“The general consensus is that we gain wisdom and learn from our failures and mistakes; however, many do not accept the rationale of their errors and thus continually repeat them; therefore, when we do not acknowledge our missteps ignorance prevails.”

1978

Last update Oct. 14, 2023. History

Related quotes

Gerald Ford photo
Ben Carson photo

“Anyone who can't learn from other people's mistakes simply can't learn, and that; s all there is to it. There is value in the wrong way of doing things. The knowledge gained from errors contributes to our knowledge base.”

Ben Carson (1951) 17th and current United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; American neurosurgeon

Source: Think Big: Unleashing Your Potential for Excellence

“It is important that we forgive ourselves for making mistakes. We need to learn from our errors and move on.”

Source: Life, the Truth, and Being Free (2010), p. 80

Samuel Smiles photo

“We learn wisdom from failure much more than from success. We often discover what will do, by finding out what will not do; and probably he who never made a mistake never made a discovery.”

Samuel Smiles (1812–1904) Scottish author

Source: Self-Help; with Illustrations of Character and Conduct (1859), Ch. XI : Self-Culture — Facilities and Difficulties

Arthur Jones (inventor) photo
Ben Carson photo

“When we are confronted by failure and mistakes, we can leave them behind and go on with our lives.”

Ben Carson (1951) 17th and current United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; American neurosurgeon

Source: Think Big: Unleashing Your Potential for Excellence

Ben Carson photo

“Although we all make mistakes in life, the problems occur when we try to hide our mistakes, to cover them up rather than to learn from them and allow other people to learn from them.”

Ben Carson (1951) 17th and current United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; American neurosurgeon

Source: Think Big (1996), p. 175

Kiichiro Toyoda photo

“The thieves may be able to follow the design plans and produce a loom. But we are modifying and improving our looms every day. They do not have the expertise gained from the failures it took to produce the original. We need not be concerned. We need only continue as always, making our improvements.”

Kiichiro Toyoda (1894–1952) Japanese businessman

Kiichiro Toyoda in The Toyota Way, 2001: Quoted in: "Toyota quotes," New York Times, Feb. 10, 2008.
Comment by Kiichiro Toyoda after thieves had stolen the plans for a new loom from his father's workshop.

Related topics