--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We had to start somewhere, either succeed…" description: "\"“We had to start somewhere, either succeed or fail, and then build what we knew as we went along.”\" — Homer Hickam" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a67/homer-hickam-10698_inspirational_we-had-to-start-somewhere-either-succeed_2350028.jpg" --- # We had to start somewhere, either succeed or fail, and… ![“We had to start somewhere, either succeed or fail, and then build what we knew as we went along.” quote by Homer Hickam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a67/homer-hickam-10698_inspirational_we-had-to-start-somewhere-either-succeed_2350028.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a67/homer-hickam-10698_inspirational_we-had-to-start-somewhere-either-succeed_2350028.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a67/homer-hickam-10698_inspirational_we-had-to-start-somewhere-either-succeed_2350028.jpg) > ““We had to start somewhere, either succeed or fail, and then build what we knew as we went along.”” [Homer Hickam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer-hickam/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Starting points are uncertain; success or failure is inevitable, and progress comes from building knowledge through experience. **In simple terms:** Begin anywhere, learn as you go. Key Takeaway Embrace trial and error. Themes perseverance learning innovation Mood determined optimistic Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - entrepreneurship - education - career building Key Concepts growth mindset experimentation Questions to Reflect On - What first step can you take today? - How will you adapt after setbacks? A Different Perspective Success isn’t guaranteed by starting; effort matters. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Trial and error](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trial-and-error/) ## Related quotes > [“If you fail to build YOU, the company you used YOU to sell its products or services will definitely drop you when your value…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olawale-daniel/if-you-fail-to-build-you-the-company-you-used-you-to-sell-its/) [Olawale Daniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olawale-daniel/) > [The difference between those who succeed and fail: not taking advantage of opportunities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-thomas/the-difference-between-those-who-succeed-and-fail-not-taking/) [Eric Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-thomas/) > [Experience has taught me that there is one chief reason why some people succeed and others fail. 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If I fail, no one will say, 'She doesn't have what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-boothe-luce/because-i-am-a-woman-i-must-make-unusual-efforts-to-succeed-if-i-fail/) [Clare Boothe Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-boothe-luce/) > [“Two people between whom there is love succeed or fail together, but when two people hate each other the success of either is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/two-people-between-whom-there-is-love-succeed-or-fail-together-but/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [“Does it matter whether we achieve our outer purpose, whether we succeed or fail in the world? It will matter to you as long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/does-it-matter-whether-we-achieve-our-outer-purpose-whether-we/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) ## More by Homer Hickam > [After marketing surveys by Universal Studios indicated that 'Rocket Boys' as a movie title would not attract the female over-age-thirty demographic, the film was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-hickam/after-marketing-surveys-by-universal-studios-indicated-that-rocket/) [Homer Hickam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer-hickam/) > [As I wrote more I became more critical of myself and I think that you have to be your harshest judge. I don't ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-hickam/as-i-wrote-more-i-became-more-critical-of-myself-and-i-think-that-you/) [Homer Hickam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer-hickam/) > [Writer's block to me is where you stop because you're afraid to go forward because you're not sure of what really should be happening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-hickam/writer-s-block-to-me-is-where-you-stop-because-you-re-afraid-to-go/) [Homer Hickam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer-hickam/) > [The best way to learn to write is to read in the genre you might be interested in; then, you need to actually sit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-hickam/the-best-way-to-learn-to-write-is-to-read-in-the-genre-you-might-be/) [Homer Hickam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer-hickam/) > [NASA's charter is to give Americans the means to get into the wild, black yonder, beyond even the grasp of the federal government that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-hickam/nasa-s-charter-is-to-give-americans-the-means-to-get-into-the-wild/) [Homer Hickam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer-hickam/) > [If politicians want to save money, that's fine. 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It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-hickam/when-i-was-a-boy-one-of-my-favorite-places-to-go-was-a-pine-filled/) [Homer Hickam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer-hickam/) > [“The way I see it, if everybody ran from bad things instead of trying to stop them, bad things would be all there is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-hickam/the-way-i-see-it-if-everybody-ran-from-bad-things-instead-of-trying/) [Homer Hickam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer-hickam/) > [When the moon was first visited in 1969, the astronauts brought back a treasure trove of unique minerals. Contained within specimens was an isotope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-hickam/when-the-moon-was-first-visited-in-1969-the-astronauts-brought-back-a/) [Homer Hickam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer-hickam/) > [You must completely dedicate yourselves to it. To do less will be to let down your country, your state, your parents, your teachers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-hickam/you-must-completely-dedicate-yourselves-to-it-to-do-less-will-be-to/) [Homer Hickam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer-hickam/) > [The key to not getting rejected if you're writing for a magazine, is to know to read that magazine and know everything about them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-hickam/the-key-to-not-getting-rejected-if-you-re-writing-for-a-magazine-is/) [Homer Hickam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer-hickam/) > [Tired of burning fossil fuel and polluting the planet? The moon is covered with helium 3, an isotope from the sun that is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-hickam/tired-of-burning-fossil-fuel-and-polluting-the-planet-the-moon-is/) [Homer Hickam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer-hickam/) > [My father use to say if coal died, the country died. He was right. Our economy rests on the back of the coal miner.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-hickam/my-father-use-to-say-if-coal-died-the-country-died-he-was-right-our/) [Homer Hickam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer-hickam/) [Explore all 64 Homer Hickam quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer-hickam/) ## More Inspirational quotes > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We talk to God--that is prayer; God talks to us--that is inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-emilie-cady/we-talk-to-god-that-is-prayer-god-talks-to-us-that-is-inspiration/) [H. Emilie Cady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-emilie-cady/) > [You cant be controlling in improv.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-walsh/you-cant-be-controlling-in-improv/) [Matt Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-walsh/) > [The man who can master his time can master nearly anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-man-who-can-master-his-time-can-master-nearly-anything/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Just understand that the good that you want is already here. All you have to do is get in harmony with it. And you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/just-understand-that-the-good-that-you-want-is-already-here-all-you/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/if-you-want-to-build-a-ship-don-t-drum-up-the-men-to-gather-wood/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [Obviously, if you don't love life, you can't enjoy an oyster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-clark/obviously-if-you-don-t-love-life-you-can-t-enjoy-an-oyster/) [Eleanor Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-clark/) > [It's not the method, it's the mindset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gilbert/it-s-not-the-method-it-s-the-mindset/) [Andy Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gilbert/) > [It's a hard thing to describe. It's just this sense that you got something to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/it-s-a-hard-thing-to-describe-it-s-just-this-sense-that-you-got/) [Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/) > [Too much familiarity breeds contempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/too-much-familiarity-breeds-contempt/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [We never really perceive what color is physically!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-albers/we-never-really-perceive-what-color-is-physically/) [Josef Albers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-albers/) > [Politics is not an issue whether you like or dislike , but every citizen must involve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khem-veasna/politics-is-not-an-issue-whether-you-like-or-dislike-but-every/) [Khem Veasna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khem-veasna/) > [God reveals Himself through surprises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/god-reveals-himself-through-surprises/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) [Browse all 114,561 Inspirational quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We had to start somewhere, either succeed or fail, and then build what we knew as we went along.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Homer Hickam" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-hickam/we-had-to-start-somewhere-either-succeed-or-fail-and-then-build-what/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Inspirational" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-hickam/we-had-to-start-somewhere-either-succeed-or-fail-and-then-build-what/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a67/homer-hickam-10698_inspirational_we-had-to-start-somewhere-either-succeed_2350028.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a67/homer-hickam-10698_inspirational_we-had-to-start-somewhere-either-succeed_2350028.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a67/homer-hickam-10698_inspirational_we-had-to-start-somewhere-either-succeed_2350028.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We had to start somewhere, either succeed or fail, and then build what we knew as we went along.” — Homer Hickam", "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": "Homer Hickam", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer-hickam/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“We had to start somewhere, either...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-hickam/we-had-to-start-somewhere-either-succeed-or-fail-and-then-build-what/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-hickam/we-had-to-start-somewhere-either-succeed-or-fail-and-then-build-what/#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 } } ] } ```