---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Making mistakes is the privilege of the…"
description: "\"Making mistakes is the privilege of the active. It is always the mediocre people who are negative, who spend their time proving that they were not wron..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ba/ingvar-kamprad-13840_active_making-mistakes-is-the-privilege-of-the_2000034.jpg"
---

#  Making mistakes is the privilege of the active. It is…

![“Making mistakes is the privilege of the active. It is always the mediocre people who are negative, who spend their time proving that they were not wrong.” quote by Ingvar Kamprad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ba/ingvar-kamprad-13840_active_making-mistakes-is-the-privilege-of-the_2000034.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ba/ingvar-kamprad-13840_active_making-mistakes-is-the-privilege-of-the_2000034.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ba/ingvar-kamprad-13840_active_making-mistakes-is-the-privilege-of-the_2000034.jpg)

> “Making mistakes is the privilege of the active. It is always the mediocre people who are negative, who spend their time proving that they were not wrong.”

[Ingvar Kamprad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingvar-kamprad/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Active engagement leads to learning through errors, while passive negativity avoids risk and growth.

**In simple terms:** Being active means learning from mistakes; being negative avoids growth.

Key Takeaway

Embrace action, accept mistakes as learning.

Themes

growth risk mindset activity negativity

Mood

motivational reflective

Type

inspirational philosophical

When to use this quote

- entrepreneurship
- team projects
- personal development
- creative work

Key Concepts

learning through error risk tolerance psychology of criticism

Questions to Reflect On

- How does taking action change your view of failure?
- What risks are you avoiding due to fear?

A Different Perspective

Negativity can stem from fear, not just mediocrity.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Active](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/active/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Ikea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ikea/) [Making mistakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-mistakes/) [Mediocre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mediocre/) [Mediocre People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mediocre-people-392733/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [Mistakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistakes/) [Mistakes Privilege](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistakes-privilege-2692192/) [Negative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/negative/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Negative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-negative/) [Privilege](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/privilege/) [Prove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prove/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [“Only while sleeping one makes no mistakes. Making mistakes is the privilege of the active — of those who can correct their mistakes and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingvar-kamprad/only-while-sleeping-one-makes-no-mistakes-making-mistakes-is-the/)

[Ingvar Kamprad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingvar-kamprad/)

> [Making mistakes is the privilege of the active - of those who can correct their mistakes and put them right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingvar-kamprad/making-mistakes-is-the-privilege-of-the-active-of-those-who-can/)

[Ingvar Kamprad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingvar-kamprad/)

> [In the real world, very smart people fail and mediocre people rise. Part of what makes people fail or succeed are skills that have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/in-the-real-world-very-smart-people-fail-and-mediocre-people-rise/)

[Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/)

> [Only mediocre people are at the best all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/only-mediocre-people-are-at-the-best-all-the-time/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [Technology is a bit of a double-edged sword. Used right, it's a wonderful tool, but unfortunately, it makes it easier for a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-gore/technology-is-a-bit-of-a-double-edged-sword-used-right-it-s-a/)

[Martin Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-gore/)

> [Some people are born mediocre, some people achieve mediocrity, and some people have mediocrity thrust upon them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/some-people-are-born-mediocre-some-people-achieve-mediocrity-and-some/)

[Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/)

> [“Don’t let mediocre people talk you out of your dreams; lions have little in common with sheep.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/don-t-let-mediocre-people-talk-you-out-of-your-dreams-lions-have/)

[Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/)

> [Most people who are deemed 'mean' are usually perfectionist who make mediocre people unhappy, cause they put more pressure on them then they can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-clow/most-people-who-are-deemed-mean-are-usually-perfectionist-who-make/)

[Lee Clow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-clow/)

> [...mediocre people find their way into positions of authority...because when it comes to even the most important positions, our selection decisions are a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/mediocre-people-find-their-way-into-positions-of-authority-because/)

[Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/)

> [High achievers don't like mediocre people, mediocre people don't like high achievers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-saban/high-achievers-don-t-like-mediocre-people-mediocre-people-don-t-like/)

[Nick Saban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-saban/)

> [Mediocre people are the most dangerous people in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/mediocre-people-are-the-most-dangerous-people-in-the-world/)

[Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/)

> [Mediocre people often have a tinge of religion about them, but it is only a tinge. They take their religion as it comes. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dubay/mediocre-people-often-have-a-tinge-of-religion-about-them-but-it-is/)

[Thomas Dubay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-dubay/)

> [You don't achieve greatness in life being surrounded by mediocre people with mediocre values. Choose your company wisely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-chan/you-don-t-achieve-greatness-in-life-being-surrounded-by-mediocre/)

[Amy Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-chan/)

> [We create a standard for how we want to do things and everybody's got to buy into that standard or you really can't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-saban/we-create-a-standard-for-how-we-want-to-do-things-and-everybody-s-got/)

[Nick Saban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-saban/)

> [Simplicity and common sense should characterize planning and strategic direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingvar-kamprad/simplicity-and-common-sense-should-characterize-planning-and/)

[Ingvar Kamprad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingvar-kamprad/)

## More by Ingvar Kamprad

> [I decided that the stock market was not an option for IKEA. I knew that only a long-term perspective could secure our growth plans,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingvar-kamprad/i-decided-that-the-stock-market-was-not-an-option-for-ikea-i-knew/)

[Ingvar Kamprad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingvar-kamprad/)

> [I look at the money I'm about to spend on myself and ask if IKEA's customers could afford it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingvar-kamprad/i-look-at-the-money-i-m-about-to-spend-on-myself-and-ask-if-ikea-s/)

[Ingvar Kamprad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingvar-kamprad/)

> [Simplicity and common sense should characterize planning and strategic direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingvar-kamprad/simplicity-and-common-sense-should-characterize-planning-and/)

[Ingvar Kamprad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingvar-kamprad/)

> [My theory was that good furniture could be priced so that the man with the flat wallet would be attracted to it, would make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingvar-kamprad/my-theory-was-that-good-furniture-could-be-priced-so-that-the-man/)

[Ingvar Kamprad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingvar-kamprad/)

> [Most things remain undone. Glorious future!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingvar-kamprad/most-things-remain-undone-glorious-future/)

[Ingvar Kamprad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingvar-kamprad/)

> [If we want to be cost-conscious, we should do it, not just talk about how cost-conscious we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingvar-kamprad/if-we-want-to-be-cost-conscious-we-should-do-it-not-just-talk-about/)

[Ingvar Kamprad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingvar-kamprad/)

> [You can do so much in 10 minutes time. Ten minutes, once gone, are gone for good. Divide your life into 10-minute units and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingvar-kamprad/you-can-do-so-much-in-10-minutes-time-ten-minutes-once-gone-are-gone/)

[Ingvar Kamprad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingvar-kamprad/)

> [“Once and for all, we have decided to side with the many.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingvar-kamprad/once-and-for-all-we-have-decided-to-side-with-the-many/)

[Ingvar Kamprad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingvar-kamprad/)

> [I'm a bit tight with money, but so what? I look at the money I'm about to spend on myself and ask myself if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingvar-kamprad/i-m-a-bit-tight-with-money-but-so-what-i-look-at-the-money-i-m-about/)

[Ingvar Kamprad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingvar-kamprad/)

> [Making mistakes is the privilege of the active - of those who can correct their mistakes and put them right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingvar-kamprad/making-mistakes-is-the-privilege-of-the-active-of-those-who-can/)

[Ingvar Kamprad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingvar-kamprad/)

> [It was our duty to expand. Those who cannot or will not join us are to be pitied. What we want to do, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingvar-kamprad/it-was-our-duty-to-expand-those-who-cannot-or-will-not-join-us-are-to/)

[Ingvar Kamprad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingvar-kamprad/)

> [To design a desk which may cost $1,000 is easy for a furniture designer but to design a functional and good desk which shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingvar-kamprad/to-design-a-desk-which-may-cost-1-000-is-easy-for-a-furniture/)

[Ingvar Kamprad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingvar-kamprad/)

> [Normally, I try to get my haircut when I'm in a developing country. Last time, it was in Vietnam.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingvar-kamprad/normally-i-try-to-get-my-haircut-when-i-m-in-a-developing-country/)

[Ingvar Kamprad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingvar-kamprad/)

> [The word impossible has been and must remain deleted from our dictionary,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingvar-kamprad/the-word-impossible-has-been-and-must-remain-deleted-from-our/)

[Ingvar Kamprad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingvar-kamprad/)

> [It is in the nature of Smaland to be thrifty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingvar-kamprad/it-is-in-the-nature-of-smaland-to-be-thrifty/)

[Ingvar Kamprad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingvar-kamprad/)

[Explore all 49 Ingvar Kamprad quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingvar-kamprad/)

## More Active quotes

> [Listening is a very active awareness of the coming together of at least two lives. Listening, as far as I'm concerned, is certainly a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/listening-is-a-very-active-awareness-of-the-coming-together-of-at/)

[Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/)

> [we need not avoid our active lives, but simply bring to them a new vision and shift of gravity. for in the center we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/we-need-not-avoid-our-active-lives-but-simply-bring-to-them-a-new/)

[Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

> [We in US need active intelligence: people being on the streets, people being able to stop and ask questions of individuals that they suspect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-guilfoyle/we-in-us-need-active-intelligence-people-being-on-the-streets-people/)

[Kimberly Guilfoyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-guilfoyle/)

> [Nothing is worse than active ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/nothing-is-worse-than-active-ignorance/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [I eat healthy most of the time. Whole foods are the best for you when you are super active, so I get plenty of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/witney-carson/i-eat-healthy-most-of-the-time-whole-foods-are-the-best-for-you-when/)

[Witney Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/witney-carson/)

> [Art shows us how to see things that are constructive and good, and to be an active part of that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/art-shows-us-how-to-see-things-that-are-constructive-and-good-and-to/)

[Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/)

> [Love, like truth and beauty, is concrete. Love is not fundamentally a sweet feeling; not, at heart, a matter of sentiment, attachment, or being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carter-heyward/love-like-truth-and-beauty-is-concrete-love-is-not-fundamentally-a/)

[Carter Heyward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carter-heyward/)

> [Studying Sol's interior by looking for analogous patterns on its incandescent face is known as helioseismology, an active - if largely unpronounceable - research…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/studying-sol-s-interior-by-looking-for-analogous-patterns-on-its/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [Science manipulates things and gives up living in them. It makes its own limited models of things; operating upon these indices or variables to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-merleau-ponty/science-manipulates-things-and-gives-up-living-in-them-it-makes-its/)

[Maurice Merleau-Ponty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-merleau-ponty/)

> [I stayed in L.A. long enough to get on my feet, and then I moved back to New York. The reason I moved here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iggy-pop/i-stayed-in-l-a-long-enough-to-get-on-my-feet-and-then-i-moved-back/)

[Iggy Pop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iggy-pop/)

> [The answer to any challenge you are having has nothing to do with God's willingness to help. It has to do with your acceptance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-beckwith/the-answer-to-any-challenge-you-are-having-has-nothing-to-do-with-god/)

[Michael Beckwith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-beckwith/)

> [Pete Townsend for me was a huge influence. Because essentially they were a three-piece band and the way he structured his chords and took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-lifeson/pete-townsend-for-me-was-a-huge-influence-because-essentially-they/)

[Alex Lifeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-lifeson/)

> [There is an enemy. There is an intelligent, active, malign force working against us. Step one is to recognize this. This recognition alone is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/there-is-an-enemy-there-is-an-intelligent-active-malign-force-working/)

[Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

> [Few, if any, creatures are equally active all night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/few-if-any-creatures-are-equally-active-all-night/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [You need to enjoy yourself and just get into the routine of keeping fit and enjoying being active. That's always easier once you've made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-brownlee/you-need-to-enjoy-yourself-and-just-get-into-the-routine-of-keeping/)

[Alistair Brownlee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-brownlee/)

[Browse all 2,212 Active quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/active/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Making mistakes is the privilege of the active. It is always the mediocre people who are negative, who spend their time proving that they were not wrong.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ingvar Kamprad"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingvar-kamprad/making-mistakes-is-the-privilege-of-the-active-it-is-always-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Active"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingvar-kamprad/making-mistakes-is-the-privilege-of-the-active-it-is-always-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ba/ingvar-kamprad-13840_active_making-mistakes-is-the-privilege-of-the_2000034.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ba/ingvar-kamprad-13840_active_making-mistakes-is-the-privilege-of-the_2000034.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ba/ingvar-kamprad-13840_active_making-mistakes-is-the-privilege-of-the_2000034.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Making mistakes is the privilege of the active. It is always the mediocre people who are negative, who spend…” — Ingvar Kamprad",
                "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": "Ingvar Kamprad",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingvar-kamprad/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Making mistakes is the privilege of...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingvar-kamprad/making-mistakes-is-the-privilege-of-the-active-it-is-always-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingvar-kamprad/making-mistakes-is-the-privilege-of-the-active-it-is-always-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
