--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Mistakes can be profited by Man, when i…" description: "\"“Mistakes can be profited by Man, when i was young I showed my ignorance in people's faces. They beat me with sticks. By the time I was forty my blunt ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/646/ray-bradbury-75_failure_mistakes-can-be-profited-by-man-when-i-w_1276132.jpg" --- # Mistakes can be profited by Man, when i was young I showed… ![“Mistakes can be profited by Man, when i was young I showed my ignorance in people's faces. They beat me with sticks. By the time I was forty my blunt instrument had been honed to a fine cutting point for me. If you hide your ignorance, no one will hit you and you'll never learn.” quote by Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/646/ray-bradbury-75_failure_mistakes-can-be-profited-by-man-when-i-w_1276132.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/646/ray-bradbury-75_failure_mistakes-can-be-profited-by-man-when-i-w_1276132.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/646/ray-bradbury-75_failure_mistakes-can-be-profited-by-man-when-i-w_1276132.jpg) > ““Mistakes can be profited by Man, when i was young I showed my ignorance in people's faces. They beat me with sticks. By the time I was forty my blunt instrument had been honed to a fine cutting point for me. If you hide your ignorance, no one will hit you and you'll never learn.”” [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ignorance invites punishment; confronting and learning from it sharpens one’s abilities, while hiding it prevents growth. **In simple terms:** Facing ignorance teaches you. Key Takeaway Embrace mistakes to improve. Themes learning growth mistakes self‑awareness discipline Mood thoughtful motivational serious Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - education - mentorship - self‑reflection workshops - career training Key Concepts psychology personal development resilience Questions to Reflect On - What lessons have you learned from your failures? - How can you turn criticism into skill? A Different Perspective Denial can lead to stagnation and repeated errors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Hide Ignorance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hide-ignorance-629581/) [Ignorance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance/) [Ignorance Hit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance-hit-3025122/) [Ignorance People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance-people-296062/) [Mistakes Profited](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistakes-profited-1642802/) ## Related quotes > [You're afraid of making mistakes. Don't be. Mistakes can be profited by. Man, when I was young I shoved my ignorance in people's faces.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-re-afraid-of-making-mistakes-don-t-be-mistakes-can-be-profited-by/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [If you hide your ignorance, no one will hit you and you'll never learn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/if-you-hide-your-ignorance-no-one-will-hit-you-and-you-ll-never-learn/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“I know, i know. You're afraid of making mistakes. Don't be. Mistakes can be profited by. Man, when I was younger I shoved my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/i-know-i-know-you-re-afraid-of-making-mistakes-don-t-be-mistakes-can/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“Knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and a people who mean to be their own governors, must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/knowledge-will-forever-govern-ignorance-and-a-people-who-mean-to-be/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [“Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.”104”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/knowledge-will-forever-govern-ignorance-and-a-people-who-mean-to-be-2/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [It is better to hide ignorance, but it is hard to do this when we relax over wine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heraclitus/it-is-better-to-hide-ignorance-but-it-is-hard-to-do-this-when-we/) [Heraclitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heraclitus/) > [A whipper-snapper of criticism who quoted dead languages to hide his ignorance of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-beerbohm-tree/a-whipper-snapper-of-criticism-who-quoted-dead-languages-to-hide-his/) [Herbert Beerbohm Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-beerbohm-tree/) > [Hide our ignorance as we will, an evening of wine soon reveals it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heraclitus/hide-our-ignorance-as-we-will-an-evening-of-wine-soon-reveals-it/) [Heraclitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heraclitus/) > [God is the mysterious veil under which we hide our ignorance of the cause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-errera/god-is-the-mysterious-veil-under-which-we-hide-our-ignorance-of-the/) [Leo Errera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-errera/) > [Toddlers ask many questions, and so do school children - until about grade three. By that time, many of them have learned an unfortunate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-hunt/toddlers-ask-many-questions-and-so-do-school-children-until-about/) [Jan Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-hunt/) > [Do not hide your ignorance, because somebody might help you! Hiding always prolongs the problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/do-not-hide-your-ignorance-because-somebody-might-help-you-hiding/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Dieu, c'est le voile mystérieux sous lequel nous cachons notre ignorance de la cause première. God is the mysterious veil under which we hide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-errera/dieu-c-est-le-voile-myst-rieux-sous-lequel-nous-cachons-notre/) [Leo Errera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-errera/) > [“Our education serves three purposes. First, we must learn what others think we must know. Second, we cannot profess anything that is not widely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-blankinship/our-education-serves-three-purposes-first-we-must-learn-what-others/) [D.A. Blankinship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-blankinship/) > [It is so easy to hide our ignorance under such expressions as the plan of creation or unity of design, etc., and to think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/it-is-so-easy-to-hide-our-ignorance-under-such-expressions-as-the/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [If you can hide love and a cough, then I say you can hide your ignorance too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-can-hide-love-and-a-cough-then-i-say-you-can-hide-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Ray Bradbury > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Do you ever read any of the books you burn?" He laughed. "That's against the law!" "Oh. Of course.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/do-you-ever-read-any-of-the-books-you-burn-he-laughed-that-s-against/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [There's no reason to burn books if you don't read them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/there-s-no-reason-to-burn-books-if-you-don-t-read-them/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [We were put here as witnesses to the miracle of life. We see the stars, and we want them. We are beholden to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/we-were-put-here-as-witnesses-to-the-miracle-of-life-we-see-the-stars/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Remember, with writing, what you’re looking for is just one person to come up and tell you, 'I love you for what you do.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/remember-with-writing-what-you-re-looking-for-is-just-one-person-to/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [As a result of reading science fiction when I was eight, I grew up with an interest in music, architecture, city planning, transportation, politics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/as-a-result-of-reading-science-fiction-when-i-was-eight-i-grew-up/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“You can’t learn to write in college. It’s a very bad place for writers because the teachers always think they know more than you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-can-t-learn-to-write-in-college-it-s-a-very-bad-place-for-writers/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [We're going to become the martians when we land there. When we explore and build communities, we become the martians. That's a wonderful destiny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/we-re-going-to-become-the-martians-when-we-land-there-when-we-explore/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I wish you a wrestling match with your Creative Muse that will last a lifetime. ... I wish craziness and foolishness and madness upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/i-wish-you-a-wrestling-match-with-your-creative-muse-that-will-last-a/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [The library is the biggest cracker box factory in the world. The more you eat, the more you want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/the-library-is-the-biggest-cracker-box-factory-in-the-world-the-more/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [We travel for romance, we travel for architecture, and we travel to be lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/we-travel-for-romance-we-travel-for-architecture-and-we-travel-to-be/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I spent three days a week for 10 years educating myself in the public library, and it's better than college. People should educate themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/i-spent-three-days-a-week-for-10-years-educating-myself-in-the-public/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [If we try to deny the darkness in our souls then we'll become completely dark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/if-we-try-to-deny-the-darkness-in-our-souls-then-we-ll-become/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [But remember that the Captain belongs to the most dangerous enemy to truth and freedom, the solid unmoving cattle of the majority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/but-remember-that-the-captain-belongs-to-the-most-dangerous-enemy-to/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) [Explore all 1,520 Ray Bradbury quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) ## 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": "“Mistakes can be profited by Man, when i was young I showed my ignorance in people's faces. 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