--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Even when you self-destruct, you want to…" description: "\"Even when you self-destruct, you want to fail more, lose more, die more than others, stink more than others.\" — Don DeLillo" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc6/don-delillo-294_failing_even-when-you-self-destruct-you-want-to_1591238.jpg" --- # Even when you self-destruct, you want to fail more, lose… ![“Even when you self-destruct, you want to fail more, lose more, die more than others, stink more than others.” quote by Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc6/don-delillo-294_failing_even-when-you-self-destruct-you-want-to_1591238.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc6/don-delillo-294_failing_even-when-you-self-destruct-you-want-to_1591238.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc6/don-delillo-294_failing_even-when-you-self-destruct-you-want-to_1591238.jpg) > “Even when you self-destruct, you want to fail more, lose more, die more than others, stink more than others.” [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A reflection on self‑destructive impulses that intensify suffering beyond ordinary limits **In simple terms:** Self‑destruction amplifies pain Key Takeaway Recognize and break harmful patterns Themes self‑destruction psychology existentialism Mood dark introspective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - Addiction cycles - toxic relationships - mental health crises Key Concepts Self‑sabotage nihilism pain perception Questions to Reflect On - Why do you seek greater pain? - Can you find healthier ways to feel alive? A Different Perspective Might glorify suffering or be misread as fatalistic ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) ## Related quotes > [In cartoons, why does the evil guy always put a self destruct button on the machine?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-cartoons-why-does-the-evil-guy-always-put-a-self-destruct-button/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The quickest way to self destruct is not being yourself !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milliton-munney/the-quickest-way-to-self-destruct-is-not-being-yourself/) [Milliton MUNNEY](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milliton-munney/) > [“I hit the self-destruct button hard.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-lane/i-hit-the-self-destruct-button-hard/) [Nina Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-lane/) > [“And I so badly needed to self-destruct.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-hodkin/and-i-so-badly-needed-to-self-destruct/) [Michelle Hodkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-hodkin/) > [“I so badly needed to self-destruct.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-hodkin/i-so-badly-needed-to-self-destruct/) [Michelle Hodkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-hodkin/) > [“LAB WILL SELF-DESTRUCT IN ONE HOUR.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-sunseri/lab-will-self-destruct-in-one-hour/) [Heather Sunseri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-sunseri/) > [“Sometimes to self-discover you must self-destruct.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-drake/sometimes-to-self-discover-you-must-self-destruct/) [robert m drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-drake/) > [The days of the digitals are numbered. The metaphor is built into them like a self-destruct mechanism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/the-days-of-the-digitals-are-numbered-the-metaphor-is-built-into-them/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [I'm not afraid to fail. Sometimes when you lose, you win. Sometimes when you win, you lose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-mac/i-m-not-afraid-to-fail-sometimes-when-you-lose-you-win-sometimes-when/) [Bernie Mac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-mac/) > [I don't think anyone's a failure as long as they're still innocent. Just a little. 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You've got to get to the bottom of what is psychologically motivating them to self-destruct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jillian-michaels/you-re-dealing-with-people-who-are-suiciding-slowly-you-ve-got-to-get/) [Jillian Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jillian-michaels/) ## More by Don DeLillo > [“We all know how the thing we secretly fear is not a secret at all but the open and eternal thing that predicts its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/we-all-know-how-the-thing-we-secretly-fear-is-not-a-secret-at-all-but/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [Everything is barely weeks. Everything is days. We have minutes to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/everything-is-barely-weeks-everything-is-days-we-have-minutes-to-live/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [The novel is the dream release, the suspension of reality that history needs to escape its own brutal confinements.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/the-novel-is-the-dream-release-the-suspension-of-reality-that-history/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [“As I listened I thought a featureless baggy man was striking me in slow motion with a well-polished stone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/as-i-listened-i-thought-a-featureless-baggy-man-was-striking-me-in/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [“Murray said, 'I don't trust anybody's nostalgia but my own. Nostalgia is a product of dissatisfaction and rage. It´s a settling of grievances between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/murray-said-i-don-t-trust-anybody-s-nostalgia-but-my-own-nostalgia-is/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [“She is beginning to think it is possible that all creation is a spurt of blank matter that chances to make an emerald planet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/she-is-beginning-to-think-it-is-possible-that-all-creation-is-a-spurt/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [“Those who have abandoned belief must still believe in us. They are sure that they are right not to believe but they know belief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/those-who-have-abandoned-belief-must-still-believe-in-us-they-are/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [“The plane had lost power in all three engines, dropped from thirty-four thousand feet to twelve thousand feet. Something like four miles. 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So I think there is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/there-is-a-set-of-balances-and-rhythms-to-a-novel-that-we-can-t/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [“There is no lie in war or preparation of war that can't be defended. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/there-is-no-lie-in-war-or-preparation-of-war-that-can-t-be-defended/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) [Explore all 699 Don DeLillo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) ## More Failing quotes > [Many individuals spend a considerable portion of their lifetimes in terror of one imagined catastrophe or another. The classic is that your immortal soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/many-individuals-spend-a-considerable-portion-of-their-lifetimes-in/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [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/) > [Trial by jury. Live wherever you can make a living. How could a government based on such principles fail?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-ambrose/trial-by-jury-live-wherever-you-can-make-a-living-how-could-a/) [Stephen Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-ambrose/) > [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [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/) > [I would warn against holsters with devices for quick-draw. Devices always fail when you need them most.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-powell/i-would-warn-against-holsters-with-devices-for-quick-draw-devices/) [William Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-powell/) > [You can’t bake a cake without getting the kitchen messy. Halfway through surgery it looks like there’s been a murder in the operating room.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/price-pritchett/you-can-t-bake-a-cake-without-getting-the-kitchen-messy-halfway/) [Price Pritchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/price-pritchett/) > [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/) > [When I paint, I never think of selling. People simply fail to understand that we paint in order to experiment and to develop ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/when-i-paint-i-never-think-of-selling-people-simply-fail-to/) [Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/) > [Either dragons should exist completely or fail to exist at all, he felt. A dragon only half-existing was worse than the extremes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/either-dragons-should-exist-completely-or-fail-to-exist-at-all-he/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [I wake up every morning fearing I am going to fail. But I love a challenge, big or small. There's so much I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-mone/i-wake-up-every-morning-fearing-i-am-going-to-fail-but-i-love-a/) [Michelle Mone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-mone/) > [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/) > [In proportion as our inward life fails, we go more constantly and desperately to the post office. You may depend on it, that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/in-proportion-as-our-inward-life-fails-we-go-more-constantly-and/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The very first company I started failed with a great bang. The second one failed a little bit less, but still failed. The third…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-levchin/the-very-first-company-i-started-failed-with-a-great-bang-the-second/) [Max Levchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-levchin/) Browse all 5,634 Failing quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Even when you self-destruct, you want to fail more, lose more, die more than others, stink more than others.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Don DeLillo" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/even-when-you-self-destruct-you-want-to-fail-more-lose-more-die-more/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Failing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/even-when-you-self-destruct-you-want-to-fail-more-lose-more-die-more/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc6/don-delillo-294_failing_even-when-you-self-destruct-you-want-to_1591238.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc6/don-delillo-294_failing_even-when-you-self-destruct-you-want-to_1591238.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc6/don-delillo-294_failing_even-when-you-self-destruct-you-want-to_1591238.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Even when you self-destruct, you want to fail more, lose more, die more than others, stink more than others.” — Don DeLillo", "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": "Don DeLillo", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Even when you self-destruct, you want...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/even-when-you-self-destruct-you-want-to-fail-more-lose-more-die-more/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/even-when-you-self-destruct-you-want-to-fail-more-lose-more-die-more/#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 } } ] } ```