--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is a shabby nobility in failing all…" description: "\"There is a shabby nobility in failing all by yourself.\" — Jay McInerney" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5a/jay-mcinerney-7092_failing_there-is-a-shabby-nobility-in-failing-al_1690914.png" --- # There is a shabby nobility in failing all by yourself. ![“There is a shabby nobility in failing all by yourself.” quote by Jay McInerney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5a/jay-mcinerney-7092_failing_there-is-a-shabby-nobility-in-failing-al_1690914.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5a/jay-mcinerney-7092_failing_there-is-a-shabby-nobility-in-failing-al_1690914.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5a/jay-mcinerney-7092_failing_there-is-a-shabby-nobility-in-failing-al_1690914.png) > “There is a shabby nobility in failing all by yourself.” [Jay McInerney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mcinerney/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Failing alone can carry a strange dignity, highlighting personal responsibility and resilience. **In simple terms:** Alone failure feels noble. Key Takeaway Own your mistakes. Themes responsibility resilience individualism Mood reflective determined Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal setbacks - entrepreneurial ventures - creative projects - academic challenges Key Concepts existentialism self-reliance Questions to Reflect On - How does solitude shape your perseverance? - When is seeking help wiser? A Different Perspective Isolation can limit growth and support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Nobility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nobility/) ## Related quotes > [I was haunted always by my other life-my drab room in the Bronx, my square foot of the subway, my fixation upon the day's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/i-was-haunted-always-by-my-other-life-my-drab-room-in-the-bronx-my/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [Houses without personality are a series of walled enclosures with furniture standing around in them. Other houses are filled with things of little intrinsic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-post/houses-without-personality-are-a-series-of-walled-enclosures-with/) [Emily Post](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-post/) > [I've got some incredible fans actually - so loyal and they make me birthday cards and Christmas cards. I got this package of poems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-ryan/i-ve-got-some-incredible-fans-actually-so-loyal-and-they-make-me/) [Debby Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-ryan/) > [I feel shabby - because I've made a name, quite a good name, out of photography. And I still find myself asking the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-mccullin/i-feel-shabby-because-i-ve-made-a-name-quite-a-good-name-out-of/) [Don McCullin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-mccullin/) > [It is a wonderful advantage to a man, in every pursuite or avocation, to secure an adviser in a sensible woman. In woman there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/it-is-a-wonderful-advantage-to-a-man-in-every-pursuite-or-avocation/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [Wise kings wear shabby clothes, and leave the gold lace to the drum major.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/wise-kings-wear-shabby-clothes-and-leave-the-gold-lace-to-the-drum/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [The evening before my departure for Blithedale, I was returning to my bachelor-apartments, after attending the wonderful exhibition of the Veiled Lady, when an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-evening-before-my-departure-for-blithedale-i-was-returning-to-my/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [It is curious, isn't it, that things you know well never look dirty and dilapidated-other people's old furniture looks shabby and moth-eaten. “I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-e-stevenson/it-is-curious-isn-t-it-that-things-you-know-well-never-look-dirty-and/) [D.E. Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-e-stevenson/) > [“Inside the girl’s room it was dank and shabby.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christa-faust/inside-the-girl-s-room-it-was-dank-and-shabby/) [Christa Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christa-faust/) > [Drop this mean and sordid and selfish devotion to the saving of your shabby little souls, and hunt up something to do that's got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/drop-this-mean-and-sordid-and-selfish-devotion-to-the-saving-of-your/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Most of our love is shabby stuff, but there is always a thin line of gold, the bit of pure love on which all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/most-of-our-love-is-shabby-stuff-but-there-is-always-a-thin-line-of/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [In other countries, art and literature are left to a lot of shabby bums living in attics and feeding on booze and spaghetti, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/in-other-countries-art-and-literature-are-left-to-a-lot-of-shabby/) [Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) > [I never have held death in contempt, though in the course of my explorations I have oftentimes felt that to meet one's fate on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/i-never-have-held-death-in-contempt-though-in-the-course-of-my/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [Humor is widely used by Indians to deal with life. Indian gatherings are marked by laughter and jokes, many directed at the horrors of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-gunn-allen/humor-is-widely-used-by-indians-to-deal-with-life-indian-gatherings/) [Paula Gunn Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-gunn-allen/) > [One could not stay a month without loving the shabby town](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-adams/one-could-not-stay-a-month-without-loving-the-shabby-town/) [Henry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-adams/) ## More by Jay McInerney > [“Taste is a matter of taste.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mcinerney/taste-is-a-matter-of-taste/) [Jay McInerney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mcinerney/) > [Most all of the writers I admired when I was in my teens and twenties died young. Fitzgerald lived the longest. He was 44.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mcinerney/most-all-of-the-writers-i-admired-when-i-was-in-my-teens-and-twenties/) [Jay McInerney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mcinerney/) > [I certainly think that the publishing houses have to learn more about this informal network of literary blogging and get over the idea that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mcinerney/i-certainly-think-that-the-publishing-houses-have-to-learn-more-about/) [Jay McInerney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mcinerney/) > [“She said that certain facts are accessible only from one point of view – the point of view of the creature who experiences them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mcinerney/she-said-that-certain-facts-are-accessible-only-from-one-point-of/) [Jay McInerney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mcinerney/) > [Your presence here is is only a matter of conducting an experiment in limits, reminding yourself of what you aren’t.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mcinerney/your-presence-here-is-is-only-a-matter-of-conducting-an-experiment-in/) [Jay McInerney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mcinerney/) > [My former wife is a very eccentric woman, which is why I still love her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mcinerney/my-former-wife-is-a-very-eccentric-woman-which-is-why-i-still-love-her/) [Jay McInerney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mcinerney/) > [“Tears come to your eyes, and you feel such a rush of tenderness and pity that you stop beside a lamppost and hang on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mcinerney/tears-come-to-your-eyes-and-you-feel-such-a-rush-of-tenderness-and/) [Jay McInerney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mcinerney/) > [Sometimes I think everything I touch turns into a Page Six item.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mcinerney/sometimes-i-think-everything-i-touch-turns-into-a-page-six-item/) [Jay McInerney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mcinerney/) > [Sometimes I think the difference between what we want and what we're afraid of is about the width of an eyelash.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mcinerney/sometimes-i-think-the-difference-between-what-we-want-and-what-we-re/) [Jay McInerney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mcinerney/) > [“Suffering is supposed to be the raw stuff of art.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mcinerney/suffering-is-supposed-to-be-the-raw-stuff-of-art/) [Jay McInerney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mcinerney/) > [I think it's dangerous to think you know what you're writing. I usually don't know, and usually I just discover it in the course…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mcinerney/i-think-it-s-dangerous-to-think-you-know-what-you-re-writing-i/) [Jay McInerney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mcinerney/) > [I think, when I'm writing, I have a more clinical view than I do when I'm reading. I like pretending to be God and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mcinerney/i-think-when-i-m-writing-i-have-a-more-clinical-view-than-i-do-when-i/) [Jay McInerney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mcinerney/) > [Add anchovies to almost anything, in moderation, and it will taste better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mcinerney/add-anchovies-to-almost-anything-in-moderation-and-it-will-taste/) [Jay McInerney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mcinerney/) > [A creative writing program is only as good as its teachers, and I was fortunate in having two great writers as mentors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mcinerney/a-creative-writing-program-is-only-as-good-as-its-teachers-and-i-was/) [Jay McInerney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mcinerney/) > [I feel that there's a lot of would-be guardians of the culture who think that high-minded literary purpose and the life that gets chronicled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mcinerney/i-feel-that-there-s-a-lot-of-would-be-guardians-of-the-culture-who/) [Jay McInerney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mcinerney/) [Explore all 92 Jay McInerney quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mcinerney/) ## More Failing quotes > [Many individuals spend a considerable portion of their lifetimes in terror of one imagined catastrophe or another. The classic is that your immortal soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/many-individuals-spend-a-considerable-portion-of-their-lifetimes-in/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [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/) > [Trial by jury. Live wherever you can make a living. How could a government based on such principles fail?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-ambrose/trial-by-jury-live-wherever-you-can-make-a-living-how-could-a/) [Stephen Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-ambrose/) > [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [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/) > [I would warn against holsters with devices for quick-draw. Devices always fail when you need them most.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-powell/i-would-warn-against-holsters-with-devices-for-quick-draw-devices/) [William Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-powell/) > [You can’t bake a cake without getting the kitchen messy. Halfway through surgery it looks like there’s been a murder in the operating room.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/price-pritchett/you-can-t-bake-a-cake-without-getting-the-kitchen-messy-halfway/) [Price Pritchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/price-pritchett/) > [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/) > [When I paint, I never think of selling. People simply fail to understand that we paint in order to experiment and to develop ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/when-i-paint-i-never-think-of-selling-people-simply-fail-to/) [Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/) > [Either dragons should exist completely or fail to exist at all, he felt. A dragon only half-existing was worse than the extremes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/either-dragons-should-exist-completely-or-fail-to-exist-at-all-he/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [I wake up every morning fearing I am going to fail. But I love a challenge, big or small. There's so much I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-mone/i-wake-up-every-morning-fearing-i-am-going-to-fail-but-i-love-a/) [Michelle Mone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-mone/) > [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/) > [In proportion as our inward life fails, we go more constantly and desperately to the post office. You may depend on it, that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/in-proportion-as-our-inward-life-fails-we-go-more-constantly-and/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The very first company I started failed with a great bang. The second one failed a little bit less, but still failed. The third…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-levchin/the-very-first-company-i-started-failed-with-a-great-bang-the-second/) [Max Levchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-levchin/) Browse all 5,634 Failing quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is a shabby nobility in failing all by yourself.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jay McInerney" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mcinerney/there-is-a-shabby-nobility-in-failing-all-by-yourself/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Failing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mcinerney/there-is-a-shabby-nobility-in-failing-all-by-yourself/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5a/jay-mcinerney-7092_failing_there-is-a-shabby-nobility-in-failing-al_1690914.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5a/jay-mcinerney-7092_failing_there-is-a-shabby-nobility-in-failing-al_1690914.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5a/jay-mcinerney-7092_failing_there-is-a-shabby-nobility-in-failing-al_1690914.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There is a shabby nobility in failing all by yourself.” — Jay McInerney", "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": "Jay McInerney", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mcinerney/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There is a shabby nobility in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mcinerney/there-is-a-shabby-nobility-in-failing-all-by-yourself/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mcinerney/there-is-a-shabby-nobility-in-failing-all-by-yourself/#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 } } ] } ```