--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is not enough that we should succeed…" description: "\"It is not enough that we should succeed, but our friends must fail as well.\" — Francois de La Rochefoucauld" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29b/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld-1_enough_it-is-not-enough-that-we-should-succeed_2830021.png" --- # It is not enough that we should succeed, but our friends… ![“It is not enough that we should succeed, but our friends must fail as well.” quote by Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29b/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld-1_enough_it-is-not-enough-that-we-should-succeed_2830021.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29b/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld-1_enough_it-is-not-enough-that-we-should-succeed_2830021.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29b/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld-1_enough_it-is-not-enough-that-we-should-succeed_2830021.png) > “It is not enough that we should succeed, but our friends must fail as well.” [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Success is insufficient; one’s friends must also fail to maintain status. **In simple terms:** Success alone isn’t enough; friends should fail too. Key Takeaway Beware of envy in social hierarchies. Themes social hierarchy envy success Mood cynical philosophical Type ethical social When to use this quote - corporate competition - social networking - political maneuvering Key Concepts philosophy politics human nature Questions to Reflect On - Is it ethical to wish failure on friends? - How does competition affect relationships? A Different Perspective Friendship should be supportive, not competitive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friends/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) ## Related quotes > [“For a man to successful, not only must he succeed but his friends must also fail.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/for-a-man-to-successful-not-only-must-he-succeed-but-his-friends-must/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [My books are friends that never fail me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/my-books-are-friends-that-never-fail-me/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [Trust in God alone, and lean not on the needs of human help. Be not surprised when friends fail you; it is a failing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/trust-in-god-alone-and-lean-not-on-the-needs-of-human-help-be-not/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [“Business succeed when friends and relatives pays their bills promptly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdulazeez-henry-musa/business-succeed-when-friends-and-relatives-pays-their-bills-promptly/) [Abdulazeez Henry Musa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdulazeez-henry-musa/) > [For true happiness, it is not enough to be successful oneself . . . one's friends must fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/for-true-happiness-it-is-not-enough-to-be-successful-oneself-one-s/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [“Never give up your right to be wrong, and be sure to give others that right too.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-fargo/never-give-up-your-right-to-be-wrong-and-be-sure-to-give-others-that/) [Tim Fargo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-fargo/) > [More times than not, it's a failed endeavor. You will fail more times than you succeed. But I think you need those failed endeavors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/more-times-than-not-it-s-a-failed-endeavor-you-will-fail-more-times/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) > [No child wants to fail. Everyone wants to succeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-green/no-child-wants-to-fail-everyone-wants-to-succeed/) [Al Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-green/) > [When you fail to succeed the first time, keep trying. It's called life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-cranch-bond/when-you-fail-to-succeed-the-first-time-keep-trying-it-s-called-life/) [William Cranch Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-cranch-bond/) > [I think it's an essential fact for any performer or artist to fail as poignantly as they can succeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-cave/i-think-it-s-an-essential-fact-for-any-performer-or-artist-to-fail-as/) [Nick Cave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-cave/) > [You have to fail, man, but you cannot allow failure to stop you from doing what you must do. Failing is just as good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-smoove/you-have-to-fail-man-but-you-cannot-allow-failure-to-stop-you-from/) [J. B. Smoove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-smoove/) > [When I try, I fail. When I trust, He succeeds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corrie-ten-boom/when-i-try-i-fail-when-i-trust-he-succeeds/) [Corrie Ten Boom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corrie-ten-boom/) > [If I succeed in business but fail as a father, then I've failed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-wahlberg/if-i-succeed-in-business-but-fail-as-a-father-then-i-ve-failed/) [Mark Wahlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-wahlberg/) > [If you're having trouble succeeding, fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-beck/if-you-re-having-trouble-succeeding-fail/) [Kent Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-beck/) > [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/) ## More by Francois de La Rochefoucauld > [Our own distrust gives a fair pretence for the knavery of other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/our-own-distrust-gives-a-fair-pretence-for-the-knavery-of-other-people/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [Behind many acts that are thought ridiculous there lie wise and weighty motives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/behind-many-acts-that-are-thought-ridiculous-there-lie-wise-and/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [“Passion often makes a madman of the cleverest man, and renders the greatest fools clever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/passion-often-makes-a-madman-of-the-cleverest-man-and-renders-the/) [François de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [Perseverance is neither praiseworthy nor blameworthy; for it seems to be only the enduring of certain inclinations and opinions which men neither give themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/perseverance-is-neither-praiseworthy-nor-blameworthy-for-it-seems-to/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [A woman is faithful to her first lover for a long time - unless she happens to take a second.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/a-woman-is-faithful-to-her-first-lover-for-a-long-time-unless-she/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [We are almost always wearied in the company of persons with whom we are not permitted to be weary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/we-are-almost-always-wearied-in-the-company-of-persons-with-whom-we/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [The love of new acquaintance comes not so much from being weary of what we had before, or from any satisfaction there is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/the-love-of-new-acquaintance-comes-not-so-much-from-being-weary-of/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [It is sometimes necessary to play the fool to avoid being deceived by cunning men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/it-is-sometimes-necessary-to-play-the-fool-to-avoid-being-deceived-by/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [The intention of never deceiving often exposes us to deception.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/the-intention-of-never-deceiving-often-exposes-us-to-deception/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [Jealousy springs more from love of self than from love of another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/jealousy-springs-more-from-love-of-self-than-from-love-of-another/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [Our distrust of another justifies his deceit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/our-distrust-of-another-justifies-his-deceit/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/no-persons-are-more-frequently-wrong-than-those-who-will-not-admit/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [Jealousy is always born with love, but does not die with it. In jealousy there is more of self-love than of love to another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/jealousy-is-always-born-with-love-but-does-not-die-with-it-in/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [The greatest of all gifts is the power to estimate things at their true worth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/the-greatest-of-all-gifts-is-the-power-to-estimate-things-at-their/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [We have not strength enough to follow our reason so far as it would carry us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/we-have-not-strength-enough-to-follow-our-reason-so-far-as-it-would/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) [Explore all 1,134 Francois de La Rochefoucauld quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) ## More Enough quotes > [I guess at it's very core love is connection that just makes so much sense you wonder how you used to live before you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-stone/i-guess-at-it-s-very-core-love-is-connection-that-just-makes-so-much/) [Benjamin Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-stone/) > [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. You just take it in your stride because you know that you have done your best... 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