--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If the plan is to see what happens, a…" description: "\"If the plan is to see what happens, a team is guaranteed to succeed - at seeing what happens - but won't necessarily gain validated learning - If you c..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/813/eric-ries-2911_education_if-the-plan-is-to-see-what-happens-a-tea_681711.png" --- # If the plan is to see what happens, a team is guaranteed… ![“If the plan is to see what happens, a team is guaranteed to succeed - at seeing what happens - but won't necessarily gain validated learning - If you cannot fail, you cannot learn.” quote by Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/813/eric-ries-2911_education_if-the-plan-is-to-see-what-happens-a-tea_681711.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/813/eric-ries-2911_education_if-the-plan-is-to-see-what-happens-a-tea_681711.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/813/eric-ries-2911_education_if-the-plan-is-to-see-what-happens-a-tea_681711.png) > “If the plan is to see what happens, a team is guaranteed to succeed - at seeing what happens - but won't necessarily gain validated learning - If you cannot fail, you cannot learn.” [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Passive observation leads to execution without learning; failure is essential for validated insight. **In simple terms:** Learn by failing, not just by watching. Key Takeaway Embrace experiments and accept failure as data. Themes learning experimentation growth Mood analytical optimistic Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - startup teams - product launches - market testing Key Concepts validated learning risk management Questions to Reflect On - What experiment can you run today? - How will you measure learning from failure? A Different Perspective Too much focus on failure can cause paralysis or wasted resources. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Strategy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strategy/) [Team](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/team/) [Trust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trust/) ## Related quotes > [“If you do keep trying, there is no guarantee that you will succeed, but if you don’t keep trying, it is absolutely guaranteed that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denny-emerson/if-you-do-keep-trying-there-is-no-guarantee-that-you-will-succeed-but/) Denny Emerson > [“What he did succeed in seeing behind him in his mind's eye was tiny, compressed like a closed accordion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/what-he-did-succeed-in-seeing-behind-him-in-his-mind-s-eye-was-tiny/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [If you cannot fail, you cannot learn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/if-you-cannot-fail-you-cannot-learn/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [This is one of the most important lessons of the scientific method: if you cannot fail, you cannot learn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/this-is-one-of-the-most-important-lessons-of-the-scientific-method-if/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [This is great if you know all those "not to do" strategies. Sometimes you learn the "not to do's" by doing. The key is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-capodagli/this-is-great-if-you-know-all-those-not-to-do-strategies-sometimes/) [Bill Capodagli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-capodagli/) > [This is very important for you to believe you are the one that will be successful... You are the master of your failure. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cv-pillay/this-is-very-important-for-you-to-believe-you-are-the-one-that-will/) [Cv Pillay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cv-pillay/) > [Failure is an inescapable part of life and a critically important part of any successful life. We learn to walk by falling, to talk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tal-ben-shahar/failure-is-an-inescapable-part-of-life-and-a-critically-important/) [Tal Ben-Shahar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tal-ben-shahar/) > [“We need to remove the word failure from our vocabulary, replacing it instead with learning experience. 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If you will never learn, you'll never change..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/failures-are-part-of-life-if-you-never-fail-you-will-never-learn-if/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“You never lose when you fail; you only learn from the experience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-hollis/you-never-lose-when-you-fail-you-only-learn-from-the-experience/) Dave Hollis > [It's good to fail now and again - you learn a lot more out of failure than you do out of success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-hunter/it-s-good-to-fail-now-and-again-you-learn-a-lot-more-out-of-failure/) [Ian Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-hunter/) > [Remember the two benefits of failure. 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When a product fails…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/a-long-term-reputation-is-only-at-risk-when-companies-engage-in-vocal/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [The minimum viable product is that version of a new product which allows a team to collect the maximum amount of validated learning about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/the-minimum-viable-product-is-that-version-of-a-new-product-which/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [Every startup has a chance to change the world, by bringing not just a new product, but an entirely new institution into existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/every-startup-has-a-chance-to-change-the-world-by-bringing-not-just-a/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [Entrepreneurs can't forecast accurately, because they are trying something fundamentally new. So they will often be laughably behind plan - and on the brink…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/entrepreneurs-can-t-forecast-accurately-because-they-are-trying/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [Meritocracy is a good thing. Whenever possibly, people should be judged based on their work and results, not superficial qualities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/meritocracy-is-a-good-thing-whenever-possibly-people-should-be-judged/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [The lean startup method is not about cost, it is about speed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/the-lean-startup-method-is-not-about-cost-it-is-about-speed/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) [Explore all 138 Eric Ries quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) ## More Education quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) Ted Martinez > [“In school you are taught to obey and not to think straight for your own good. 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(Hilda Doolittle > [“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/) > [According to Plato, we don't learn anything. Our soul has lived so many lives that we know everything. Teachers and education can only remind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/according-to-plato-we-don-t-learn-anything-our-soul-has-lived-so-many/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“I only began to enjoy studying after I got through the educational system and became a so-called member of society. If something interested me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-only-began-to-enjoy-studying-after-i-got-through-the-educational/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you had made the acquiring of ignorance the study of your life, you could not have graduated with higher honor than you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-you-had-made-the-acquiring-of-ignorance-the-study-of-your-life-you/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [How wonderful it would be, I thought, if only we could practice the teachings of the Buddha as he really taught them from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/how-wonderful-it-would-be-i-thought-if-only-we-could-practice-the/) [Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/) > [English teachers tend to put more thought in the books than the author did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/english-teachers-tend-to-put-more-thought-in-the-books-than-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When will society, like a mother, take care of all her children?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/when-will-society-like-a-mother-take-care-of-all-her-children/) [Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/) [Browse all 37,666 Education quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If the plan is to see what happens, a team is guaranteed to succeed - at seeing what happens - but won't necessarily gain validated learning - If you cannot fail, you cannot learn.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Eric Ries" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/if-the-plan-is-to-see-what-happens-a-team-is-guaranteed-to-succeed-at/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Education" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/if-the-plan-is-to-see-what-happens-a-team-is-guaranteed-to-succeed-at/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/813/eric-ries-2911_education_if-the-plan-is-to-see-what-happens-a-tea_681711.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/813/eric-ries-2911_education_if-the-plan-is-to-see-what-happens-a-tea_681711.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/813/eric-ries-2911_education_if-the-plan-is-to-see-what-happens-a-tea_681711.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If the plan is to see what happens, a team is guaranteed to succeed - at seeing what happens - but won't…” — Eric Ries", "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": "Eric Ries", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If the plan is to see...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/if-the-plan-is-to-see-what-happens-a-team-is-guaranteed-to-succeed-at/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/if-the-plan-is-to-see-what-happens-a-team-is-guaranteed-to-succeed-at/#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 } } ] } ```