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Success and failure

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“I, a Polish Catholic, belong to a generation that has personal experience of helplessness in the face of evil. I also spent seven months in Auschwitz. Finally, we are linked by an enduring collective feeling of shame for Europeans and for their passiveness and the failure of the European and American tactics of the time.”
Władysław Bartoszewski (1922–2015) first seen 2003 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Address to the OSCE Conference on Anti-Semitism, Vienna" (20 June 2003)
“On grounds of history; on grounds of logic; on grounds of the misuse of terms; of the abuse of authorities; of the neglect of verified information; of the use of the most infantile fallacy known to logic, viz. post hoc, ergo propter hoc — Hayek's attempt to identify socialism and planning and dictatorship and totalitarianism is not only a failure, it is a snare.”
Herman Finer (1898–1969) said by 1969 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There is the need to explore the field more and sponsor research on epidemiological study. We need to know why more people are dying of renal failure, liver cancer and kidney problems when they do not indulge in attitude or have conditions that expose them to the diseases.”
Olanike Kudirat Adeyemo (born 1970) first seen 2017 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Buttressing the need to explore the veterinary field and more research sponsorship in her interview with The Punch, June 10, 2017.
“We carry scars in our minds and bodies as toxins. Our failure to sit together and acknowledge to one another the wounds and pain of our divided past is undermining our humanity.”
Mamphela Ramphele (born 1947) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The failure of several decades of top-down reforms, from the Kyoto Protocol of 1997 through the Paris Agreement of 2015, to make any serious dent in our ever-increasing global emissions should be evidence enough that our current institutions are not capable, on their own, of imagining or enacting the kind of changes we need. (p 184)”
Aviva Chomsky (born 1957) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“What better way to spend one’s time in the country of fringe dwellers than capitalising on one’s failures? Why wallow in failure? If you can’t beat them, or join them, then you write about them. Yes, it does end up as a kind of power and advantageous positioning in standing out from the crowd because most people don’t want fringe-dweller strength”
Yemisi Aribisala (born 1973) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“As was the case in the 2020 examination, female candidates have proportionally (in terms of percentages) performed better than the males at all levels, and have shown a lower failure rate. Even at individual subject levels, they have shown a better performance.”
Mary Okwakol (born 1951) first seen 2023 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Noting the performance of the candidates in the previous examination. 2023
“[T]he Corbynites, who live on fantasies and conspiracies, can convince themselves of anything except their complicity in their own failure.”
Tanya Gold (born 1973) first seen 2023 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Wish a final farewell to Jeremy Corbyn, the god of tiny rooms" The Jewish Chronicle (4 April 2023).
“Failure to notify is not, in itself, sufficient reason to break up a protest if it is peaceful and unarmed.”
Jane Duncan (academic) first seen 2016 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Excerpts from her article, 'The Police punish before they prosecute', written for the Mail and Guardian. 2016
“The biggest challenge of food security in Africa is not production. It’s failure of trade because of a lack of infrastructure.”
Agnes Kalibata first seen 2026 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Beyond the Green Revolution: How AGRA evolved under Agnes Kalibata. devex.com (September 20, 2026)
“The Bolshevik regime's violent transformative project serves less as the verification of Russian liberalism's failure, than as the validation of its dangerous potential.”
Daniel Beer (born 1973) first seen 2008 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: (2008)
“I am a Levantine because I see war as the total failure of common sense, an execrable last resort. And because I am a Levantine, all fundamentalists on all sides, from Khomeini to Kahane, will always want to destroy me and all Levantines like me, here and in the neighboring”
Shulamith Hareven (1930–2003) said by 2003 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It is a pattern of self-immolation familiar to any writer worth reading. The writer does not even remotely look upon this as a hardship. It is a way of life; a necessary an chosen way of life. Witty conversation, purposely dull dialogue, love, murder, marriage, birth, violence, triumph, failure, death—anything can happen in that room.”
Edna Ferber (1885–1968) first seen 1963 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: A Kind of Magic (1963)
“Living in a world of flux, subjugated to the indecipherable laws of constant vicissitudes, our encounters cannot but be momentary flashes. The glamor cannot last because we change, the others change, circumstances change. So I wouldn’t call the end of a relationship a failure.”
Amalia Kahana-Carmon (1926–2019) said by 2019 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Building a nation after obtaining freedom from colonial rule required a celebration of its diversity, the recognition that nation building was a collective endeavor based on inclusivity, equality and justice. The price we paid for our failure in nation building was immeasurable.”
Dushantha Lakshman Rodrigo (born 1968) first seen 2023 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Independence Day Message of the Bishop of Colombo (3 February 2023) Diocese of Colombo
“More important than that, unless we destroy ourselves first, superhuman AI is going to happen, genetic enhancement is going to happen, and brain-machine interfaces are going to happen. It is a failure of human imagination and human arrogance to assume that we will never build things smarter than ourselves.”
Sam Altman (born 1985) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Embrace failure and be ready for it: it will happen at some point, so it just depends on what you do with it.”
Odunayo Eweniyi (born 1992) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“... failure is an opportunity to learn and to do better next time. It’s part of the path to greatness, which was never meant to be smooth."”
Khanyi Dlomo wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I believe failure can be caused by lack of focus on that mission, or allowing too many distractions into your life".”
Eileen Collins (born 1956) first seen 2023 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: 7 Questions with Astronaut Eileen Collins by Chitra Sethi, MARCH 22, 2023 Retrieved 17/11/2023
“Conformity is a mood and an atmosphere, a failure of hope or belief or rebellion.”
Ben Shahn (1898–1969) said by 1969 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“...what is essential to art: They create art despite trauma, no matter how heartbreaking. They constantly question the reality in which their texts were born, but above all, they make more beautiful, through words, the failure and pain of existence.”
Marjorie Agosín (1955–2025) said by 2025 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Failure scares me because I worry that when people watch a film I am in, they may not love it. I would feel like I failed in that aspect and that I did not deliver.”
Linda Ejiofor (born 1986) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Failure feels like the worst thing that could happen to you, but actually, it’s not.”
Mowalola Ogunlesi (born 1995) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If you don't have failure, you don't grow.”
Monica Friday (born 1988) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Failure Shouldn’t Mar You, It Should Make You”
Eno Essien wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Failure comes with a lesson for the individual”
Eno Essien wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“From around the mid 1990s, researchers discovered that is... governed... by the mitochondria. ...[T]he failure to commit apoptosis is the root cause of cancer. ...In cancer, individual cells bid for freedom ...Without , the bonds that bind cells in complex s might never have ebvolved.”
Nick Lane (born 1967) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“This relentless Rwanda obsession, every day, the rows, the demands to be more extreme, to defy human rights law and international responsibilities… it’s such sinister madness. The govt has lost it. Eaten up with their own failure. Becoming ever more fascist in their uselessness.”
Sarah Murphy (born 1986) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“That D+ in my paper is not a failure but what I am bringing on the table.”
Sonia Birdi wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Our people have experienced an alarming drought phase owing to failure of six consecutive rainy seasons. This is a major indicator of our current plight, which we should partially take blame for lack of preparedness and strengthening of existing policies especially in water, livestock and agriculture.”
Fatuma Abdi Jehow first seen 2023 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: https://www.the-star.co.ke/counties/north-eastern/2023-03-27-conserve-rainwater-to-mitigate-future-droughts-wajir-mp-urges/ (The Star, March 27, 2023)
“Trying to be like anyone else is a recipe for failure because it is not possible. Even identical twins are different. So, keep improving your knowledge and keep practising your craft so that you can be your authentic self.”
Bimbo Oloyede (born 1954) first seen 2021 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Bimbo advice young women in 2021
“It should never be forgotten that socialism is always and everywhere an impoverishing phenomenon that has failed in all countries where it’s been tried out. It’s been a failure economically, socially, culturally and it also murdered over 100 million human beings.”
Javier Milei (born 1970) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The market is not a mere graph describing a curve of supply and demand. The market is a mechanism for social cooperation, where you voluntarily exchange ownership rights. Therefore based on this definition, talking about a market failure is an oxymoron. There are no market failures.”
Javier Milei (born 1970) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If transactions are voluntary, the only context in which there can be market failure is if there is coercion and the only one that is able to coerce generally is the state, which holds a monopoly on violence.”
Javier Milei (born 1970) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I am a bad girl. A disappointment. Ungrateful. Just a failure. There were so many of those.”
Santa Anzo (born 1975) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The mindset and decision you make plays a crucial role in overcoming business failure. But it all starts with a person’s willingness to change, working with others, and learning from experienced entrepreneurs across the globe. Entrepreneurship is a journey that can’t be walked alone”
Alice Nkulikiyinka first seen 2022 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: FAIL OR THRIVE: YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS TIPPED ON SCALING BUSINESS IDEAS BEYOND ‘SURVIVAL KT Press (November 23,2022)
“There’s a long standing failure to protect women from gender-based violence, nonetheless, we must address economic, social and cultural issues particularly gender inequalities that pose violence, that make women and girls vulnerable.”
Zainab Maina (born 1948) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Failure is not an option and impossible does not exist.”
Stella Din-Jacob first seen 2022 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Stella on failure in 2022
“The failure of Nigerian authorities to release the report of the Presidential Panel that purportedly investigated compliance of armed forces with human rights obligations and rules of engagement, three years after the report was submitted to the President is a gross display of contempt for victims.”
Osai Ojigho (born 1976) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Life rewards the people who rise fastest after failing, not those who wallow in self-pity. Sometimes failure teaches you to try again; other times it teaches you to choose a different path.”
Babajide Sanwo-olu (born 1965) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“An actor is an actor. Any role you are given or you have accepted to play is a debt to society, to mirror the role believably and convincingly. Anything short of that is failure.”
Paschaline Alex Okoli first seen 2018 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Paschaline on being an actor in 2018
“Rejection isn’t failure so keep going and never give up, passion is important and will get you through the rough times.”
Ade Laoye (born 1984) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The time excuse is just failure to balance work and family schedule or plain laziness.”
Christine Nyangoma (born 1967) first seen 2017 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On duty in Somalia but still a mother at home. Monitor. (October 13, 2017)
“If breakdown happens, you must never, ever think that it’s a sign of weakness or it’s a failure. Do not give up hope. Keep trying. Knock on every door.”
Phumzile van Damme (born 1983) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“My best successes came on the heels of failure.”
Barbara Corcoran (born 1949) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Stop putting it off! Procrastination breeds guilt, guilt breeds depression, and depression breeds failure”
Barbara Corcoran (born 1949) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Every time you push through failure there’s always a prize for you on the other side.”
Barbara Corcoran (born 1949) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The whole field of experiments is not only saturated with suffering, but it is dogged with failure of results and vain and ceaseless repetition of experiments over and over again.”
Sidney Trist (1865–1918) said by 1918 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In the end, Above the Clouds is not about what I have achieved but about what I have experienced, about feeling at peace with my values when I do something and embracing the possibility of change and failure as a reward for my soul.”
Kílian Jornet Burgada (born 1987) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Speech writing is kind of a weird job,” Hurwitz said. “Right? You want to be a lawyer, you go to law school. You want to be a doctor, you go to med school. How do you get to be a speech writer? The answer for me was actually a lot of failure.”
Sarah Hurwitz (born 1981) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source