you learn that there will be times when you succeed and there will be times when you fail, and both are equally important.” – Ellen DeGeneres
- “Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fail.” – Confucius
- “Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.” – Henry Ford
- “It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.” – Theodore Roosevelt
It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.” – Theodore Roosevelt
- “Fail, fail again, fail better.” – Samuel Beckett
- “The real test is not whether you avoid this failure, because you won’t. It’s whether you let it harden or shame you into inaction, or whether you learn from it; whether you choose to persevere.” – Barack Obama
- “There is no failure except in no longer trying.” – Chris Bradford
- “A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.” – Albert Einstein
- “If you learn from defeat, you haven’t really lost.” – Zig Ziglar
- “I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.” – Michael Jordan
- “The master has failed more times than the beginner has tried.” – Stephen McCranie
- “The only thing that separates success from failure is one last attempt. Try one more time and you will get lucky.” – Apoorve Dubey
- “We are all failures – at least the best of us are.” – J. M. Barrie
- “The difference between average people and achieving people is their perception of and response to failure.” – John C. Maxwell
- “Your attitude towards failure determines your altitude after failure.” – John C. Maxwell
- “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
- “She was unstoppable, not because she did not have failures or doubts, but because she continued on despite them.” – Beau Taplin
- “Failure is a detour; not a dead-end street.” – Zig Ziglar
- “Failures are finger posts on the road to achievement.” – C. S. Lewis
- “The phoenix must burn to emerge.” – Janet Fitch
- “It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all, in which case you have failed by default.” – J. K. Rowling
- “When everything seems to be going against you remember that an airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.” – Henry Ford
When everything seems to be going against you remember that an airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.” – Henry Ford
- “Failure doesn’t mean you are a failure, it just means you haven’t succeeded yet.” – Robert H. Schuller
- “Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness.” – Oprah Winfrey
- “You build on failure. You use it as a stepping stone. Close the door on the past. You don't try to forget the mistakes, but you don't dwell on it. You don't let it have any of your energy, or any of your time, or any of your space.” – Johnny Cash
- “A failure is not always a mistake, it may simply be the best one can do under the circumstances. The real mistake is to stop trying.” – B. F. Skinner
- “Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty, and persistence.” – Colin Powell
- “Anyone who attempts is not a failure.” – Sarah Dessen
- “Falling down is a part of life, getting back up is living.” – José N. Harris
- “Failure is so important. We speak about success all the time. It is the ability to resist failure or use failure that often leads to greater success. I've met people who don't want to try for fear of failing.” – J. K. Rowling
- “I learned that success or failure grew from a schedule… and I gained direction when my hours were more valuable.” – John Soforic
- “No human ever became interesting by not failing. The more you fail and recover and improve, the better you are as a person. Ever meet someone who’s always had everything work out for them with zero struggle? They usually have the depth of a puddle. Or they don’t exist.” – Chris Hardwick
- “If you didn’t succeed, it’s just as important to keep in mind that there has never been a success story without failure and lessons along the way.” – Eric Christian
- “If you set your goals ridiculously high and it’s a failure, you will fail above everyone else’s success.” – James Cameron
- “All people fail at certain instances in their lives, the only thing that makes them different is how they manage to stand up or how they choose to fail again.” – Author Unknown
- “When we give ourselves permission to fail, we, at the same time, give ourselves permission to excel.” – Eloise Ristad
- “Courage allows the successful woman to fail and learn powerful lessons from the failure. So that in the end, she didn’t fail at all.” – Maya Angelou
Courage allows the successful woman to fail and learn powerful lessons from the failure. So that in the end, she didn’t fail at all.” – Maya Angelou
- “If you’re not failing every now and again, it’s a sign you’re not doing anything very innovative.” – Woody Allen
- “There is no doubt in my mind that there are many ways to be a winner, but there is really only one way to be a loser and that is to fail and not look beyond the failure.” – Kyle Rote, Jr.
- “Try a thing you haven’t done three times. Once, to get over the fear of doing it. Twice, to learn how to do it. And a third time to figure out whether you like it or not.” – Virgil Thomson
- “Failure is good as long as it doesn’t become a habit.” – Michael Eisner
- “With a hint of good judgment, to fear nothing, not failure or suffering or even death, indicates that you value life the most. You live to the extreme; you push limits; you spend your time building legacies. Those do not die.” – Criss Jami
- “Giving up is the only sure way to fail.” – Gena Showalter
- “If you fail, never give up because FAIL means – First Attempt In Learning.” – APJ Abdul Kalam
- “One fails forward toward success.” – Charles Kettering
- “Part of being a man is learning to take responsibility for your successes and for your failures. You can’t go blaming others or being jealous. Seeing somebody else’s success as your failure is a cancerous way to live.” – Kevin Bacon
- “If you are afraid of failure, you don’t deserve to be successful.” – Charles Barkley
- “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” – Thomas A. Edison
Final Thoughts About Quotes on Failure and Success
There you have it—quotes about failure and success to remind you that experiencing setbacks shouldn’t be a reason you give up on your goals and dreams.
In fact, these challenges, failures, and mistakes can become a springboard for your ultimate success.
Of course, experiencing failure can sometimes take us on a downward spiral, compelling us to act in unhealthy ways. This post discusses several healthy ways to deal with failure in life.
Finally, a growth mindset is the belief that setbacks are opportunities for more success. Check out this post if you want to learn how to adopt habits that promote this mindset in your daily life.
