--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And I’m drawn to failure. I often write…" description: "\"And I’m drawn to failure. I often write about it, and I’m sympathetic with it, I think, because I feel I’m contending with it constantly in my own life..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/646/joyce-carol-oates-344_contending_and-i-m-drawn-to-failure-i-often-write-a_1148420.png" --- # And I’m drawn to failure. I often write about it, and I’m… ![“And I’m drawn to failure. I often write about it, and I’m sympathetic with it, I think, because I feel I’m contending with it constantly in my own life.” quote by Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/646/joyce-carol-oates-344_contending_and-i-m-drawn-to-failure-i-often-write-a_1148420.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/646/joyce-carol-oates-344_contending_and-i-m-drawn-to-failure-i-often-write-a_1148420.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/646/joyce-carol-oates-344_contending_and-i-m-drawn-to-failure-i-often-write-a_1148420.png) > “And I’m drawn to failure. I often write about it, and I’m sympathetic with it, I think, because I feel I’m contending with it constantly in my own life.” [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author embraces failure as a constant companion, viewing it with empathy and as a source of personal growth. **In simple terms:** Failure is a frequent, empathetic companion in life. Key Takeaway Learn from failure, keep confronting it. Themes resilience self-awareness growth Mood reflective determined Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - creative writing - personal development - mental health - overcoming setbacks Key Concepts existentialism psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does your relationship with failure shape your choices? - What can you learn from recent setbacks? A Different Perspective Failure can become a self‑fulfilling trap if not reflected upon. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Contending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contending/) [Contending Constantly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contending-constantly-3234894/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Failure Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure-write-3234896/) [Feel Contending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-contending-3234893/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [My own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-own/) [My own life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-own-life/) [Sympathetic Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sympathetic-think-3234897/) [Write Sympathetic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-sympathetic-3234895/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I'm drawn to failure. I feel that I'm contending with it constantly in my own life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/i-m-drawn-to-failure-i-feel-that-i-m-contending-with-it-constantly-in/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [I'm drawn to failure. I feel like I'm contending with it constantly in my own life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/i-m-drawn-to-failure-i-feel-like-i-m-contending-with-it-constantly-in/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [To the extent that I come from a deeply religious tradition and have been contending with those beginnings all of my life - that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaim-potok/to-the-extent-that-i-come-from-a-deeply-religious-tradition-and-have/) [Chaim Potok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaim-potok/) > [Christians have an important role to play in contending that no human life is "devoid of value." We can do so through courageous protest,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/christians-have-an-important-role-to-play-in-contending-that-no-human/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [There is no contending with necessity, and we should be very tender how we censure those that submit to it. It is one thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-l-estrange/there-is-no-contending-with-necessity-and-we-should-be-very-tender/) [Roger L'Estrange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-l-estrange/) > [“Contending must be understood and exercised as an act of mercy toward those who doubt and those who have been deceied, regardless of whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-armstrong/contending-must-be-understood-and-exercised-as-an-act-of-mercy-toward/) [Aaron Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-armstrong/) > [The true secret of natural goodness lies in the recognition of the contending rights of the Pairs of Opposites; there is no such antimony…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dion-fortune/the-true-secret-of-natural-goodness-lies-in-the-recognition-of-the/) [Dion Fortune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dion-fortune/) > [It is not, perhaps, unreasonable to conclude, that a pure and perfect democracy is a thing not attainable by man, constituted as he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-fraser-tytler/it-is-not-perhaps-unreasonable-to-conclude-that-a-pure-and-perfect/) [Alexander Fraser Tytler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-fraser-tytler/) > [Pride takes innumerable forms but has only one end: self-glorification. That’s the motive and ultimate purpose of pride—to rob God of legitimate glory and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-j-mahaney/pride-takes-innumerable-forms-but-has-only-one-end-self-glorification/) [C. J. Mahaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-j-mahaney/) > [The truth is, most of those female stories that are contending for Oscars are directed by men. Let's be honest. I looked at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-hardwicke/the-truth-is-most-of-those-female-stories-that-are-contending-for/) [Catherine Hardwicke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-hardwicke/) > [Without needing to be theoretically instructed, consciousness quickly realizes that it is the site of variously contending discourses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seamus-heaney/without-needing-to-be-theoretically-instructed-consciousness-quickly/) [Seamus Heaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seamus-heaney/) > [I've started to show the consistency in majors I had in regular tournaments back in 1998-2000 when I was contending nearly every week.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-westwood/i-ve-started-to-show-the-consistency-in-majors-i-had-in-regular/) [Lee Westwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-westwood/) > [The historian's distortion is more than technical, it is ideological; it is released into a world of contending interest, where any chosen emphasis supports…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/the-historian-s-distortion-is-more-than-technical-it-is-ideological/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [History more often records the brilliant successes and spectacular defeats of contending forces than the effect of war on the common people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mildred-cable/history-more-often-records-the-brilliant-successes-and-spectacular/) [Mildred Cable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mildred-cable/) > [While we are contending for our own liberty, we should be very cautious not to violate the conscience of others, ever considering that God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/while-we-are-contending-for-our-own-liberty-we-should-be-very/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) ## More by Joyce Carol Oates > [“A woman who has lost her husband is invalid, thus an invalid. In”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/a-woman-who-has-lost-her-husband-is-invalid-thus-an-invalid-in/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [Running! If there's any activity happier, more exhilarating, more nourishing to the imagination, I can't think of what it might be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/running-if-there-s-any-activity-happier-more-exhilarating-more/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [You need so much energy and encouragement to write that if someone says something negative, some of that energy goes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/you-need-so-much-energy-and-encouragement-to-write-that-if-someone/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [I learned long ago that being Lewis Carroll was infinitely more exciting than being Alice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/i-learned-long-ago-that-being-lewis-carroll-was-infinitely-more/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [Paradox: how do we know what we have failed to see because we have no language to express it, thus we cannot know that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/paradox-how-do-we-know-what-we-have-failed-to-see-because-we-have-no/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [At all crucial moments in our lives we want to speak without knowing what to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/at-all-crucial-moments-in-our-lives-we-want-to-speak-without-knowing/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [A writer’s life is in his work, and that is the place to find him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/a-writer-s-life-is-in-his-work-and-that-is-the-place-to-find-him/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [The challenge is to resist circumstances. Any idiot can be happy in a happy place, but moral courage is required to be happy in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/the-challenge-is-to-resist-circumstances-any-idiot-can-be-happy-in-a/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [The first sentence cant be written until the final sentence is written.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/the-first-sentence-cant-be-written-until-the-final-sentence-is-written/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [“Did you know, Marianne: how by breaking the code that day, you broke it forever? For us all?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/did-you-know-marianne-how-by-breaking-the-code-that-day-you-broke-it/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > ['The Accursed' is very much a novel about social injustice as the consequence of the terrible, tragic division of classes - the exploitation not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/the-accursed-is-very-much-a-novel-about-social-injustice-as-the/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [Keep a light, hopeful heart. But expect the worst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/keep-a-light-hopeful-heart-but-expect-the-worst/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [And this is the forbidden truth, the unspeakable taboo - that evil is not always repellent but frequently attractive; that it has the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/and-this-is-the-forbidden-truth-the-unspeakable-taboo-that-evil-is/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [I don't think that writer's block exists really. I think that when you're trying to do something prematurely, it just won't come. Certain subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/i-don-t-think-that-writer-s-block-exists-really-i-think-that-when-you/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [... such speculation is like staring into the hot white sun. you know the sun is there but you can't see a thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/such-speculation-is-like-staring-into-the-hot-white-sun-you-know-the/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) [Explore all 658 Joyce Carol Oates quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) ## More Contending quotes > [While we are contending for our own liberty, we should be very cautious not to violate the conscience of others, ever considering that God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/while-we-are-contending-for-our-own-liberty-we-should-be-very/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [History more often records the brilliant successes and spectacular defeats of contending forces than the effect of war on the common people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mildred-cable/history-more-often-records-the-brilliant-successes-and-spectacular/) [Mildred Cable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mildred-cable/) > [The historian's distortion is more than technical, it is ideological; it is released into a world of contending interest, where any chosen emphasis supports…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/the-historian-s-distortion-is-more-than-technical-it-is-ideological/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [I've started to show the consistency in majors I had in regular tournaments back in 1998-2000 when I was contending nearly every week.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-westwood/i-ve-started-to-show-the-consistency-in-majors-i-had-in-regular/) [Lee Westwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-westwood/) > [Without needing to be theoretically instructed, consciousness quickly realizes that it is the site of variously contending discourses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seamus-heaney/without-needing-to-be-theoretically-instructed-consciousness-quickly/) [Seamus Heaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seamus-heaney/) > [The truth is, most of those female stories that are contending for Oscars are directed by men. Let's be honest. I looked at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-hardwicke/the-truth-is-most-of-those-female-stories-that-are-contending-for/) [Catherine Hardwicke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-hardwicke/) > [Pride takes innumerable forms but has only one end: self-glorification. That’s the motive and ultimate purpose of pride—to rob God of legitimate glory and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-j-mahaney/pride-takes-innumerable-forms-but-has-only-one-end-self-glorification/) [C. J. Mahaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-j-mahaney/) > [It is not, perhaps, unreasonable to conclude, that a pure and perfect democracy is a thing not attainable by man, constituted as he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-fraser-tytler/it-is-not-perhaps-unreasonable-to-conclude-that-a-pure-and-perfect/) [Alexander Fraser Tytler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-fraser-tytler/) > [The true secret of natural goodness lies in the recognition of the contending rights of the Pairs of Opposites; there is no such antimony…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dion-fortune/the-true-secret-of-natural-goodness-lies-in-the-recognition-of-the/) [Dion Fortune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dion-fortune/) > [“Contending must be understood and exercised as an act of mercy toward those who doubt and those who have been deceied, regardless of whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-armstrong/contending-must-be-understood-and-exercised-as-an-act-of-mercy-toward/) [Aaron Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-armstrong/) > [There is no contending with necessity, and we should be very tender how we censure those that submit to it. It is one thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-l-estrange/there-is-no-contending-with-necessity-and-we-should-be-very-tender/) [Roger L'Estrange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-l-estrange/) > [Christians have an important role to play in contending that no human life is "devoid of value." We can do so through courageous protest,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/christians-have-an-important-role-to-play-in-contending-that-no-human/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [To the extent that I come from a deeply religious tradition and have been contending with those beginnings all of my life - that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaim-potok/to-the-extent-that-i-come-from-a-deeply-religious-tradition-and-have/) [Chaim Potok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaim-potok/) > [I am not carrying on a war of extermination against the Romans. I am contending for honor and empire. 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