Famous quotes

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Success and failure

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“We are as implicated and committed by every word we utter, every word we write as we are by every word we fail to utter, every word we refuse to write.”
Niyi Osundare (born 1947) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Law enforcement agencies should not fail Ms Gwele after having the courage to stand up to her employees by opening a case,”
Mokgadi Aphiri wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The costume of women should be suited to her wants and necessities. It should conduce at once to her health, comfort, and usefulness; and, while it should not fail also to conduce to her personal adornment, it should make that end of secondary importance. (p80, from 1857 letter)”
Amelia Bloomer (1818–1894) said by 1894 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Our Heavenly Father, history and posterity will not forgive our generation if we fail to continue the search for a better estate and pursuit of a greater Akwa Ibom State.”
Udom Gabriel Emmanuel (born 1966) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“No matter how bad a government may be, people should never fail to pray for their leaders.”
Douye Diri (born 1959) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I have no doubt that it will fail.”
Kofi Abrefa Busia (1913–1978) said by 1978 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Education is very critical. One of the greatest heroes of the country, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, said an educated man is easier to govern. When governance fail, it is partly because those saddled with leadership responsibility and the followers lack quality education. An educated mind is a liberated mind.”
Anamero Sunday Dekeri (born 1969) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The state of a legal system determines a society’s development. If the legal system fails, all else will fail.”
Ade Ipaye (born 1963) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There are no shortcuts to get to the top. After all, life is not an elevator. You have to climb a ladder called try, fail, and repeat until you reach your destination.”
Simon Rieber (born 1994) first seen 2021 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: MUBI 2021 profile of Simon Rieber.
“It’s important to do hard things. It doesn’t matter whether something is hard or not, just do it. Fail once or twice but just do it.”
Pamela Enyonu (born 1985) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“My attitude is not specifically destructive—rather call it disrespectful. My sculptures fail to impress me by their existence. Their material being is not sacrosanct”
Roland Brener (1942–2006) said by 2006 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There’s always something for everyone, we just need to find it. Try and fail till you try and get”
Ken Nwadiogbu (born 1994) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“People put money in many ventures, in franchises, and they were cheated out of their money,” the former goal stopper says, looking back. “Sports teaches you it is OK to fail,”
Brian Baloyi (born 1974) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When courts fail to interpret correctly, the law stops making sense”
Sibongile Ndashe wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“What I will say is I will never fail to thank Tyra. What Tyra set out to do in this business, I will always say — and especially for Top Model, initially — she set out to change the world; to change what the modeling industry looked like, sound like, felt like and expected. And she did that for me.”
Eva Marcille (born 1984) first seen 2026 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Eva Marcille Was 'Gobsmacked' by Explosive America's Next Top Model Documentary: 'I Had No Idea'", February 19, 2026
“Today our Holy Father can hardly look elsewhere than to America if he would replenish the decimated ranks of his Apostolic army and sustain it in its fight against the hosts of Satan. Besides, the Church in the United States must not. fail to develop, in its widest expression, the missionary spirit, which is the surest guaranty that its present vigorous life shall be sustained and strengthened.”
Giovanni Vincenzo Bonzano (1867–1927) first seen 1919 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Observations in the Orient (1919)
“Other blessings may be taken away, but if we have acquired a good friend by goodness, we have a blessing which improves in value when others fail. It is even heightened by sufferings.”
William Ellery Channing (attributed) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If we fail to instruct our children in justice, religion and liberty, we will be condemning them to a world without virtue, a life in the twilight of a civilization, where the great truths have been forgotten.”
Ronald Reagan (attributed) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I am only one, but I am one. I can not do everything, but I can do something. I must not fail to do the something that I can do.”
Helen Keller (misattributed) first seen 1902 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Edward Everett Hale in a statement published in A Year of Beautiful Thoughts‎ (1902) by Jeanie Ashley Bates Greenough, p. 172; This has been misattributed to Keller in published works since at least 1980. Keller and Hal…
“Hold on, my friends, to the Constitution and to the Republic for which it stands. Miracles do not cluster and what has happened once in 6,000 years, may not happen again. Hold on to the Constitution, for if the American Constitution should fail, there will be anarchy throughout the world.”
Daniel Webster (misattributed) first seen 1963 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The earliest version of this seems to be from Savings and Loan Annual 1963, p. 56 published by the United States Savings and Loan League. Variants of it were quoted by President Ronald Reagan, here, here, and here, for …
“There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance — that principle is contempt prior to investigation.”
Herbert Spencer (misattributed) first seen 1939 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Commonly attributed to Spencer, information provided in The Quote Verifier: Who Said What, Where, and When (2006) by Ralph Keyes and The Survival of a Fitting Quotation. (2005) by Michael StGeorge, indicates the attribu…
“Christians should never fail to sense the operation of an angelic glory. It forever eclipses the world of demonic powers, as the sun does a candle's light.”
Beverly Sills (misattributed) first seen 2001 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Billy Graham, as quoted in The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Book of Revelation (2001) by Stan Campbell and James S. Bell, p. 54
“To destroy caste discrimination burn the pictures of Nehru and Gandhi and also the Constitution of India. If all these methods fail to give us results, then we should start beating and killing the Brahmins; we should start burning their houses.”
Periyar E. V. Ramasamy (attributed) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Society with saints no doubt’s of great avail To piety it leads; ‘God’s fear shall never fail.’ Thou wast a very rock, a worthless pebble-stone, By saints’ communion fined, a pearl of price thou’st shone.”
Rumi (attributed) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.”
John Wooden (misattributed) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.”
Stonewall Jackson (misattributed) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Now, the whole world hears Or shall hear,—surely shall hear, at the last, Though men delay, and doubt, and faint, and fail,— That promise faithful:—“Fear not, little flock! It is your Father’s will and joy, to give To you, the Kingdom”!”
Matthew Arnold (attributed) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Experience converts us to ourselves when books fail us.”
Amos Bronson Alcott (attributed) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The survival of journalism in the digital age rests on its unique selling point: serving this public interest. Fail or forget to do that, and it has no future.”
Heather Brooke (attributed) first seen 2011 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Harold Evans, Guido Fawkes, Heather Brookes and Bild on journalism and the public interest" Press Gazette (27 September 2011).
“Serialists fall into difﬁculties if they fail to distinguish the wood from the trees and consequently try to assimilate masses of sparsely related irrelevant information”
Gordon Pask (1928–1996) said by 1996 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We Jews have put issue upon issue to the American people. Then we promote both sides of the issue as confusion reigns. With their eyes fixed on the issues, they fail to see who is behind every scene. We Jews toy with the American public as a cat toys with a mouse. .. The blood of the masses will flow as we wait for our day of world victory.”
Harold Wallace Rosenthal (disputed) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“You can kill our human bodies but not our souls made of iron. O Britishers! Whatever measures you adopt to stop us will fail. We shall continue to proceed. None can stop us from hoisting our national ﬂag at the police post.”
Kanaklata Barua (1924–1942) said by 1942 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: — Kanaklata Barua. in Rawal M. S. & Rawal Y. S. (2019). Saffron swords. Garuda Prakashan.
“If this fail, The pillar'd firmament is rottenness, And earth's base built on stubble.”
John Milton (1608–1674) said by 1674 at the latest bartlett, Public domain source
“Studious to please, yet not ashamed to fail.”
Samuel Johnson (1709–1784) said by 1784 at the latest bartlett, Public domain source
“A sacred burden is this life ye bear: Look on it, lift it, bear it solemnly, Stand up and walk beneath it steadfastly. Fail not for sorrow, falter not for sin, But onward, upward, till the goal ye win.”
Frances Anne Kemble (active around 1811) bartlett, Public domain source
“Have you found your life distasteful? My life did, and does, smack sweet. Was your youth of pleasure wasteful? Mine I saved and hold complete. Do your joys with age diminish? When mine fail me, I 'll complain. Must in death your daylight finish? My sun sets to rise again.”
Robert Browning (1812–1889) said by 1889 at the latest bartlett, Public domain source
“Appear to know only this,--never to fail nor fall.”
Plutarch (40–120) said by 120 at the latest bartlett, Public domain source
“And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail.”
The Bible (active around 812) bartlett, Public domain source
“The grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail; because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets.”
The Bible (active around 812) bartlett, Public domain source
“I started Akirachix with a group of friends in order to create a space for women in technology to experiment, fail and excel.”
Judith Adem Owigar wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It takes patience and a willingness to fail (...) You will have setbacks, you have to be patient and wait it out. You also have to integrate yourself in the culture. If not, it becomes the world's longest training camp. Just being a talented player is not enough. You have to be mentally tough.”
Steve Cherundolo first seen 2005 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On Soccer: Cherundolo might be right back for U.S. team", Houston Chronicle (August 21, 2005)
“IF YOU LOOK at life's totality you will notice that every living thing exists for something else. The failure to give and receive is followed first by unconsciousness and then death.”
Barry Long (1926–2003) said by 2003 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There is a thought that poverty is a public policy failure; poverty is man-made by action and non-action: poverty can be eliminated.”
Benjamin Mkapa (1938–2020) first seen 2008 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: 2008-05-17
“We humanitarians, as our name suggests, believe that man has an ethical duty to man. We believe that the value of any system is measured by the consideration given to all human beings, not just to a favored class: and by that standard, our present system is a miserable failure.”
Damon Knight (1922–2002) said by 2002 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Emotion, feeling — these are well enough if they feed the springs of power. Prayer, praise, preaching — these are all good and never to be dispensed with; but if the life to which they minister have no manifestation out of them, it is a failure.”
Josiah Gilbert Holland (1819–1881) said by 1881 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The most obvious failure of organized religions is surely that almost all of them have made a mockery of what their founders taught.”
Walter Kaufmann (philosopher) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Life inside the Kremlin must be extraordinarily unpleasant. The riches to be stolen are off the scale, but the consequences of failure are horrible too. And all the time the others are watching you, waiting for you to make a mistake.”
John Sweeney (journalist) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The chances of civil war are high because, after the Prigozhin fireball, everybody knows that any deal, any promise backed by the word of Vladimir Putin has no value. In the long run, Navalny's prophecy from his dog kennel, of civil war, of a catastrophic failure of the Russian state, are more likely to come true than not.”
John Sweeney (journalist) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If you possess the ability to learn from your mistakes, then failure is literally impossible, because each rejection brings you closer to perfection.”
Neil Strauss (born 1973) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The numerical side of the theory of relativity is derived from the failure of all attempts to detect the relative motion of matter and ether.”
Herbert Dingle (1890–1978) said by 1978 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source