--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If we have deep problems, it's because we…" description: "\"“If we have deep problems, it's because we are failing at the deepest part of the solution. And when we fail at this deepest level, we invite our own f..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/232/arbinger-institute-24841_failure_if-we-have-deep-problems-it-s-because-we_1168918.jpg" --- # If we have deep problems, it's because we are failing at… ![“If we have deep problems, it's because we are failing at the deepest part of the solution. And when we fail at this deepest level, we invite our own failure.” quote by Arbinger Institute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/232/arbinger-institute-24841_failure_if-we-have-deep-problems-it-s-because-we_1168918.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/232/arbinger-institute-24841_failure_if-we-have-deep-problems-it-s-because-we_1168918.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/232/arbinger-institute-24841_failure_if-we-have-deep-problems-it-s-because-we_1168918.jpg) > ““If we have deep problems, it's because we are failing at the deepest part of the solution. And when we fail at this deepest level, we invite our own failure.”” [Arbinger Institute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arbinger-institute/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When fundamental issues arise, they stem from neglecting the core of the problem, leading to repeated setbacks. **In simple terms:** Deep problems come from ignoring the core solution. Key Takeaway Address the root cause directly. Themes self-awareness problem solving accountability Mood reflective analytical Type advice insight When to use this quote - team meetings - personal development plans - project retrospectives - conflict resolution Key Concepts systems thinking psychology organizational behavior Questions to Reflect On - What core aspect are you overlooking? - How can you uncover hidden assumptions? A Different Perspective Ignoring underlying causes can waste effort and prolong failure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Deep Problems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deep-problems-1363441/) [Fail Deepest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fail-deepest-3379257/) [Failing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failing/) [Failing Deepest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failing-deepest-3379256/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Problem solving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem-solving/) ## Related quotes > [I believe that all men are just overgrown boys with deep problems communicating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-believe-that-all-men-are-just-overgrown-boys-with-deep-problems-2/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [America has a lot of problems, believe me. I know what the problems are even better than you do. They're deep problems. They're serious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/america-has-a-lot-of-problems-believe-me-i-know-what-the-problems-are/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [We talk about, you know, diet and that we shouldn't give our kids big things and obesity and fast food. Well, you know there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-noth/we-talk-about-you-know-diet-and-that-we-shouldn-t-give-our-kids-big/) [Chris Noth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-noth/) > [President Obama and Hillary Clinton have, and Kerry have allowed tens of thousands of people into America. The FBI is now investigating more people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/president-obama-and-hillary-clinton-have-and-kerry-have-allowed-tens/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [Sometimes you gotta dig deep, when problems come near Don't fear things get severe for everybody everywhere Why do bad things happen, to good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guru-from-gangstarr/sometimes-you-gotta-dig-deep-when-problems-come-near-don-t-fear/) [Guru From Gangstarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guru-from-gangstarr/) > [There was a failure to recognize the deep problems in AI; for instance, those captured in Blocks World. The people building physical robots learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-minsky/there-was-a-failure-to-recognize-the-deep-problems-in-ai-for-instance/) [Marvin Minsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-minsky/) > [“For I approach deep problems like cold baths: quickly into them and quickly out again. That one does not get to the depths that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/for-i-approach-deep-problems-like-cold-baths-quickly-into-them-and/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [I believe there are techniques of the human mind whereby, in its dark deep, problems are examined, rejected or accepted. Such activities sometimes concern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/i-believe-there-are-techniques-of-the-human-mind-whereby-in-its-dark/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [A wholesome sense of humor will be a safety valve that will enable you to apply the lighter touch to heavy problems and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-b-brown/a-wholesome-sense-of-humor-will-be-a-safety-valve-that-will-enable/) [Hugh B. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-b-brown/) > [A situation where a solution to a stakeholder problem is imposed by a government agency or the courts must be seen as a managerial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-situation-where-a-solution-to-a-stakeholder-problem-is-imposed-by-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [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/) > [You can’t bake a cake without getting the kitchen messy. Halfway through surgery it looks like there’s been a murder in the operating room.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/price-pritchett/you-can-t-bake-a-cake-without-getting-the-kitchen-messy-halfway/) [Price Pritchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/price-pritchett/) > [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/) > [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [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/) ## More by Arbinger Institute > [“So if we are going to find lasting solutions to difficult conflicts or external wars we find ourselves in, we first need to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arbinger-institute/so-if-we-are-going-to-find-lasting-solutions-to-difficult-conflicts/) [Arbinger Institute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arbinger-institute/) > [“Most wars between individuals are of the 'cold' rather than the 'hot' variety---lingering resentment, for example, grudges long held, resources clutched rather than shared,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arbinger-institute/most-wars-between-individuals-are-of-the-cold-rather-than-the-hot/) [Arbinger Institute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arbinger-institute/) > [“As painful as it is to receive contempt from another, it is more debilitating by far to be filled with contempt for another.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arbinger-institute/as-painful-as-it-is-to-receive-contempt-from-another-it-is-more/) [Arbinger Institute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arbinger-institute/) > [“...no conflict can be solved so long as all parties are convinced they are right. Solution is possible only when at least one party…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arbinger-institute/no-conflict-can-be-solved-so-long-as-all-parties-are-convinced-they/) [Arbinger Institute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arbinger-institute/) > [“But like many who are lonely, I was more preoccupied with others than were those who lived to socialize...Everyone I hated was always with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arbinger-institute/but-like-many-who-are-lonely-i-was-more-preoccupied-with-others-than/) [Arbinger Institute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arbinger-institute/) > [“always remember that it is progress, not perfection, you should be looking for.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arbinger-institute/always-remember-that-it-is-progress-not-perfection-you-should-be/) [Arbinger Institute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arbinger-institute/) > [“My disability was my justification! It was my excuse for failing to engage with the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arbinger-institute/my-disability-was-my-justification-it-was-my-excuse-for-failing-to/) [Arbinger Institute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arbinger-institute/) > [“Most problems in life are not solved merely by correction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arbinger-institute/most-problems-in-life-are-not-solved-merely-by-correction/) [Arbinger Institute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arbinger-institute/) > [“...when I betray myself, others' faults become immediately inflated in my heart and mind. I begin to 'horribilize' others. That is, I begin to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arbinger-institute/when-i-betray-myself-others-faults-become-immediately-inflated-in-my/) [Arbinger Institute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arbinger-institute/) > [“Because if you are the mess, you can clean it. Improvement doesn't depend on others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arbinger-institute/because-if-you-are-the-mess-you-can-clean-it-improvement-doesn-t/) [Arbinger Institute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arbinger-institute/) > [“... if I'm sure I'm right, there is little hope of seeing where I am failing. So I keep trying the same old things-”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arbinger-institute/if-i-m-sure-i-m-right-there-is-little-hope-of-seeing-where-i-am/) [Arbinger Institute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arbinger-institute/) > [“If you see people of a particular race or culture as objects, your view of them is racist, whatever your color or lack of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arbinger-institute/if-you-see-people-of-a-particular-race-or-culture-as-objects-your/) [Arbinger Institute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arbinger-institute/) > [“If we are poor learners, our teaching will be ineffective.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arbinger-institute/if-we-are-poor-learners-our-teaching-will-be-ineffective/) [Arbinger Institute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arbinger-institute/) > [“There is a question I have learned to ask myself when I am feeling bothered about others: am I holding myself to the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arbinger-institute/there-is-a-question-i-have-learned-to-ask-myself-when-i-am-feeling/) [Arbinger Institute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arbinger-institute/) > [“Seeing an equal person as an inferior object is an act of violence”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arbinger-institute/seeing-an-equal-person-as-an-inferior-object-is-an-act-of-violence/) [Arbinger Institute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arbinger-institute/) [Explore all 24 Arbinger Institute quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arbinger-institute/) ## More Failing quotes > [Many individuals spend a considerable portion of their lifetimes in terror of one imagined catastrophe or another. The classic is that your immortal soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/many-individuals-spend-a-considerable-portion-of-their-lifetimes-in/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [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/) > [Trial by jury. Live wherever you can make a living. How could a government based on such principles fail?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-ambrose/trial-by-jury-live-wherever-you-can-make-a-living-how-could-a/) [Stephen Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-ambrose/) > [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [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/) > [I would warn against holsters with devices for quick-draw. Devices always fail when you need them most.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-powell/i-would-warn-against-holsters-with-devices-for-quick-draw-devices/) [William Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-powell/) > [You can’t bake a cake without getting the kitchen messy. Halfway through surgery it looks like there’s been a murder in the operating room.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/price-pritchett/you-can-t-bake-a-cake-without-getting-the-kitchen-messy-halfway/) [Price Pritchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/price-pritchett/) > [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/) > [When I paint, I never think of selling. People simply fail to understand that we paint in order to experiment and to develop ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/when-i-paint-i-never-think-of-selling-people-simply-fail-to/) [Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/) > [Either dragons should exist completely or fail to exist at all, he felt. A dragon only half-existing was worse than the extremes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/either-dragons-should-exist-completely-or-fail-to-exist-at-all-he/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [I wake up every morning fearing I am going to fail. But I love a challenge, big or small. There's so much I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-mone/i-wake-up-every-morning-fearing-i-am-going-to-fail-but-i-love-a/) [Michelle Mone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-mone/) > [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/) > [In proportion as our inward life fails, we go more constantly and desperately to the post office. You may depend on it, that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/in-proportion-as-our-inward-life-fails-we-go-more-constantly-and/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The very first company I started failed with a great bang. The second one failed a little bit less, but still failed. The third…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-levchin/the-very-first-company-i-started-failed-with-a-great-bang-the-second/) [Max Levchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-levchin/) [Browse all 5,634 Failing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“If we have deep problems, it's because we are failing at the deepest part of the solution. And when we fail at this deepest level, we invite our own failure.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Arbinger Institute" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arbinger-institute/if-we-have-deep-problems-it-s-because-we-are-failing-at-the-deepest/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Failing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arbinger-institute/if-we-have-deep-problems-it-s-because-we-are-failing-at-the-deepest/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/232/arbinger-institute-24841_failure_if-we-have-deep-problems-it-s-because-we_1168918.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/232/arbinger-institute-24841_failure_if-we-have-deep-problems-it-s-because-we_1168918.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/232/arbinger-institute-24841_failure_if-we-have-deep-problems-it-s-because-we_1168918.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If we have deep problems, it's because we are failing at the deepest part of the solution. And when we fail…” — Arbinger Institute", "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": "Arbinger Institute", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arbinger-institute/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“If we have deep problems, it's...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arbinger-institute/if-we-have-deep-problems-it-s-because-we-are-failing-at-the-deepest/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arbinger-institute/if-we-have-deep-problems-it-s-because-we-are-failing-at-the-deepest/#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 } } ] } ```