--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A man can fail many times, but he isn't a…" description: "\"A man can fail many times, but he isn't a failure until he begins to blame somebody else.\" — John Burroughs" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/560/john-burroughs-1157_blame_a-man-can-fail-many-times-but-he-isn-t-a_688677.png" --- # A man can fail many times, but he isn't a failure until he… ![“A man can fail many times, but he isn't a failure until he begins to blame somebody else.” quote by John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/560/john-burroughs-1157_blame_a-man-can-fail-many-times-but-he-isn-t-a_688677.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/560/john-burroughs-1157_blame_a-man-can-fail-many-times-but-he-isn-t-a_688677.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/560/john-burroughs-1157_blame_a-man-can-fail-many-times-but-he-isn-t-a_688677.png) > “A man can fail many times, but he isn't a failure until he begins to blame somebody else.” [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Failure is defined by blaming others, not by repeated attempts. **In simple terms:** Blaming others makes you a failure. Key Takeaway Own responsibility for outcomes. Themes responsibility resilience self‑accountability failure Mood motivational reflective Type self‑help philosophical When to use this quote - career challenges - team projects - personal setbacks - learning experiences Key Concepts psychology personal growth mindset Questions to Reflect On - How do you respond to repeated setbacks? - What habits reduce blame? A Different Perspective Blame can be a coping mechanism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Begins Blame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/begins-blame-5053634/) [Blame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blame/) [Blame Somebody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blame-somebody-340427/) [Fail Many Times](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fail-many-times/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Failure Begins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure-begins-1297576/) [Man Fail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-fail-1114384/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [A man may fail many times. But he is not a failure until he begins to blame somebody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-man-may-fail-many-times-but-he-is-not-a-failure-until-he-begins-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [American naturalist John Burroughs put it, “A man can fail many times, but he isn’t a failure until he begins to blame somebody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-olson/american-naturalist-john-burroughs-put-it-a-man-can-fail-many-times/) [Jeff Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-olson/) > [“You can fail many times, but you're not a failure until you begin to blame somebody else.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/you-can-fail-many-times-but-you-re-not-a-failure-until-you-begin-to/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [“A man may fail many times, and then he turns to Cosmic Ordering.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-richards/a-man-may-fail-many-times-and-then-he-turns-to-cosmic-ordering/) [Stephen Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-richards/) > [Nearly every grave moral failure begins with a small sin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-colson/nearly-every-grave-moral-failure-begins-with-a-small-sin/) [Charles Colson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-colson/) > [Life changing repentance begins where blame shifting ends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/life-changing-repentance-begins-where-blame-shifting-ends/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [A man can get discouraged many times but he is not a failure until he begins to blame somebody else and stops trying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/a-man-can-get-discouraged-many-times-but-he-is-not-a-failure-until-he/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [“You can get discouraged many times, but you are not a failure until you begin to blame somebody else and stop trying.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/you-can-get-discouraged-many-times-but-you-are-not-a-failure-until/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [If you have a profession that depends on what you look like, you can't blame somebody for caring about that. It's part of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-franco/if-you-have-a-profession-that-depends-on-what-you-look-like-you-can-t/) [James Franco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-franco/) > [A man would rather fail according to his own ideas than succeed according to another's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-langley-bosher/a-man-would-rather-fail-according-to-his-own-ideas-than-succeed/) [Kate Langley Bosher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-langley-bosher/) > [Revolting man this sacred chain brought down to trial. No better man could fail the way you needed all keep close the vein of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chevelle/revolting-man-this-sacred-chain-brought-down-to-trial-no-better-man/) [Chevelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chevelle/) > [“If the man-made system were to fail, people would seek refuge in nature. But what if the man-made system destroyed that nature…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-max-cromwell/if-the-man-made-system-were-to-fail-people-would-seek-refuge-in/) [J. Max Cromwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-max-cromwell/) > [People see successes that men have made and somehow they appear to be easy. But that is a world away from the facts. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/people-see-successes-that-men-have-made-and-somehow-they-appear-to-be/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) > [A man can fail, but he isn't a failure until he blames someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-paul-getty/a-man-can-fail-but-he-isn-t-a-failure-until-he-blames-someone-else/) [J. Paul Getty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-paul-getty/) > [“In times of war or peace the US will gladly pay a man to fail should his heart be in it, a small shimmering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-culver/in-times-of-war-or-peace-the-us-will-gladly-pay-a-man-to-fail-should/) [Jonathan Culver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-culver/) ## More by John Burroughs > [As life nears its end with me, I find myself meditating more and more upon the mystery of its nature and origin, yet without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/as-life-nears-its-end-with-me-i-find-myself-meditating-more-and-more/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [Certainly in the United States, you have a constituency in the form of the weapons laboratories, and you also have the branches of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/certainly-in-the-united-states-you-have-a-constituency-in-the-form-of/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [When Darwin published his conclusion that man was descended from an apelike ancestor who was again descended from a still lower type, most people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/when-darwin-published-his-conclusion-that-man-was-descended-from-an/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [Science sees the process of evolution from the outside, as one might a train of cars going by, and resolves it into the physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/science-sees-the-process-of-evolution-from-the-outside-as-one-might-a/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [Maybe that will happen with other countries as well. And so, that's why one of the things that groups like mine that work for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/maybe-that-will-happen-with-other-countries-as-well-and-so-that-s-why/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [One can only learn his powers of action by action, and his powers of thought by thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/one-can-only-learn-his-powers-of-action-by-action-and-his-powers-of/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [I was born with a chronic anxiety about the weather.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/i-was-born-with-a-chronic-anxiety-about-the-weather/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [When the woodpecker is searching for food, or laying siege to some hidden grub, the sound of his hammer is dead or muffled and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/when-the-woodpecker-is-searching-for-food-or-laying-siege-to-some/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [In what bold relief stand out the lives of all walkers of the snow! The snow is a great tell-tale, and blabs as effectually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/in-what-bold-relief-stand-out-the-lives-of-all-walkers-of-the-snow/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [In October, a maple tree before your window lights up your room like a great lamp. Even on cloudy days, its presence helps to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/in-october-a-maple-tree-before-your-window-lights-up-your-room-like-a/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [One can return to their place of birth, but one cannot go back to your youth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/one-can-return-to-their-place-of-birth-but-one-cannot-go-back-to-your/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [I still find each day too short..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/i-still-find-each-day-too-short/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [What a severe yet master artist old Winter is... No longer the canvas and the pigments, but the marble and the chisel...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/what-a-severe-yet-master-artist-old-winter-is-no-longer-the-canvas/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [Following World War II, the U.S. was the architect of the UN system, and the world financial system, and the Human Rights Declaration, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/following-world-war-ii-the-u-s-was-the-architect-of-the-un-system-and/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [“Go to the sea or climb the mountain, and with the ruggedest and the savagest you will find likewise the fairest and the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/go-to-the-sea-or-climb-the-mountain-and-with-the-ruggedest-and-the/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) [Explore all 281 John Burroughs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) ## More Blame quotes > [“I have to blame myself for not finding any way of reaching him, but I can't feel that either Ruth or I had anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stegner/i-have-to-blame-myself-for-not-finding-any-way-of-reaching-him-but-i/) [Wallace Stegner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stegner/) > [Me mum used to always have the radio on - even now she has it on in every room. Me girlfriend sort of blames…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-pilkington/me-mum-used-to-always-have-the-radio-on-even-now-she-has-it-on-in/) [Karl Pilkington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-pilkington/) > [I like to praise and reward loudly, to blame quietly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-the-great/i-like-to-praise-and-reward-loudly-to-blame-quietly/) [Catherine the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-the-great/) > [Some of the things that I said I hated to say, but blame yourself mother fucker you made it this way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jedi-mind-tricks/some-of-the-things-that-i-said-i-hated-to-say-but-blame-yourself/) [Jedi Mind Tricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jedi-mind-tricks/) > [Holy shadows of the dead, I'm not to blame for your cruel and bitter fate, but the accursed rivalry which brought sister nations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-the-great/holy-shadows-of-the-dead-i-m-not-to-blame-for-your-cruel-and-bitter/) [Alexander the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-the-great/) > [“In places where government priorities and market imperatives create a world so capricious that to help a neighbor is to risk your ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/in-places-where-government-priorities-and-market-imperatives-create-a/) [Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/) > [“Stop Blaming Others For Your Own Actions”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-g-roldan/stop-blaming-others-for-your-own-actions/) [Alexis G. Roldan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-g-roldan/) > [We know from this book entitled... What is it? Surrendered? Succumbed? I can never remember the title perform. And we learn from this book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/we-know-from-this-book-entitled-what-is-it-surrendered-succumbed-i/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I don't blame anyone .. I did this to myself .. It's my fault .. Everything is my FAULT ...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nurnizz95/i-don-t-blame-anyone-i-did-this-to-myself-it-s-my-fault-everything-is/) [Nurnizz95](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nurnizz95/) > [“They would congratulate themselves every morning on keeping their integrity, and blame themselves each night for that missed opportunity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/they-would-congratulate-themselves-every-morning-on-keeping-their/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [I try to live my life where I end up at a point where I have no regrets. So I try to choose the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-aronofsky/i-try-to-live-my-life-where-i-end-up-at-a-point-where-i-have-no/) [Darren Aronofsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-aronofsky/) > [How come you don't feel that magic in the air? I guess I knew you'll never be there. I guess I knew you never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-come-you-don-t-feel-that-magic-in-the-air-i-guess-i-knew-you-ll/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am down mentally. I can't understand how it happened and who is to blame? I don't know why the ground was rolled before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yeasin-khan/i-am-down-mentally-i-can-t-understand-how-it-happened-and-who-is-to/) [Yeasin Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yeasin-khan/) > [A refusal to admit one's mistake & not accepting responsibility for that mistake by blaming everyone else, is d beginning of one's decline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-refusal-to-admit-one-s-mistake-not-accepting-responsibility-for/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Listen, the guy was not created by coverage from MSNBC and CNN. If you want to blame us for making Donald Trump president because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-tur/listen-the-guy-was-not-created-by-coverage-from-msnbc-and-cnn-if-you/) [Katy Tur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-tur/) [Browse all 3,779 Blame quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blame/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A man can fail many times, but he isn't a failure until he begins to blame somebody else.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Burroughs" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/a-man-can-fail-many-times-but-he-isn-t-a-failure-until-he-begins-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Blame" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/a-man-can-fail-many-times-but-he-isn-t-a-failure-until-he-begins-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/560/john-burroughs-1157_blame_a-man-can-fail-many-times-but-he-isn-t-a_688677.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/560/john-burroughs-1157_blame_a-man-can-fail-many-times-but-he-isn-t-a_688677.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/560/john-burroughs-1157_blame_a-man-can-fail-many-times-but-he-isn-t-a_688677.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A man can fail many times, but he isn't a failure until he begins to blame somebody else.” — John Burroughs", "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": "John Burroughs", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A man can fail many times,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/a-man-can-fail-many-times-but-he-isn-t-a-failure-until-he-begins-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/a-man-can-fail-many-times-but-he-isn-t-a-failure-until-he-begins-to/#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 } } ] } ```