--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you want to increase your success…" description: "\"“If you want to increase your success rate, double your failure rate. Thomas J. Watson, Former Chairman and CEO of IBM”\" — Dan Siroker" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/018/dan-siroker-230198_failure_if-you-want-to-increase-your-success-rat_2163629.jpg" --- # If you want to increase your success rate, double your… ![“If you want to increase your success rate, double your failure rate. Thomas J. Watson, Former Chairman and CEO of IBM” quote by Dan Siroker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/018/dan-siroker-230198_failure_if-you-want-to-increase-your-success-rat_2163629.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/018/dan-siroker-230198_failure_if-you-want-to-increase-your-success-rat_2163629.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/018/dan-siroker-230198_failure_if-you-want-to-increase-your-success-rat_2163629.jpg) > ““If you want to increase your success rate, double your failure rate. Thomas J. Watson, Former Chairman and CEO of IBM”” Dan Siroker ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Increasing success involves embracing failure; more failures provide data to improve and ultimately raise success rates. **In simple terms:** Failure fuels success. Key Takeaway Fail often, learn fast. Themes entrepreneurship growth risk learning innovation Mood motivational strategic Type Failure:1 Success:1 Success Rate:1 Failure Rate:1 Increase Success:0 Double Failure:0 Watson Chairman:0 When to use this quote - Startups - product development - sales strategies - career advancement - research projects Key Concepts failure analysis iterative improvement risk tolerance business strategy personal development Questions to Reflect On - What failures have taught you the most? - How do you balance risk and safety? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on failure can lead to reckless risk-taking. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) ## Related quotes > [If you want to increase your success rate, double your failure rate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-want-to-increase-your-success-rate-double-your-failure-rate/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To double your successes, you might have to double your failure rate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/to-double-your-successes-you-might-have-to-double-your-failure-rate/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [If you want to succeed, double your failure rate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-want-to-succeed-double-your-failure-rate/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If you want to double your success rate, triple your failure rate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/if-you-want-to-double-your-success-rate-triple-your-failure-rate/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [If you ran a company with a failure rate of 68 percent, how long do you think you would stay in business? My guess…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-shapiro/if-you-ran-a-company-with-a-failure-rate-of-68-percent-how-long-do/) [Josh Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-shapiro/) > [When asked how to achieve success more rapidly, came the quick reply, 'Double your failure rate'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-j-watson/when-asked-how-to-achieve-success-more-rapidly-came-the-quick-reply/) [Thomas J. Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-j-watson/) > [If you want to double your success ratio, you have to double your failure ratio.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-mackay/if-you-want-to-double-your-success-ratio-you-have-to-double-your/) [Harvey Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-mackay/) > [If you increase your success by even a mere 10 percent, you have become 10 percent more effective as a leader than you were before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/if-you-increase-your-success-by-even-a-mere-10-percent-you-have/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [Activity equals results. If you want to increase your success, increase your activity. Increase contact with customers. The more people you contact, the higher…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/activity-equals-results-if-you-want-to-increase-your-success-increase/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [“The fifth power cue teaches you how to combine your voice and a host of other social signals to greatly increase your success rate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-morgan/the-fifth-power-cue-teaches-you-how-to-combine-your-voice-and-a-host/) [Nick Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-morgan/) > [Understand that you need to sell you and your ideas in order to advance your career, gain more respect, and increase your success, influence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-abraham/understand-that-you-need-to-sell-you-and-your-ideas-in-order-to/) [Jay Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-abraham/) > [Activity equals results. If you want to increase your success, increase your activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/activity-equals-results-if-you-want-to-increase-your-success-increase-2/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [It's not a very high failure rate if you choose people that you really like the sound of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-ferry/it-s-not-a-very-high-failure-rate-if-you-choose-people-that-you/) [Bryan Ferry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-ferry/) > [The failure rate for gym owners and personal trainers is very high because it is very difficult for them to work on their business…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorian-yates/the-failure-rate-for-gym-owners-and-personal-trainers-is-very-high/) [Dorian Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorian-yates/) > [There is a 90% failure rate for most shows. It's difficult for any show to write for the next season.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-passmore/there-is-a-90-failure-rate-for-most-shows-it-s-difficult-for-any-show/) [Matt Passmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-passmore/) ## 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": "“If you want to increase your success rate, double your failure rate. 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