--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I also feared boredom and mediocrity much…" description: "\"“I also feared boredom and mediocrity much more than I feared failure.”\" — Ray Dalio" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a94/ray-dalio-299_failure_i-also-feared-boredom-and-mediocrity-muc_1031939.jpg" --- # I also feared boredom and mediocrity much more than I… ![“I also feared boredom and mediocrity much more than I feared failure.” quote by Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a94/ray-dalio-299_failure_i-also-feared-boredom-and-mediocrity-muc_1031939.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a94/ray-dalio-299_failure_i-also-feared-boredom-and-mediocrity-muc_1031939.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a94/ray-dalio-299_failure_i-also-feared-boredom-and-mediocrity-muc_1031939.jpg) > ““I also feared boredom and mediocrity much more than I feared failure.”” [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Fear of boredom and mediocrity can drive us harder than fear of failure, pushing us toward growth. **In simple terms:** Boredom can be a stronger motivator than failure. Key Takeaway Embrace discomfort to avoid stagnation. Themes motivation growth fear comfort stagnation Mood anxious determined Type motivational reflective When to use this quote - career development - creative projects - personal improvement - learning new skills Key Concepts psychology self‑discipline risk perception Questions to Reflect On - What does boredom feel like for you? - How can you channel that feeling into productive action? A Different Perspective Fear of failure may still paralyze despite this insight. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Mediocrity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mediocrity/) ## Related quotes > [“I also feared boredom and mediocrity much more than I feared failure. For me, great is better than terrible, and terrible is better than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/i-also-feared-boredom-and-mediocrity-much-more-than-i-feared-failure-2/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [I have never feared failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anh-do/i-have-never-feared-failure/) [Anh Do](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anh-do/) > [Failure is not to be feared. It is from failure that most growth comes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-hock/failure-is-not-to-be-feared-it-is-from-failure-that-most-growth-comes/) [Dee Hock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-hock/) > [Nothing in life is to be feared whether failure or fall downs they all are part of life n they should be handled with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/nothing-in-life-is-to-be-feared-whether-failure-or-fall-downs-they/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [If you truly feared failure, you'd be very successful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-sher/if-you-truly-feared-failure-you-d-be-very-successful/) [Barbara Sher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-sher/) > [It is an error common to many artists, who strive merely to avoid mistakes, when all our efforts should be to create positive and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-steichen/it-is-an-error-common-to-many-artists-who-strive-merely-to-avoid/) [Edward Steichen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-steichen/) > [“I believe that the key to success lies in knowing how to both strive for a lot and fail well. By failing well, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/i-believe-that-the-key-to-success-lies-in-knowing-how-to-both-strive/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [There has been an obvious effort to play it safe, to make 'Bonanza' a good family show that would offend no one and hit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pernell-roberts/there-has-been-an-obvious-effort-to-play-it-safe-to-make-bonanza-a/) [Pernell Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pernell-roberts/) > [Philadelphians are every whit as mediocre as their neighbors, but they seldom encourage each other in mediocrity by giving it a more agreeable name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-repplier/philadelphians-are-every-whit-as-mediocre-as-their-neighbors-but-they/) [Agnes Repplier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-repplier/) > [Once you decide that mediocrity is unthinkable, your only choices are excellence and quitting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-murray/once-you-decide-that-mediocrity-is-unthinkable-your-only-choices-are/) [Nick Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-murray/) > [If you want to be average, do what others do. 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By failing well, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/i-believe-that-the-key-to-success-lies-in-knowing-how-to-both-strive/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [I'm scared of one man, one vote because it suggests that everybody has an equal ability at making decisions, and I think that's dangerous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/i-m-scared-of-one-man-one-vote-because-it-suggests-that-everybody-has/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“A manager’s ability to recognize when outcomes are inconsistent with goals and then modify designs and assemble people to rectify them makes all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/a-manager-s-ability-to-recognize-when-outcomes-are-inconsistent-with/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“So I learned to be radically open-minded to allow others to point out what I might be missing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/so-i-learned-to-be-radically-open-minded-to-allow-others-to-point-out/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“During those terrible days after 9/11, when the whole country was being whipsawed by emotion, or the weeks between September 19 and October 10,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/during-those-terrible-days-after-9-11-when-the-whole-country-was/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“is more effective to train that subconscious, emotional you the same way you would teach a child to behave”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/is-more-effective-to-train-that-subconscious-emotional-you-the-same/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [I think that the first thing is you should have a strategic asset allocation mix that assumes that you don't know what the future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/i-think-that-the-first-thing-is-you-should-have-a-strategic-asset/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [Life is like a game where you seek to overcome the obstacles that stand in the way of achieving your goals. 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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": "“I also feared boredom and mediocrity much more than I feared failure.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ray Dalio" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/i-also-feared-boredom-and-mediocrity-much-more-than-i-feared-failure/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Failure" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/i-also-feared-boredom-and-mediocrity-much-more-than-i-feared-failure/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a94/ray-dalio-299_failure_i-also-feared-boredom-and-mediocrity-muc_1031939.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a94/ray-dalio-299_failure_i-also-feared-boredom-and-mediocrity-muc_1031939.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a94/ray-dalio-299_failure_i-also-feared-boredom-and-mediocrity-muc_1031939.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I also feared boredom and mediocrity much more than I feared failure.” — Ray Dalio", "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": "Ray Dalio", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I also feared boredom and mediocrity...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/i-also-feared-boredom-and-mediocrity-much-more-than-i-feared-failure/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/i-also-feared-boredom-and-mediocrity-much-more-than-i-feared-failure/#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 } } ] } ```