---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Failure sometimes enlarges the spirit…"
description: "\"Failure sometimes enlarges the spirit. You have to fall back upon humanity and God.\" — Charles Horton Cooley"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91f/charles-horton-cooley-8362_failure_failure-sometimes-enlarges-the-spirit-yo_1739017.png"
---

#  Failure sometimes enlarges the spirit. You have to fall…

![“Failure sometimes enlarges the spirit. You have to fall back upon humanity and God.” quote by Charles Horton Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91f/charles-horton-cooley-8362_failure_failure-sometimes-enlarges-the-spirit-yo_1739017.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91f/charles-horton-cooley-8362_failure_failure-sometimes-enlarges-the-spirit-yo_1739017.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91f/charles-horton-cooley-8362_failure_failure-sometimes-enlarges-the-spirit-yo_1739017.png)

> “Failure sometimes enlarges the spirit. You have to fall back upon humanity and God.”

[Charles Horton Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-horton-cooley/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Failure can expand one's spirit, prompting reliance on humanity and divine support.

**In simple terms:** Hardship can deepen character and lead to spiritual and communal reliance.

Key Takeaway

Embrace setbacks as opportunities for growth and connection.

Themes

growth spirituality community

Mood

reflective inspirational

Type

philosophical spiritual

When to use this quote

- personal development
- spiritual practice
- community service

Key Concepts

resilience faith social support

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you balance personal effort with seeking help?
- What role does faith play in overcoming failure?

A Different Perspective

Reliance on external forces may hinder personal agency.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Enlarges Spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enlarges-spirit-1502350/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Failure Enlarges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure-enlarges-1502349/) [Fall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fall/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Humanity God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity-god-627123/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [Spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirit/) [Spirit Fall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirit-fall-1502351/)

## Related quotes

> [Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/pride-goes-before-destruction-and-a-haughty-spirit-before-a-fall/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

> [Holy Ghost fall down on me. Let your spirit fall down. On me...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-burrell/holy-ghost-fall-down-on-me-let-your-spirit-fall-down-on-me/)

[Kim Burrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-burrell/)

> [Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bible/pride-goeth-before-destruction-and-a-haughty-spirit-before-a-fall/)

[Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bible/)

> [The greatest thing anyone can give humanity is God consciousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-harrison/the-greatest-thing-anyone-can-give-humanity-is-god-consciousness/)

[George Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-harrison/)

> [“I see in Jesus not only the supreme act of humility in God, but the supreme act of humanity in God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-porcher-dubose/i-see-in-jesus-not-only-the-supreme-act-of-humility-in-god-but-the/)

[William Porcher Dubose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-porcher-dubose/)

> [Christianity affirms that at the heart of reality is a Heart, a loving Father who works through history for the salvation of His children.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/christianity-affirms-that-at-the-heart-of-reality-is-a-heart-a-loving/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“)god sent us to spread humanity because god love us and want that we do love them who are created by god.we are sent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shekhardhiman/god-sent-us-to-spread-humanity-because-god-love-us-and-want-that-we/)

[Shekhardhiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shekhardhiman/)

> [“The Trickster, of course," Gabriel finally answered himself, "Weesageechak for sure. The clown who bridges humanity and God - a God who laughs, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tomson-highway/the-trickster-of-course-gabriel-finally-answered-himself-weesageechak/)

[Tomson Highway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tomson-highway/)

> [“God did not have to save us. There was no external necessity imposed on him, nor did he have any internal need. The perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-did-not-have-to-save-us-there-was-no-external-necessity-imposed/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The Christian is more than an empty vessel. He has...Someone within. We have a treasure in the earthen vessel, and not only a treasure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-stedman/the-christian-is-more-than-an-empty-vessel-he-has-someone-within-we/)

[Ray Stedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-stedman/)

> [“If humanity can describe God in one word: LOVE♥ Then how can the world continue to hurt and destroy each other then believe they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-pina/if-humanity-can-describe-god-in-one-word-love-then-how-can-the-world/)

[Timothy Pina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-pina/)

> [Through humility, soul-searching, and prayerful contemplation we have gained a new understanding of certain dogmas. The church no longer believes in a literal hell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/through-humility-soul-searching-and-prayerful-contemplation-we-have/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [For Zen, man is the goal; man is the end unto himself. God is not something above humanity, God is something hidden within humanity.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/for-zen-man-is-the-goal-man-is-the-end-unto-himself-god-is-not/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [The creation of the world is not only a process which moves from God to humanity. God demands newness from humanity; God awaits the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/the-creation-of-the-world-is-not-only-a-process-which-moves-from-god/)

[Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/)

> [Religion is the everlasting dialogue between humanity and God. Art is its soliloquy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-werfel/religion-is-the-everlasting-dialogue-between-humanity-and-god-art-is/)

[Franz Werfel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-werfel/)

## More by Charles Horton Cooley

> [So far as discipline is concerned, freedom means not its absence but the use of higher and more rational forms as contrasted with those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-horton-cooley/so-far-as-discipline-is-concerned-freedom-means-not-its-absence-but/)

[Charles Horton Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-horton-cooley/)

> [To retire to the monastery, or the woods, or the sea, is to escape from the sharp suggestions that spur on ambition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-horton-cooley/to-retire-to-the-monastery-or-the-woods-or-the-sea-is-to-escape-from/)

[Charles Horton Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-horton-cooley/)

> [Each man must have his I; it is more necessary to him than bread; and if he does not find scope for it within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-horton-cooley/each-man-must-have-his-i-it-is-more-necessary-to-him-than-bread-and/)

[Charles Horton Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-horton-cooley/)

> [I is a militant social tendency, working to hold and enlarge its place in the general current of tendencies. So far as it can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-horton-cooley/i-is-a-militant-social-tendency-working-to-hold-and-enlarge-its-place/)

[Charles Horton Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-horton-cooley/)

> [“I am not what I think I am, and I am not what you think I am. I am what I think you think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-horton-cooley/i-am-not-what-i-think-i-am-and-i-am-not-what-you-think-i-am-i-am-what/)

[Charles Horton Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-horton-cooley/)

> [One should never criticize his own work except in a fresh and hopeful mood. The self-criticism of a tired mind is suicide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-horton-cooley/one-should-never-criticize-his-own-work-except-in-a-fresh-and-hopeful/)

[Charles Horton Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-horton-cooley/)

> [It happens from time to time in every complex and active society, that certain persons feel the complexity and insistence as a tangle, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-horton-cooley/it-happens-from-time-to-time-in-every-complex-and-active-society-that/)

[Charles Horton Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-horton-cooley/)

> [Since freedom is not a fixed thing that can be grasped and held once for all, but a growth, any particular society, such as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-horton-cooley/since-freedom-is-not-a-fixed-thing-that-can-be-grasped-and-held-once/)

[Charles Horton Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-horton-cooley/)

> [If we divine a discrepancy between a man's words and his character, the whole impression of him becomes broken and painful; he revolts the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-horton-cooley/if-we-divine-a-discrepancy-between-a-man-s-words-and-his-character/)

[Charles Horton Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-horton-cooley/)

> [To get away from one's working environment is, in a sense, to get away from one's self; and this is often the chief advantage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-horton-cooley/to-get-away-from-one-s-working-environment-is-in-a-sense-to-get-away/)

[Charles Horton Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-horton-cooley/)

> [In the days of witchcraft it used to be believed that if one person secretly made a waxen image of another and stuck pins…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-horton-cooley/in-the-days-of-witchcraft-it-used-to-be-believed-that-if-one-person/)

[Charles Horton Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-horton-cooley/)

> [To persuade is more trouble than to dominate, and the powerful seldom take this trouble if they can avoid it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-horton-cooley/to-persuade-is-more-trouble-than-to-dominate-and-the-powerful-seldom/)

[Charles Horton Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-horton-cooley/)

> [The social self is simply any idea, or system of ideas, drawn from the communicative life, that the mind cherishes as its own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-horton-cooley/the-social-self-is-simply-any-idea-or-system-of-ideas-drawn-from-the/)

[Charles Horton Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-horton-cooley/)

> [Form the habit of making decisions when your spirit is fresh...to let dark moods lead is like choosing cowards to command armies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-horton-cooley/form-the-habit-of-making-decisions-when-your-spirit-is-fresh-to-let/)

[Charles Horton Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-horton-cooley/)

> [The idea of freedom is quite in accord with a general, though vague, sentiment among us; it is an idea of fair play, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-horton-cooley/the-idea-of-freedom-is-quite-in-accord-with-a-general-though-vague/)

[Charles Horton Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-horton-cooley/)

[Explore all 81 Charles Horton Cooley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-horton-cooley/)

## 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": "Failure sometimes enlarges the spirit. You have to fall back upon humanity and God.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Charles Horton Cooley"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-horton-cooley/failure-sometimes-enlarges-the-spirit-you-have-to-fall-back-upon/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Failure"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-horton-cooley/failure-sometimes-enlarges-the-spirit-you-have-to-fall-back-upon/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91f/charles-horton-cooley-8362_failure_failure-sometimes-enlarges-the-spirit-yo_1739017.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91f/charles-horton-cooley-8362_failure_failure-sometimes-enlarges-the-spirit-yo_1739017.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91f/charles-horton-cooley-8362_failure_failure-sometimes-enlarges-the-spirit-yo_1739017.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Failure sometimes enlarges the spirit. You have to fall back upon humanity and God.” — Charles Horton Cooley",
                "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": "Charles Horton Cooley",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-horton-cooley/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Failure sometimes enlarges the spirit. You...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-horton-cooley/failure-sometimes-enlarges-the-spirit-you-have-to-fall-back-upon/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-horton-cooley/failure-sometimes-enlarges-the-spirit-you-have-to-fall-back-upon/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
