--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are more likely to fail as craftsmen…" description: "\"We are more likely to fail as craftsmen due to our inability to organize obsession than because of our lack of ability.\" — Richard Sennett" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a55/richard-sennett-27792_ability_we-are-more-likely-to-fail-as-craftsmen_1926967.jpg" --- # We are more likely to fail as craftsmen due to our… ![“We are more likely to fail as craftsmen due to our inability to organize obsession than because of our lack of ability.” quote by Richard Sennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a55/richard-sennett-27792_ability_we-are-more-likely-to-fail-as-craftsmen_1926967.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a55/richard-sennett-27792_ability_we-are-more-likely-to-fail-as-craftsmen_1926967.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a55/richard-sennett-27792_ability_we-are-more-likely-to-fail-as-craftsmen_1926967.jpg) > “We are more likely to fail as craftsmen due to our inability to organize obsession than because of our lack of ability.” [Richard Sennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-sennett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Craftsmanship suffers more from disorganized passion than from lack of skill; focus is lost when obsession isn’t structured. **In simple terms:** Disorderly obsession hinders skill development. Key Takeaway Organize passion to improve work. Themes craftsmanship focus obsession skill development Mood thoughtful determined Type reflective motivational When to use this quote - creative projects - skill training - team management Key Concepts Productivity psychology work habits Questions to Reflect On - How can you channel obsession into structured progress? - What habits help balance creativity and order? A Different Perspective Even organized passion can be stifled by external constraints. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [Craftsman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/craftsman/) [Obsession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obsession/) ## Related quotes > [Craftsmanship names an enduring, basic human impulse, the desire to do a job well for its own sake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-sennett/craftsmanship-names-an-enduring-basic-human-impulse-the-desire-to-do/) [Richard Sennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-sennett/) > [“But still he keeps working with a will; that's the craftsman in him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-sennett/but-still-he-keeps-working-with-a-will-that-s-the-craftsman-in-him/) [Richard Sennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-sennett/) > [“Those who dropped out of training rarely did so from lack of ability. Rather, what mattered, Mike said, was a “never give up” attitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-duckworth/those-who-dropped-out-of-training-rarely-did-so-from-lack-of-ability/) [Angela Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-duckworth/) > [Being gifted intellectually is only a small part of the equation of success. Concentrate on the factors you have control over: persistence, self-discipline, confidence.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bradshaw/being-gifted-intellectually-is-only-a-small-part-of-the-equation-of/) [Terry Bradshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bradshaw/) > [“Partly this has to do with the tendency for females to blame failure on a lack of ability. Males do just the opposite. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-young/partly-this-has-to-do-with-the-tendency-for-females-to-blame-failure/) [Valerie Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-young/) > [It is lack of focus,not lack of ability that holds back from the potential. If you find it difficult to deal with where you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dranil-kr-sinha/it-is-lack-of-focus-not-lack-of-ability-that-holds-back-from-the/) [DrAnil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dranil-kr-sinha/) > [Today was about our lack of ability to not produce the ability we've got.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-allardyce/today-was-about-our-lack-of-ability-to-not-produce-the-ability-we-ve/) [Sam Allardyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-allardyce/) > [“The lack of ability of those in charge to get a grip on a situation, and to take immediate, decisive action rather than simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-chalk/the-lack-of-ability-of-those-in-charge-to-get-a-grip-on-a-situation/) [Frank Chalk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-chalk/) > [All the injustice in this world is a result of ones lack of ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tokyo-ghoul/all-the-injustice-in-this-world-is-a-result-of-ones-lack-of-ability/) [Tokyo Ghoul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tokyo-ghoul/) > [“If they’re forced into a challenge they don’t feel prepared for, they may even engage in what psychologists call “self-handicapping”: deliberately doing things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-mcardle/if-they-re-forced-into-a-challenge-they-don-t-feel-prepared-for-they/) [Megan McArdle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-mcardle/) > [Nobody have the ability to minister to men if you lack the ability to minister to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justiceogali/nobody-have-the-ability-to-minister-to-men-if-you-lack-the-ability-to/) [Justiceogali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justiceogali/) > [There is no such thing as luck, only situations combine with other situations. Who is the one creating those situations?every time someone is disadvantaged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tokyo-ghoul/there-is-no-such-thing-as-luck-only-situations-combine-with-other/) [Tokyo Ghoul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tokyo-ghoul/) > [“Don't waste time with people who lack the ability to pick up the pace.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/don-t-waste-time-with-people-who-lack-the-ability-to-pick-up-the-pace/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [Cowardice... is almost always simply a lack of ability to suspend functioning of the imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/cowardice-is-almost-always-simply-a-lack-of-ability-to-suspend/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [The superior man is distressed by his want (lack) of ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/the-superior-man-is-distressed-by-his-want-lack-of-ability/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) ## More by Richard Sennett > [ “\[There are\] code words used today to measure the 'authenticity' of relationships or other persons. We speak of whether we can personally 'relate' to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-sennett/there-are-code-words-used-today-to-measure-the-authenticity-of/) [Richard Sennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-sennett/) > [“Institutional changes, instead of following the path of a guided arrow, head in different and often conflicting directions: a profitable operating unit is suddenly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-sennett/institutional-changes-instead-of-following-the-path-of-a-guided-arrow/) [Richard Sennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-sennett/) > [“To the absolutist in every craftsman, each imperfection is a failure; to the practitioner, obsession with perfection seems a perception for failure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-sennett/to-the-absolutist-in-every-craftsman-each-imperfection-is-a-failure/) [Richard Sennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-sennett/) > [“The reigning belief today is that closeness between persons is a moral good. The reigning aspiration today is to develop individual personality through experiences…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-sennett/the-reigning-belief-today-is-that-closeness-between-persons-is-a/) [Richard Sennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-sennett/) > [“But still he keeps working with a will; that's the craftsman in him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-sennett/but-still-he-keeps-working-with-a-will-that-s-the-craftsman-in-him/) [Richard Sennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-sennett/) > [“The top managers are defensive about these departures; they point to how safe, attractive, and up-to-date the workplace is. Rodney Everts is less defensive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-sennett/the-top-managers-are-defensive-about-these-departures-they-point-to/) [Richard Sennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-sennett/) > [“Electronic communication is one means by which the very idea of public life has been put to an end.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-sennett/electronic-communication-is-one-means-by-which-the-very-idea-of/) [Richard Sennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-sennett/) > [Authority is itself inherently an act of imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-sennett/authority-is-itself-inherently-an-act-of-imagination/) [Richard Sennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-sennett/) > [Tocqueville saw the brute repression of deviants as a necessity if men were to keep convincing themselves of their collective dignity through their collective…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-sennett/tocqueville-saw-the-brute-repression-of-deviants-as-a-necessity-if/) [Richard Sennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-sennett/) > [Our modern economy privileges pure profit, momentary transactions and rapid fluidity. Part of craft’s anchoring role is that it helps to objectify experience and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-sennett/our-modern-economy-privileges-pure-profit-momentary-transactions-and/) [Richard Sennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-sennett/) > [Like the Roman town grid, the New York plan was laid down on largely empty land, a city designed in advance of being inhabited;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-sennett/like-the-roman-town-grid-the-new-york-plan-was-laid-down-on-largely/) [Richard Sennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-sennett/) > [Issac Stern rule: the better your technique, the more impossible your standards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-sennett/issac-stern-rule-the-better-your-technique-the-more-impossible-your/) [Richard Sennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-sennett/) > [“At the end of the fifteenth century, the poet Thomas Hoccleve declared in The Regiment of Princes, “Allas, wher ys this worldes stabylnesse?”—a lament…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-sennett/at-the-end-of-the-fifteenth-century-the-poet-thomas-hoccleve-declared/) [Richard Sennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-sennett/) > [“Who needs me?” is a question of character which suffers a radical challenge in modern capitalism. The system radiates indifference. It does so in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-sennett/who-needs-me-is-a-question-of-character-which-suffers-a-radical/) [Richard Sennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-sennett/) > [The pleasures of relaxed chat, of casual conversation, encourage the ethnographer in everyone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-sennett/the-pleasures-of-relaxed-chat-of-casual-conversation-encourage-the/) [Richard Sennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-sennett/) [Explore all 20 Richard Sennett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-sennett/) ## More Ability quotes > [I don't think there's a direct correlation between my sexuality and my skiing ability. But I think because I was so concerned about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-kenworthy/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-direct-correlation-between-my-sexuality-and/) [Gus Kenworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-kenworthy/) > [“the importance of ability. The things that make a great job great, I discovered, are rare and valuable. If you want them in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-importance-of-ability-the-things-that-make-a-great-job-great-i/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/) [Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/) > [The ability of the gospel to unite us on common strengths and common truths is one of the great miracles . . . of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-ability-of-the-gospel-to-unite-us-on-common-strengths-and-common/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/) [Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/) > [The youth of India has the strength to move the entire World with a click of a mouse, we have generated that ability!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-youth-of-india-has-the-strength-to-move-the-entire-world-with-a/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [An absolutely necessary part of a writer's equipment, almost as necessary as talent, is the ability to stand up under punishment, both the punishment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-shaw/an-absolutely-necessary-part-of-a-writer-s-equipment-almost-as/) [Irwin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-shaw/) > [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) > [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Take what I cannot give: my heart, body, thoughts, time, abilities, money, health, strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-prentiss/bring-into-captivity-every-thought-to-the-obedience-of-christ-take/) [Elizabeth Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-prentiss/) > [You can only do the work to the very best of your ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/you-can-only-do-the-work-to-the-very-best-of-your-ability/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) > [Judge a person not by his ability to make money but by his ability to retain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/judge-a-person-not-by-his-ability-to-make-money-but-by-his-ability-to/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Bobby had faith in my ability as a singer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-london/bobby-had-faith-in-my-ability-as-a-singer/) [Julie London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-london/) [Browse all 9,990 Ability quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We are more likely to fail as craftsmen due to our inability to organize obsession than because of our lack of ability.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Richard Sennett" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-sennett/we-are-more-likely-to-fail-as-craftsmen-due-to-our-inability-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ability" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-sennett/we-are-more-likely-to-fail-as-craftsmen-due-to-our-inability-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a55/richard-sennett-27792_ability_we-are-more-likely-to-fail-as-craftsmen_1926967.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a55/richard-sennett-27792_ability_we-are-more-likely-to-fail-as-craftsmen_1926967.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a55/richard-sennett-27792_ability_we-are-more-likely-to-fail-as-craftsmen_1926967.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We are more likely to fail as craftsmen due to our inability to organize obsession than because of our lack…” — Richard Sennett", "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": "Richard Sennett", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-sennett/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We are more likely to fail...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-sennett/we-are-more-likely-to-fail-as-craftsmen-due-to-our-inability-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-sennett/we-are-more-likely-to-fail-as-craftsmen-due-to-our-inability-to/#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 } } ] } ```