--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is something distinguished about…" description: "\"There is something distinguished about even his failures; they sink not trivially, but with a certain air of majesty, like a great ship, its flags flyi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aaa/george-jean-nathan-10206_air_there-is-something-distinguished-about-e_2220333.jpg" --- # There is something distinguished about even his failures… ![“There is something distinguished about even his failures; they sink not trivially, but with a certain air of majesty, like a great ship, its flags flying, full of holes.” quote by George Jean Nathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aaa/george-jean-nathan-10206_air_there-is-something-distinguished-about-e_2220333.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aaa/george-jean-nathan-10206_air_there-is-something-distinguished-about-e_2220333.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aaa/george-jean-nathan-10206_air_there-is-something-distinguished-about-e_2220333.jpg) > “There is something distinguished about even his failures; they sink not trivially, but with a certain air of majesty, like a great ship, its flags flying, full of holes.” [George Jean Nathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-jean-nathan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He praises a writer’s failures as majestic, likening them to a grand, hole‑filled ship sailing proudly. **In simple terms:** Failures can be dignified and impressive. Key Takeaway Find dignity in setbacks. Themes failure majesty literary criticism Mood contemplative admiring Type literary critical When to use this quote - writing - analysis - creative process Key Concepts aesthetic resilience Questions to Reflect On - How do failures shape artistic identity? - When does failure become harmful? A Different Perspective May romanticize failure over improvement. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Air](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/air/) [Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) [Distinguished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distinguished/) [Distinguished Failures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distinguished-failures-4953167/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Failures Sink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failures-sink-4953165/) [Flags](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flags/) [Flags Flying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flags-flying-3699174/) [Flying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flying/) [Flying Holes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flying-holes-4953166/) [Holes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holes/) [Majesty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/majesty/) [Ship Flags](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ship-flags-4953168/) [Ships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ships/) ## Related quotes > [I have my ship, and all her flags are a-flying. She is all that I have left, and music is her name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-stills/i-have-my-ship-and-all-her-flags-are-a-flying-she-is-all-that-i-have/) [Stephen Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-stills/) > [“But sometimes, a boat needs to rock; a boat needs to head straight for the heart of a storm and come out on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisa-de-los-santos/but-sometimes-a-boat-needs-to-rock-a-boat-needs-to-head-straight-for/) [Marisa de los Santos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisa-de-los-santos/) > [This twenty-year-old boy was distinguished from childhood by strange qualities, a dreamer and an eccentric. A girl fell in love with him, and he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/this-twenty-year-old-boy-was-distinguished-from-childhood-by-strange/) [Mikhail Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/) > [Most lives are not distinguished by great achievements. They are measured by an infinite number of small ones. Each time you do a kindness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/most-lives-are-not-distinguished-by-great-achievements-they-are/) [Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/) > [James Cameron's films have always been distinguished by ground-breaking technical excellence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/james-cameron-s-films-have-always-been-distinguished-by-ground/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [A large group of us were crowded into the Gestapo hall, and at that moment the circumstances of all our lives were the same.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/a-large-group-of-us-were-crowded-into-the-gestapo-hall-and-at-that/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [The faculty of self-help is that which distinguished man from animals; that it is the Godlike element, or holds within itself the Godlike element,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-holland/the-faculty-of-self-help-is-that-which-distinguished-man-from-animals/) [J. G. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-holland/) > [Once you grow accustomed to being famous, you do not realize it, but you are never quite your humble, honest self. No matter how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corra-may-harris/once-you-grow-accustomed-to-being-famous-you-do-not-realize-it-but/) [Corra May Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corra-may-harris/) > [Lenity will operate with greater force, in some instances, than rigor. It is, therefore, my first wish, to have my whole conduct distinguished by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/lenity-will-operate-with-greater-force-in-some-instances-than-rigor/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [All I kin git out o' the Wickersham position on prohibition is that the distinguished jurist seems to feel that if we'd let 'em…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kin-hubbard/all-i-kin-git-out-o-the-wickersham-position-on-prohibition-is-that/) [Kin Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kin-hubbard/) > [Original minds are not distinguished by being the first to see a new thing, but instead by seeing the old, familiar thing that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/original-minds-are-not-distinguished-by-being-the-first-to-see-a-new/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Writing that flirts with incoherence can just as readily flounder as writing characterized by simplicity and composure. There is no reliable formula for originality,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-scott/writing-that-flirts-with-incoherence-can-just-as-readily-flounder-as/) [Joanna Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-scott/) > [The actions of the University in my case make it abundantly clear that the Administration's rhetoric about Harvard's desire to attract and retain the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-geller/the-actions-of-the-university-in-my-case-make-it-abundantly-clear/) [Margaret Geller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-geller/) > [Building great public schools and universities, a strong health care system, including keeping the Affordable Care Act, and then an economy that works well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-castro/building-great-public-schools-and-universities-a-strong-health-care/) [Joaquin Castro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-castro/) > [The ensouled is distinguished from the unsouled by its being alive. Now since being alive is spoken of in many ways, even if only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-ensouled-is-distinguished-from-the-unsouled-by-its-being-alive/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) ## More by George Jean Nathan > [A man's wife is his compromise with the illusion of his first sweetheart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-jean-nathan/a-man-s-wife-is-his-compromise-with-the-illusion-of-his-first/) [George Jean Nathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-jean-nathan/) > [What passes for woman's intuition is more often intrinsically nothing more than man's transparency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-jean-nathan/what-passes-for-woman-s-intuition-is-more-often-intrinsically-nothing/) [George Jean Nathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-jean-nathan/) > [Common sense, in so far as it exists, is all for the bourgeoisie. Nonsense is the privilege of the aristocracy. The worries of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-jean-nathan/common-sense-in-so-far-as-it-exists-is-all-for-the-bourgeoisie/) [George Jean Nathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-jean-nathan/) > [An optimist is a fellow who believes a housefly is looking for a way to get out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-jean-nathan/an-optimist-is-a-fellow-who-believes-a-housefly-is-looking-for-a-way/) [George Jean Nathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-jean-nathan/) > [In the theatre, a hero is one who believes that all women are ladies, a villain one who believes that all ladies are women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-jean-nathan/in-the-theatre-a-hero-is-one-who-believes-that-all-women-are-ladies-a/) [George Jean Nathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-jean-nathan/) > [A life spent in constant labor is a life wasted, save a man be such a fool as to regard a fulsome obituary notice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-jean-nathan/a-life-spent-in-constant-labor-is-a-life-wasted-save-a-man-be-such-a/) [George Jean Nathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-jean-nathan/) > [Hollywood is ten million dollars worth of intricate and high ingenious machinery functioning elaborately to put skin on baloney.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-jean-nathan/hollywood-is-ten-million-dollars-worth-of-intricate-and-high/) [George Jean Nathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-jean-nathan/) > [The notion that as a man grows older his illusions leave him is not quite true. What is true is that his early illusions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-jean-nathan/the-notion-that-as-a-man-grows-older-his-illusions-leave-him-is-not/) [George Jean Nathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-jean-nathan/) > [I drink to make other people interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-jean-nathan/i-drink-to-make-other-people-interesting/) [George Jean Nathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-jean-nathan/) > [A man may be said to love most truly that woman in whose company he can feel drowsy in comfort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-jean-nathan/a-man-may-be-said-to-love-most-truly-that-woman-in-whose-company-he/) [George Jean Nathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-jean-nathan/) > [Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-jean-nathan/bad-officials-are-elected-by-good-citizens-who-do-not-vote/) [George Jean Nathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-jean-nathan/) > [The Russian dramatist is one who, walking through a cemetery, does not see the flowers on the graves. The American dramatist . . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-jean-nathan/the-russian-dramatist-is-one-who-walking-through-a-cemetery-does-not/) [George Jean Nathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-jean-nathan/) > [Drama - what literature does at night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-jean-nathan/drama-what-literature-does-at-night/) [George Jean Nathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-jean-nathan/) > [The triumph of sugar over diabetes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-jean-nathan/the-triumph-of-sugar-over-diabetes/) [George Jean Nathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-jean-nathan/) > [The sweetest memory is that which involves something which one should not have done; the bitterest, that which involves something which one should not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-jean-nathan/the-sweetest-memory-is-that-which-involves-something-which-one-should/) [George Jean Nathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-jean-nathan/) [Explore all 67 George Jean Nathan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-jean-nathan/) ## More Air quotes > [I will be a tireless advocate for our District's defense priorities including Sheppard Air Force Base, Pantex, Bell Helicopter, universities conducting important research, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronny-jackson/i-will-be-a-tireless-advocate-for-our-district-s-defense-priorities/) [Ronny Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronny-jackson/) > [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [If U.S. air, naval, missile, and ground forces were not in and around Korea, and if we were not treaty-bound to fight alongside South…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/if-u-s-air-naval-missile-and-ground-forces-were-not-in-and-around/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [The cooler days have brought a wistful mood upon him. The smell of coalsmoke in the air at night. Old times, dead years. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-cooler-days-have-brought-a-wistful-mood-upon-him-the-smell-of/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/) > [I'm a candle flame that sways in currents of air you can't see. You need to be the one who steadies me to burn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-gordimer/i-m-a-candle-flame-that-sways-in-currents-of-air-you-can-t-see-you/) [Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/) > [It is sometimes said that scientists are unromantic, that their passion to figure out robs the world of beauty and mystery. But is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-is-sometimes-said-that-scientists-are-unromantic-that-their/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/) [Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/) > [After a few mouthfuls of moon-flavored air, even the stubbornly drowsy can find themselves wide-eyed.. All the normal noises of life were gone, leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/after-a-few-mouthfuls-of-moon-flavored-air-even-the-stubbornly-drowsy/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) > [There was a little nook on Air Force Two that contained the vice presidential seal, and I would sort of wedge myself in there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-biden/there-was-a-little-nook-on-air-force-two-that-contained-the-vice/) [Jill Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-biden/) > [Words are substance strange. Speak one and the air ripples into another's ears. Write one and the eye laps it up. But the sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-beachy-quick/words-are-substance-strange-speak-one-and-the-air-ripples-into/) [Dan Beachy-Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-beachy-quick/) > [ \[A\]s you partake of the world's bill of fare, that's darned good advice to follow. Do a lot of spitting out the hot air.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/a-s-you-partake-of-the-world-s-bill-of-fare-that-s-darned-good-advice/) [Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/) > [...As the disparity between the rich and the poor grows, the fight to corner resources is intensifying. To push through their "sweetheart deals," to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/as-the-disparity-between-the-rich-and-the-poor-grows-the-fight-to/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Washington bureaucrats have classified the very air we exhale as a pollutant and have gone unchallenged in this incredible assertion. The logical consequence is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/washington-bureaucrats-have-classified-the-very-air-we-exhale-as-a/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [“It is unnatural to fear something natural.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/it-is-unnatural-to-fear-something-natural/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) [Browse all 6,278 Air quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/air/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is something distinguished about even his failures; they sink not trivially, but with a certain air of majesty, like a great ship, its flags flying, full of holes.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Jean Nathan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-jean-nathan/there-is-something-distinguished-about-even-his-failures-they-sink/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Air" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-jean-nathan/there-is-something-distinguished-about-even-his-failures-they-sink/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aaa/george-jean-nathan-10206_air_there-is-something-distinguished-about-e_2220333.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aaa/george-jean-nathan-10206_air_there-is-something-distinguished-about-e_2220333.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aaa/george-jean-nathan-10206_air_there-is-something-distinguished-about-e_2220333.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There is something distinguished about even his failures; they sink not trivially, but with a certain air of…” — George Jean Nathan", "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 Jean Nathan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-jean-nathan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There is something distinguished about even...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-jean-nathan/there-is-something-distinguished-about-even-his-failures-they-sink/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-jean-nathan/there-is-something-distinguished-about-even-his-failures-they-sink/#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 } } ] } ```