--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can get discouraged many times, but…" description: "\"“You can get discouraged many times, but you are not a failure until you begin to blame somebody else and stop trying.”\" — John Burroughs" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/685/john-burroughs-1157_blaming-others_you-can-get-discouraged-many-times-but-y_1754192.png" --- # You can get discouraged many times, but you are not a… ![“You can get discouraged many times, but you are not a failure until you begin to blame somebody else and stop trying.” quote by John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/685/john-burroughs-1157_blaming-others_you-can-get-discouraged-many-times-but-y_1754192.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/685/john-burroughs-1157_blaming-others_you-can-get-discouraged-many-times-but-y_1754192.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/685/john-burroughs-1157_blaming-others_you-can-get-discouraged-many-times-but-y_1754192.png) > ““You can get discouraged many times, but you are not a failure until you begin to blame somebody else and stop trying.”” [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. Repeated discouragement isn’t failure until one stops trying and blames others; perseverance defines success. **In simple terms:** Keep trying, don’t blame others. Key Takeaway Persist despite setbacks. Themes perseverance personal responsibility resilience growth mindset Mood motivational realistic Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - career challenges - academic studies - sports competition - creative projects - personal crises Key Concepts psychology motivation self‑efficacy Questions to Reflect On - What triggers your urge to blame? - How can you stay accountable? A Different Perspective Blaming others can be a coping mechanism that needs addressing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Blaming others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blaming-others/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Never quit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never-quit/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [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 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/) > [Don't be discouraged. At times the path to truth is circuitous. The point is not to succeed, only to smile eternally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/don-t-be-discouraged-at-times-the-path-to-truth-is-circuitous-the/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Writing a novel is a very hard thing to do because it covers so long a space of time, and if you get discouraged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxwell-perkins/writing-a-novel-is-a-very-hard-thing-to-do-because-it-covers-so-long/) [Maxwell Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxwell-perkins/) > [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/) > [The main thing is this: we should never blame anyone or anything for our defeats. No matter how evil their intentions may be, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/the-main-thing-is-this-we-should-never-blame-anyone-or-anything-for/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [A man can fail many times, but he isn't a failure until he begins to blame somebody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/a-man-can-fail-many-times-but-he-isn-t-a-failure-until-he-begins-to/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [Even missionaries get discouraged at times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mack-wilberg/even-missionaries-get-discouraged-at-times/) [Mack Wilberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mack-wilberg/) > [Even though people about us choose the path of hate and violence and warfare and greed and prejudice, we who are Christ's body must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-jordan/even-though-people-about-us-choose-the-path-of-hate-and-violence-and/) [Clarence Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-jordan/) > [Our dad taught us not to be a loafer and a slough-off, that you don't blame somebody else for your misfortunes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-campbell/our-dad-taught-us-not-to-be-a-loafer-and-a-slough-off-that-you-don-t/) [Glen Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-campbell/) > [“Whether we forget something we are not proud of, or embellish it, or blame somebody else, we want to save face by not owning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-horney/whether-we-forget-something-we-are-not-proud-of-or-embellish-it-or/) [Karen Horney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-horney/) > [What you find when you live in the United States, you live in the West, is that when somebody fails, it's never their fault.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-a-schwarzman/what-you-find-when-you-live-in-the-united-states-you-live-in-the-west/) [Stephen A. Schwarzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-a-schwarzman/) > [You can never blame somebody for wanting to go home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-howland/you-can-never-blame-somebody-for-wanting-to-go-home/) [Ben Howland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-howland/) > [Every one of us can blame somebody for something that has happened in our lives. But don't waste your time. What we need most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-r-swindoll/every-one-of-us-can-blame-somebody-for-something-that-has-happened-in/) [Charles R. Swindoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-r-swindoll/) > [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/) ## 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 Blaming others quotes > [“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/) > [Stop blaming others, whatever happens to you is nobody's fault if you get hurt because of disappointment is not the end of your life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemmy-nola/stop-blaming-others-whatever-happens-to-you-is-nobody-s-fault-if-you/) [Kemmy Nola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemmy-nola/) > [“Would you like yourself, if you met yourself?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/would-you-like-yourself-if-you-met-yourself/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [Don't make excuses, make good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/don-t-make-excuses-make-good/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [If you listen to the political discourse in America today, you would think that all our problems have been caused by the Mexicans of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fareed-zakaria/if-you-listen-to-the-political-discourse-in-america-today-you-would/) [Fareed Zakaria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fareed-zakaria/) > [“What follow are the most common types of negative self-talk with the keys to taking control of them and turning them around: 1.  Turn I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-bradberry/what-follow-are-the-most-common-types-of-negative-self-talk-with-the/) [Travis Bradberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-bradberry/) > [Blaming others is nothing more than excusing yourself..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sharma/blaming-others-is-nothing-more-than-excusing-yourself/) [Robin Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sharma/) > [The day you stop blaming others for reasons why you did something and messed up will be the day you start REALLY living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-day-you-stop-blaming-others-for-reasons-why-you-did-something-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Here is the sweet paradox in how God works. He blesses those who admit that they need help: The poor in spirit are blessed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-powlison/here-is-the-sweet-paradox-in-how-god-works-he-blesses-those-who-admit/) [David A. Powlison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-a-powlison/) > [Part of being a man is learning to take responsibility for your successes and for your failures. You can't go blaming others or being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bacon/part-of-being-a-man-is-learning-to-take-responsibility-for-your/) [Kevin Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bacon/) > [You may succeed in making another feel guilty about something by blaming him, but you won't succeed in changing whatever it is about you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/you-may-succeed-in-making-another-feel-guilty-about-something-by/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [“Stop blaming others, its a fact that the real meaning of blaming others is actually blaming yourself !”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manos-abou-chabke/stop-blaming-others-its-a-fact-that-the-real-meaning-of-blaming/) [Manos Abou Chabke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manos-abou-chabke/) > [By blaming others, we fail to find the real solutions to our problems and we do not carry out our own responsibilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb-bush/by-blaming-others-we-fail-to-find-the-real-solutions-to-our-problems/) [Jeb Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeb-bush/) > [When you plant lettuce, if it does not grow well, you don't blame the lettuce. You look for reasons it is not doing well.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/when-you-plant-lettuce-if-it-does-not-grow-well-you-don-t-blame-the/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [“Blaming others doesn’t help you make the shift into courage and recognizing the support of Spirit and your own soul working together. Blaming yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colette-baron-reid/blaming-others-doesn-t-help-you-make-the-shift-into-courage-and/) [Colette Baron Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colette-baron-reid/) [Browse all 116 Blaming others quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blaming-others/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“You can get discouraged many times, but you are not a failure until you begin to blame somebody else and stop trying.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Burroughs" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/you-can-get-discouraged-many-times-but-you-are-not-a-failure-until/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Blaming others" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/you-can-get-discouraged-many-times-but-you-are-not-a-failure-until/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/685/john-burroughs-1157_blaming-others_you-can-get-discouraged-many-times-but-y_1754192.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/685/john-burroughs-1157_blaming-others_you-can-get-discouraged-many-times-but-y_1754192.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/685/john-burroughs-1157_blaming-others_you-can-get-discouraged-many-times-but-y_1754192.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You can get discouraged many times, but you are not a failure until you begin to blame somebody else and…” — 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": "“You can get discouraged many times,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/you-can-get-discouraged-many-times-but-you-are-not-a-failure-until/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/you-can-get-discouraged-many-times-but-you-are-not-a-failure-until/#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 } } ] } ```