--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To be an innovator, you can't be worried…" description: "\"To be an innovator, you can't be worried about making mistakes.\" — Julius Erving" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36a/julius-erving-10131_failure_to-be-an-innovator-you-can-t-be-worried_3005151.jpg" --- # To be an innovator, you can't be worried about making… ![“To be an innovator, you can't be worried about making mistakes.” quote by Julius Erving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36a/julius-erving-10131_failure_to-be-an-innovator-you-can-t-be-worried_3005151.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36a/julius-erving-10131_failure_to-be-an-innovator-you-can-t-be-worried_3005151.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36a/julius-erving-10131_failure_to-be-an-innovator-you-can-t-be-worried_3005151.jpg) > “To be an innovator, you can't be worried about making mistakes.” [Julius Erving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-erving/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Innovators must embrace risk without fear of error. **In simple terms:** Innovators should not fear mistakes. Key Takeaway Take bold steps despite possible failure. Themes innovation risk growth Mood energetic confident Type motivational advice When to use this quote - startup launches - product development - creative projects - career changes Key Concepts entrepreneurship learning from failure Questions to Reflect On - How do you manage risk? - What safeguards help you innovate? A Different Perspective Fear of failure can still hinder progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Innovator](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innovator/) [Innovators](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innovators/) [Making mistakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-mistakes/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [Mistakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistakes/) ## Related quotes > [What counts alone is the innovator, the dissenter, the harbinger of things unheard of, the man who rejects the traditional standards and aims at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/what-counts-alone-is-the-innovator-the-dissenter-the-harbinger-of/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [America glories in its tradition of the self-made individual. Political candidates compete to be a friend to entrepreneurs, and policymakers, imagining the next Microsoft…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mckinnon/america-glories-in-its-tradition-of-the-self-made-individual/) [Mark McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mckinnon/) > [Coach may have been the greatest innovator the sport has ever had.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-morrow/coach-may-have-been-the-greatest-innovator-the-sport-has-ever-had/) Ken Morrow > [I believe that life-saving, essential drugs should be freely available and the innovator should be paid a suitable royalty payment for his invention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-hamied/i-believe-that-life-saving-essential-drugs-should-be-freely-available/) [Yusuf Hamied](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-hamied/) > [It's one of the underappreciated skills required by an innovator - they have to be able to convince lots of people to do things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-d-anthony/it-s-one-of-the-underappreciated-skills-required-by-an-innovator-they/) [Scott D. Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-d-anthony/) > [I am an innovator. This is a term of distinction, a term of honor, rather than something to hide or apologize for. Anyone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/i-am-an-innovator-this-is-a-term-of-distinction-a-term-of-honor/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [It's very hard to be an innovator at the highest level in any discipline. For some chefs it's merely about combining ingredients, but that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferran-adria/it-s-very-hard-to-be-an-innovator-at-the-highest-level-in-any/) [Ferran Adria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferran-adria/) > [There's a general belief that failure is the friend of the innovator, but I've come to view it a different way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-d-anthony/there-s-a-general-belief-that-failure-is-the-friend-of-the-innovator/) [Scott D. Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-d-anthony/) > [So, it's a very, you know - maybe we're wrong in - you know, we go around thinking the innovator is the person who's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/so-it-s-a-very-you-know-maybe-we-re-wrong-in-you-know-we-go-around/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [It ought to be remembered that there is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/it-ought-to-be-remembered-that-there-is-nothing-more-difficult-to/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [The definition of art has to shift whenever an innovator appears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hoving/the-definition-of-art-has-to-shift-whenever-an-innovator-appears/) [Thomas Hoving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hoving/) > [I guess I'd like to be known for being an innovator, fostering creativity, thinking outside the box. You know, keeping people playful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nolan-bushnell/i-guess-i-d-like-to-be-known-for-being-an-innovator-fostering/) [Nolan Bushnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nolan-bushnell/) > [What's the DNA of a marketer? We call it the 4-I's: instigator, implementer, innovator, and integrator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-comstock/what-s-the-dna-of-a-marketer-we-call-it-the-4-i-s-instigator/) [Beth Comstock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-comstock/) > [My father was an innovator. He's the first person who sang and set Rumi's poetry into music 35 years, 40 years ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hafez-nazeri/my-father-was-an-innovator-he-s-the-first-person-who-sang-and-set/) [Hafez Nazeri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hafez-nazeri/) > [If you want to be an innovator, you have to take risks. And sometimes things work and sometimes they don't work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-galvin/if-you-want-to-be-an-innovator-you-have-to-take-risks-and-sometimes/) [Christopher Galvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-galvin/) ## More by Julius Erving > [I liked the game, I enjoyed the game, and the game fed me enough, and gave me enough rewards to reinforce that this is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-erving/i-liked-the-game-i-enjoyed-the-game-and-the-game-fed-me-enough-and/) [Julius Erving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-erving/) > [You know, just in terms of having to have a life on the road, you know, having the celebrity aspect be a burden for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-erving/you-know-just-in-terms-of-having-to-have-a-life-on-the-road-you-know/) [Julius Erving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-erving/) > [But you know, we have a very normal family. We've had our ups and downs. You know, we've had our issues, but we've had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-erving/but-you-know-we-have-a-very-normal-family-we-ve-had-our-ups-and-downs/) [Julius Erving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-erving/) > [LA Clippers should come to Louisville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-erving/la-clippers-should-come-to-louisville/) [Julius Erving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-erving/) > [Being a professional is doing the things you love to do, on the days you don't feel like doing them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-erving/being-a-professional-is-doing-the-things-you-love-to-do-on-the-days/) [Julius Erving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-erving/) > [I think I was chosen by basketball, although I never really physically got drafted to any team that I played for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-erving/i-think-i-was-chosen-by-basketball-although-i-never-really-physically/) [Julius Erving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-erving/) > [As a kid, I played a lot of one-on-none.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-erving/as-a-kid-i-played-a-lot-of-one-on-none/) [Julius Erving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-erving/) > [Goals determine what you are going to be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-erving/goals-determine-what-you-are-going-to-be/) [Julius Erving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-erving/) > [I demand more from myself than anybody could ever expect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-erving/i-demand-more-from-myself-than-anybody-could-ever-expect/) [Julius Erving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-erving/) > [I think that my God-given physical attributes, big hands, and big feet, the way that I'm built, proportion-wise, just made basketball the most inviting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-erving/i-think-that-my-god-given-physical-attributes-big-hands-and-big-feet/) [Julius Erving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-erving/) > [I've always tried to tell myself that the work itself is the thing, that win, lose, or draw, the work is really what counts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-erving/i-ve-always-tried-to-tell-myself-that-the-work-itself-is-the-thing/) [Julius Erving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-erving/) > [When I went to Philadelphia I was 26 years old and really sitting on top of the world. Family life, a professional career, plenty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-erving/when-i-went-to-philadelphia-i-was-26-years-old-and-really-sitting-on/) [Julius Erving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-erving/) > [When I played, the owners had the power. The prisoners are running the prison now, not the warden. The warden is strong and he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-erving/when-i-played-the-owners-had-the-power-the-prisoners-are-running-the/) [Julius Erving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-erving/) > [If you don't do what's best for your body, you're the one who comes up on the short end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-erving/if-you-don-t-do-what-s-best-for-your-body-you-re-the-one-who-comes-up/) [Julius Erving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-erving/) > [I always try to keep a pretty conservative demeanor on the court.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-erving/i-always-try-to-keep-a-pretty-conservative-demeanor-on-the-court/) [Julius Erving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-erving/) [Explore all 67 Julius Erving quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-erving/) ## More Failure quotes > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. You just take it in your stride because you know that you have done your best... Sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-dutta/failures-happen-you-can-t-cry-over-them-you-just-take-it-in-your/) [Divya Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-dutta/) > [No one is completely unhappy at the failure of his best friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/no-one-is-completely-unhappy-at-the-failure-of-his-best-friend/) [Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/) > [“Rhiannon's Law #28: If you're going to fuck up, be sure to fuck up good and proper. Nothing makes failure acceptable, so you might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/rhiannon-s-law-28-if-you-re-going-to-fuck-up-be-sure-to-fuck-up-good/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Failure is a part of life and you have to learn to deal with it. Failure is something that is part of life's cycle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/failure-is-a-part-of-life-and-you-have-to-learn-to-deal-with-it/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [First action was a mistake. What about the second? third? fourth and fifth?...Mehn you are bad...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/first-action-was-a-mistake-what-about-the-second-third-fourth-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [God's love never fail :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-s-love-never-fail/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don’t you just hate nights like that, when you think over every mistake you’ve made, every hurt you’ve received, every bit of meanness you’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/don-t-you-just-hate-nights-like-that-when-you-think-over-every/) [Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/) > [“Our failure to understand another being's inner reality doesn't make that reality any less real, or any less valuable to that being. (p.255)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-schulz/our-failure-to-understand-another-being-s-inner-reality-doesn-t-make/) [Kathryn Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-schulz/) > [I hope that the Palestinians don't make the mistake of unleashing a new intifada. They've tried it twice before, and the consequences were bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-segev/i-hope-that-the-palestinians-don-t-make-the-mistake-of-unleashing-a/) [Tom Segev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-segev/) > [Don't take too much comfort in the fact that you're successful today because tomorrow could bring failure. There's no surety in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-savage/don-t-take-too-much-comfort-in-the-fact-that-you-re-successful-today/) [Michael Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-savage/) > [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [failure in the theater is more public, more brilliant, more unreal than in any other field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/failure-in-the-theater-is-more-public-more-brilliant-more-unreal-than/) [Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/) > [As we are coming to the end of the year, I want you to forget about the past, the failure, the negative thoughts or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-we-are-coming-to-the-end-of-the-year-i-want-you-to-forget-about/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 27,498 Failure quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To be an innovator, you can't be worried about making mistakes.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Julius Erving" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-erving/to-be-an-innovator-you-can-t-be-worried-about-making-mistakes/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Failure" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-erving/to-be-an-innovator-you-can-t-be-worried-about-making-mistakes/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36a/julius-erving-10131_failure_to-be-an-innovator-you-can-t-be-worried_3005151.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36a/julius-erving-10131_failure_to-be-an-innovator-you-can-t-be-worried_3005151.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36a/julius-erving-10131_failure_to-be-an-innovator-you-can-t-be-worried_3005151.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To be an innovator, you can't be worried about making mistakes.” — Julius Erving", "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": "Julius Erving", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-erving/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "To be an innovator, you can't...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-erving/to-be-an-innovator-you-can-t-be-worried-about-making-mistakes/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-erving/to-be-an-innovator-you-can-t-be-worried-about-making-mistakes/#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 } } ] } ```