---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If your life doesn't end in failure, you…"
description: "\"If your life doesn't end in failure, you haven't reached high enough. So it was failure I had to achieve.\" — H. G. Wells"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d4/h-g-wells-1122_achieve_if-your-life-doesn-t-end-in-failure-you_2206180.png"
---

#  If your life doesn't end in failure, you haven't reached…

![“If your life doesn't end in failure, you haven't reached high enough. So it was failure I had to achieve.” quote by H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d4/h-g-wells-1122_achieve_if-your-life-doesn-t-end-in-failure-you_2206180.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d4/h-g-wells-1122_achieve_if-your-life-doesn-t-end-in-failure-you_2206180.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d4/h-g-wells-1122_achieve_if-your-life-doesn-t-end-in-failure-you_2206180.png)

> “If your life doesn't end in failure, you haven't reached high enough. So it was failure I had to achieve.”

[H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/)

## 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 measured by the willingness to embrace failure as a necessary step toward greatness.

**In simple terms:** Failure is needed to achieve greatness.

Key Takeaway

Accept failure as a stepping stone.

Themes

ambition risk growth

Mood

determined reflective

Type

motivational philosophical

When to use this quote

- career advancement
- entrepreneurship
- creative projects
- personal development

Key Concepts

Resilience mindset achievement

Questions to Reflect On

- What does failure teach you about your limits?
- How can you turn setbacks into progress?

A Different Perspective

Failure alone does not guarantee success; it must be learned from.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/)

## Related quotes

> [We reached a high point in my opinion with the passage of the civil rights legislation and Martin Luther King's success and the crusade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/we-reached-a-high-point-in-my-opinion-with-the-passage-of-the-civil/)

[Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/)

> [If you set your goals ridiculously high and it's a failure, you will fail above everyone else's success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cameron/if-you-set-your-goals-ridiculously-high-and-it-s-a-failure-you-will-3/)

[James Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cameron/)

> [“If you set your goals ridiculously high and it’s a failure, you will fail above everyone else’s success.” —James Cameron”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-ferriss/if-you-set-your-goals-ridiculously-high-and-it-s-a-failure-you-will/)

[Timothy Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-ferriss/)

> [“if you set your goals ridiculously high and its a failure, you will fail above everyone elses success”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cameron/if-you-set-your-goals-ridiculously-high-and-its-a-failure-you-will/)

[James Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cameron/)

> [“You have to experience failure before you can achieve success.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gorcica/you-have-to-experience-failure-before-you-can-achieve-success/)

Gorcica

> [I find that goal setting, when done this way, leads to goal achieving. The chronic failure to achieve goals lowers self-esteem. Show me a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/i-find-that-goal-setting-when-done-this-way-leads-to-goal-achieving/)

[Neal A. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/)

> [You cannot achieve success without the risk of failure...You cannot achieve success if you FEAR failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-heyman/you-cannot-achieve-success-without-the-risk-of-failure-you-cannot/)

[Paul Heyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-heyman/)

> [“I would rather risk failure than achieve it without risk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-would-rather-risk-failure-than-achieve-it-without-risk/)

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

> [Every human must know that his biggest achievement is the love that flow in hearts of the people for him and biggest failure when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/every-human-must-know-that-his-biggest-achievement-is-the-love-that/)

Senoraroy

> [Failure is delay,not the end point.It is temporary obstacle, not a dead end.Take failure in your stride to make you more committed to your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dranil-kr-sinha/failure-is-delay-not-the-end-point-it-is-temporary-obstacle-not-a/)

[DrAnil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dranil-kr-sinha/)

> [Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. Failure is delay, not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead end. Failure is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-waitley/failure-should-be-our-teacher-not-our-undertaker-failure-is-delay-not/)

[Denis Waitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-waitley/)

> [“Never doubt, when you begin with something that it will end in failure. Our thought is transformed as picture in everybody’s mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napz-cherub-pellazo/never-doubt-when-you-begin-with-something-that-it-will-end-in-failure-2/)

[Napz Cherub Pellazo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napz-cherub-pellazo/)

> [“And the good news, the really good news about all of this is not just that failure is not the end of us. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-vesterfelt/and-the-good-news-the-really-good-news-about-all-of-this-is-not-just/)

Allison Vesterfelt

> [“Never doubt, when you begin with something that it will end in failure. Our thought is transformed as picture in our mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napz-cherub-pellazo/never-doubt-when-you-begin-with-something-that-it-will-end-in-failure/)

[Napz Cherub Pellazo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napz-cherub-pellazo/)

> [All political lives, unless they are cut off in midstream at a happy juncture, end in failure, because that is the nature of politics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enoch-powell/all-political-lives-unless-they-are-cut-off-in-midstream-at-a-happy/)

[Enoch Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enoch-powell/)

## More by H. G. Wells

> [... life falls into place only with God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/life-falls-into-place-only-with-god/)

[H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/)

> [Fools make researches and wise men exploit them - that is our earthly way of dealing with the question, and we thank Heaven for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/fools-make-researches-and-wise-men-exploit-them-that-is-our-earthly/)

[H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/)

> [The true sweetness of chess, if it ever can be sweet, is to see a victory snatched, by some happy impertinence, out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/the-true-sweetness-of-chess-if-it-ever-can-be-sweet-is-to-see-a/)

[H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/)

> [A priest is a man vowed, trained, and consecrated, a man belonging to a special corps, and necessarily with an intense esprit de corps.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/a-priest-is-a-man-vowed-trained-and-consecrated-a-man-belonging-to-a/)

[H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/)

> [The man who raises a fist has run out of ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/the-man-who-raises-a-fist-has-run-out-of-ideas/)

[H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/)

> [The choice is: the Universe...or nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/the-choice-is-the-universe-or-nothing/)

[H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/)

> [ The crisis \[the Great Depression\] discovered a great man in Franklin Roosevelt...None too soon he has carried America forward to the second stage of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/the-crisis-the-great-depression-discovered-a-great-man-in-franklin/)

[H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/)

> [Non-violence is the policy of the vegetable kingdom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/non-violence-is-the-policy-of-the-vegetable-kingdom/)

[H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/)

> [For all my desire to be interesting, I have to confess that for most things and people I don't give a damn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/for-all-my-desire-to-be-interesting-i-have-to-confess-that-for-most/)

[H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/)

> [The Jews looked for a special savior, a messiah, who was to redeem mankind by the agreeable process of restoring the fabulous glories of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/the-jews-looked-for-a-special-savior-a-messiah-who-was-to-redeem/)

[H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/)

> [“And I have by me, for my comfort, two strange white flowers—shrivelled now, and brown and flat and brittle—to witness that even when mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/and-i-have-by-me-for-my-comfort-two-strange-white-flowers-shrivelled/)

[H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/)

> [ \[A novel by Henry James\] is like a church lit but without a congregation to distract you, with every light and line focused on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/a-novel-by-henry-james-is-like-a-church-lit-but-without-a/)

[H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/)

> [In England we have come to rely upon a comfortable time-lag of fifty years or a century intervening between the perception that something ought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/in-england-we-have-come-to-rely-upon-a-comfortable-time-lag-of-fifty/)

[H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/)

> [We must end war before war ends us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/we-must-end-war-before-war-ends-us/)

[H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/)

> [What good is religion if it collapses under calamity?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/what-good-is-religion-if-it-collapses-under-calamity/)

[H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/)

[Explore all 280 H. G. Wells quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/)

## More Achieve quotes

> [I always say there are two things to be successful. The first is decide exactly what you want - set your goals - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/i-always-say-there-are-two-things-to-be-successful-the-first-is/)

[Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/)

> [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/)

[Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/)

> [I love playing for my country, getting the support. Especially for the kids and everybody, showing my example of what I can achieve so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/i-love-playing-for-my-country-getting-the-support-especially-for-the/)

[Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/)

> [Human beings have an innate inner drive to be autonomous, self-determined, and connected to one another. And when that drive is liberated, people achieve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-pink/human-beings-have-an-innate-inner-drive-to-be-autonomous-self/)

[Daniel H. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-pink/)

> [Focus on becoming more to achieve more while doing less](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-elrod/focus-on-becoming-more-to-achieve-more-while-doing-less/)

[Hal Elrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-elrod/)

> [I hope that the Palestinians don't make the mistake of unleashing a new intifada. They've tried it twice before, and the consequences were bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-segev/i-hope-that-the-palestinians-don-t-make-the-mistake-of-unleashing-a/)

[Tom Segev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-segev/)

> [I'm a film guy. I love it. When I read the screenplay, I knew that there would be no HD camera that could achieve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deon-taylor/i-m-a-film-guy-i-love-it-when-i-read-the-screenplay-i-knew-that-there/)

Deon Taylor

> [One achieves true human dignity only when one serves. Only he is great who subjects himself to taking part in the achievement of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-antonio-primo-de-rivera/one-achieves-true-human-dignity-only-when-one-serves-only-he-is-great/)

Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera

> [I'm optimistic Hong Kong will achieve universal suffrage - no matter the attitude of Beijing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-wong/i-m-optimistic-hong-kong-will-achieve-universal-suffrage-no-matter/)

[Joshua Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-wong/)

> [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

> [Governments follow their people. A great deal has to do with the vision of the leadership of governments. They have a vision, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-khurshid/governments-follow-their-people-a-great-deal-has-to-do-with-the/)

[Salman Khurshid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-khurshid/)

> [To achieve victory we must mass our forces at the hub of all power &amp; movement. The enemy's 'Center of Gravity'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-achieve-victory-we-must-mass-our-forces-at-the-hub-of-all-power/)

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

> [If your only goal is to become rich, you will never achieve it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-rockefeller/if-your-only-goal-is-to-become-rich-you-will-never-achieve-it/)

[John D. Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-rockefeller/)

> [To achieve something you've never achieved before, you must become someone you've never been before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shubham-joshi/to-achieve-something-you-ve-never-achieved-before-you-must-become/)

[Shubham Joshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shubham-joshi/)

> [I've identified as bisexual since I was a teenager, and if we want to achieve equality for all in our policies, we need more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-hill/i-ve-identified-as-bisexual-since-i-was-a-teenager-and-if-we-want-to/)

[Katie Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-hill/)

Browse all 6,390 Achieve quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "If your life doesn't end in failure, you haven't reached high enough. So it was failure I had to achieve.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "H. G. Wells"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/if-your-life-doesn-t-end-in-failure-you-haven-t-reached-high-enough/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Achieve"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/if-your-life-doesn-t-end-in-failure-you-haven-t-reached-high-enough/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d4/h-g-wells-1122_achieve_if-your-life-doesn-t-end-in-failure-you_2206180.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d4/h-g-wells-1122_achieve_if-your-life-doesn-t-end-in-failure-you_2206180.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d4/h-g-wells-1122_achieve_if-your-life-doesn-t-end-in-failure-you_2206180.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If your life doesn't end in failure, you haven't reached high enough. So it was failure I had to achieve.” — H. G. Wells",
                "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": "H. G. Wells",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "If your life doesn't end in...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/if-your-life-doesn-t-end-in-failure-you-haven-t-reached-high-enough/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/if-your-life-doesn-t-end-in-failure-you-haven-t-reached-high-enough/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
