Design Quote by Henry Petroski
“When something succeeds, we learn little more from it than that it did succeed. When something fails, however, we are driven to try to understand why it failed. This leads us to investigate and study the failure until we get to the heart of the matter. The knowledge gained by studying failure enables us to design more successfully the next time.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Why Buildings Fall Down by Henry Petroski, 1994
Success offers little insight beyond its outcome, while failure prompts deep analysis that fuels future success.
In simple terms: Failure teaches more than success.
Key Takeaway
Study failures to improve future designs.
Themes
learning
analysis
design
resilience
Mood
reflective
inquisitive
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- engineering projects
- business strategies
- personal growth
- product development
Key Concepts
Systems thinking
root cause analysis
iterative improvement
Questions to Reflect On
- What failure have you ignored?
- How can you turn a setback into a learning opportunity?
A Different Perspective
Success may mask underlying flaws, leading to repeated mistakes.
![“Whether or not science can be applied to that mental construct [i.e. the designed entity] is a matter of availability. If there is body of scientific knowledge that can be applied, then it would be foolish not to exploit it. However, if there is none, it does not mean that the thing cannot be…” quote by Henry Petroski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/17d/henry-petroski-10198_availability_whether-or-not-science-can-be-applied-to_341822.jpg)
