--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm sure not afraid of success and I've…" description: "\"I'm sure not afraid of success and I've learned not to be afraid of failure. The only thing I'm afraid of now is of being someone I don't like much.\" —..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/anna-quindlen-467_afraid_i-m-sure-not-afraid-of-success-and-i-ve_2200660.png" --- # I'm sure not afraid of success and I've learned not to be… ![“I'm sure not afraid of success and I've learned not to be afraid of failure. The only thing I'm afraid of now is of being someone I don't like much.” quote by Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/anna-quindlen-467_afraid_i-m-sure-not-afraid-of-success-and-i-ve_2200660.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/anna-quindlen-467_afraid_i-m-sure-not-afraid-of-success-and-i-ve_2200660.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/anna-quindlen-467_afraid_i-m-sure-not-afraid-of-success-and-i-ve_2200660.png) > “I'm sure not afraid of success and I've learned not to be afraid of failure. The only thing I'm afraid of now is of being someone I don't like much.” [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Success and failure are less frightening than becoming a person you dislike. **In simple terms:** Fear of self‑mismatch outweighs fear of outcomes. Key Takeaway Align actions with values. Themes self‑awareness identity growth Mood reflective determined Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - career decisions - personal relationships - self‑reflection Key Concepts psychology philosophy Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of yourself do you reject? - How can you cultivate self‑acceptance? A Different Perspective Self‑criticism can hinder progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Afraid of failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afraid-of-failure/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) ## Related quotes > [You can't be afraid of failure and you can't be afraid of success, because either one gets in the way of your work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-van-ronk/you-can-t-be-afraid-of-failure-and-you-can-t-be-afraid-of-success/) [Dave Van Ronk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-van-ronk/) > [If you are too afraid of failure, you cant possibly do what needs to be done to succeed in living a fulfilling life. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/if-you-are-too-afraid-of-failure-you-cant-possibly-do-what-needs-to/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [Don't be afraid of failure, be afraid of not trying in the first place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-forleo/don-t-be-afraid-of-failure-be-afraid-of-not-trying-in-the-first-place/) [Marie Forleo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-forleo/) > [If you show me someone who's afraid of failure, I'll show you someone who is not a groundbreaking, innovative pioneer of a certain industry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-heyman/if-you-show-me-someone-who-s-afraid-of-failure-i-ll-show-you-someone/) [Paul Heyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-heyman/) > [“Manson’s law applies to both good and bad things in life. Making a million dollars could threaten your identity just as much as losing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-manson/manson-s-law-applies-to-both-good-and-bad-things-in-life-making-a/) [Mark Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-manson/) > [“I was never afraid of failure; for I would sooner fail than not be among the greatest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/i-was-never-afraid-of-failure-for-i-would-sooner-fail-than-not-be/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [When I thought about why I was sometimes reluctant to push myself, I realized that it was because I was afraid of failure -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/when-i-thought-about-why-i-was-sometimes-reluctant-to-push-myself-i/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [Don't be afraid of failure. This is the way to succeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lebron-james/don-t-be-afraid-of-failure-this-is-the-way-to-succeed/) [LeBron James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lebron-james/) > [I'm not afraid of failure; I'm afraid of succeeding at things that don't matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-carey/i-m-not-afraid-of-failure-i-m-afraid-of-succeeding-at-things-that-don/) [William Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-carey/) > [Never be afraid of failure. And don't stop yourself from doing something you want to do because of what others might think. Only you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suki-waterhouse/never-be-afraid-of-failure-and-don-t-stop-yourself-from-doing/) [Suki Waterhouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suki-waterhouse/) > [Sometimes we're afraid of failure so therefore we miss out on opportunities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/surgeo-bell/sometimes-we-re-afraid-of-failure-so-therefore-we-miss-out-on/) [Surgeo Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/surgeo-bell/) > [I'm not the guy who's afraid of failure. I like to take risks, take the big shot and all that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-curry/i-m-not-the-guy-who-s-afraid-of-failure-i-like-to-take-risks-take-the/) [Stephen Curry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-curry/) > [I was very afraid of failure because if you fail at something you love, then you ruin what you love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimbal-musk/i-was-very-afraid-of-failure-because-if-you-fail-at-something-you/) [Kimbal Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimbal-musk/) > [If you're so afraid of failure, you will never succeed. You have to take chances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-andretti/if-you-re-so-afraid-of-failure-you-will-never-succeed-you-have-to/) [Mario Andretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-andretti/) > [“Pushing myself, I knew, would cause me serious discomfort. It's a Secret of Adulthood: Happiness doesn't always make you feel happy. When I thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/pushing-myself-i-knew-would-cause-me-serious-discomfort-it-s-a-secret/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) ## More by Anna Quindlen > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Trying to be perfect may be inevitable for people who are smart and ambitious and interested in the world and its good opinion...What is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/trying-to-be-perfect-may-be-inevitable-for-people-who-are-smart-and/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Sometimes change came all at once, with a sound like a fire taking hold of dry wood and paper, with a roar that rose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/sometimes-change-came-all-at-once-with-a-sound-like-a-fire-taking/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Loss as muse. Loss as character. Loss as life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/loss-as-muse-loss-as-character-loss-as-life/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [knowledge of our own mortality is the greatest gift God ever gives us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/knowledge-of-our-own-mortality-is-the-greatest-gift-god-ever-gives-us/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [You teach your 16-year-old with your heart in your mouth to be a good driver and none of that makes any difference when some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/you-teach-your-16-year-old-with-your-heart-in-your-mouth-to-be-a-good/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Every reader, I suspect, has a book like this somewhere in his or her past, a book that seemed to hold within it, at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/every-reader-i-suspect-has-a-book-like-this-somewhere-in-his-or-her/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [“I’ve finally recognized my body for what it is: a personality-delivery system, designed expressly to carry my character from place to place, now and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-ve-finally-recognized-my-body-for-what-it-is-a-personality-delivery/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [A man who builds his own pedestal had better use strong cement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/a-man-who-builds-his-own-pedestal-had-better-use-strong-cement/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [“In England I am always madam; I arrived too late to ever be a miss. In New York I have only been madamed once,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/in-england-i-am-always-madam-i-arrived-too-late-to-ever-be-a-miss-in/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [“Yet there was always in me, even when I was very small, the sense that I ought to be somewhere else. And wander I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/yet-there-was-always-in-me-even-when-i-was-very-small-the-sense-that/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [I can't think of a single downside to motherhood now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-can-t-think-of-a-single-downside-to-motherhood-now/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It would take a helluva man to replace no man at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/it-would-take-a-helluva-man-to-replace-no-man-at-all/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Not writing at all leads to nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/not-writing-at-all-leads-to-nothing/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Reading has always been my home, my sustenance, my great invincible companion. "Book love," Trollope called it. "It will make your hours pleasant to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/reading-has-always-been-my-home-my-sustenance-my-great-invincible/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) [Explore all 538 Anna Quindlen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) ## More Afraid quotes > [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [“Carrie Fisher. “Stay afraid, but do it anyway.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-union/carrie-fisher-stay-afraid-but-do-it-anyway/) [Gabrielle Union](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-union/) > [I used to be afraid of my temper, but it turns out I don't really have one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-bell/i-used-to-be-afraid-of-my-temper-but-it-turns-out-i-don-t-really-have/) [Zoe Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-bell/) > [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/) [Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/) > [I am not afraid of praise, for I have practiced it on myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-am-not-afraid-of-praise-for-i-have-practiced-it-on-myself/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I'm a pretty fearless person. I'm afraid of, like, creepy men in white vans and sidewalks with no streetlights. But I'm not afraid to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josie-totah/i-m-a-pretty-fearless-person-i-m-afraid-of-like-creepy-men-in-white/) [Josie Totah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josie-totah/) > [I will support my party when they are right on an issue, but am not afraid to stand up to party bosses who are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darlene-senger/i-will-support-my-party-when-they-are-right-on-an-issue-but-am-not/) Darlene Senger > [Why am I so afraid to loose you,when you're not even mine?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/why-am-i-so-afraid-to-loose-you-when-you-re-not-even-mine/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I want to tell you, but I cant, becuase I'm afraid if I do you'll never treat me same the again](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristina-orante/i-want-to-tell-you-but-i-cant-becuase-i-m-afraid-if-i-do-you-ll-never/) [Cristina Orante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristina-orante/) > [Mistakes I've made in the past make me afraid to try new things in the future. I want to be perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-altucher/mistakes-i-ve-made-in-the-past-make-me-afraid-to-try-new-things-in/) [James Altucher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-altucher/) > [“Humans are naturally scared and confused beings. They not only fear the unknown, as they live fearing themselves... ☥”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-marques/humans-are-naturally-scared-and-confused-beings-they-not-only-fear/) [Luis Marques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-marques/) > [If you are too afraid of failure, you cant possibly do what needs to be done to succeed in living a fulfilling life. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/if-you-are-too-afraid-of-failure-you-cant-possibly-do-what-needs-to/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [We cannot be afraid of the dark that they live in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burnie-burns/we-cannot-be-afraid-of-the-dark-that-they-live-in/) [Burnie Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burnie-burns/) > [“I think the reason we're cruel sometimes is that we're afraid we're going to like something.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/i-think-the-reason-we-re-cruel-sometimes-is-that-we-re-afraid-we-re/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [I'm still with that feeling that I am afraid of doing the wrong thing, because somebody is going to punish me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eartha-kitt/i-m-still-with-that-feeling-that-i-am-afraid-of-doing-the-wrong-thing/) [Eartha Kitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eartha-kitt/) Browse all 5,519 Afraid quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm sure not afraid of success and I've learned not to be afraid of failure. 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