--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's not that I succeed, it's that…" description: "\"It's not that I succeed, it's that everyone else has to fail, horribly, preferably in front of their parents.\" — Attila the Hun" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/394/attila-the-hun-35055_fail_it-s-not-that-i-succeed-it-s-that-everyo_1719937.png" --- # It's not that I succeed, it's that everyone else has to… ![“It's not that I succeed, it's that everyone else has to fail, horribly, preferably in front of their parents.” quote by Attila the Hun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/394/attila-the-hun-35055_fail_it-s-not-that-i-succeed-it-s-that-everyo_1719937.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/394/attila-the-hun-35055_fail_it-s-not-that-i-succeed-it-s-that-everyo_1719937.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/394/attila-the-hun-35055_fail_it-s-not-that-i-succeed-it-s-that-everyo_1719937.png) > “It's not that I succeed, it's that everyone else has to fail, horribly, preferably in front of their parents.” [Attila the Hun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/attila-the-hun/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A darkly humorous claim that success depends on others' failures, especially public ones **In simple terms:** Success seen as others' failures Key Takeaway Recognize the toxicity of triumph through others' ruin Themes power humor competition Mood cynical ironic dark humor Type philosophical satirical When to use this quote - political rhetoric - team management - personal relationships Key Concepts schadenfreude ego social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - What are the ethical costs of celebrating others' failures? - How can success be defined without harming others? A Different Perspective Encourages cruelty and humiliation ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Parent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parent/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Parents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parents/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) ## Related quotes > [The difference between those who succeed and fail: not taking advantage of opportunities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-thomas/the-difference-between-those-who-succeed-and-fail-not-taking/) [Eric Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-thomas/) > [Experience has taught me that there is one chief reason why some people succeed and others fail. The difference is not one of knowing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-babson/experience-has-taught-me-that-there-is-one-chief-reason-why-some/) [Roger Babson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-babson/) > [Without Divine assistance I can not succeed; with it I can not fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/without-divine-assistance-i-can-not-succeed-with-it-i-can-not-fail/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [“Sometimes the only way to succeed is to fail backwards”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benny-bellamacina/sometimes-the-only-way-to-succeed-is-to-fail-backwards/) [Benny Bellamacina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benny-bellamacina/) > [Nothing in this life comes easy, sometimes we try so hard to succeed and still fail but remember anything worth having is worth fighting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/telisa-mclaughlin/nothing-in-this-life-comes-easy-sometimes-we-try-so-hard-to-succeed/) [Telisa McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/telisa-mclaughlin/) > [“We don't succeed or fail because of fortune or luck. We succeed because we understand the way the world works and what we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viet-thanh-nguyen/we-don-t-succeed-or-fail-because-of-fortune-or-luck-we-succeed/) [Viet Thanh Nguyen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viet-thanh-nguyen/) > [When you fail to succeed the first time, keep trying. It's called life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-cranch-bond/when-you-fail-to-succeed-the-first-time-keep-trying-it-s-called-life/) [William Cranch Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-cranch-bond/) > [I think it's an essential fact for any performer or artist to fail as poignantly as they can succeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-cave/i-think-it-s-an-essential-fact-for-any-performer-or-artist-to-fail-as/) [Nick Cave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-cave/) > [No child wants to fail. Everyone wants to succeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-green/no-child-wants-to-fail-everyone-wants-to-succeed/) [Al Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-green/) > [More times than not, it's a failed endeavor. You will fail more times than you succeed. But I think you need those failed endeavors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/more-times-than-not-it-s-a-failed-endeavor-you-will-fail-more-times/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) > [You have to fail, man, but you cannot allow failure to stop you from doing what you must do. Failing is just as good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-smoove/you-have-to-fail-man-but-you-cannot-allow-failure-to-stop-you-from/) [J. B. Smoove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-smoove/) > [When I try, I fail. When I trust, He succeeds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corrie-ten-boom/when-i-try-i-fail-when-i-trust-he-succeeds/) [Corrie Ten Boom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corrie-ten-boom/) > [If I succeed in business but fail as a father, then I've failed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-wahlberg/if-i-succeed-in-business-but-fail-as-a-father-then-i-ve-failed/) [Mark Wahlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-wahlberg/) > [If you're having trouble succeeding, fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-beck/if-you-re-having-trouble-succeeding-fail/) [Kent Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-beck/) > [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/) ## More by Attila the Hun > [It is unfortunate when final decisions are made by chieftains headquartered miles away from the front, where they can only guess at conditions and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/attila-the-hun/it-is-unfortunate-when-final-decisions-are-made-by-chieftains/) [Attila the Hun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/attila-the-hun/) > [Trample the weak. Hurdle the dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/attila-the-hun/trample-the-weak-hurdle-the-dead/) [Attila the Hun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/attila-the-hun/) > [Never arbitrate. Arbitration allows a third party to determine your destiny. It is a resort of the weak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/attila-the-hun/never-arbitrate-arbitration-allows-a-third-party-to-determine-your/) [Attila the Hun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/attila-the-hun/) > [Superficial goals lead to superficial results](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/attila-the-hun/superficial-goals-lead-to-superficial-results/) [Attila the Hun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/attila-the-hun/) > [Chieftains must understand that the spirit of the law is greater than its letter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/attila-the-hun/chieftains-must-understand-that-the-spirit-of-the-law-is-greater-than/) [Attila the Hun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/attila-the-hun/) > [There, where I have passed, the grass will never grow gain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/attila-the-hun/there-where-i-have-passed-the-grass-will-never-grow-gain/) [Attila the Hun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/attila-the-hun/) > [Do not underestimate the power of an enemy, no matter how great or small, to rise against you another day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/attila-the-hun/do-not-underestimate-the-power-of-an-enemy-no-matter-how-great-or/) [Attila the Hun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/attila-the-hun/) > [For what fortress, what city, in the wide extent of the Roman empire, can hope to exist, secure and impregnable, if it is our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/attila-the-hun/for-what-fortress-what-city-in-the-wide-extent-of-the-roman-empire/) [Attila the Hun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/attila-the-hun/) > [Everybody has value; even if to serve as a bad example.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/attila-the-hun/everybody-has-value-even-if-to-serve-as-a-bad-example/) [Attila the Hun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/attila-the-hun/) > [It takes less courage to criticize the decisions of others than to stand by your own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/attila-the-hun/it-takes-less-courage-to-criticize-the-decisions-of-others-than-to/) [Attila the Hun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/attila-the-hun/) > [If I would of visited this site when I was conquering, I would have been known as 'Atilla the Fun.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/attila-the-hun/if-i-would-of-visited-this-site-when-i-was-conquering-i-would-have/) [Attila the Hun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/attila-the-hun/) > [If an incompetent chieftain is removed, seldom do we appoint his highest-ranking subordinate to his place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/attila-the-hun/if-an-incompetent-chieftain-is-removed-seldom-do-we-appoint-his/) [Attila the Hun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/attila-the-hun/) [Explore all 13 Attila the Hun quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/attila-the-hun/) ## 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 > [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 ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's not that I succeed, it's that everyone else has to fail, horribly, preferably in front of their parents.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Attila the Hun" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/attila-the-hun/it-s-not-that-i-succeed-it-s-that-everyone-else-has-to-fail-horribly/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fail" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/attila-the-hun/it-s-not-that-i-succeed-it-s-that-everyone-else-has-to-fail-horribly/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/394/attila-the-hun-35055_fail_it-s-not-that-i-succeed-it-s-that-everyo_1719937.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/394/attila-the-hun-35055_fail_it-s-not-that-i-succeed-it-s-that-everyo_1719937.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/394/attila-the-hun-35055_fail_it-s-not-that-i-succeed-it-s-that-everyo_1719937.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's not that I succeed, it's that everyone else has to fail, horribly, preferably in front of their parents.” — Attila the Hun", "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": "Attila the Hun", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/attila-the-hun/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's not that I succeed, it's...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/attila-the-hun/it-s-not-that-i-succeed-it-s-that-everyone-else-has-to-fail-horribly/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/attila-the-hun/it-s-not-that-i-succeed-it-s-that-everyone-else-has-to-fail-horribly/#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 } } ] } ```