--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We need to discover the root causes of…" description: "\"We need to discover the root causes of success rather than the root causes of failure.\" — David Cooperrider" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/200/david-cooperrider-52692_causes_we-need-to-discover-the-root-causes-of-s_366925.jpg" --- # We need to discover the root causes of success rather than… ![“We need to discover the root causes of success rather than the root causes of failure.” quote by David Cooperrider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/200/david-cooperrider-52692_causes_we-need-to-discover-the-root-causes-of-s_366925.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/200/david-cooperrider-52692_causes_we-need-to-discover-the-root-causes-of-s_366925.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/200/david-cooperrider-52692_causes_we-need-to-discover-the-root-causes-of-s_366925.jpg) > “We need to discover the root causes of success rather than the root causes of failure.” [David Cooperrider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cooperrider/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Focus on what makes success happen rather than why failures occur. **In simple terms:** Study success to replicate it. Key Takeaway Identify and amplify strengths. Themes leadership learning growth Mood analytical optimistic Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - business strategy - team building - personal development Key Concepts systems thinking positive psychology organizational development Questions to Reflect On - What successes can you model? - How to you uncover hidden strengths? A Different Perspective Success factors can be context‑specific and not always transferable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Causes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/causes/) [Causes Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/causes-failure-1874192/) [Causes Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/causes-success-2500131/) [Discover Root](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discover-root-3356315/) [Discovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discovery/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Root cause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/root-cause/) [Root Causes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/root-causes-552305/) [Roots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roots/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Success Root](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success-root-3356314/) ## Related quotes > [ They \[root causes of terror\] come out of a long dialectic of U.S. involvement in the affairs of the Islamic world, the oil-producing world,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-said/they-root-causes-of-terror-come-out-of-a-long-dialectic-of-u-s/) [Edward Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-said/) > [During my lifetime, I realized that discrimination was not accidental, that there were structural roots and causes to it. So if we wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-bachelet/during-my-lifetime-i-realized-that-discrimination-was-not-accidental/) [Michelle Bachelet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-bachelet/) > [If you're going to fight terrorism, to me, you fight the root causes of terrorism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupe-fiasco/if-you-re-going-to-fight-terrorism-to-me-you-fight-the-root-causes-of/) [Lupe Fiasco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupe-fiasco/) > [If you study the root causes of business disasters, over and over you'll find this predisposition toward endeavors that offer immediate gratification.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clayton-christensen/if-you-study-the-root-causes-of-business-disasters-over-and-over-you/) [Clayton Christensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clayton-christensen/) > [The more one emphasizes winning, the less he or she is able to concentrate on what actually causes success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-saban/the-more-one-emphasizes-winning-the-less-he-or-she-is-able-to/) [Nick Saban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-saban/) > [Preparation meets opportunity, and that causes success if you're prepared to do your job and you practice a lot, more times than not you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-vinatieri/preparation-meets-opportunity-and-that-causes-success-if-you-re/) [Adam Vinatieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-vinatieri/) > [One Dilbert Blog reader noted that current research shows that happiness causes success more than success causes happiness. That makes sense to me. There's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/one-dilbert-blog-reader-noted-that-current-research-shows-that/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [“If something you did causes failure, shouldn't the exact opposite of what you did bring success?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-brody/if-something-you-did-causes-failure-shouldn-t-the-exact-opposite-of/) [Jessica Brody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-brody/) > [“As long as companies continue to attack their execution problems primarily or solely with structural or motivational initiatives, they will continue to fail. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-neilson/as-long-as-companies-continue-to-attack-their-execution-problems/) [Gary L. Neilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-neilson/) > [One of the most common causes of failure is the habit of of quitting when one is overtaken by temporary defeat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/one-of-the-most-common-causes-of-failure-is-the-habit-of-of-quitting/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [“One of the most common causes of failure is the habit of quitting when overtaken by temporary defeat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/one-of-the-most-common-causes-of-failure-is-the-habit-of-quitting/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [The habit of giving up when the present task is half finished and try something else is one of the chief causes of failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-d-larson/the-habit-of-giving-up-when-the-present-task-is-half-finished-and-try/) [Christian D. Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-d-larson/) > [“That may not be a simple conversation. But when you are dealing with root causes, at least you know you are fighting the real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-d-levitt/that-may-not-be-a-simple-conversation-but-when-you-are-dealing-with/) [Steven D. Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-d-levitt/) > [“Diagnose Problems to Get at Their Root Causes”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/diagnose-problems-to-get-at-their-root-causes/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [When we shift our public dollars away from our schools and city services and into company developments, it increases the root causes of poverty:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashida-tlaib/when-we-shift-our-public-dollars-away-from-our-schools-and-city/) [Rashida Tlaib](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashida-tlaib/) ## More by David Cooperrider > [We have reached the end of problem solving as a mode of inquiry capable of inspiring, mobilizing, and sustaining human system change. The future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cooperrider/we-have-reached-the-end-of-problem-solving-as-a-mode-of-inquiry/) [David Cooperrider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cooperrider/) > [We live in the world our questions create.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cooperrider/we-live-in-the-world-our-questions-create/) [David Cooperrider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cooperrider/) > [Almost without exception, everything society has considered a social advance has been prefigured first in some utopian writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cooperrider/almost-without-exception-everything-society-has-considered-a-social/) [David Cooperrider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cooperrider/) > [Business must be a force for good in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cooperrider/business-must-be-a-force-for-good-in-the-world/) [David Cooperrider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cooperrider/) > [All leadership is appreciative leadership. It's the capacity to see the best in the world around us, in our colleagues, and in the groups…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cooperrider/all-leadership-is-appreciative-leadership-it-s-the-capacity-to-see/) [David Cooperrider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cooperrider/) > [It could be argued that all leadership is appreciative leadership. It’s the capacity to see the best in the world around us, in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cooperrider/it-could-be-argued-that-all-leadership-is-appreciative-leadership-it/) [David Cooperrider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cooperrider/) [Explore all 7 David Cooperrider quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cooperrider/) ## More Causes quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [I pray that wherever we are and whatever duties we have in the priesthood of God, we will be united in the cause to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/i-pray-that-wherever-we-are-and-whatever-duties-we-have-in-the/) [Henry B. Eyring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-b-eyring/) > [When you go to a club it's not about being black or white or heavy or thick. I'm shaking my ass because I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/when-you-go-to-a-club-it-s-not-about-being-black-or-white-or-heavy-or/) [Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/) > [Many patients imagine that they have tried everything. True, they have used many remedies, but they have never had the cause of their infirmity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-d-palmer/many-patients-imagine-that-they-have-tried-everything-true-they-have/) [Daniel D. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-d-palmer/) > [Get out from that kitchen and rattle those pots and pans. 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