--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The true confessors have been aware that…" description: "\"The true confessors have been aware that not only is life mostly failure, but that in one's failure or pettiness or wrongness exists the living drama o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d8/gore-vidal-466_drama_the-true-confessors-have-been-aware-that_1446535.jpg" --- # The true confessors have been aware that not only is life… ![“The true confessors have been aware that not only is life mostly failure, but that in one's failure or pettiness or wrongness exists the living drama of the self.” quote by Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d8/gore-vidal-466_drama_the-true-confessors-have-been-aware-that_1446535.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d8/gore-vidal-466_drama_the-true-confessors-have-been-aware-that_1446535.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d8/gore-vidal-466_drama_the-true-confessors-have-been-aware-that_1446535.jpg) > “The true confessors have been aware that not only is life mostly failure, but that in one's failure or pettiness or wrongness exists the living drama of the self.” [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life is often marked by failure, yet those failures reveal the ongoing drama of self‑identity. **In simple terms:** Failure reveals personal drama. Key Takeaway Embrace failure as self‑exploration. Themes failure self‑identity existentialism Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - creative writing - therapy - personal journaling - life coaching Key Concepts reflection growth narrative Questions to Reflect On - How does failure shape you? - What stories arise from your setbacks? A Different Perspective Some may view failure as purely negative. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Drama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drama/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Pettiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pettiness/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) ## Related quotes > [Religious people spend so much time with their confessors because they like to talk about themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-de-rabutin-chantal-marquise-de-sevigne/religious-people-spend-so-much-time-with-their-confessors-because/) [Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, marquise de Sevigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-de-rabutin-chantal-marquise-de-sevigne/) > [Psychoanalysts are father confessors who like to listen to the sins of the father as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/psychoanalysts-are-father-confessors-who-like-to-listen-to-the-sins/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [Everyone wants drama. Everyone is living for drama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-holloway/everyone-wants-drama-everyone-is-living-for-drama/) [Max Holloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-holloway/) > [The past is remembered as if it were a drama in which the self was the leading player](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-greenwald/the-past-is-remembered-as-if-it-were-a-drama-in-which-the-self-was/) Anthony Greenwald > [I love living drama free it's the best feeling in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-myers-jr/i-love-living-drama-free-it-s-the-best-feeling-in-the-world/) [Michael Myers Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-myers-jr/) > [Then my life crashed and burned down: trials, men, drama, no self-love, no identity. A little identity, but not a lot of love for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-j-blige/then-my-life-crashed-and-burned-down-trials-men-drama-no-self-love-no/) [Mary J. Blige](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-j-blige/) > [Meanwhile music pounded / across hearts opening every valve to the desperate drama of being / a self in a song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-carson/meanwhile-music-pounded-across-hearts-opening-every-valve-to-the/) [Anne Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-carson/) > [Those who are living out the drama and the violence still need to live that out for their experience, while others of us have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-mccormick-day/those-who-are-living-out-the-drama-and-the-violence-still-need-to/) [Christine McCormick Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-mccormick-day/) > [Nothing is better than music; when it takes us out of time, it has done more for us than we have the right to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadia-boulanger/nothing-is-better-than-music-when-it-takes-us-out-of-time-it-has-done/) [Nadia Boulanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadia-boulanger/) > [I have often thought how strange it is that men can at once and the same moment cheerfully consign our sex to lives either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-power-cobbe/i-have-often-thought-how-strange-it-is-that-men-can-at-once-and-the/) [Frances Power Cobbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-power-cobbe/) > [Pettiness seems to go hand in hand with vindictiveness. The smaller the person, the larger the need for revenge. This may account for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-mcwilliams/pettiness-seems-to-go-hand-in-hand-with-vindictiveness-the-smaller/) [Peter McWilliams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-mcwilliams/) > [A noble heart cannot suspect in others the pettiness and malice that it has never felt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-racine/a-noble-heart-cannot-suspect-in-others-the-pettiness-and-malice-that/) [Jean Racine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-racine/) > [“Odd, don't you think? I have seen war, and invasions and riots. I have heard of massacres and brutalities beyond imagining, and I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-pears/odd-don-t-you-think-i-have-seen-war-and-invasions-and-riots-i-have/) [Iain Pears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-pears/) > [I think you are a liar because you think you know what is true. You think you feel what is true. But you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-croggon/i-think-you-are-a-liar-because-you-think-you-know-what-is-true-you/) [Alison Croggon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-croggon/) > [Pettiness is the tendency of people without large purposes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/pettiness-is-the-tendency-of-people-without-large-purposes/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) ## More by Gore Vidal > [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Many people in the United States happen to believe that United States policy is wrong in Vietnam and the Vietcong are correct in wanting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/many-people-in-the-united-states-happen-to-believe-that-united-states/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [“It is curious how little interested we are in the sexual desires of those who do not attract us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/it-is-curious-how-little-interested-we-are-in-the-sexual-desires-of/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [This separation was absolute in our original Republic. But the sky-godders do not give up easily. In the 1950s they actually got the phrase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/this-separation-was-absolute-in-our-original-republic-but-the-sky/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/style-is-knowing-who-you-are-what-you-want-to-say-and-not-giving-a/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [The oligarchs think that the people are both dangerous and stupid. Their point is moot. But we do know that the oligarchs are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-oligarchs-think-that-the-people-are-both-dangerous-and-stupid/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [It is curious how often one prefers his enemies to his friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/it-is-curious-how-often-one-prefers-his-enemies-to-his-friends/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [As societies grow decadent, the language grows decadent, too. Words are used to disguise, not to illuminate, action: you liberate a city by destroying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/as-societies-grow-decadent-the-language-grows-decadent-too-words-are/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Rome ... at its most decadent, had never thought of hiring an actor to go through the motions of being an emperor while the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/rome-at-its-most-decadent-had-never-thought-of-hiring-an-actor-to-go/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [History is nothing but gossip about the past, with the hope that it might be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/history-is-nothing-but-gossip-about-the-past-with-the-hope-that-it/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [The malady of civilized man is his knowledge of death. The good artist, like the wise man, addresses himself to life and invests with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-malady-of-civilized-man-is-his-knowledge-of-death-the-good-artist/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Sex is a continuum. You go through different phases along life's way... and if you don't, you've been sort of cheated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/sex-is-a-continuum-you-go-through-different-phases-along-life-s-way/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [All I want is that Americans still be able to read the alphabet in a hundred years. I am not very ambitious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/all-i-want-is-that-americans-still-be-able-to-read-the-alphabet-in-a/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [I do not admire 'the people,' as such. No one really does. Their folk wisdom is usually false, their instincts predatory. Even their sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/i-do-not-admire-the-people-as-such-no-one-really-does-their-folk/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [“One of the problems of a society as tightly controlled as ours is that we get so little information about what those of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/one-of-the-problems-of-a-society-as-tightly-controlled-as-ours-is/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) [Explore all 539 Gore Vidal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) ## More Drama quotes > [When you're on a daytime drama you get one page, you better damn well know your character. You better know what she would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hudgins/when-you-re-on-a-daytime-drama-you-get-one-page-you-better-damn-well/) David Hudgins > [Music is a job, but I figured out ways to get my mind into a place where I could be creative. I actually discovered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flume/music-is-a-job-but-i-figured-out-ways-to-get-my-mind-into-a-place/) [Flume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flume/) > ['Rear Window' isn't really a horror film, but it is a psychological drama, which I love. It is very tense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-silvers/rear-window-isn-t-really-a-horror-film-but-it-is-a-psychological/) [Diana Silvers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-silvers/) > [I have never been in, nor have I had any strong particular desire to be in, what is termed a costume drama, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-have-never-been-in-nor-have-i-had-any-strong-particular-desire-to/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [All drama is conflict. Without conflict, there is no action. Without action, there is no character. Without character, there is no story. And without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syd-field/all-drama-is-conflict-without-conflict-there-is-no-action-without/) [Syd Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syd-field/) > [I never did drama at school. I did it for one term, when it was compulsory, and I hated it. Tennis was the main…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-mitchell/i-never-did-drama-at-school-i-did-it-for-one-term-when-it-was/) [Luke Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-mitchell/) > [I never wanted to be the lead on a TV drama. It just robs you of your life, really.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-noth/i-never-wanted-to-be-the-lead-on-a-tv-drama-it-just-robs-you-of-your/) [Chris Noth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-noth/) > [When I discovered drama, I felt a connection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-fearon/when-i-discovered-drama-i-felt-a-connection/) [Ray Fearon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-fearon/) > [Dont hate me cause ur man want me dont be jealouse cause hes thinking of when he says he loves u dont hate him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana/dont-hate-me-cause-ur-man-want-me-dont-be-jealouse-cause-hes-thinking/) [Ana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana/) > [I hadn't been to drama school. I hadn't been to university and acted there. I had no qualifications behind me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-jason/i-hadn-t-been-to-drama-school-i-hadn-t-been-to-university-and-acted/) [David Jason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-jason/) > [I was painfully shy, so my aunt suggested to my mum that me and my brother go to Stage 84, a performing arts school…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-cooke/i-was-painfully-shy-so-my-aunt-suggested-to-my-mum-that-me-and-my/) [Christian Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-cooke/) > [I kind of pride myself on coming onto things that are well-oiled machines and finding a way to bring what I bring and fit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-lowe/i-kind-of-pride-myself-on-coming-onto-things-that-are-well-oiled/) [Rob Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-lowe/) > [They say that art comes from the soul. The more drama in an artist's life, the more he can draw on for his art.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-leach/they-say-that-art-comes-from-the-soul-the-more-drama-in-an-artist-s/) [Robin Leach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-leach/) > [I would love to do a love story or a socially relevant drama. Something on the lines of Netflix originals. 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