--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have not failed ten thousand times. I…" description: "\"“I have not failed ten thousand times. I have not failed once. I have succeeded in proving that those ten thousand ways won’t work. When I have elimina..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f12/dave-o-connor-57367_failure_i-have-not-failed-ten-thousand-times-i-h_1791152.jpg" --- # I have not failed ten thousand times. I have not failed… ![“I have not failed ten thousand times. I have not failed once. I have succeeded in proving that those ten thousand ways won’t work. When I have eliminated all of the ways that it won’t work, then I will find the way that it will work.’ Thomas Edison If” quote by Dave O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f12/dave-o-connor-57367_failure_i-have-not-failed-ten-thousand-times-i-h_1791152.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f12/dave-o-connor-57367_failure_i-have-not-failed-ten-thousand-times-i-h_1791152.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f12/dave-o-connor-57367_failure_i-have-not-failed-ten-thousand-times-i-h_1791152.jpg) > ““I have not failed ten thousand times. I have not failed once. I have succeeded in proving that those ten thousand ways won’t work. When I have eliminated all of the ways that it won’t work, then I will find the way that it will work.’ Thomas Edison If”” [Dave O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-o-connor/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Edison reframes failure as a series of experiments that eliminate non‑solutions, moving closer to success. **In simple terms:** Failure is just testing what doesn’t work. Key Takeaway Embrace each setback as data. Themes perseverance experimentation innovation Mood determined optimistic Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - research labs - product development - personal goals - entrepreneurship Key Concepts Scientific method resilience learning from error Questions to Reflect On - What assumptions can you discard today? - How do you measure progress when many attempts fail? A Different Perspective It ignores the emotional toll of repeated failure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Failed Succeeded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failed-succeeded-660548/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Sand Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sand-time/) [Succeeded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/succeeded/) [Succeeded Proving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/succeeded-proving-1947828/) [Thomas edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thomas-edison/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Won Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/won-work-252306/) ## Related quotes > [I have not failed 700 times. I have not failed once. I have succeeded in proving that those 700 ways will not work. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/i-have-not-failed-700-times-i-have-not-failed-once-i-have-succeeded/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [Are you done? If the answer is no, you have neither failed... or succeeded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-jay-taylor/are-you-done-if-the-answer-is-no-you-have-neither-failed-or-succeeded/) [T Jay Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-jay-taylor/) > [It won't be easy, that is why I have always failed where others have succeeded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-sellers/it-won-t-be-easy-that-is-why-i-have-always-failed-where-others-have/) [Peter Sellers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-sellers/) > [Don't hate me, at the end of the day I am a reflection of what you wanted to be, but couldn't be, no matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debrahlee-lorenzana/don-t-hate-me-at-the-end-of-the-day-i-am-a-reflection-of-what-you/) [Debrahlee Lorenzana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debrahlee-lorenzana/) > [You learn as much from those who have failed as from those who have succeeded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-johnson/you-learn-as-much-from-those-who-have-failed-as-from-those-who-have/) [Michael Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-johnson/) > [If someone has failed, that is not a deficiency for me. I think that he has more motivation. I've seen many examples where someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yossi-vardi/if-someone-has-failed-that-is-not-a-deficiency-for-me-i-think-that-he/) [Yossi Vardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yossi-vardi/) > [“As Thomas Edison himself is said to have put it, “If I find 10,000 ways something won’t work, I haven’t failed. I am not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-satell/as-thomas-edison-himself-is-said-to-have-put-it-if-i-find-10-000-ways/) [Greg Satell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-satell/) > [“I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work. -Thomas A. Edison”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-tichio/i-have-not-failed-i-ve-just-found-10-000-ways-that-won-t-work-thomas/) [Joe Tichio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-tichio/) > [I have not failed 10,000 times. I have succeeded in proving that those 10,000 ways will not work,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/i-have-not-failed-10-000-times-i-have-succeeded-in-proving-that-those/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [“You didn’t identify with happy people, and in your excessiveness you projected onto those who had failed in everything, or succeeded in nothing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douard-lev/you-didn-t-identify-with-happy-people-and-in-your-excessiveness-you/) [Édouard Levé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douard-lev/) > [“Let me tell you: where the knife failed, you have succeeded. He is shattered - you have turned out all his lights! You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-perry/let-me-tell-you-where-the-knife-failed-you-have-succeeded-he-is/) [Sarah Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-perry/) > [“If you don't try to do something, you have failed. If you tried and failed, you have succeeded. If you tried and succeeded, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scotty-mccoy/if-you-don-t-try-to-do-something-you-have-failed-if-you-tried-and/) [Scotty McCoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scotty-mccoy/) > [Some things may work, but they definitely won't work every time. Some things may work at various times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-garcia/some-things-may-work-but-they-definitely-won-t-work-every-time-some/) [Jerry Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-garcia/) > [If everything that you do is for the market, it won't work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-allen-lawson/if-everything-that-you-do-is-for-the-market-it-won-t-work/) [T. Allen Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-allen-lawson/) > [Ideas won't work unless you do](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/ideas-won-t-work-unless-you-do/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Dave O'Connor > [“Winners always know in advance that they’re going to win. Just”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-o-connor/winners-always-know-in-advance-that-they-re-going-to-win-just/) [Dave O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-o-connor/) > [“The power of vision is one of the most important things you will ever learn! It is the fuel that makes your goals and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-o-connor/the-power-of-vision-is-one-of-the-most-important-things-you-will-ever/) [Dave O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-o-connor/) > [“The truth is most of us are living someone else’s dream and in many cases our lives turn out to be someone else’s nightmare.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-o-connor/the-truth-is-most-of-us-are-living-someone-else-s-dream-and-in-many/) [Dave O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-o-connor/) > [“The wonderful thing about life is that tomorrow is a brand new day. At”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-o-connor/the-wonderful-thing-about-life-is-that-tomorrow-is-a-brand-new-day-at/) [Dave O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-o-connor/) > [“We are all masters of self-deceit. We can justify what we do and why we do it and that is what must be overcome…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-o-connor/we-are-all-masters-of-self-deceit-we-can-justify-what-we-do-and-why/) [Dave O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-o-connor/) [Explore all 6 Dave O'Connor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-o-connor/) ## 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 have not failed ten thousand times. 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