--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What I want is to be willing to fail…" description: "\"What I want is to be willing to fail rather than stagnate.\" — James Dickey" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc2/james-dickey-11461_fail_what-i-want-is-to-be-willing-to-fail-rat_7971.jpg" --- # What I want is to be willing to fail rather than stagnate. ![“What I want is to be willing to fail rather than stagnate.” quote by James Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc2/james-dickey-11461_fail_what-i-want-is-to-be-willing-to-fail-rat_7971.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc2/james-dickey-11461_fail_what-i-want-is-to-be-willing-to-fail-rat_7971.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc2/james-dickey-11461_fail_what-i-want-is-to-be-willing-to-fail-rat_7971.jpg) > “What I want is to be willing to fail rather than stagnate.” [James Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dickey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Embraces failure as a catalyst for growth, preferring dynamic learning over static comfort. **In simple terms:** Prioritize risk over complacency. Key Takeaway Fail fast, evolve faster. Themes growth mindset risk tolerance continuous improvement resilience learning innovation Mood determined optimistic challenging Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - entrepreneurship - career transitions - creative projects - skill acquisition - team development Key Concepts failure stagnation willingness growth Practical Applications - Iterative prototyping - Agile project management Questions to Reflect On - What would happen if you embraced failure as a regular feedback loop? - How does stagnation limit potential? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) ## Related quotes > [Succes is really nothing more than the record of failure. To be successful means you must be willing to fail more than anyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-van-booy/succes-is-really-nothing-more-than-the-record-of-failure-to-be/) [Simon Van Booy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-van-booy/) > [To succeed you must be willing to fail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-baruzzini/to-succeed-you-must-be-willing-to-fail/) Mark Baruzzini > [Nobody said that becoming successful would ever be an easy task by any means. One must be willing to fail and fail time again…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/nobody-said-that-becoming-successful-would-ever-be-an-easy-task-by/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [Anything I've ever attempted, I was always willing to fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-schwarzenegger/anything-i-ve-ever-attempted-i-was-always-willing-to-fail/) [Arnold Schwarzenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-schwarzenegger/) > [“Some people want what they are not willing to give.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brenda-johnson-padgitt/some-people-want-what-they-are-not-willing-to-give/) [Brenda Johnson Padgitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brenda-johnson-padgitt/) > [Ask for what you want, but be willing to take what God gives you. It may be better than what you asked for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/ask-for-what-you-want-but-be-willing-to-take-what-god-gives-you-it/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [I just know what I want, and I'm willing to butt heads with folks to get it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlene-carter/i-just-know-what-i-want-and-i-m-willing-to-butt-heads-with-folks-to/) [Carlene Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlene-carter/) > [You can have anything you want if you are willing to give up the belief that you cant have it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anthony/you-can-have-anything-you-want-if-you-are-willing-to-give-up-the/) [Robert Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anthony/) > [“He yells, "I want any part of you that you’re willing to give me!" We both fall quiet. Breathing hard. Staring each other down.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-chase/he-yells-i-want-any-part-of-you-that-you-re-willing-to-give-me-we/) [Emma Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-chase/) > [Its not about how much you want it but about how much you're willing to do towards it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-avenda-o/its-not-about-how-much-you-want-it-but-about-how-much-you-re-willing/) [Ivan Avendano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-avenda-o/) > [There's always a way to get where you want to go if you're willing to pay the price.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-ruettiger/there-s-always-a-way-to-get-where-you-want-to-go-if-you-re-willing-to/) [Rudy Ruettiger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-ruettiger/) > [We cannot be who we want to be, if we are not willing to do what we need to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-reichle/we-cannot-be-who-we-want-to-be-if-we-are-not-willing-to-do-what-we/) Sean Reichle > [If you really want something , you can have it if you're willing to pay the price. And the price means you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-lombardi/if-you-really-want-something-you-can-have-it-if-you-re-willing-to-pay/) [Vince Lombardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-lombardi/) > [“PRAYER Dear Lord, I want to be willing to be willing for You to take charge of my life. Help me to know that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carole-lewis/prayer-dear-lord-i-want-to-be-willing-to-be-willing-for-you-to-take/) Carole Lewis > [If you want someone, you have to be willing to wait for them and trust that what you have is real and strong enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jameela-jamil/if-you-want-someone-you-have-to-be-willing-to-wait-for-them-and-trust/) [Jameela Jamil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jameela-jamil/) ## More by James Dickey > [I once had the nerve to ask Picasso the question, 'What is art?' He answered, 'Art is a lie which makes us see the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dickey/i-once-had-the-nerve-to-ask-picasso-the-question-what-is-art-he/) [James Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dickey/) > [The true feeling of sex is that of a deep intimacy, but above all of a deep complicity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dickey/the-true-feeling-of-sex-is-that-of-a-deep-intimacy-but-above-all-of-a/) [James Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dickey/) > [“If I were going to tell one of my sons how to possess the world, I would simply bring him into my house, show…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dickey/if-i-were-going-to-tell-one-of-my-sons-how-to-possess-the-world-i/) [James Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dickey/) > [What a view, i said again. The river was blank and mindless with beauty. It was the most glorious thing I have ever seen.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dickey/what-a-view-i-said-again-the-river-was-blank-and-mindless-with-beauty/) [James Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dickey/) > [The body is the one thing you can't fake; it's just got to be there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dickey/the-body-is-the-one-thing-you-can-t-fake-it-s-just-got-to-be-there/) [James Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dickey/) > [I want a fever, in poetry: a fever, and tranquillity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dickey/i-want-a-fever-in-poetry-a-fever-and-tranquillity/) [James Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dickey/) > [I do think the author ought to be able to give a good reason for the way things are in his poem. Not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dickey/i-do-think-the-author-ought-to-be-able-to-give-a-good-reason-for-the/) [James Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dickey/) > [You are bound, my hunch is, to make it just fine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dickey/you-are-bound-my-hunch-is-to-make-it-just-fine/) [James Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dickey/) > [Find something only you can say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dickey/find-something-only-you-can-say/) [James Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dickey/) > [I think Ginsberg has done more harm to the craft that I honor and live by than anybody else by reducing it to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dickey/i-think-ginsberg-has-done-more-harm-to-the-craft-that-i-honor-and/) [James Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dickey/) > [I don’t believe that a reviewer or a critic can really criticize well unless he can praise well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dickey/i-don-t-believe-that-a-reviewer-or-a-critic-can-really-criticize-well/) [James Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dickey/) > [We've always had a tradition in America of hounding our artists to death. Look at the list of our great artists, you see a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dickey/we-ve-always-had-a-tradition-in-america-of-hounding-our-artists-to/) [James Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dickey/) > [A poet trains himself to stand out in a storm and be struck by lightning. If he is lucky enough to be struck six…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dickey/a-poet-trains-himself-to-stand-out-in-a-storm-and-be-struck-by/) [James Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dickey/) > [Flight is the only truly new sensation than men have achieved in modern history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dickey/flight-is-the-only-truly-new-sensation-than-men-have-achieved-in/) [James Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dickey/) > [She was the Judy Garland of American poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dickey/she-was-the-judy-garland-of-american-poetry/) [James Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dickey/) [Explore all 59 James Dickey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dickey/) ## More Fail quotes > [God's love never fail :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-s-love-never-fail/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Would you like a side of epic with that fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabi/would-you-like-a-side-of-epic-with-that-fail/) [Gabi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabi/) > [Apologies are not pass/fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-pausch/apologies-are-not-pass-fail/) [Randy Pausch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-pausch/) > [My willingness to fail gives me the ability to succeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinod-khosla/my-willingness-to-fail-gives-me-the-ability-to-succeed/) [Vinod Khosla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinod-khosla/) > [If you have a good idea you must explain it or you will fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/if-you-have-a-good-idea-you-must-explain-it-or-you-will-fail/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [We can't afford any president to fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/we-can-t-afford-any-president-to-fail/) [Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/) > [“If you die, I will find you. I will never leave you. I will never let you go. I will not let you fall,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thea-harrison/if-you-die-i-will-find-you-i-will-never-leave-you-i-will-never-let/) [Thea Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thea-harrison/) > [“The worst outcome of not trying is never getting to fail.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-gary-smith/the-worst-outcome-of-not-trying-is-never-getting-to-fail/) [Phillip Gary Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-gary-smith/) > [“Many people fail in their career, business and relationship, and others get stuck because of their inability to make quality decisions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nkem-mpamah/many-people-fail-in-their-career-business-and-relationship-and-others/) [Nkem Mpamah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nkem-mpamah/) > [“Quitters don’t gain what they have started working on; waiters don’t start what they could have gained. What is common there is failure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/quitters-don-t-gain-what-they-have-started-working-on-waiters-don-t/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [This is my most important role. If I fail at this, I fail at everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-wahlberg/this-is-my-most-important-role-if-i-fail-at-this-i-fail-at-everything/) [Mark Wahlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-wahlberg/) > [Sunscreen is something that I think a lot of people fail to incorporate into their beauty routines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-zegler/sunscreen-is-something-that-i-think-a-lot-of-people-fail-to/) [Rachel Zegler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-zegler/) > [Never give up on something just because you think you might fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-lee-reed-jr/never-give-up-on-something-just-because-you-think-you-might-fail/) Jimmy Lee Reed Jr > [The main thing that endears the United Nations to member governments, and so enables it to survive, is its proven capacity to fail, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-cruise-o-brien/the-main-thing-that-endears-the-united-nations-to-member-governments/) [Conor Cruise O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-cruise-o-brien/) > [There's a spectrum of those moments of connection and the moments we fail to connect, going from super-large successes to failures. Success would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-bender/there-s-a-spectrum-of-those-moments-of-connection-and-the-moments-we/) [Aimee Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-bender/) Browse all 2,202 Fail quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What I want is to be willing to fail rather than stagnate.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Dickey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dickey/what-i-want-is-to-be-willing-to-fail-rather-than-stagnate/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fail" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dickey/what-i-want-is-to-be-willing-to-fail-rather-than-stagnate/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc2/james-dickey-11461_fail_what-i-want-is-to-be-willing-to-fail-rat_7971.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc2/james-dickey-11461_fail_what-i-want-is-to-be-willing-to-fail-rat_7971.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc2/james-dickey-11461_fail_what-i-want-is-to-be-willing-to-fail-rat_7971.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What I want is to be willing to fail rather than stagnate.” — James Dickey", "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": "James Dickey", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dickey/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What I want is to be...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dickey/what-i-want-is-to-be-willing-to-fail-rather-than-stagnate/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dickey/what-i-want-is-to-be-willing-to-fail-rather-than-stagnate/#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 } } ] } ```