--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You cannot measure a man by his failures…" description: "\"You cannot measure a man by his failures. You must know what use he makes of them. What did they mean to him. What did he get out of them.\" — Orison Sw..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18d/orison-swett-marden-711_failure_you-cannot-measure-a-man-by-his-failures_212623.png" --- # You cannot measure a man by his failures. You must know… ![“You cannot measure a man by his failures. You must know what use he makes of them. What did they mean to him. What did he get out of them.” quote by Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18d/orison-swett-marden-711_failure_you-cannot-measure-a-man-by-his-failures_212623.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18d/orison-swett-marden-711_failure_you-cannot-measure-a-man-by-his-failures_212623.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18d/orison-swett-marden-711_failure_you-cannot-measure-a-man-by-his-failures_212623.png) > “You cannot measure a man by his failures. You must know what use he makes of them. What did they mean to him. What did he get out of them.” [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A person's value is judged by how he turns failures into lessons and growth, not by the failures themselves. **In simple terms:** Success is measured by learning from setbacks. Key Takeaway Focus on growth from failure. Themes resilience learning character success Mood reflective motivational Type inspirational self‑help When to use this quote - business - personal coaching - education - self‑improvement Key Concepts growth mindset personal development adversity Questions to Reflect On - What can you extract from your recent setbacks? - How do you balance humility and pride after failure? A Different Perspective Failure can also erode confidence if not processed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Failures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failures/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) ## Related quotes > [All man's failures are either because of the religious denial of man's biological needs or the materialistic denial of man's spiritual desires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alija-izetbegovic/all-man-s-failures-are-either-because-of-the-religious-denial-of-man/) [Alija Izetbegovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alija-izetbegovic/) > [I've learnt something from every failure. The products I helped design at the first two companies I worked for were utter failures. But now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-fadell/i-ve-learnt-something-from-every-failure-the-products-i-helped-design/) [Tony Fadell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-fadell/) > [I never compete with toppers, I only compete with failures because I know what they are capable of, as I was one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mubinamunir/i-never-compete-with-toppers-i-only-compete-with-failures-because-i/) [MubinAMunir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mubinamunir/) > [People always get what they want. But there is a price for everything. Failures are either those who do not know what they want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-always-get-what-they-want-but-there-is-a-price-for-everything/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/the-ultimate-measure-of-a-man-is-not-where-he-stands-in-moments-of/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) > [The true measure of a man is not his intelligence or how high he rises in this freak establishment. No, the true measure of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/the-true-measure-of-a-man-is-not-his-intelligence-or-how-high-he/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [The measure of a man is not necessarily his title or his position, but rather how he treats others...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-l-brown/the-measure-of-a-man-is-not-necessarily-his-title-or-his-position-but/) [Victor L. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-l-brown/) > [A lot of people measure a man by what he's got. I've decided to measure myself by what I can give up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-nicholson/a-lot-of-people-measure-a-man-by-what-he-s-got-i-ve-decided-to/) [Geoff Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-nicholson/) > [The true measure of a man, is not what he does when is being watched, but what he does when he is alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaze-olamiday/the-true-measure-of-a-man-is-not-what-he-does-when-is-being-watched/) [Blaze Olamiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaze-olamiday/) > [If there be any truer measure of a man than by what he does, it must be by what he gives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-there-be-any-truer-measure-of-a-man-than-by-what-he-does-it-must/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The measure of a man is the way he bears up under misfortune.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-measure-of-a-man-is-the-way-he-bears-up-under-misfortune/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“the measure of a man is how he treats the women in his family.” His wisdom came from experience, from his own earlier failures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/the-measure-of-a-man-is-how-he-treats-the-women-in-his-family-his/) [J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) > [My dad always said, 'Champ, the measure of a man is not how often he is knocked down, but how quickly he gets up.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/my-dad-always-said-champ-the-measure-of-a-man-is-not-how-often-he-is/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [Effort is a measure of a Man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/effort-is-a-measure-of-a-man/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [The measure of a man is in the lives he’s touched.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-banks/the-measure-of-a-man-is-in-the-lives-he-s-touched/) [Ernie Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-banks/) ## More by Orison Swett Marden > [“We can so educate the will power that it will focus the thoughts upon the bright side of things, and upon objects which elevate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/we-can-so-educate-the-will-power-that-it-will-focus-the-thoughts-upon/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [“Gulliver was a giant whom the dwarfs captured while he was napping by binding him with tiny threads. Each thread was a trifle which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/gulliver-was-a-giant-whom-the-dwarfs-captured-while-he-was-napping-by/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [“The hatred thought cannot live an instant in the presence of the love thought.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/the-hatred-thought-cannot-live-an-instant-in-the-presence-of-the-love/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [“About as poor business as one can engage in is that of going through life with one's eyes so fixed upon what others have,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/about-as-poor-business-as-one-can-engage-in-is-that-of-going-through/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [“We tend to get what we expect, and if we expect nothing we get nothing. The stream cannot rise higher than its fountainhead;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/we-tend-to-get-what-we-expect-and-if-we-expect-nothing-we-get-nothing/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [There never will be a trust in excellence or a combination in superiority. As long as you can do a thing a little better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/there-never-will-be-a-trust-in-excellence-or-a-combination-in/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [There are powers inside of you which, if you could discover and use, would make of you everything you ever dreamed or imagined you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/there-are-powers-inside-of-you-which-if-you-could-discover-and-use/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [Most men fail, not through lack of education or agreeable personal qualities, but from lack of dogged determination, from lack of dauntless will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/most-men-fail-not-through-lack-of-education-or-agreeable-personal/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [Something greater than wealth, grander even than fame — that manhood, character, stand for success, and that nothing else really does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/something-greater-than-wealth-grander-even-than-fame-that-manhood/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [“The universe is one great kindergarten. Everything that exists has brought with it its own peculiar lesson. The mountain teaches stability and grandeur; the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/the-universe-is-one-great-kindergarten-everything-that-exists-has/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [If you want to enlarge your life, you must first enlarge your thought of it and of yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/if-you-want-to-enlarge-your-life-you-must-first-enlarge-your-thought/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [The moment man cuts himself off from living connection with the human race and its needs, he begins to die from poor circulation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/the-moment-man-cuts-himself-off-from-living-connection-with-the-human/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [“There is something inside of a man which protests against doing that which tends to injure another, that which does not square with his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/there-is-something-inside-of-a-man-which-protests-against-doing-that/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [A good system shortens the road to the goal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/a-good-system-shortens-the-road-to-the-goal/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [Keep fear out of your child's mind, as you would keep poison out of his body; for fear is the deadliest of mental poisons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/keep-fear-out-of-your-child-s-mind-as-you-would-keep-poison-out-of/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) [Explore all 396 Orison Swett Marden quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) ## 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": "You cannot measure a man by his failures. 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