--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Better to be the failure who nobly…" description: "\"Better to be the failure who nobly strived than the success who never really had to.\" — Brandon Sanderson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/234/brandon-sanderson-112_failure_better-to-be-the-failure-who-nobly-striv_2116059.jpg" --- # Better to be the failure who nobly strived than the… ![“Better to be the failure who nobly strived than the success who never really had to.” quote by Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/234/brandon-sanderson-112_failure_better-to-be-the-failure-who-nobly-striv_2116059.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/234/brandon-sanderson-112_failure_better-to-be-the-failure-who-nobly-striv_2116059.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/234/brandon-sanderson-112_failure_better-to-be-the-failure-who-nobly-striv_2116059.jpg) > “Better to be the failure who nobly strived than the success who never really had to.” [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Choosing noble effort, even if it ends in failure, is more honorable than effortless success without struggle. **In simple terms:** Try hard even if you fail. Key Takeaway Value effort over easy triumph. Themes honor effort failure success integrity Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career ambition - personal projects - team leadership - creative endeavors Key Concepts existentialism virtue ethics Questions to Reflect On - What does 'nobly strived' mean to you? - Can easy success be truly fulfilling? A Different Perspective Success without struggle may lack depth and respect. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) ## Related quotes > [Meet your failure nobly, and it will not differ from success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/meet-your-failure-nobly-and-it-will-not-differ-from-success/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [I always felt like I could hold my own with anybody, period. And I always have strived to do my best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-wall/i-always-felt-like-i-could-hold-my-own-with-anybody-period-and-i/) [Paul Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-wall/) > [“For years he'd strived to make a difference in the world, and he'd worked like a dog to make that happen, and yet here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-hannah/for-years-he-d-strived-to-make-a-difference-in-the-world-and-he-d/) [Kristin Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-hannah/) > [I have been very hard on myself and strived for unrealistic goals of perfection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shibani-dandekar/i-have-been-very-hard-on-myself-and-strived-for-unrealistic-goals-of/) [Shibani Dandekar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shibani-dandekar/) > [I've always strived to be successful, not famous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/i-ve-always-strived-to-be-successful-not-famous/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [I have strived to empower women and girls throughout my entire career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-carlson/i-have-strived-to-empower-women-and-girls-throughout-my-entire-career/) [Gretchen Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-carlson/) > [She strived for perfection. She loved setting herself tasks, sometimes impossible ones, to prove to her heart that underneath every seemingly ugly thing there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/she-strived-for-perfection-she-loved-setting-herself-tasks-sometimes/) [Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/) > [Sometimes pain and hurt are good things because it means you strived for something in your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-pain-and-hurt-are-good-things-because-it-means-you-strived/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is not given to stop its mobility, but to be strived with true will power to acheive goal of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farid/life-is-not-given-to-stop-its-mobility-but-to-be-strived-with-true/) [Farid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farid/) > [I have confidence that whatever I set in my mind will happen. Everything I strived for I reached.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-teixeira/i-have-confidence-that-whatever-i-set-in-my-mind-will-happen/) [Mark Teixeira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-teixeira/) > [It is better to be a failure at something you love than to be a success at something you hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/it-is-better-to-be-a-failure-at-something-you-love-than-to-be-a/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [Go on in the certain way, and if you do not receive that thing, you will receive something so much better that you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-d-wattles/go-on-in-the-certain-way-and-if-you-do-not-receive-that-thing-you/) [Wallace D. Wattles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-d-wattles/) > [Success is better than failure; an attempt is a better attempt, it is better as an attempt, if competent than if incompetent; and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-sosa/success-is-better-than-failure-an-attempt-is-a-better-attempt-it-is/) [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) > [“Some were made with skill and intelligence Some with passion and charm But they, they were raw, and strived to remain so…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-pandya/some-were-made-with-skill-and-intelligence-some-with-passion-and/) Pearl Pandya > [I have always strived to do something different, to push myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seal/i-have-always-strived-to-do-something-different-to-push-myself/) [Seal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seal/) ## More by Brandon Sanderson > [“I’ll admit, Jasnah, that I empathize with your skepticism, but I don’t agree with it. I just think you've been looking for God in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/i-ll-admit-jasnah-that-i-empathize-with-your-skepticism-but-i-don-t/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [They say a man doesn't know himself until he faces death for the first time. . . I don't know about that. It seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/they-say-a-man-doesn-t-know-himself-until-he-faces-death-for-the/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“I wasn’t a nerd, mind you, but I’d spent a lot of my youth studying Epics, so I’d had limited experience with social interaction.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/i-wasn-t-a-nerd-mind-you-but-i-d-spent-a-lot-of-my-youth-studying/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“Why, Elend! That’s almost romantic—in a twisted ‘I’m going to make my wife want to kill me’ sort of way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/why-elend-that-s-almost-romantic-in-a-twisted-i-m-going-to-make-my/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“And...how much are we getting paid for achieving the impossible?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/and-how-much-are-we-getting-paid-for-achieving-the-impossible/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“Elantris was the one place where she could remember feeling unconditional acceptance. She had not been a princess, she had been something far better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/elantris-was-the-one-place-where-she-could-remember-feeling/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“Elend smiled. "Oh, come on. You have to admit that you're unusual, Vin. You're like some strange mixture of a noblewoman, a street urchin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/elend-smiled-oh-come-on-you-have-to-admit-that-you-re-unusual-vin-you/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“That is always how it is, though, isn't it?” Shuden asked. “Those who can least afford extravagance seem to be the ones most determined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/that-is-always-how-it-is-though-isn-t-it-shuden-asked-those-who-can/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“He says he’s letting the Stormfather judge you,” Moash added. “Jezerezeh, king of Heralds. He says that if you deserve to live, you will….”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/he-says-he-s-letting-the-stormfather-judge-you-moash-added-jezerezeh/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“The stories say the Nightwatcher might be capable of that. . . . Powerful spren. Vast spren.’ ‘Is he calling me vast?’ Syl said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/the-stories-say-the-nightwatcher-might-be-capable-of-that-powerful/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“But the mark of a great man is one who knows when to set aside the important things in order to accomplish the vital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/but-the-mark-of-a-great-man-is-one-who-knows-when-to-set-aside-the/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“My life to yours. My breath beecome yours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/my-life-to-yours-my-breath-beecome-yours/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“If you're always on time, it implies that you never have anything better you should be doing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/if-you-re-always-on-time-it-implies-that-you-never-have-anything/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [You are inexperienced. So was I, once. So is every man. The measure of a person is not how much they have lived. .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/you-are-inexperienced-so-was-i-once-so-is-every-man-the-measure-of-a/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“So I should not hate Adolin Kholin for wielding a corpse!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/so-i-should-not-hate-adolin-kholin-for-wielding-a-corpse/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) [Explore all 1,238 Brandon Sanderson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) ## More Failure quotes > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. You just take it in your stride because you know that you have done your best... Sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-dutta/failures-happen-you-can-t-cry-over-them-you-just-take-it-in-your/) [Divya Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-dutta/) > [No one is completely unhappy at the failure of his best friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/no-one-is-completely-unhappy-at-the-failure-of-his-best-friend/) [Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/) > [“Rhiannon's Law #28: If you're going to fuck up, be sure to fuck up good and proper. Nothing makes failure acceptable, so you might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/rhiannon-s-law-28-if-you-re-going-to-fuck-up-be-sure-to-fuck-up-good/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Failure is a part of life and you have to learn to deal with it. Failure is something that is part of life's cycle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/failure-is-a-part-of-life-and-you-have-to-learn-to-deal-with-it/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [First action was a mistake. What about the second? third? fourth and fifth?...Mehn you are bad...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/first-action-was-a-mistake-what-about-the-second-third-fourth-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [God's love never fail :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-s-love-never-fail/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don’t you just hate nights like that, when you think over every mistake you’ve made, every hurt you’ve received, every bit of meanness you’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/don-t-you-just-hate-nights-like-that-when-you-think-over-every/) [Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/) > [“Our failure to understand another being's inner reality doesn't make that reality any less real, or any less valuable to that being. (p.255)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-schulz/our-failure-to-understand-another-being-s-inner-reality-doesn-t-make/) [Kathryn Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-schulz/) > [I hope that the Palestinians don't make the mistake of unleashing a new intifada. They've tried it twice before, and the consequences were bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-segev/i-hope-that-the-palestinians-don-t-make-the-mistake-of-unleashing-a/) [Tom Segev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-segev/) > [Don't take too much comfort in the fact that you're successful today because tomorrow could bring failure. There's no surety in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-savage/don-t-take-too-much-comfort-in-the-fact-that-you-re-successful-today/) [Michael Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-savage/) > [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [failure in the theater is more public, more brilliant, more unreal than in any other field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/failure-in-the-theater-is-more-public-more-brilliant-more-unreal-than/) [Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/) > [As we are coming to the end of the year, I want you to forget about the past, the failure, the negative thoughts or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-we-are-coming-to-the-end-of-the-year-i-want-you-to-forget-about/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 27,498 Failure quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Better to be the failure who nobly strived than the success who never really had to.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Brandon Sanderson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/better-to-be-the-failure-who-nobly-strived-than-the-success-who-never/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Failure" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/better-to-be-the-failure-who-nobly-strived-than-the-success-who-never/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/234/brandon-sanderson-112_failure_better-to-be-the-failure-who-nobly-striv_2116059.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/234/brandon-sanderson-112_failure_better-to-be-the-failure-who-nobly-striv_2116059.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/234/brandon-sanderson-112_failure_better-to-be-the-failure-who-nobly-striv_2116059.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Better to be the failure who nobly strived than the success who never really had to.” — Brandon Sanderson", "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": "Brandon Sanderson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Better to be the failure who...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/better-to-be-the-failure-who-nobly-strived-than-the-success-who-never/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/better-to-be-the-failure-who-nobly-strived-than-the-success-who-never/#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 } } ] } ```