Bad thing Quote by Edwin Catmull
“It's pretty popular today to say that everybody should learn to fail and that failure's a good thing. Intellectually, it's an obvious thing. But in fact, it gets conflated with another meaning of failure, so when we grow up as kids, failing in school was a really bad thing.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Pixar Leadership, 2015
Failure is valuable for learning, but it is often misinterpreted as a personal flaw, especially in early education.
In simple terms: Failure teaches, but is misread.
Key Takeaway
Reframe failure as learning, not shame.
Themes
education
growth mindset
innovation
Mood
inspirational
practical
Type
educational
motivational
When to use this quote
- schools
- startup environments
- creative projects
- personal development
Key Concepts
learning from errors
resilience
risk‑taking
culture of failure
Questions to Reflect On
- How can educators normalize failure?
- What balance between failure and success is healthy?
A Different Perspective
Overemphasis on failure can discourage risk‑taking.
