--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Failure's hard. There's no way around…" description: "\"Failure's hard. There's no way around. Bombing on stage never feels great. You feel judged, you feel alone. But then when your performance works, it's ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/392/mike-birbiglia-1343_failure_failure-s-hard-there-s-no-way-around-bom_2706751.png" --- # Failure's hard. There's no way around. Bombing on stage… ![“Failure's hard. There's no way around. Bombing on stage never feels great. You feel judged, you feel alone. But then when your performance works, it's transcendent.” quote by Mike Birbiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/392/mike-birbiglia-1343_failure_failure-s-hard-there-s-no-way-around-bom_2706751.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/392/mike-birbiglia-1343_failure_failure-s-hard-there-s-no-way-around-bom_2706751.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/392/mike-birbiglia-1343_failure_failure-s-hard-there-s-no-way-around-bom_2706751.png) > “Failure's hard. There's no way around. Bombing on stage never feels great. You feel judged, you feel alone. But then when your performance works, it's transcendent.” [Mike Birbiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The performer admits failure is inevitable and painful, yet emphasizes that succeeding after struggle feels transcendent, encouraging perseverance. **In simple terms:** Failure is painful but leads to growth. Key Takeaway Persist through setbacks for greater reward. Themes failure performance growth resilience Mood motivational honest Type comedic inspirational When to use this quote - public speaking - stage performance - personal challenges - creative projects Key Concepts comedy psychology motivation Questions to Reflect On - What does failure teach you? - How can you turn setbacks into triumphs? A Different Perspective Success may be fleeting. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) ## Related quotes > [A joke bombing on stage doesn't bother me, especially if it's intended to bomb.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-foley/a-joke-bombing-on-stage-doesn-t-bother-me-especially-if-it-s-intended/) [Mick Foley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-foley/) > [I've played games where I thought I played one of my better games, and statistically, there's nothing there, and vice versa. I've never based…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stockton/i-ve-played-games-where-i-thought-i-played-one-of-my-better-games-and/) [John Stockton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stockton/) > [If I get no sleep the night before a show, I feel that performance is the best one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-eisenberg/if-i-get-no-sleep-the-night-before-a-show-i-feel-that-performance-is/) [Jesse Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-eisenberg/) > [The bus ride to the arena... I slipped on my Discman and listened to some of my favourite music, all the while imagining myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josee-chouinard/the-bus-ride-to-the-arena-i-slipped-on-my-discman-and-listened-to/) Josee Chouinard > [ \[Failure is hard initially because\] One knows what one has lost, but not what one may find \[and learn from that failure\]! ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-sand/failure-is-hard-initially-because-one-knows-what-one-has-lost-but-not/) [George Sand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-sand/) > [“Failure's hard, but success is far more dangerous. If you're successful at the wrong thing, the mix of praise and money and opportunity can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/po-bronson/failure-s-hard-but-success-is-far-more-dangerous-if-you-re-successful/) [Po Bronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/po-bronson/) > [“Oh sweetheart, I know what failure is...But as hard as it is, you have to lean in to those feelings. You hadn't have much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-newman/oh-sweetheart-i-know-what-failure-is-but-as-hard-as-it-is-you-have-to/) Molly Newman > [“But if the "genius" campaign gave the other Beach Boys short shrift, the real damage was to Brian himself. It put even greater pressure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-s-hirsch/but-if-the-genius-campaign-gave-the-other-beach-boys-short-shrift-the/) James S. Hirsch > [“When one is experiencing failure, it is hard to resist the comfort of paranoia.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-disch/when-one-is-experiencing-failure-it-is-hard-to-resist-the-comfort-of/) [Thomas M. Disch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-disch/) > [There's plenty of days when I'm like 'Oh God, why? But that's just life. It's every job, not just mine. Every moment is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-s-plenty-of-days-when-i-m-like-oh-god-why-but-that-s-just-life/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For me, every time I step on the stage it feels like a battle is about to start. It's not like we're going on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzuka-nakamoto/for-me-every-time-i-step-on-the-stage-it-feels-like-a-battle-is-about/) [Suzuka Nakamoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzuka-nakamoto/) > [I've always done stuff on stage, so it feels very natural.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mel-giedroyc/i-ve-always-done-stuff-on-stage-so-it-feels-very-natural/) [Mel Giedroyc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-giedroyc/) > [I like interacting with human beings, so being on stage feels like a larger version of that - kind of like throwing a party.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-nathanson/i-like-interacting-with-human-beings-so-being-on-stage-feels-like-a-2/) [Matt Nathanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-nathanson/) > [I like interacting with human beings, so being on stage feels like a larger version of that - kind of like throwing a party.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-nathanson/i-like-interacting-with-human-beings-so-being-on-stage-feels-like-a/) [Matt Nathanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-nathanson/) > [If you are ever on stage, and it feels as though the audience is not laughing at the right points or are not quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-pirrie/if-you-are-ever-on-stage-and-it-feels-as-though-the-audience-is-not/) [Chloe Pirrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-pirrie/) ## More by Mike Birbiglia > [So I went to a club the other day, which is timely because my self esteem had been hovering right around 'normal' and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/so-i-went-to-a-club-the-other-day-which-is-timely-because-my-self/) [Mike Birbiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/) > [My writing process is very feedback-based. When I do stand-up, I listen to the audience. I try to understand what's connecting, what's not connecting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/my-writing-process-is-very-feedback-based-when-i-do-stand-up-i-listen/) [Mike Birbiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/) > [I've actually always wanted to write like a one-person show that was sort of a romantic comedy - a show that was kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/i-ve-actually-always-wanted-to-write-like-a-one-person-show-that-was/) [Mike Birbiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/) > [It's interesting how sleepwalking in a certain way becomes an accumulation of your outside stimuli that's actually there and what's happening in your brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/it-s-interesting-how-sleepwalking-in-a-certain-way-becomes-an/) [Mike Birbiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/) > [I went to the doctor, and they found something in my bladder. And whenever they find something, it's never anything good like, "We found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/i-went-to-the-doctor-and-they-found-something-in-my-bladder-and/) [Mike Birbiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/) > [Bears are simultaneously so graceful and so strong. Bears know who they are, but they often don’t know who you are, which is why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/bears-are-simultaneously-so-graceful-and-so-strong-bears-know-who/) [Mike Birbiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/) > [Once you start writing something obsessively, it's almost like someone has to rip it from your hands in order for you to put it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/once-you-start-writing-something-obsessively-it-s-almost-like-someone/) [Mike Birbiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/) > [I always try to attack the most honest issues I can in my comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/i-always-try-to-attack-the-most-honest-issues-i-can-in-my-comedy/) [Mike Birbiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/) > [The list of fun and easily fixed brain diseases is very short.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/the-list-of-fun-and-easily-fixed-brain-diseases-is-very-short/) [Mike Birbiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/) > [When I met my wife, I was a working comic, so the first week we went out, she saw me perform, and it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/when-i-met-my-wife-i-was-a-working-comic-so-the-first-week-we-went/) [Mike Birbiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/) > [I think because I've been working in front of audiences for so many years, I'm able to take in the input, good or bad,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/i-think-because-i-ve-been-working-in-front-of-audiences-for-so-many/) [Mike Birbiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/) > [Directing your first film is like showing up to the field trip in seventh grade, getting on the bus, and making an announcement, 'So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/directing-your-first-film-is-like-showing-up-to-the-field-trip-in/) [Mike Birbiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/) > [Media is so weird; everything is so accessible now. It used to be this thing where, if you did something on 'This American Life,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/media-is-so-weird-everything-is-so-accessible-now-it-used-to-be-this/) [Mike Birbiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/) > [As artists, we'd all love to not be commercial - to not sell out to the full extent that we are able. But you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/as-artists-we-d-all-love-to-not-be-commercial-to-not-sell-out-to-the/) [Mike Birbiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/) > [Comedy is tragedy plus time, but the time is different for everybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/comedy-is-tragedy-plus-time-but-the-time-is-different-for-everybody/) [Mike Birbiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/) [Explore all 253 Mike Birbiglia quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/) ## 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": "Failure's hard. There's no way around. Bombing on stage never feels great. You feel judged, you feel alone. But then when your performance works, it's transcendent.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mike Birbiglia" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/failure-s-hard-there-s-no-way-around-bombing-on-stage-never-feels/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Failure" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/failure-s-hard-there-s-no-way-around-bombing-on-stage-never-feels/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/392/mike-birbiglia-1343_failure_failure-s-hard-there-s-no-way-around-bom_2706751.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/392/mike-birbiglia-1343_failure_failure-s-hard-there-s-no-way-around-bom_2706751.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/392/mike-birbiglia-1343_failure_failure-s-hard-there-s-no-way-around-bom_2706751.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Failure's hard. There's no way around. Bombing on stage never feels great. You feel judged, you feel alone…” — Mike Birbiglia", "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": "Mike Birbiglia", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Failure's hard. There's no way around....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/failure-s-hard-there-s-no-way-around-bombing-on-stage-never-feels/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/failure-s-hard-there-s-no-way-around-bombing-on-stage-never-feels/#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 } } ] } ```