--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is better to fail at your own life…" description: "\"It is better to fail at your own life than to succeed at someone else's.\" — Andre Gide" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/936/andre-gide-790_fail_it-is-better-to-fail-at-your-own-life-th_1807377.png" --- # It is better to fail at your own life than to succeed at… ![“It is better to fail at your own life than to succeed at someone else's.” quote by Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/936/andre-gide-790_fail_it-is-better-to-fail-at-your-own-life-th_1807377.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/936/andre-gide-790_fail_it-is-better-to-fail-at-your-own-life-th_1807377.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/936/andre-gide-790_fail_it-is-better-to-fail-at-your-own-life-th_1807377.png) > “It is better to fail at your own life than to succeed at someone else's.” [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Choosing personal authenticity, even if it leads to failure, is preferable to succeeding by living for others' expectations. **In simple terms:** Live true to yourself, even if it means failing. Key Takeaway Prioritize personal integrity over external approval. Themes authenticity self‑determination failure success individualism Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career choices - creative projects - relationships - social expectations Key Concepts existentialism personal ethics Questions to Reflect On - What personal goals are you compromising for others? - How can you measure authentic success? A Different Perspective Failure can have practical consequences; balance is needed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Better Fail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-fail-328216/) [Fail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fail/) [Fail Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fail-life-543965/) [Failing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failing/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Favourite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/favourite/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Succeed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-succeed-1118217/) [Succeed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/succeed/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) ## Related quotes > [We are humans, we will fail at life sometimes, and then you will succeed! you just got to believe!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-forgotten/we-are-humans-we-will-fail-at-life-sometimes-and-then-you-will/) [The Forgotten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-forgotten/) > [“(Ulrich, 100 year old Bulgarian man): in Solo, by Rana Dasgupta "Ulrich has sometimes wondered whether his life has been a failure. Once he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rana-dasgupta/ulrich-100-year-old-bulgarian-man-in-solo-by-rana-dasgupta-ulrich-has/) [Rana Dasgupta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rana-dasgupta/) > [Better to fail spectacularly than do something mediocre.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-pausch/better-to-fail-spectacularly-than-do-something-mediocre/) [Randy Pausch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-pausch/) > [Its better to fail than not try at all](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chrisweezzyym/its-better-to-fail-than-not-try-at-all/) [ChrisweezzyYM](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chrisweezzyym/) > [No-one wants to see anybody fail in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-o-sullivan/no-one-wants-to-see-anybody-fail-in-life/) [Barry O'Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-o-sullivan/) > [Most people fail in life because they major in minor things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/most-people-fail-in-life-because-they-major-in-minor-things/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Plan may fail, life goes on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/plan-may-fail-life-goes-on/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [I'm OK with failing. You've got to fail in life in order to get better. I'm going to be fine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markelle-fultz/i-m-ok-with-failing-you-ve-got-to-fail-in-life-in-order-to-get-better/) [Markelle Fultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markelle-fultz/) > [It is better to fail with your own vision than to fail with another man's vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-cruijff/it-is-better-to-fail-with-your-own-vision-than-to-fail-with-another/) [Johan Cruijff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-cruijff/) > [“Second Changes Are not given to make things right, But to prove that we could be better even after we fail”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-prince/second-changes-are-not-given-to-make-things-right-but-to-prove-that/) [Wendy Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-prince/) > [“You tell me. Do you think it’s better to fail at something worthwhile, or to succeed at something meaningless?” Peter”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-wallach/you-tell-me-do-you-think-it-s-better-to-fail-at-something-worthwhile/) [Tommy Wallach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-wallach/) > [Try to do unto others as you would have them do to you, and do not be discouraged if they fail sometimes. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/try-to-do-unto-others-as-you-would-have-them-do-to-you-and-do-not-be/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [It is better to fail in a cause that will ultimately succeed than to succeed in a cause that will ultimately fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-marshall/it-is-better-to-fail-in-a-cause-that-will-ultimately-succeed-than-to/) [Peter Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-marshall/) > [You have to fail and then get better. Then you have to fail again, and then get even better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-gaga/you-have-to-fail-and-then-get-better-then-you-have-to-fail-again-and/) [Lady Gaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-gaga/) > [It's better to fail in something you never done, than to succeed into something you've already done again and again!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-better-to-fail-in-something-you-never-done-than-to-succeed-into/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Andre Gide > [Without mysticism man can achieve nothing great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/without-mysticism-man-can-achieve-nothing-great/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [“The things one feels are different about oneself are the things that are rare, that give each person their value - and these are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/the-things-one-feels-are-different-about-oneself-are-the-things-that/) [André Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [I believe that in every circumstance I have been able to see rather clearly the most advantageous course I could follow, which is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/i-believe-that-in-every-circumstance-i-have-been-able-to-see-rather/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [Know thyself. A maxim as pernicious as it is ugly. Whoever studies himself arrest his own development. A caterpillar who seeks to know himself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/know-thyself-a-maxim-as-pernicious-as-it-is-ugly-whoever-studies/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [“There is a germ of revolt lying in the spirit of inquiry and critical curiosity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/there-is-a-germ-of-revolt-lying-in-the-spirit-of-inquiry-and-critical/) [André Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [Oh, would that my mind could let fall its dead ideas, as the tree does its withered leaves!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/oh-would-that-my-mind-could-let-fall-its-dead-ideas-as-the-tree-does/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [God lies ahead. I convince myself and constantly repeat to myself that: He depends on us. It is through us that God is achieved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/god-lies-ahead-i-convince-myself-and-constantly-repeat-to-myself-that/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [“Welcome everything that comes to you, but do not long for anything else.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/welcome-everything-that-comes-to-you-but-do-not-long-for-anything-else/) [André Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [There are many things that seem impossible only so long as one does not attempt them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/there-are-many-things-that-seem-impossible-only-so-long-as-one-does/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [Envying another man's happiness is madness; you wouldn't know what to do with it if you had it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/envying-another-man-s-happiness-is-madness-you-wouldn-t-know-what-to/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [So long as we live among men, let us cherish humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/so-long-as-we-live-among-men-let-us-cherish-humanity/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [It is one of life's laws that as soon as one door closes another opens. But the tragedy is we look at the closed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/it-is-one-of-life-s-laws-that-as-soon-as-one-door-closes-another/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [“What would a narrative of happiness be like? All that can be described is what prepares it, and then what destroys it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/what-would-a-narrative-of-happiness-be-like-all-that-can-be-described/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [It is with noble sentiments that bad literature gets written.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/it-is-with-noble-sentiments-that-bad-literature-gets-written/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [“C'est dans l'extraordinaire que je me sens le plus naturel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/c-est-dans-l-extraordinaire-que-je-me-sens-le-plus-naturel/) [André Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) [Explore all 304 Andre Gide quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) ## More Fail quotes > [God's love never fail :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-s-love-never-fail/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Would you like a side of epic with that fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabi/would-you-like-a-side-of-epic-with-that-fail/) [Gabi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabi/) > [Apologies are not pass/fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-pausch/apologies-are-not-pass-fail/) [Randy Pausch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-pausch/) > [My willingness to fail gives me the ability to succeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinod-khosla/my-willingness-to-fail-gives-me-the-ability-to-succeed/) [Vinod Khosla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinod-khosla/) > [If you have a good idea you must explain it or you will fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/if-you-have-a-good-idea-you-must-explain-it-or-you-will-fail/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [We can't afford any president to fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/we-can-t-afford-any-president-to-fail/) [Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/) > [What I want is to be willing to fail rather than stagnate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dickey/what-i-want-is-to-be-willing-to-fail-rather-than-stagnate/) [James Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dickey/) > [“If you die, I will find you. I will never leave you. I will never let you go. I will not let you fall,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thea-harrison/if-you-die-i-will-find-you-i-will-never-leave-you-i-will-never-let/) [Thea Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thea-harrison/) > [“The worst outcome of not trying is never getting to fail.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-gary-smith/the-worst-outcome-of-not-trying-is-never-getting-to-fail/) [Phillip Gary Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-gary-smith/) > [“Many people fail in their career, business and relationship, and others get stuck because of their inability to make quality decisions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nkem-mpamah/many-people-fail-in-their-career-business-and-relationship-and-others/) [Nkem Mpamah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nkem-mpamah/) > [“Quitters don’t gain what they have started working on; waiters don’t start what they could have gained. What is common there is failure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/quitters-don-t-gain-what-they-have-started-working-on-waiters-don-t/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [This is my most important role. If I fail at this, I fail at everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-wahlberg/this-is-my-most-important-role-if-i-fail-at-this-i-fail-at-everything/) [Mark Wahlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-wahlberg/) > [Sunscreen is something that I think a lot of people fail to incorporate into their beauty routines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-zegler/sunscreen-is-something-that-i-think-a-lot-of-people-fail-to/) [Rachel Zegler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-zegler/) > [Never give up on something just because you think you might fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-lee-reed-jr/never-give-up-on-something-just-because-you-think-you-might-fail/) [Jimmy Lee Reed Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-lee-reed-jr/) > [The main thing that endears the United Nations to member governments, and so enables it to survive, is its proven capacity to fail, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-cruise-o-brien/the-main-thing-that-endears-the-united-nations-to-member-governments/) [Conor Cruise O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-cruise-o-brien/) [Browse all 2,202 Fail quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fail/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is better to fail at your own life than to succeed at someone else's.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Andre Gide" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/it-is-better-to-fail-at-your-own-life-than-to-succeed-at-someone-else/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fail" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/it-is-better-to-fail-at-your-own-life-than-to-succeed-at-someone-else/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/936/andre-gide-790_fail_it-is-better-to-fail-at-your-own-life-th_1807377.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/936/andre-gide-790_fail_it-is-better-to-fail-at-your-own-life-th_1807377.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/936/andre-gide-790_fail_it-is-better-to-fail-at-your-own-life-th_1807377.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is better to fail at your own life than to succeed at someone else's.” — Andre Gide", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Andre Gide", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It is better to fail at...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/it-is-better-to-fail-at-your-own-life-than-to-succeed-at-someone-else/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/it-is-better-to-fail-at-your-own-life-than-to-succeed-at-someone-else/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```