---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is not what happens that is success or…"
description: "\"It is not what happens that is success or failure, but what it does to the heart of man.\" — Bruce Lee"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49e/bruce-lee-430_doe_it-is-not-what-happens-that-is-success-o_2442884.jpg"
---

#  It is not what happens that is success or failure, but…

![“It is not what happens that is success or failure, but what it does to the heart of man.” quote by Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49e/bruce-lee-430_doe_it-is-not-what-happens-that-is-success-o_2442884.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49e/bruce-lee-430_doe_it-is-not-what-happens-that-is-success-o_2442884.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49e/bruce-lee-430_doe_it-is-not-what-happens-that-is-success-o_2442884.jpg)

> “It is not what happens that is success or failure, but what it does to the heart of man.”

[Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/)

## 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 measured by their impact on human character, not outcomes alone.

**In simple terms:** Character matters more than results.

Key Takeaway

Focus on inner growth.

Themes

philosophy personal development success failure

Mood

thoughtful inspirational

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- career advancement
- sports training
- education
- leadership development

Key Concepts

character building psychology ethics

Questions to Reflect On

- What does success mean to you?
- How do you nurture your heart amid challenges?

A Different Perspective

May neglect external factors influencing outcomes.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Failure Does](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure-does-344862/) [Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens/) [Happens Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens-success-469555/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Heart Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart-man-366751/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Success Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success-failure/) [Success or failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success-or-failure/)

## Related quotes

> [Individuals carry their success or failure with them. It does not depend on outside conditions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-trine/individuals-carry-their-success-or-failure-with-them-it-does-not/)

[Ralph Waldo Trine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-trine/)

> [“The possibility of failure does not prevent contestants from competing because when we are optimistic, we tend to ignore failure. But it is failure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-okay-nwachukwu/the-possibility-of-failure-does-not-prevent-contestants-from/)

[Vincent Okay Nwachukwu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-okay-nwachukwu/)

> [Success isn't something that just happens - success is learned, success is practiced and then it is shared.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sparky-anderson/success-isn-t-something-that-just-happens-success-is-learned-success/)

[Sparky Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sparky-anderson/)

> [No man is really changed by success. What happens is that success works on the man’s personality like a truth drug, bringing him out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-goldman/no-man-is-really-changed-by-success-what-happens-is-that-success/)

[Albert Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-goldman/)

> [Success isn't something that just happens-success is practiced then shared.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camilia/success-isn-t-something-that-just-happens-success-is-practiced-then/)

[Camilia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camilia/)

> [Life is great cant complain and dont want to ever complain. everything that happens is either success or test which ever way, I still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winford/life-is-great-cant-complain-and-dont-want-to-ever-complain-everything/)

[Winford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winford/)

> [Success is not something that just happens. Success is obtained through regular practice, preparation and hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/success-is-not-something-that-just-happens-success-is-obtained/)

[Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/)

> [For most human beings, if what they want happens, it is a success. If what they could not have imagined happens, it is luck.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaggi-vasudev/for-most-human-beings-if-what-they-want-happens-it-is-a-success-if/)

[Jaggi Vasudev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaggi-vasudev/)

> [You can't control the success or failure of a thing you work on. You can only control the thing you work on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lin-manuel-miranda/you-can-t-control-the-success-or-failure-of-a-thing-you-work-on-you/)

[Lin-Manuel Miranda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lin-manuel-miranda/)

> [The success or failure of a life, as far as posterity goes, seems to lie in the more or less luck of seizing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-james/the-success-or-failure-of-a-life-as-far-as-posterity-goes-seems-to/)

[Alice James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-james/)

> [“Don't care about success or failure. Keep doing what you love. Success will follow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/udai-yadla/don-t-care-about-success-or-failure-keep-doing-what-you-love-success/)

[Udai Yadla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/udai-yadla/)

> [Whatever your plan, you never invest your own self-worth in its ultimate success or failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/whatever-your-plan-you-never-invest-your-own-self-worth-in-its/)

[Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/)

> [“The rise or fall, success or failure of your dreams is largely dependent on the association you build yourself around.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/the-rise-or-fall-success-or-failure-of-your-dreams-is-largely/)

[Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/)

> [If you were to plot my success or failure, it goes, it very seldom stays on a high plateau.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-beck/if-you-were-to-plot-my-success-or-failure-it-goes-it-very-seldom/)

[Jeff Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-beck/)

> [I tell you all this because it's worth recognizing that there is no such thing as an overnight success. You will do well to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/i-tell-you-all-this-because-it-s-worth-recognizing-that-there-is-no/)

[Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/)

## More by Bruce Lee

> [Do not like, do not dislike; all will then be clear. Make a hairbreadth difference and heaven and earth are set apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/do-not-like-do-not-dislike-all-will-then-be-clear-make-a-hairbreadth/)

[Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/)

> [The great mistake is to anticipate the outcome of the engagement; you ought not to be thinking of whether it ends in victory or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/the-great-mistake-is-to-anticipate-the-outcome-of-the-engagement-you/)

[Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/)

> [The more aware you become, the more you shed from day to day what you have learned so that your mind is always fresh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/the-more-aware-you-become-the-more-you-shed-from-day-to-day-what-you/)

[Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/)

> [The usefulness of the cup is its emptiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/the-usefulness-of-the-cup-is-its-emptiness/)

[Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/)

> [My style? You can call it the art of fighting without fighting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/my-style-you-can-call-it-the-art-of-fighting-without-fighting/)

[Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/)

> [The founder of any branch must be more ingenious than the common man. However, if his achievement is not carried on by disciples of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/the-founder-of-any-branch-must-be-more-ingenious-than-the-common-man/)

[Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/)

> [I don't believe in different ways of fighting now. I mean, unless human beings have 3 arms and 3 legs, then we will have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/i-don-t-believe-in-different-ways-of-fighting-now-i-mean-unless-human/)

[Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/)

> [Be a practical dreamer backed by action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/be-a-practical-dreamer-backed-by-action/)

[Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/)

> [In order to taste my cup of water you must first empty your cup.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/in-order-to-taste-my-cup-of-water-you-must-first-empty-your-cup/)

[Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/)

> [Truth comes when your mind and heart are purged of all sense of striving and you are no longer trying to become somebody; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/truth-comes-when-your-mind-and-heart-are-purged-of-all-sense-of/)

[Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/)

> [A person cannot forget someone who is good to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/a-person-cannot-forget-someone-who-is-good-to-them/)

[Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/)

> [The highest art is no art. The highest form is no form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/the-highest-art-is-no-art-the-highest-form-is-no-form/)

[Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/)

> [To live is a constant process of relating, so come on out of that shell of isolation and conclusion, and relate DIRECTLY to what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/to-live-is-a-constant-process-of-relating-so-come-on-out-of-that/)

[Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/)

> [I hope martial artists are more interested in the root of martial arts and not the different decorative branches, flowers or leaves. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/i-hope-martial-artists-are-more-interested-in-the-root-of-martial/)

[Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/)

> [Art lives where absolute freedom is, because where it is not, there can be no creativity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/art-lives-where-absolute-freedom-is-because-where-it-is-not-there-can/)

[Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/)

[Explore all 562 Bruce Lee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/)

## More Doe quotes

> [So the fool, as distinct from the scoundrel, is completely self- satisfied; in fact, he can easily become dangerous, as it does not take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/so-the-fool-as-distinct-from-the-scoundrel-is-completely-self/)

[Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/)

> [I cannot forbid a person to marry several wives, for it does not contradict Scripture. MARTIN LUTHER, letter to Chancellor Gregory Brück, January 13,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/i-cannot-forbid-a-person-to-marry-several-wives-for-it-does-not/)

[Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/)

> [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [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/)

> [Sometimes a sign or a quote is simply interesting by itself and does not require anything beyond being framed on a page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/sometimes-a-sign-or-a-quote-is-simply-interesting-by-itself-and-does/)

[Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/)

> [A home is not a museum. It doesn't have to be furnished with Picasso paintings, or Sheraton suites, or Oriental rugs, or Chinese pottery.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/a-home-is-not-a-museum-it-doesn-t-have-to-be-furnished-with-picasso/)

[James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/)

> [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/)

[Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/)

> [He's a fool that marries; but he's a greater fool that does not marry a fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wycherley/he-s-a-fool-that-marries-but-he-s-a-greater-fool-that-does-not-marry/)

[William Wycherley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wycherley/)

> [Nothing old is ever reborn but neither does it totally disappear. And that which has once been born, will always reappear in a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvar-aalto/nothing-old-is-ever-reborn-but-neither-does-it-totally-disappear-and/)

[Alvar Aalto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvar-aalto/)

> [One of the things the United States does well is building coalitions. What the U.S. knows is that if you don't have a coalition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/one-of-the-things-the-united-states-does-well-is-building-coalitions/)

[Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/)

> [Preaching to the choir actually arms the choir with arguments and elevates the choir's discourse. There's a reason the right does it and does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/preaching-to-the-choir-actually-arms-the-choir-with-arguments-and/)

[Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/)

> [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/)

[Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/)

> [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [If Wall Street crashes, does Main Street follow? Not necessarily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bernanke/if-wall-street-crashes-does-main-street-follow-not-necessarily/)

[Ben Bernanke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bernanke/)

> [It does not seem to me to be sufficiently recognized everywhere among the officials that the existence or non-existence of our people and Empire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-von-hindenburg/it-does-not-seem-to-me-to-be-sufficiently-recognized-everywhere-among/)

[Paul von Hindenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-von-hindenburg/)

[Browse all 25,574 Doe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It is not what happens that is success or failure, but what it does to the heart of man.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Bruce Lee"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/it-is-not-what-happens-that-is-success-or-failure-but-what-it-does-to/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Doe"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/it-is-not-what-happens-that-is-success-or-failure-but-what-it-does-to/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49e/bruce-lee-430_doe_it-is-not-what-happens-that-is-success-o_2442884.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49e/bruce-lee-430_doe_it-is-not-what-happens-that-is-success-o_2442884.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49e/bruce-lee-430_doe_it-is-not-what-happens-that-is-success-o_2442884.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It is not what happens that is success or failure, but what it does to the heart of man.” — Bruce Lee",
                "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": "Bruce Lee",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It is not what happens that...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/it-is-not-what-happens-that-is-success-or-failure-but-what-it-does-to/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/it-is-not-what-happens-that-is-success-or-failure-but-what-it-does-to/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
