--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm drawn to failure. I feel like I'm…" description: "\"I'm drawn to failure. I feel like I'm contending with it constantly in my own life.\" — Joyce Carol Oates" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d3/joyce-carol-oates-344_constantly_i-m-drawn-to-failure-i-feel-like-i-m-con_2776843.png" --- # I'm drawn to failure. I feel like I'm contending with it… ![“I'm drawn to failure. I feel like I'm contending with it constantly in my own life.” quote by Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d3/joyce-carol-oates-344_constantly_i-m-drawn-to-failure-i-feel-like-i-m-con_2776843.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d3/joyce-carol-oates-344_constantly_i-m-drawn-to-failure-i-feel-like-i-m-con_2776843.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d3/joyce-carol-oates-344_constantly_i-m-drawn-to-failure-i-feel-like-i-m-con_2776843.png) > “I'm drawn to failure. I feel like 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 speaker feels constantly challenged by personal failures, seeing them as an ever‑present force in life. **In simple terms:** Failure feels like a constant opponent. Key Takeaway Accept failure as a teacher, not an enemy. Themes resilience self‑reflection growth Mood reflective determined Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - personal setbacks - career challenges - creative blocks Key Concepts psychology adversity learning Questions to Reflect On - How can you reframe failure into growth? - What small step can you take to confront it? A Different Perspective Failure can paralyze if not reframed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## 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/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/and-i-m-drawn-to-failure-i-often-write-about-it-and-i-m-sympathetic/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [ I've always considered myself a failure: I feel I've never done anything wholly right. \[...\] Everybody will tell you, "Oh no, how can you… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronnie-drew/i-ve-always-considered-myself-a-failure-i-feel-i-ve-never-done/) Ronnie Drew > [“A man who is fed up with being successful all the time must definitely try failure to feel better!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/a-man-who-is-fed-up-with-being-successful-all-the-time-must/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [There's something to be said for failing. It's not the failure you feel, it's the failure that people project when something disappoints. You're back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-smith/there-s-something-to-be-said-for-failing-it-s-not-the-failure-you/) [Kevin Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-smith/) > [I strongly believe that whenever there's failure or you feel like you've failed, it's only just the beginning, and you can only learn from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-ramsey/i-strongly-believe-that-whenever-there-s-failure-or-you-feel-like-you/) [Laura Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-ramsey/) > [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 Constantly quotes > [My weight fluctuates constantly—I don't really take good care of myself. I just sort of exist and survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-fox/my-weight-fluctuates-constantly-i-don-t-really-take-good-care-of/) [Megan Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-fox/) > [I am constantly nice to people. Sometimes they don't deserve it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rylan-clark-neal/i-am-constantly-nice-to-people-sometimes-they-don-t-deserve-it/) [Rylan Clark-Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rylan-clark-neal/) > [For I am fresh of spirit, and resolved To meet all perils very constantly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/for-i-am-fresh-of-spirit-and-resolved-to-meet-all-perils-very/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I'm not an artist, and I want to take risks, and when the possibility of failure occurs, it's because the idea is all exciting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-morgan/i-m-not-an-artist-and-i-want-to-take-risks-and-when-the-possibility/) [Peter Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-morgan/) > [Every two or three years I knock off for a while. That way I'm constantly the new girl in the whorehouse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mitchum/every-two-or-three-years-i-knock-off-for-a-while-that-way-i-m/) [Robert Mitchum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mitchum/) > [What's David's role? David looks good, that's what David does. David looks good, and I'm the funny one, that's what I hear constantly. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-beckham/what-s-david-s-role-david-looks-good-that-s-what-david-does-david/) [Victoria Beckham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-beckham/) > [I always see people tweeting about these crazy amazing things their boyfriend or girlfriend did for them. You shouldn't have to constantly be trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-prokop/i-always-see-people-tweeting-about-these-crazy-amazing-things-their/) [Matt Prokop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-prokop/) > [“Being constantly hungry is no life at all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-woolf/being-constantly-hungry-is-no-life-at-all/) [Emma Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-woolf/) > [One thing that is constantly on my iPod is India Arie - I like her a lot; I listen to her a lot. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/one-thing-that-is-constantly-on-my-ipod-is-india-arie-i-like-her-a/) [Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/) > [You have to constantly redefine who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-i-a/you-have-to-constantly-redefine-who-you-are/) M.I.A > [One needs to constantly read up, practice and work, irrespective of your profession. If I feel as an actor that I know everything, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonam-kapoor/one-needs-to-constantly-read-up-practice-and-work-irrespective-of/) [Sonam Kapoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonam-kapoor/) > [“She constantly felt as if she were physically wading through air the consistency of thick, wet cement. The”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-may/she-constantly-felt-as-if-she-were-physically-wading-through-air-the/) [Susan May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-may/) > [I like Kelela. I like Twigs. I love the more old school; I hate to say old school, but I love Peaches; I love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neneh-cherry/i-like-kelela-i-like-twigs-i-love-the-more-old-school-i-hate-to-say/) [Neneh Cherry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neneh-cherry/) > [I feel like every time I train, I'm moving so far forward. I'm constantly evolving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-browne/i-feel-like-every-time-i-train-i-m-moving-so-far-forward-i-m/) [Travis Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-browne/) > [I'm an inveterate bookstore wanderer. I read constantly, so I love a good bookstore. I can't help it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-crosby/i-m-an-inveterate-bookstore-wanderer-i-read-constantly-so-i-love-a/) [David Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-crosby/) Browse all 1,130 Constantly quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm drawn to failure. 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