---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm fascinated by failure, and I'm…"
description: "\"I'm fascinated by failure, and I'm fascinated by finality. Shakespeare's historical plays are more universal than his comedies because they relate to t..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58a/george-hickenlooper-26074_beautiful_i-m-fascinated-by-failure-and-i-m-fascin_1933559.jpg"
---

#  I'm fascinated by failure, and I'm fascinated by finality…

![“I'm fascinated by failure, and I'm fascinated by finality. Shakespeare's historical plays are more universal than his comedies because they relate to the finality of life. Without finality, life would not be beautiful.” quote by George Hickenlooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58a/george-hickenlooper-26074_beautiful_i-m-fascinated-by-failure-and-i-m-fascin_1933559.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58a/george-hickenlooper-26074_beautiful_i-m-fascinated-by-failure-and-i-m-fascin_1933559.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58a/george-hickenlooper-26074_beautiful_i-m-fascinated-by-failure-and-i-m-fascin_1933559.jpg)

> “I'm fascinated by failure, and I'm fascinated by finality. Shakespeare's historical plays are more universal than his comedies because they relate to the finality of life. Without finality, life would not be beautiful.”

[George Hickenlooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-hickenlooper/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote suggests that life's beauty stems from its inevitable end, making Shakespeare's tragic themes universally resonant compared to his comedies.

**In simple terms:** Life's end gives meaning, making tragedy powerful.

Key Takeaway

Embrace impermanence to appreciate life.

Themes

mortality universality artistic value

Mood

reflective thoughtful

Type

philosophical literary

When to use this quote

- theater appreciation
- personal growth
- philosophical contemplation

Key Concepts

existentialism tragic catharsis

Questions to Reflect On

- How does awareness of mortality shape your priorities?
- What can tragedies teach that comedies cannot?

A Different Perspective

Without recognizing finality, one may undervalue present moments.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Beautiful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful/) [Comedies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedies/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Finality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finality/) [Historical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historical/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Plays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plays/) [Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shakespeare/)

## Related quotes

> [Im fascinated by failure, and Im fascinated by finality. Shakespeares historical plays are more universal than his comedies because they relate to the finality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-hickenlooper/im-fascinated-by-failure-and-im-fascinated-by-finality-shakespeares/)

[George Hickenlooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-hickenlooper/)

> [“I ask you again / You who watch / How can there ever be any ending but this? First silence / Then darkness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-power/i-ask-you-again-you-who-watch-how-can-there-ever-be-any-ending-but/)

Ben Power

> [There is never finality in the display terminal's screen, but an irresponsible whimsicality, as words, sentences, and paragraphs are negated at the touch of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-cockburn/there-is-never-finality-in-the-display-terminal-s-screen-but-an/)

[Alexander Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-cockburn/)

> [“There is no moment in which we say good-bye, there is no finality as he slips into peacefulness, he simply leaves us, and though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-o-donnell/there-is-no-moment-in-which-we-say-good-bye-there-is-no-finality-as/)

[Lisa O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-o-donnell/)

> [Imagine how different a world might be if more leaders took time to ponder the finality of death before racing off to war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/imagine-how-different-a-world-might-be-if-more-leaders-took-time-to/)

[Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/)

> [The bristling eyebrows shot up in mock surprise. Mesmerized. the boy watched them disappear under the hanging white thatch of hair. There, almost coyly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-stroud/the-bristling-eyebrows-shot-up-in-mock-surprise-mesmerized-the-boy/)

[Jonathan Stroud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-stroud/)

> [I love the finality of film. When you make a movie, you know the beginning, middle, and end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-banks/i-love-the-finality-of-film-when-you-make-a-movie-you-know-the/)

[Elizabeth Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-banks/)

> [The finality of Christs redemption for us is intimately tied to the finality of his revelation to us. . . . If we say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/the-finality-of-christs-redemption-for-us-is-intimately-tied-to-the/)

[Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/)

> [“Impossible to say why childhood joy ends with such finality in so many things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-franklin/impossible-to-say-why-childhood-joy-ends-with-such-finality-in-so/)

[Dave Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-franklin/)

> ['Death with dignity' is our society's expression of the universal yearning to achieve a graceful triumph over the stark and often repugnant finality of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/death-with-dignity-is-our-society-s-expression-of-the-universal/)

[Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/)

> [Just — just to be clear,” he said. “You want to leave Tonks at her parents’ house and come away with us?” “She’ll be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/just-just-to-be-clear-he-said-you-want-to-leave-tonks-at-her-parents/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Unless death is made a lesson for the living, the life lived is wasted. Why should life come into existence only to be destroyed?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lewis/unless-death-is-made-a-lesson-for-the-living-the-life-lived-is-wasted/)

[Joseph Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lewis/)

> [That which rises and sinks is made up of what it rises from. The finality of the universe is the God Arunachala. Meditating on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/that-which-rises-and-sinks-is-made-up-of-what-it-rises-from-the/)

[Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/)

> [The nearer a conception comes towards finality, the nearer does the dynamic relation, out of which this concept has arisen, draw to a close.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/the-nearer-a-conception-comes-towards-finality-the-nearer-does-the/)

[D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/)

> [Science is not a system of certain, or -established, statements; nor is it a system which steadily advances towards a state of finality... And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-popper/science-is-not-a-system-of-certain-or-established-statements-nor-is/)

[Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-popper/)

## More by George Hickenlooper

> [Narrative, fiction filmmaking is the culmination of several art forms: theater, art history, architecture. Whereas doc filmmaking is more pure cinema, like cinema verité…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-hickenlooper/narrative-fiction-filmmaking-is-the-culmination-of-several-art-forms/)

[George Hickenlooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-hickenlooper/)

> [I always say be humble but be firm. Humility and openness are the key to success without compromising your beliefs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-hickenlooper/i-always-say-be-humble-but-be-firm-humility-and-openness-are-the-key/)

[George Hickenlooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-hickenlooper/)

> [Theres something unique about the United States, a sense of individual rights and freedoms, and a sense of social and civic responsibility that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-hickenlooper/theres-something-unique-about-the-united-states-a-sense-of-individual/)

[George Hickenlooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-hickenlooper/)

> [Simon Monjack had nothing to do with 'Factory Girl.' He filed a frivolous lawsuit against us... making bogus claims that we had stolen his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-hickenlooper/simon-monjack-had-nothing-to-do-with-factory-girl-he-filed-a/)

[George Hickenlooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-hickenlooper/)

> [The arc of the celebrity phenomenon ultimately is: everything turns to dust and everything does go away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-hickenlooper/the-arc-of-the-celebrity-phenomenon-ultimately-is-everything-turns-to/)

[George Hickenlooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-hickenlooper/)

> [I think that narrative, fiction filmmaking is the culmination of several art forms: theater, art history, architecture. Whereas doc filmmaking is more pure cinema,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-hickenlooper/i-think-that-narrative-fiction-filmmaking-is-the-culmination-of/)

[George Hickenlooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-hickenlooper/)

> [I love the grandiosity of Hollywood movies, and even in independents, I love the canvas you can tell your story on. I love fiction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-hickenlooper/i-love-the-grandiosity-of-hollywood-movies-and-even-in-independents-i/)

[George Hickenlooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-hickenlooper/)

> [Obviously you have a responsibility - one would like to think there is such a thing as ethics in filmmaking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-hickenlooper/obviously-you-have-a-responsibility-one-would-like-to-think-there-is/)

[George Hickenlooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-hickenlooper/)

> [Most people, 95% of people, are good people. It's the 5% who get seduced by power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-hickenlooper/most-people-95-of-people-are-good-people-it-s-the-5-who-get-seduced/)

[George Hickenlooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-hickenlooper/)

> [Generally in my films like 'Hearts of Darkness' or 'Picture This,' I try not to make myself a presence in the film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-hickenlooper/generally-in-my-films-like-hearts-of-darkness-or-picture-this-i-try/)

[George Hickenlooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-hickenlooper/)

> [I was very inspired by Les Blank's film 'Burden of Dreams.' I think what's unique about his film and the two I've made is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-hickenlooper/i-was-very-inspired-by-les-blank-s-film-burden-of-dreams-i-think-what/)

[George Hickenlooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-hickenlooper/)

> [Im very strongly in favor of the auteur theory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-hickenlooper/im-very-strongly-in-favor-of-the-auteur-theory/)

[George Hickenlooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-hickenlooper/)

> [The promise of celebrity is a transcendental human state of existence. It's not real. We do know the fact that celebrities as mortal beings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-hickenlooper/the-promise-of-celebrity-is-a-transcendental-human-state-of-existence/)

[George Hickenlooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-hickenlooper/)

> [There's been a vacuum with movies that people can relate to. There's been a paucity of dramas that people can relate to. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-hickenlooper/there-s-been-a-vacuum-with-movies-that-people-can-relate-to-there-s/)

[George Hickenlooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-hickenlooper/)

> [As a filmmaker I find it much more rewarding to work with actors who are classically trained. It's about the work and only the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-hickenlooper/as-a-filmmaker-i-find-it-much-more-rewarding-to-work-with-actors-who/)

[George Hickenlooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-hickenlooper/)

[Explore all 22 George Hickenlooper quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-hickenlooper/)

## More Beautiful quotes

> [I received a beautiful welcome to the world of music. I want to give something back to the younger generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luciano-pavarotti/i-received-a-beautiful-welcome-to-the-world-of-music-i-want-to-give/)

[Luciano Pavarotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luciano-pavarotti/)

> [Being beautiful comes naturally!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-beautiful-comes-naturally/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/)

[Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/)

> [“do not misunderstand person by beauty You really do not know its real or Mask on dirty thoughts”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-zaki-ansari/do-not-misunderstand-person-by-beauty-you-really-do-not-know-its-real/)

[Mohammed Zaki Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-zaki-ansari/)

> [In the hearing world, I'm constantly having to lip-read and trying to understand what's going on. Sign language is so beautiful. It gives you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-ayling-ellis/in-the-hearing-world-i-m-constantly-having-to-lip-read-and-trying-to/)

[Rose Ayling-Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-ayling-ellis/)

> [The more perfect the sight is the more delightful the beautiful object. The more perfect the appetite, the sweeter the food. The more musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/the-more-perfect-the-sight-is-the-more-delightful-the-beautiful/)

[Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/)

> [Call her beautiful a million times and she won't believe you. Call her ugly once, and she will never forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tumblr/call-her-beautiful-a-million-times-and-she-won-t-believe-you-call-her/)

Tumblr

> [You will never know just how beautiful you are to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-will-never-know-just-how-beautiful-you-are-to-me/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [You felt a deep sorrow, the kind of melancholy you feel when you're in a beautiful place and the sun is going down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thrity-umrigar/you-felt-a-deep-sorrow-the-kind-of-melancholy-you-feel-when-you-re-in/)

[Thrity Umrigar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thrity-umrigar/)

> [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [You're beautiful, cute, pretty, gorgeous, and fuck.. I ran out of words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raghib-clitso/you-re-beautiful-cute-pretty-gorgeous-and-fuck-i-ran-out-of-words/)

[Raghib Clitso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raghib-clitso/)

> [Growing up in Iceland, it was very beautiful, very safe, but quite isolated. There was something about jazz music that had a way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laufey/growing-up-in-iceland-it-was-very-beautiful-very-safe-but-quite/)

[Laufey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laufey/)

> [How could you feel worthless when God has honoured you by creating you and choosing you to be with Him, in this life and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/how-could-you-feel-worthless-when-god-has-honoured-you-by-creating/)

[Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/)

> [Sometimes it's about less is more. It's about the seed. Thinking about this gigantic tree that you think is so beautiful but it started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-durst/sometimes-it-s-about-less-is-more-it-s-about-the-seed-thinking-about/)

[Fred Durst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-durst/)

> [God's Word does provide life lessons to teach us how to live. And it gives us beautiful poetry that gives voice to our human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-rothschild/god-s-word-does-provide-life-lessons-to-teach-us-how-to-live-and-it/)

[Jennifer Rothschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-rothschild/)

[Browse all 17,976 Beautiful quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I'm fascinated by failure, and I'm fascinated by finality. Shakespeare's historical plays are more universal than his comedies because they relate to the finality of life. Without finality, life would not be beautiful.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "George Hickenlooper"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-hickenlooper/i-m-fascinated-by-failure-and-i-m-fascinated-by-finality-shakespeare/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Beautiful"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-hickenlooper/i-m-fascinated-by-failure-and-i-m-fascinated-by-finality-shakespeare/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58a/george-hickenlooper-26074_beautiful_i-m-fascinated-by-failure-and-i-m-fascin_1933559.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58a/george-hickenlooper-26074_beautiful_i-m-fascinated-by-failure-and-i-m-fascin_1933559.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58a/george-hickenlooper-26074_beautiful_i-m-fascinated-by-failure-and-i-m-fascin_1933559.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I'm fascinated by failure, and I'm fascinated by finality. Shakespeare's historical plays are more universal…” — George Hickenlooper",
                "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": "George Hickenlooper",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-hickenlooper/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I'm fascinated by failure, and I'm...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-hickenlooper/i-m-fascinated-by-failure-and-i-m-fascinated-by-finality-shakespeare/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-hickenlooper/i-m-fascinated-by-failure-and-i-m-fascinated-by-finality-shakespeare/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
