--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Failure is no shame - but not making the…" description: "\"Failure is no shame - but not making the attempt is despicable.\" — Paula Gosling" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cda/paula-gosling-58417_despicable_failure-is-no-shame-but-not-making-the-a_2654058.jpg" --- # Failure is no shame - but not making the attempt is… ![“Failure is no shame - but not making the attempt is despicable.” quote by Paula Gosling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cda/paula-gosling-58417_despicable_failure-is-no-shame-but-not-making-the-a_2654058.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cda/paula-gosling-58417_despicable_failure-is-no-shame-but-not-making-the-a_2654058.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cda/paula-gosling-58417_despicable_failure-is-no-shame-but-not-making-the-a_2654058.jpg) > “Failure is no shame - but not making the attempt is despicable.” [Paula Gosling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-gosling/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Attempting is essential; avoiding effort is condemnable. **In simple terms:** Trying is vital; not trying is disgraceful. Key Takeaway Take action despite fear of failure. Themes courage effort self‑esteem Mood motivational reflective Type inspirational encouraging When to use this quote - career advancement - creative projects Key Concepts risk‑taking personal growth goal setting Questions to Reflect On - What prevents you from trying? - How can you reframe fear? A Different Perspective failure is a learning step, not a verdict. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effort/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Shame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shame/) ## Related quotes > [I would of course like to think I've never done a truly despicable thing, but then again you don't always know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/finn-andrews/i-would-of-course-like-to-think-i-ve-never-done-a-truly-despicable/) [Finn Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/finn-andrews/) > [Let me just be candid: My party is full of racists. And the real reason a considerable portion of my party wants President Obama…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/let-me-just-be-candid-my-party-is-full-of-racists-and-the-real-reason/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [The nature of men and women - their essential nature - is so vile and despicable that if you were to portray a person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/the-nature-of-men-and-women-their-essential-nature-is-so-vile-and/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [Nothing is more despicable than a professional talker who uses his words as a quack uses his remedies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-fenelon/nothing-is-more-despicable-than-a-professional-talker-who-uses-his/) [Francois Fenelon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-fenelon/) > [I guess there's nothing I don't like about Merlin, in this presentation. I love everything, even the things I find despicable and abhorrent in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-fiennes/i-guess-there-s-nothing-i-don-t-like-about-merlin-in-this/) [Joseph Fiennes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-fiennes/) > [Despair makes a despicable figure, and descends from a mean original. 'Tis the offspring of fear, of laziness and impatience; it argues a defect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-collier/despair-makes-a-despicable-figure-and-descends-from-a-mean-original/) [Jeremy Collier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-collier/) > [What Clinton did with Lewinsky was despicable but was no threat to the nation. That he lied about it repeatedly and to the public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donella-meadows/what-clinton-did-with-lewinsky-was-despicable-but-was-no-threat-to/) [Donella Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donella-meadows/) > [Reaching into one's own pocket to assist his fellow man is noble and worthy of praise. Reaching into another person's pocket to assist one's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-e-williams/reaching-into-one-s-own-pocket-to-assist-his-fellow-man-is-noble-and/) [Walter E. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-e-williams/) > [ The American experiment, the United States in the past eight years \[2008-2016\] was not considered worthy of leading, because we had committed too many… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-american-experiment-the-united-states-in-the-past-eight-years/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I can play a man who's despicable. But I'll still look inside him to find a point of connection. If I can find that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/i-can-play-a-man-who-s-despicable-but-i-ll-still-look-inside-him-to/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [Lies hold civilization together. If people ever seriously begin telling each other what they really think, there'd be no peace. Good-bye to tact. Good-bye…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-mcdevitt/lies-hold-civilization-together-if-people-ever-seriously-begin/) [Jack McDevitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-mcdevitt/) > [I'm not saying that all women are blameless - all women are not. There are women with despicable characters who are cruel and terrible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-m-not-saying-that-all-women-are-blameless-all-women-are-not-there/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Poverty, when it is voluntary, is never despicable, but takes an heroical aspect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/poverty-when-it-is-voluntary-is-never-despicable-but-takes-an/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [I admire certain priests and nuns who go off on their own and do God's work on their own, who help in the ghettos,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/i-admire-certain-priests-and-nuns-who-go-off-on-their-own-and-do-god/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [People sometimes rationalize their greed by saying that it is all for the good of their children but this is nothing but an excuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/democritus/people-sometimes-rationalize-their-greed-by-saying-that-it-is-all-for/) [Democritus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/democritus/) ## More by Paula Gosling > [Having things taken away from you is not the same as giving them away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-gosling/having-things-taken-away-from-you-is-not-the-same-as-giving-them-away/) [Paula Gosling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-gosling/) > [Sometimes, you know, you have to cause trouble to end trouble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-gosling/sometimes-you-know-you-have-to-cause-trouble-to-end-trouble/) [Paula Gosling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-gosling/) > [They shared the chores of living as some couples do-she did most of the work and he appreciated it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-gosling/they-shared-the-chores-of-living-as-some-couples-do-she-did-most-of/) [Paula Gosling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-gosling/) > [There are two kinds of books in this world. One improves the mind, the other the bank balance. Sometimes they're the same -- but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-gosling/there-are-two-kinds-of-books-in-this-world-one-improves-the-mind-the/) [Paula Gosling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-gosling/) [Explore all 5 Paula Gosling quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-gosling/) ## More Despicable quotes > [I would of course like to think I've never done a truly despicable thing, but then again you don't always know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/finn-andrews/i-would-of-course-like-to-think-i-ve-never-done-a-truly-despicable/) [Finn Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/finn-andrews/) > [I admire certain priests and nuns who go off on their own and do God's work on their own, who help in the ghettos,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/i-admire-certain-priests-and-nuns-who-go-off-on-their-own-and-do-god/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [Poverty, when it is voluntary, is never despicable, but takes an heroical aspect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/poverty-when-it-is-voluntary-is-never-despicable-but-takes-an/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [I'm not saying that all women are blameless - all women are not. There are women with despicable characters who are cruel and terrible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-m-not-saying-that-all-women-are-blameless-all-women-are-not-there/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Lies hold civilization together. If people ever seriously begin telling each other what they really think, there'd be no peace. Good-bye to tact. Good-bye…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-mcdevitt/lies-hold-civilization-together-if-people-ever-seriously-begin/) [Jack McDevitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-mcdevitt/) > [I can play a man who's despicable. But I'll still look inside him to find a point of connection. If I can find that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/i-can-play-a-man-who-s-despicable-but-i-ll-still-look-inside-him-to/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [ The American experiment, the United States in the past eight years \[2008-2016\] was not considered worthy of leading, because we had committed too many… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-american-experiment-the-united-states-in-the-past-eight-years/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Reaching into one's own pocket to assist his fellow man is noble and worthy of praise. Reaching into another person's pocket to assist one's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-e-williams/reaching-into-one-s-own-pocket-to-assist-his-fellow-man-is-noble-and/) [Walter E. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-e-williams/) > [What Clinton did with Lewinsky was despicable but was no threat to the nation. That he lied about it repeatedly and to the public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donella-meadows/what-clinton-did-with-lewinsky-was-despicable-but-was-no-threat-to/) [Donella Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donella-meadows/) > [Despair makes a despicable figure, and descends from a mean original. 'Tis the offspring of fear, of laziness and impatience; it argues a defect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-collier/despair-makes-a-despicable-figure-and-descends-from-a-mean-original/) [Jeremy Collier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-collier/) > [I guess there's nothing I don't like about Merlin, in this presentation. I love everything, even the things I find despicable and abhorrent in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-fiennes/i-guess-there-s-nothing-i-don-t-like-about-merlin-in-this/) [Joseph Fiennes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-fiennes/) > [Nothing is more despicable than a professional talker who uses his words as a quack uses his remedies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-fenelon/nothing-is-more-despicable-than-a-professional-talker-who-uses-his/) [Francois Fenelon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-fenelon/) > [The nature of men and women - their essential nature - is so vile and despicable that if you were to portray a person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/the-nature-of-men-and-women-their-essential-nature-is-so-vile-and/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [Let me just be candid: My party is full of racists. And the real reason a considerable portion of my party wants President Obama…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/let-me-just-be-candid-my-party-is-full-of-racists-and-the-real-reason/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [People sometimes rationalize their greed by saying that it is all for the good of their children but this is nothing but an excuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/democritus/people-sometimes-rationalize-their-greed-by-saying-that-it-is-all-for/) [Democritus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/democritus/) Browse all 172 Despicable quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Failure is no shame - but not making the attempt is despicable.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paula Gosling" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-gosling/failure-is-no-shame-but-not-making-the-attempt-is-despicable/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Despicable" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-gosling/failure-is-no-shame-but-not-making-the-attempt-is-despicable/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cda/paula-gosling-58417_despicable_failure-is-no-shame-but-not-making-the-a_2654058.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cda/paula-gosling-58417_despicable_failure-is-no-shame-but-not-making-the-a_2654058.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cda/paula-gosling-58417_despicable_failure-is-no-shame-but-not-making-the-a_2654058.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Failure is no shame - but not making the attempt is despicable.” — Paula Gosling", "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": "Paula Gosling", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-gosling/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Failure is no shame - but...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-gosling/failure-is-no-shame-but-not-making-the-attempt-is-despicable/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-gosling/failure-is-no-shame-but-not-making-the-attempt-is-despicable/#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 } } ] } ```