--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's not enough that I should succeed…" description: "\"It's not enough that I should succeed - others should fail.\" — David Merrick" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5af/david-merrick-89260_failure_it-s-not-enough-that-i-should-succeed-ot_1218019.jpg" --- # It's not enough that I should succeed - others should fail. ![“It's not enough that I should succeed - others should fail.” quote by David Merrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5af/david-merrick-89260_failure_it-s-not-enough-that-i-should-succeed-ot_1218019.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5af/david-merrick-89260_failure_it-s-not-enough-that-i-should-succeed-ot_1218019.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5af/david-merrick-89260_failure_it-s-not-enough-that-i-should-succeed-ot_1218019.jpg) > “It's not enough that I should succeed - others should fail.” [David Merrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-merrick/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Success should not come at the expense of others' failure; competition need not be zero‑sum. **In simple terms:** Success shouldn't require others to fail. Key Takeaway Seek collaborative success. Themes competition ethics success failure social dynamics Mood determined critical Type fail:1 failure:1 succeed:1 success:1 succeed fail:1 When to use this quote - business - sports - academia Key Concepts zero‑sum thinking win‑win altruism Questions to Reflect On - How can you help others succeed? - What defines true success for you? A Different Perspective May ignore systemic inequality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fail/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Succeed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/succeed/) [Succeed Fail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/succeed-fail/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) ## Related quotes > [My willingness to fail gives me the ability to succeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinod-khosla/my-willingness-to-fail-gives-me-the-ability-to-succeed/) [Vinod Khosla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinod-khosla/) > [“Sometimes the only way to succeed is to fail backwards”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benny-bellamacina/sometimes-the-only-way-to-succeed-is-to-fail-backwards/) [Benny Bellamacina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benny-bellamacina/) > [The difference between those who succeed and fail: not taking advantage of opportunities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-thomas/the-difference-between-those-who-succeed-and-fail-not-taking/) [Eric Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-thomas/) > [Experience has taught me that there is one chief reason why some people succeed and others fail. The difference is not one of knowing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-babson/experience-has-taught-me-that-there-is-one-chief-reason-why-some/) [Roger Babson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-babson/) > [Without Divine assistance I can not succeed; with it I can not fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/without-divine-assistance-i-can-not-succeed-with-it-i-can-not-fail/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Nothing in this life comes easy, sometimes we try so hard to succeed and still fail but remember anything worth having is worth fighting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/telisa-mclaughlin/nothing-in-this-life-comes-easy-sometimes-we-try-so-hard-to-succeed/) [Telisa McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/telisa-mclaughlin/) > [“We don't succeed or fail because of fortune or luck. We succeed because we understand the way the world works and what we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viet-thanh-nguyen/we-don-t-succeed-or-fail-because-of-fortune-or-luck-we-succeed/) [Viet Thanh Nguyen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viet-thanh-nguyen/) > [If you're having trouble succeeding, fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-beck/if-you-re-having-trouble-succeeding-fail/) [Kent Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-beck/) > [Better to try something and fail than to try nothing and succeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/better-to-try-something-and-fail-than-to-try-nothing-and-succeed/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There's a spectrum of those moments of connection and the moments we fail to connect, going from super-large successes to failures. Success would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-bender/there-s-a-spectrum-of-those-moments-of-connection-and-the-moments-we/) [Aimee Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-bender/) > [“Quitters don’t gain what they have started working on; waiters don’t start what they could have gained. What is common there is failure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/quitters-don-t-gain-what-they-have-started-working-on-waiters-don-t/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [Business is always a struggle. There are always obstacles and competitors. There is never an open road, except the wide road that leads to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kirubi/business-is-always-a-struggle-there-are-always-obstacles-and/) [Chris Kirubi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kirubi/) > [Be of good cheer. Do not think of today's failures, but of the success that may come tomorrow. You have set yourselves a difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/be-of-good-cheer-do-not-think-of-today-s-failures-but-of-the-success/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [The number of poor, and poorly prepared, students who succeed in college and beyond undercuts the simplistic notion that economic or educational disadvantage is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-merullo/the-number-of-poor-and-poorly-prepared-students-who-succeed-in/) [Roland Merullo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-merullo/) > [If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then quit. No use being a damn fool about it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wc-fields/if-at-first-you-don-t-succeed-try-try-again-then-quit-no-use-being-a/) [WC Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wc-fields/) ## More by David Merrick > [It is not enough for me to win. My enemies must lose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-merrick/it-is-not-enough-for-me-to-win-my-enemies-must-lose/) [David Merrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-merrick/) [Explore all 2 David Merrick quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-merrick/) ## More Fail quotes > [God's love never fail :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-s-love-never-fail/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Would you like a side of epic with that fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabi/would-you-like-a-side-of-epic-with-that-fail/) [Gabi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabi/) > [Apologies are not pass/fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-pausch/apologies-are-not-pass-fail/) [Randy Pausch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-pausch/) > [My willingness to fail gives me the ability to succeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinod-khosla/my-willingness-to-fail-gives-me-the-ability-to-succeed/) [Vinod Khosla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinod-khosla/) > [If you have a good idea you must explain it or you will fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/if-you-have-a-good-idea-you-must-explain-it-or-you-will-fail/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [We can't afford any president to fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/we-can-t-afford-any-president-to-fail/) [Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/) > [What I want is to be willing to fail rather than stagnate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dickey/what-i-want-is-to-be-willing-to-fail-rather-than-stagnate/) [James Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dickey/) > [“If you die, I will find you. I will never leave you. I will never let you go. I will not let you fall,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thea-harrison/if-you-die-i-will-find-you-i-will-never-leave-you-i-will-never-let/) [Thea Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thea-harrison/) > [“The worst outcome of not trying is never getting to fail.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-gary-smith/the-worst-outcome-of-not-trying-is-never-getting-to-fail/) [Phillip Gary Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-gary-smith/) > [“Many people fail in their career, business and relationship, and others get stuck because of their inability to make quality decisions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nkem-mpamah/many-people-fail-in-their-career-business-and-relationship-and-others/) [Nkem Mpamah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nkem-mpamah/) > [“Quitters don’t gain what they have started working on; waiters don’t start what they could have gained. What is common there is failure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/quitters-don-t-gain-what-they-have-started-working-on-waiters-don-t/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [This is my most important role. If I fail at this, I fail at everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-wahlberg/this-is-my-most-important-role-if-i-fail-at-this-i-fail-at-everything/) [Mark Wahlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-wahlberg/) > [Sunscreen is something that I think a lot of people fail to incorporate into their beauty routines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-zegler/sunscreen-is-something-that-i-think-a-lot-of-people-fail-to/) [Rachel Zegler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-zegler/) > [Never give up on something just because you think you might fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-lee-reed-jr/never-give-up-on-something-just-because-you-think-you-might-fail/) [Jimmy Lee Reed Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-lee-reed-jr/) > [The main thing that endears the United Nations to member governments, and so enables it to survive, is its proven capacity to fail, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-cruise-o-brien/the-main-thing-that-endears-the-united-nations-to-member-governments/) [Conor Cruise O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-cruise-o-brien/) [Browse all 2,202 Fail quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fail/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's not enough that I should succeed - others should fail.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Merrick" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-merrick/it-s-not-enough-that-i-should-succeed-others-should-fail/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fail" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-merrick/it-s-not-enough-that-i-should-succeed-others-should-fail/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5af/david-merrick-89260_failure_it-s-not-enough-that-i-should-succeed-ot_1218019.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5af/david-merrick-89260_failure_it-s-not-enough-that-i-should-succeed-ot_1218019.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5af/david-merrick-89260_failure_it-s-not-enough-that-i-should-succeed-ot_1218019.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's not enough that I should succeed - others should fail.” — David Merrick", "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": "David Merrick", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-merrick/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's not enough that I should...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-merrick/it-s-not-enough-that-i-should-succeed-others-should-fail/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-merrick/it-s-not-enough-that-i-should-succeed-others-should-fail/#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 } } ] } ```