--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He thinks of failure like learning to…" description: "\"“He thinks of failure like learning to ride a bike; it isn’t conceivable that you would learn to do this without making mistakes—without toppling over ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3bd/ed-catmull-1553_failure_he-thinks-of-failure-like-learning-to-ri_1541907.jpg" --- # He thinks of failure like learning to ride a bike; it… ![“He thinks of failure like learning to ride a bike; it isn’t conceivable that you would learn to do this without making mistakes—without toppling over a few times. “Get a bike that’s as low to the ground as you can find, put on elbow and knee pads so you’re not afraid of falling, and go,” quote by Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3bd/ed-catmull-1553_failure_he-thinks-of-failure-like-learning-to-ri_1541907.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3bd/ed-catmull-1553_failure_he-thinks-of-failure-like-learning-to-ri_1541907.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3bd/ed-catmull-1553_failure_he-thinks-of-failure-like-learning-to-ri_1541907.jpg) > ““He thinks of failure like learning to ride a bike; it isn’t conceivable that you would learn to do this without making mistakes—without toppling over a few times. “Get a bike that’s as low to the ground as you can find, put on elbow and knee pads so you’re not afraid of falling, and go,”” [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Failure is a natural part of learning; embracing mistakes and protecting oneself encourages growth and mastery. **In simple terms:** Mistakes are essential for learning. Key Takeaway Embrace failure as a learning tool. Themes learning growth resilience Mood optimistic reflective Type advice motivational When to use this quote - skill acquisition - entrepreneurship - education Key Concepts growth mindset risk management Questions to Reflect On - What small risks can you take today? - How do you balance safety with growth? A Different Perspective Over‑protecting can limit valuable learning experiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) ## Related quotes > [Whether you're 7 feet 6 inches or normal height, stealing someone's bike is low.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-bradley/whether-you-re-7-feet-6-inches-or-normal-height-stealing-someone-s/) [Shawn Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-bradley/) > [No one ought to be under any illusion that Cheney privately thinks himself a failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/no-one-ought-to-be-under-any-illusion-that-cheney-privately-thinks/) [Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/) > [“If a society has no moral foundations then success is a threat. Every successful person thinks everyone else is a failure, and this is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wasif-ali-wasif/if-a-society-has-no-moral-foundations-then-success-is-a-threat-every/) [Wasif Ali Wasif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wasif-ali-wasif/) > [“You don't have to be afraid of falling. Just close your eyes, let go, and know that I'll always be here with arms outstretched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-l-jennings/you-don-t-have-to-be-afraid-of-falling-just-close-your-eyes-let-go/) [S.L. Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-l-jennings/) > [The harder you strive to climb the throne, the more you are afraid of falling...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariana-fulger/the-harder-you-strive-to-climb-the-throne-the-more-you-are-afraid-of/) [Mariana Fulger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariana-fulger/) > [She said to him I am afraid of falling. He said I have wings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/she-said-to-him-i-am-afraid-of-falling-he-said-i-have-wings/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm not afraid of falling and getting up the next day with a few bumps and bruises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-daddario/i-m-not-afraid-of-falling-and-getting-up-the-next-day-with-a-few/) [Alexandra Daddario](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-daddario/) > [Here's to the kids who are afraid of falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/here-s-to-the-kids-who-are-afraid-of-falling-in-love/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [She's not afraid of all the attention, she not afraid of running wild, how come she's so afraid of falling in love. She's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-payne/she-s-not-afraid-of-all-the-attention-she-not-afraid-of-running-wild/) [Liam Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-payne/) > [You're Not Scared Of The Dark, You're Scared Of What's In It. You're Not Afraid of Heights, You're Afraid Of Falling. You're Not Afraid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/you-re-not-scared-of-the-dark-you-re-scared-of-what-s-in-it-you-re/) Pacifiersucker > [But always think this: do not be afraid of failure. Do not be afraid of falling. In the art of walking, what is important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/but-always-think-this-do-not-be-afraid-of-failure-do-not-be-afraid-of/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [Nobody is afraid of heights, Their afraid of falling.Nobody is afraid to swim, their afraid of drowning. Nobody is afraid of love, their afraid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wang-non/nobody-is-afraid-of-heights-their-afraid-of-falling-nobody-is-afraid/) Wang Non > [Don't say your falling in love with me, That's Exactly what I'm afraid of. All the hurting, fighting and all the crying. I'm afraid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-bartlett/don-t-say-your-falling-in-love-with-me-that-s-exactly-what-i-m-afraid/) Sam Bartlett > [Your not scared of the dark, but whats in the dark. your not afraid of heights your afraid of falling. your not afraid of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/your-not-scared-of-the-dark-but-whats-in-the-dark-your-not-afraid-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“No one is afraid of heights, they're afraid of falling down. No one is afraid of saying I love you, they're afraid of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-cobain/no-one-is-afraid-of-heights-they-re-afraid-of-falling-down-no-one-is/) [Kurt Cobain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-cobain/) ## More by Ed Catmull > [“So I tell myself that I have time, even when I don’t. As in, ‘Okay, I’m going to proceed as if I have time—I’m…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/so-i-tell-myself-that-i-have-time-even-when-i-don-t-as-in-okay-i-m/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“How, then, do you make failure into something people can face without fear? Part of the answer is simple: If we as leaders can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/how-then-do-you-make-failure-into-something-people-can-face-without/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“Andrew Stanton says, adding that on each of his own films, he has made a point of doing this on a smaller scale, separate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/andrew-stanton-says-adding-that-on-each-of-his-own-films-he-has-made/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“This was a success in itself, but it came with an added and unexpected benefit: The act of thinking about the problem and responding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/this-was-a-success-in-itself-but-it-came-with-an-added-and-unexpected/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“This principle eludes most people, but it is critical: You are not your idea, and if you identify too closely with your ideas, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/this-principle-eludes-most-people-but-it-is-critical-you-are-not-your/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“You might say I’m an advocate for humility in leaders. But to be truly humble, those leaders must first understand how many of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/you-might-say-i-m-an-advocate-for-humility-in-leaders-but-to-be-truly/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“Rejecting failure and avoiding mistakes seem like high-minded”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/rejecting-failure-and-avoiding-mistakes-seem-like-high-minded/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“The most productive creative sessions allow for the exploration of myriad trains of thought.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/the-most-productive-creative-sessions-allow-for-the-exploration-of/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“My rule of thumb is that any time we impose limits or procedures, we should ask how they will aid in enabling people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/my-rule-of-thumb-is-that-any-time-we-impose-limits-or-procedures-we/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“Toy Story went on to become the top-grossing film of the year and would earn $358 million worldwide. But it wasn’t just the numbers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/toy-story-went-on-to-become-the-top-grossing-film-of-the-year-and/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“THERE IS NOTHING quite like ignorance combined with a driving need to succeed to force rapid learning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/there-is-nothing-quite-like-ignorance-combined-with-a-driving-need-to/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“What makes Pixar special is that we acknowledge we will always have problems, many of them hidden from our view; that we work hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/what-makes-pixar-special-is-that-we-acknowledge-we-will-always-have/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“Every morning, as I walk into Pixar Animation Studios—past the twenty-foot-high sculpture of Luxo Jr., our friendly desk lamp mascot, through the double doors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/every-morning-as-i-walk-into-pixar-animation-studios-past-the-twenty/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“What makes Pixar special is that we acknowledge we will always have problems, many of them hidden from our view; that we work hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/what-makes-pixar-special-is-that-we-acknowledge-we-will-always-have-2/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“I believe that managers must loosen the controls, not tighten them. They must accept risk; they must trust the people they work with and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/i-believe-that-managers-must-loosen-the-controls-not-tighten-them/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) [Explore all 226 Ed Catmull quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) ## 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": "“He thinks of failure like learning to ride a bike; it isn’t conceivable that you would learn to do this without making mistakes—without toppling over a few times. “Get a bike that’s as low to the ground as you can find, put on elbow and knee pads so you’re not afraid of falling, and go,”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ed Catmull" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/he-thinks-of-failure-like-learning-to-ride-a-bike-it-isn-t/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Failure" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/he-thinks-of-failure-like-learning-to-ride-a-bike-it-isn-t/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3bd/ed-catmull-1553_failure_he-thinks-of-failure-like-learning-to-ri_1541907.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3bd/ed-catmull-1553_failure_he-thinks-of-failure-like-learning-to-ri_1541907.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3bd/ed-catmull-1553_failure_he-thinks-of-failure-like-learning-to-ri_1541907.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He thinks of failure like learning to ride a bike; it isn’t conceivable that you would learn to do this…” — Ed Catmull", "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": "Ed Catmull", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“He thinks of failure like learning...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/he-thinks-of-failure-like-learning-to-ride-a-bike-it-isn-t/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/he-thinks-of-failure-like-learning-to-ride-a-bike-it-isn-t/#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 } } ] } ```