--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't fear failure. I fear succeeding…" description: "\"“I don't fear failure. I fear succeeding at something that doesn't matter.”\" — Dan Erickson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88e/dan-erickson-230128_failure_i-don-t-fear-failure-i-fear-succeeding-a_969284.jpg" --- # I don't fear failure. I fear succeeding at something that… ![“I don't fear failure. I fear succeeding at something that doesn't matter.” quote by Dan Erickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88e/dan-erickson-230128_failure_i-don-t-fear-failure-i-fear-succeeding-a_969284.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88e/dan-erickson-230128_failure_i-don-t-fear-failure-i-fear-succeeding-a_969284.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88e/dan-erickson-230128_failure_i-don-t-fear-failure-i-fear-succeeding-a_969284.jpg) > ““I don't fear failure. I fear succeeding at something that doesn't matter.”” [Dan Erickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-erickson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote warns that achieving success in meaningless pursuits is more frightening than failing. **In simple terms:** Fear of meaningless success is highlighted. Key Takeaway Prioritize purpose over status. Themes purpose success meaning fear motivation Mood reflective serious Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - career decisions - personal projects - public recognition Key Concepts existential risk value alignment goal setting Questions to Reflect On - What would you consider a meaningful goal? - How can you assess the impact of your achievements? A Different Perspective Null is meaning if success is hollow, it may lead to regret. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Failure Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure-fear/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Fear Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear-failure/) [Fear Succeeding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear-succeeding-1200574/) [Succeeding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/succeeding/) [Succeeding Doesn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/succeeding-doesn-1849745/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) ## Related quotes > [You shouldn't fear failure. You should fear succeeding at the wrong thing. I may fail, but I'm failing at the right thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-d-arabian/you-shouldn-t-fear-failure-you-should-fear-succeeding-at-the-wrong/) [Melissa d'Arabian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-d-arabian/) > [“Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at something that doesn't really matter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-l-moody/our-greatest-fear-should-not-be-of-failure-but-of-succeeding-at-2/) [D.L. Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-l-moody/) > [Entrepreneurs constantly confuse what they do with who they are. We're all certainly responsible for what we do, but failing doesn't make us bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-a-tullman/entrepreneurs-constantly-confuse-what-they-do-with-who-they-are-we-re/) [Howard A. Tullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-a-tullman/) > [The fear of not succeeding becomes replaced with the courage to pursue the things that interest you outside of the career you're trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keeley-hazell/the-fear-of-not-succeeding-becomes-replaced-with-the-courage-to/) [Keeley Hazell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keeley-hazell/) > [My one fear is failure and that's one fear I have to face all the time. Yes, it's uncomfortable to be scared but I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronda-rousey/my-one-fear-is-failure-and-that-s-one-fear-i-have-to-face-all-the/) [Ronda Rousey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronda-rousey/) > [Looking back, perhaps the single biggest problem was fear. Fear of failure, fear of other people, but mostly fear of myself. It has taken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-bellingham/looking-back-perhaps-the-single-biggest-problem-was-fear-fear-of/) [Lynda Bellingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-bellingham/) > [“Remember this: the number one cause of failure in this country is the fear of failure. Fear paralyzes you from taking action. Don't be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/remember-this-the-number-one-cause-of-failure-in-this-country-is-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Do not fear failure but rather fear not trying.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-t-bennett/do-not-fear-failure-but-rather-fear-not-trying/) [Roy T. Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-t-bennett/) > [“When we really get serious about our insecurities, we usually find that three specific fears emerge: the fear of failure, the fear of success,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-guillebeau/when-we-really-get-serious-about-our-insecurities-we-usually-find/) [Chris Guillebeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-guillebeau/) > [I do not fear failure. I only fear the slowing up of the engine inside of me which is pounding, saying, Keep going, someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-do-not-fear-failure-i-only-fear-the-slowing-up-of-the-engine-inside/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The one who falls and gets up is stronger than the one who never tried. Do not fear failure but rather fear not trying.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-t-bennett/the-one-who-falls-and-gets-up-is-stronger-than-the-one-who-never/) [Roy T. Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-t-bennett/) > [“the number one cause of failure in this country is the fear of failure. Fear”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-harvey/the-number-one-cause-of-failure-in-this-country-is-the-fear-of/) [Steve Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-harvey/) > [At first I wasn't sure that I had the talent, but I did know I had a fear of failure, and that fear compelled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-parks/at-first-i-wasn-t-sure-that-i-had-the-talent-but-i-did-know-i-had-a/) [Gordon Parks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-parks/) > [Studies by Medical Corps psychiatrists of combat fatigue cases... found that fear of killing, rather than fear of being killed, was the most common…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-lyman-atwood-marshall/studies-by-medical-corps-psychiatrists-of-combat-fatigue-cases-found/) [Samuel Lyman Atwood Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-lyman-atwood-marshall/) > [“I must have no fear of failure. It was my fear of failure that first kept me from attempting the Master Work. Now, I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-must-have-no-fear-of-failure-it-was-my-fear-of-failure-that-first/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) ## 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": "“I don't fear failure. 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