--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you start your own thing, you can…" description: "\"If you start your own thing, you can learn a lot really fast from doing things wrong.\" — Drew Houston" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f31/drew-houston-14131_doing_if-you-start-your-own-thing-you-can-lear_1235891.jpg" --- # If you start your own thing, you can learn a lot really… ![“If you start your own thing, you can learn a lot really fast from doing things wrong.” quote by Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f31/drew-houston-14131_doing_if-you-start-your-own-thing-you-can-lear_1235891.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f31/drew-houston-14131_doing_if-you-start-your-own-thing-you-can-lear_1235891.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f31/drew-houston-14131_doing_if-you-start-your-own-thing-you-can-lear_1235891.jpg) > “If you start your own thing, you can learn a lot really fast from doing things wrong.” [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Starting a venture forces rapid learning through mistakes, accelerating growth. **In simple terms:** Mistakes teach fast in a new business. Key Takeaway Embrace failure as a learning tool. Themes entrepreneurship learning failure Mood reflective optimistic Type motivational practical When to use this quote - launching startups - product pivots - skill acquisition Key Concepts Iterative development growth mindset risk taking Questions to Reflect On - What recent mistake taught you the most? - How can you turn errors into progress? A Different Perspective Not all failures lead to insight. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) ## Related quotes > [I would say Pep Guardiola's No. 1 quality is that he sees the technical and tactical aspect of a game really fast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-kompany/i-would-say-pep-guardiola-s-no-1-quality-is-that-he-sees-the/) [Vincent Kompany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-kompany/) > [Everything in my life happens really fast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-embiid/everything-in-my-life-happens-really-fast/) [Joel Embiid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-embiid/) > [I got married really fast and really young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-kidman/i-got-married-really-fast-and-really-young/) [Nicole Kidman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-kidman/) > [That moment when you realize that you're falling for someone really really fast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-moment-when-you-realize-that-you-re-falling-for-someone-really/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I grew up really fast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mija/i-grew-up-really-fast/) [Mija](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mija/) > [Just because you start out as one thing, it doesn't mean you can't grow into something else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/just-because-you-start-out-as-one-thing-it-doesn-t-mean-you-can-t/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [Don't start the thing that You cant stop..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dhaval/don-t-start-the-thing-that-you-cant-stop/) [Dhaval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dhaval/) > [“You can't start over. There's no such thing as starting over. There's only history. And right now you're making tomorrow's history. So go out,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-davis/you-can-t-start-over-there-s-no-such-thing-as-starting-over-there-s/) [Jill Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-davis/) > [You dont have to think about accomplishing things instanly. Start with the thing you can do and then slowly go from there](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ephraim/you-dont-have-to-think-about-accomplishing-things-instanly-start-with/) [Ephraim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ephraim/) > [Formula for success: When you start a thing, finish it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/formula-for-success-when-you-start-a-thing-finish-it/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [You learn that you can never not work. If you really want to make it to the big leagues, there's no such thing as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kid-sister/you-learn-that-you-can-never-not-work-if-you-really-want-to-make-it/) Kid Sister > [When I finish with one thing very well, I start some other thing. I don't like to stop. I like to continually prove myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-cardin/when-i-finish-with-one-thing-very-well-i-start-some-other-thing-i-don/) [Pierre Cardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-cardin/) > [When you want to do something creative and you want to do something new, you have to start with the thing that's making you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/when-you-want-to-do-something-creative-and-you-want-to-do-something/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [I want to start a thing that encompasses music, film and writing as well. I dont think Ive established myself enough in film and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pattinson/i-want-to-start-a-thing-that-encompasses-music-film-and-writing-as/) [Robert Pattinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pattinson/) > [People always ask me, "Oh, do you ever want to start your own thing?" And I don't, actually. I think what I enjoy most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-dundas/people-always-ask-me-oh-do-you-ever-want-to-start-your-own-thing-and/) [Peter Dundas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-dundas/) ## More by Drew Houston > [The only way to learn on a zero dollar budget is to talk to people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/the-only-way-to-learn-on-a-zero-dollar-budget-is-to-talk-to-people/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [You become the average of the five people you hang out with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/you-become-the-average-of-the-five-people-you-hang-out-with/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [You must maximize the probability that someone shows up at front door of your store or website and ends up with a solved problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/you-must-maximize-the-probability-that-someone-shows-up-at-front-door/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [Even if it doesn't work out, the experience is so valuable to so many employers that your worst case scenario is, 'Ok, so that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/even-if-it-doesn-t-work-out-the-experience-is-so-valuable-to-so-many/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [If you're going to go to the moon, you don't shoot the rocket right at the moon. You have to go at it obliquely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/if-you-re-going-to-go-to-the-moon-you-don-t-shoot-the-rocket-right-at/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [The happiest and most successful people I know don't just love what they do, they're obsessed with solving an important problem, something that matters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/the-happiest-and-most-successful-people-i-know-don-t-just-love-what/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [Don't worry about failure; you only have to be right once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/don-t-worry-about-failure-you-only-have-to-be-right-once/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [No one is born a CEO, but no one tells you that. The magazine stories make it sound like Mark Zuckerberg woke up one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/no-one-is-born-a-ceo-but-no-one-tells-you-that-the-magazine-stories/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [Learn early, learn often.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/learn-early-learn-often/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [One of the great things about moving to Silicon Valley is that you're surrounded by all these people who've done it before. This place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/one-of-the-great-things-about-moving-to-silicon-valley-is-that-you-re/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [Where you live matters: there's only one MIT. And there's only one Hollywood and only one Silicon Valley. This isn't a coincidence: for whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/where-you-live-matters-there-s-only-one-mit-and-there-s-only-one/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [Dropbox is my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/dropbox-is-my-life/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [When you’re in school, every little mistake is a permanent crack in your windshield. 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What you should be doing is getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/if-you-have-a-dream-you-can-spend-a-lifetime-studying-planning-and/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) [Explore all 47 Drew Houston quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) ## More Doing quotes > [I don't know what I'm doing, but I'm damn well gonna do it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geri-halliwell/i-don-t-know-what-i-m-doing-but-i-m-damn-well-gonna-do-it/) [Geri Halliwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geri-halliwell/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [If you think you're doing everything right, then you have a tendency to stand pat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stockton/if-you-think-you-re-doing-everything-right-then-you-have-a-tendency/) [John Stockton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stockton/) > [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [Focus on becoming more to achieve more while doing less](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-elrod/focus-on-becoming-more-to-achieve-more-while-doing-less/) [Hal Elrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-elrod/) > [Doing the right things is more important than doing things right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ko-wen-je/doing-the-right-things-is-more-important-than-doing-things-right/) [Ko Wen-je](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ko-wen-je/) > [I was in high school and I had an independent album out, and we kept sending that out, and I was doing shows. No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-hilton/i-was-in-high-school-and-i-had-an-independent-album-out-and-we-kept/) [Tyler Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-hilton/) > [If I'm not thinking about you then I am texting you , if I am not texting you then I am on the phone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-i-m-not-thinking-about-you-then-i-am-texting-you-if-i-am-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [.\*. why u hate me..Bitches be doing the most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kitty/why-u-hate-me-bitches-be-doing-the-most/) Kitty > [“dances with mine as if we’ve been doing this our whole”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corinne-michaels/dances-with-mine-as-if-we-ve-been-doing-this-our-whole/) [Corinne Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corinne-michaels/) > [“I take my actions because of my passion not because of compulsion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/i-take-my-actions-because-of-my-passion-not-because-of-compulsion/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [When the dollar collapses, it's not doing it in a vacuum. If the dollar loses value, it's doing so relative to some other currency.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/when-the-dollar-collapses-it-s-not-doing-it-in-a-vacuum-if-the-dollar/) [Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/) > [When I made it, I still didn't wave the flag and say, Yeah go Asian people. I do want people to know that about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-hugo/when-i-made-it-i-still-didn-t-wave-the-flag-and-say-yeah-go-asian/) [Chad Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-hugo/) > [I really can't live without my In-N-Out burgers. Honestly, I can't. Even when I'm doing the whole no-carb thing occasionally, I make an exception…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-berkus/i-really-can-t-live-without-my-in-n-out-burgers-honestly-i-can-t-even/) [Nate Berkus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-berkus/) > [You can't drain the swamp, as President Trump has touted doing, without getting rid of Mitch McConnell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-mcgrath/you-can-t-drain-the-swamp-as-president-trump-has-touted-doing-without/) [Amy McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-mcgrath/) Browse all 10,133 Doing quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you start your own thing, you can learn a lot really fast from doing things wrong.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Drew Houston" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/if-you-start-your-own-thing-you-can-learn-a-lot-really-fast-from/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Doing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/if-you-start-your-own-thing-you-can-learn-a-lot-really-fast-from/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f31/drew-houston-14131_doing_if-you-start-your-own-thing-you-can-lear_1235891.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f31/drew-houston-14131_doing_if-you-start-your-own-thing-you-can-lear_1235891.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f31/drew-houston-14131_doing_if-you-start-your-own-thing-you-can-lear_1235891.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you start your own thing, you can learn a lot really fast from doing things wrong.” — Drew Houston", "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": "Drew Houston", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you start your own thing,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/if-you-start-your-own-thing-you-can-learn-a-lot-really-fast-from/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/if-you-start-your-own-thing-you-can-learn-a-lot-really-fast-from/#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 } } ] } ```