---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's not hard to fail...it's hard to…"
description: "\"“It's not hard to fail...it's hard to accept you failed...but once that's out of the way, it's pretty smooth sailing”\" — Josh Stern"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ff/josh-stern-2480_absurd_it-s-not-hard-to-fail-it-s-hard-to-accep_133306.jpg"
---

#  It's not hard to fail...it's hard to accept you…

![“It's not hard to fail...it's hard to accept you failed...but once that's out of the way, it's pretty smooth sailing” quote by Josh Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ff/josh-stern-2480_absurd_it-s-not-hard-to-fail-it-s-hard-to-accep_133306.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ff/josh-stern-2480_absurd_it-s-not-hard-to-fail-it-s-hard-to-accep_133306.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ff/josh-stern-2480_absurd_it-s-not-hard-to-fail-it-s-hard-to-accep_133306.jpg)

> ““It's not hard to fail...it's hard to accept you failed...but once that's out of the way, it's pretty smooth sailing””

[Josh Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-stern/)

## 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 easy; accepting it is hard, but once accepted, progress becomes smoother.

**In simple terms:** Failing is easy; accepting is hard; then smooth sailing.

Key Takeaway

Embrace failure, accept it, then move forward.

Themes

failure acceptance growth resilience mindset

Mood

encouraging practical

Type

advice motivational

When to use this quote

- career setbacks
- personal development
- learning cycles

Key Concepts

self‑reflection adaptability

Questions to Reflect On

- How to cultivate acceptance of failure?
- What practices ease post‑failure recovery?

A Different Perspective

Acceptance may not guarantee smooth progress.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Absurd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absurd/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Conversations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversations/) [Fail Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fail-hard-766544/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Hard Accept](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-accept-1085829/) [Hard Fail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-fail-1006628/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Pretty Smooth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pretty-smooth-1522464/) [Relationships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationships/) [Sarcasm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sarcasm/) [Sarcastic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sarcastic/) [Smooth sailing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smooth-sailing/)

## Related quotes

> [I didn't really want to write something about my life story. I've kind of had a pretty smooth-sailing journey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellyse-perry/i-didn-t-really-want-to-write-something-about-my-life-story-i-ve-kind/)

[Ellyse Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellyse-perry/)

> ['Fail hard, fail fast, fail often. It's the key to success.' This one I learned from experience!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reshma-saujani/fail-hard-fail-fast-fail-often-it-s-the-key-to-success-this-one-i/)

[Reshma Saujani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reshma-saujani/)

> [Fail fast, fail hard, fail often.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reshma-saujani/fail-fast-fail-hard-fail-often/)

[Reshma Saujani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reshma-saujani/)

> [Making a transition to the adult acting industry was pretty smooth for me, and I had a great balance and a great opportunity not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raven-goodwin/making-a-transition-to-the-adult-acting-industry-was-pretty-smooth/)

[Raven Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raven-goodwin/)

> [Why is it so EASY to fail but so HARD to SUCCEED?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/why-is-it-so-easy-to-fail-but-so-hard-to-succeed/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I still have my quickness, but I turn it on and off. I don't want to fail in anything I do and that's why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-anderson/i-still-have-my-quickness-but-i-turn-it-on-and-off-i-don-t-want-to/)

[Kenny Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-anderson/)

> [You can be shaped, or you can be broken. There is not much in between. Try to learn. Be coachable. Try to learn from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/you-can-be-shaped-or-you-can-be-broken-there-is-not-much-in-between-3/)

[David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/)

> [Don't be afraid to fail. For the love of God, don't be afraid to fail, because you're going to fail. So try to fail…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-raymund/don-t-be-afraid-to-fail-for-the-love-of-god-don-t-be-afraid-to-fail/)

[Monica Raymund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-raymund/)

> [You can only really learn from failure ... To win, you need to fail, and fail hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aisha-tyler/you-can-only-really-learn-from-failure-to-win-you-need-to-fail-and/)

[Aisha Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aisha-tyler/)

> [“If you do not climb, you will not fall. This is true. But is it that bad to fail, that hard to fall?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/if-you-do-not-climb-you-will-not-fall-this-is-true-but-is-it-that-bad/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [It's quite hard when you do fail and you don't achieve what you want to achieve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-pietersen/it-s-quite-hard-when-you-do-fail-and-you-don-t-achieve-what-you-want/)

[Kevin Pietersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-pietersen/)

> [Its not easy to make it but its not hard to fail!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/its-not-easy-to-make-it-but-its-not-hard-to-fail/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“​It's Hard, Not to Fail, but, there is Always a Chance of Success. Of course, there is No Chance of Success, if You didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vineet-raj-kapoor/it-s-hard-not-to-fail-but-there-is-always-a-chance-of-success-of/)

[Vineet Raj Kapoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vineet-raj-kapoor/)

> [It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/it-is-hard-to-fail-but-it-is-worse-never-to-have-tried-to-succeed/)

[Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/)

> [Sometimes when you look too hard, you fail to see the gem right in front of you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-when-you-look-too-hard-you-fail-to-see-the-gem-right-in/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Josh Stern

> [“I'd rather be a nodding acquaintance, than a bobble head”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-stern/i-d-rather-be-a-nodding-acquaintance-than-a-bobble-head/)

[Josh Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-stern/)

> [“When Unicorns headbutt, there are no winners" ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-stern/when-unicorns-headbutt-there-are-no-winners/)

[Josh Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-stern/)

> [“Behind every great man is a great woman' but in front of every great man should be a spectacular woman”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-stern/behind-every-great-man-is-a-great-woman-but-in-front-of-every-great/)

[josh stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-stern/)

> [“It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the blame”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-stern/it-is-amazing-what-you-can-accomplish-if-you-do-not-care-who-gets-the/)

[Josh Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-stern/)

> [“Not only will those ultra bright European sulphur diode high beams ' catch a deer in the headlights' they'll vaporize it too”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-stern/not-only-will-those-ultra-bright-european-sulphur-diode-high-beams/)

[josh stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-stern/)

> [“My Anorexic Ex was so skinny she didn't give head, she gave skull”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-stern/my-anorexic-ex-was-so-skinny-she-didn-t-give-head-she-gave-skull/)

[Josh Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-stern/)

> [“You're only given as much as you can handle, before going back for seconds”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-stern/you-re-only-given-as-much-as-you-can-handle-before-going-back-for/)

[Josh Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-stern/)

> [“It's not that I'm ahead of my time, it's more that the world is running late”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-stern/it-s-not-that-i-m-ahead-of-my-time-it-s-more-that-the-world-is/)

[Josh Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-stern/)

> [“If the love is not madness, then the sex is not insane”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-stern/if-the-love-is-not-madness-then-the-sex-is-not-insane/)

[Josh Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-stern/)

> [“As for Chicks with Daddy Issues: Do I really want to be with a Woman who wants to be my Father?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-stern/as-for-chicks-with-daddy-issues-do-i-really-want-to-be-with-a-woman/)

[Josh Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-stern/)

> [“The practice of doing more than necessary works best when packing lunch boxes”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-stern/the-practice-of-doing-more-than-necessary-works-best-when-packing/)

[Josh Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-stern/)

> [“I hate cutting my wrists while shaving”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-stern/i-hate-cutting-my-wrists-while-shaving/)

[Josh Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-stern/)

> [“I like my coffee like I like myself…making rustling noises inside a burlap bag”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-stern/i-like-my-coffee-like-i-like-myself-making-rustling-noises-inside-a/)

[Josh Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-stern/)

> [“If you know how to open doors with just a smile, you must need your teeth capped every six months”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-stern/if-you-know-how-to-open-doors-with-just-a-smile-you-must-need-your/)

[Josh Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-stern/)

> [“It's always darkest before you're blinded by the light”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-stern/it-s-always-darkest-before-you-re-blinded-by-the-light/)

[josh stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-stern/)

[Explore all 164 Josh Stern quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-stern/)

## More Absurd quotes

> [“It seem absurd to me that they don't know, haven't felt any change or tremor, even as my life has been completely turned upside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/it-seem-absurd-to-me-that-they-don-t-know-haven-t-felt-any-change-or/)

[Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/)

> [When a person’s tongue is extensively wrong, it is absurd, no less than unscriptural, to say that their heart is right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-ryle/when-a-person-s-tongue-is-extensively-wrong-it-is-absurd-no-less-than/)

[J. C. Ryle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-ryle/)

> [Every sensible man, every honorable man, must hold the Christian sect in horror." "Christianity is the most ridiculous, the most absurd and bloody religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/every-sensible-man-every-honorable-man-must-hold-the-christian-sect/)

[Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/)

> [It is human nature to think wisely and to act in an absurd fashion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/it-is-human-nature-to-think-wisely-and-to-act-in-an-absurd-fashion/)

[Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/)

> [It is a dangerous and fateful presumption, besides the absurd temerity that it implies, to disdain what we do not comprehend. For after you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-a-dangerous-and-fateful-presumption-besides-the-absurd-temerity/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I thought to myself: if it’s true that every person has a star in the sky, mine must be distant, dim, and absurd. Perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadegh-hedayat/i-thought-to-myself-if-it-s-true-that-every-person-has-a-star-in-the/)

[Sadegh Hedayat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadegh-hedayat/)

> [If, indeed, a firearm were more dangerous to its possessors than to potential aggressors, would it not make sense for the government to arm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mamet/if-indeed-a-firearm-were-more-dangerous-to-its-possessors-than-to/)

[David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/)

> [“You were torturing a cat," she says. "With a freaking prod." "A prod I built myself in metal shop," he says. "But of course…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/you-were-torturing-a-cat-she-says-with-a-freaking-prod-a-prod-i-built/)

[George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/)

> [I have never heard enough classical music to be able to enjoy it; &amp; the simple truth is, I detest it. Not mildly, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-have-never-heard-enough-classical-music-to-be-able-to-enjoy-it-the/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [To deprecate human reason by saying that none of us is or can be omniscient is absurd, for it takes an impossible standard as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-rothbard/to-deprecate-human-reason-by-saying-that-none-of-us-is-or-can-be/)

[Murray Rothbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-rothbard/)

> [“Rachel got up and did this happy little shuffle, like she was some cheerful farmer chick who'd just stepped outside to find the hick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/rachel-got-up-and-did-this-happy-little-shuffle-like-she-was-some/)

[George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/)

> [The absurd duty, too often inculcated, of obeying a parent only on account of his being a parent, shackles the mind, and prepares it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft/the-absurd-duty-too-often-inculcated-of-obeying-a-parent-only-on/)

[Mary Wollstonecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft/)

> [The workman of today works every day in his life at the same tasks, and this fate is no less absurd. But it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-workman-of-today-works-every-day-in-his-life-at-the-same-tasks/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [I was once part of a Christmas cabaret. I sang 'I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.' I tap-danced. I had a ten-gallon hat. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-dinklage/i-was-once-part-of-a-christmas-cabaret-i-sang-i-saw-mommy-kissing/)

[Peter Dinklage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-dinklage/)

> [Solitude produces originality, bold and astonishing beauty, poetry. But solitude also produces perverseness, the disproportianate, the absurd and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/solitude-produces-originality-bold-and-astonishing-beauty-poetry-but/)

[Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/)

[Browse all 1,644 Absurd quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absurd/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“It's not hard to fail...it's hard to accept you failed...but once that's out of the way, it's pretty smooth sailing”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Josh Stern"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-stern/it-s-not-hard-to-fail-it-s-hard-to-accept-you-failed-but-once-that-s/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Absurd"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-stern/it-s-not-hard-to-fail-it-s-hard-to-accept-you-failed-but-once-that-s/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ff/josh-stern-2480_absurd_it-s-not-hard-to-fail-it-s-hard-to-accep_133306.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ff/josh-stern-2480_absurd_it-s-not-hard-to-fail-it-s-hard-to-accep_133306.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ff/josh-stern-2480_absurd_it-s-not-hard-to-fail-it-s-hard-to-accep_133306.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It's not hard to fail...it's hard to accept you failed...but once that's out of the way, it's pretty smooth…” — Josh Stern",
                "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": "Josh Stern",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-stern/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“It's not hard to fail...it's hard...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-stern/it-s-not-hard-to-fail-it-s-hard-to-accept-you-failed-but-once-that-s/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-stern/it-s-not-hard-to-fail-it-s-hard-to-accept-you-failed-but-once-that-s/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
