--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To fail at all is to fail utterly." description: "\"To fail at all is to fail utterly.\" — James Russell Lowell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1c/james-russell-lowell-561_fail_to-fail-at-all-is-to-fail-utterly-121759_1217593.png" --- # To fail at all is to fail utterly. ![“To fail at all is to fail utterly.” quote by James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1c/james-russell-lowell-561_fail_to-fail-at-all-is-to-fail-utterly-121759_1217593.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1c/james-russell-lowell-561_fail_to-fail-at-all-is-to-fail-utterly-121759_1217593.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1c/james-russell-lowell-561_fail_to-fail-at-all-is-to-fail-utterly-121759_1217593.png) > “To fail at all is to fail utterly.” [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Partial failure is still total failure; there is no partial success. **In simple terms:** Any failure equals total failure. Key Takeaway Aim for complete success, not half‑measures. Themes perfection effort outcome Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - project management - personal development - teamwork Key Concepts existentialism ethics Questions to Reflect On - Is perfection always necessary? - How to balance effort and outcome? A Different Perspective Unrealistic for many tasks. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) ## Related quotes > [It's one thing to fail with something you utterly believe in, but to fail with something you don't believe in? 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Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/all-of-old-nothing-else-ever-ever-tried-ever-failed-no-matter-try/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [If you must fail ... fail spectacularly!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/if-you-must-fail-fail-spectacularly/) [Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/) > [I tell ye wut, my judgment is you're pooty sure to fail, Ez long 'z the head keeps turnin' back for counsel to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/i-tell-ye-wut-my-judgment-is-you-re-pooty-sure-to-fail-ez-long-z-the/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [What I want is to be willing to fail rather than stagnate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dickey/what-i-want-is-to-be-willing-to-fail-rather-than-stagnate/) [James Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dickey/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) ## More by James Russell Lowell > [We kind o' thought Christ went agin war an' pillage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/we-kind-o-thought-christ-went-agin-war-an-pillage/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [He gives only the worthless gold who gives from a sense of duty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/he-gives-only-the-worthless-gold-who-gives-from-a-sense-of-duty/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [As life runs on, the road grows strange with faces new - and near the end. 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It has no conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/the-intellect-has-only-one-failing-which-to-be-sure-is-a-very/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) [Explore all 471 James Russell Lowell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) ## 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/) > [What I want is to be willing to fail rather than stagnate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dickey/what-i-want-is-to-be-willing-to-fail-rather-than-stagnate/) [James Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dickey/) > [“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. 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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/) Browse all 2,202 Fail quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To fail at all is to fail utterly.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Russell Lowell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/to-fail-at-all-is-to-fail-utterly/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fail" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/to-fail-at-all-is-to-fail-utterly/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1c/james-russell-lowell-561_fail_to-fail-at-all-is-to-fail-utterly-121759_1217593.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1c/james-russell-lowell-561_fail_to-fail-at-all-is-to-fail-utterly-121759_1217593.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1c/james-russell-lowell-561_fail_to-fail-at-all-is-to-fail-utterly-121759_1217593.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To fail at all is to fail utterly.” — James Russell Lowell", "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 Russell Lowell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "To fail at all is to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/to-fail-at-all-is-to-fail-utterly/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/to-fail-at-all-is-to-fail-utterly/#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 } } ] } ```