Failure Quote by Scott A. Sandage
““In early America, fear of failure loomed largest on Sunday. Monday morning dawned about the year i8oo. By then, "failure" meant an entrepreneurial fall from grace-"a breaking in business," as Caleb Alexander's Columbian Dictionary duly noted. Failure was an incident, not an identity, in lexicons and common usage. In awkward but typical phrasing, the Pennsylvania Gazette reported in 1793, "They have not yet indeed made a failure, but they can do very little business." Early Americans "made" failures, but it took a while before failures made-or unmade-men.””
About This Quote
Source Historical Essay: Early American Attitudes toward Failure, 1793, 19th Century Context
The passage describes how early Americans viewed failure as a temporary setback rather than a defining personal flaw, emphasizing a cultural mindset that separates actions from identity.
In simple terms: Failure was seen as a temporary event, not a personal label.
Key Takeaway
Separate actions from identity; view setbacks as temporary.
Themes
culture
failure
identity
entrepreneurship
historical perspective
Mood
reflective
analytical
Type
historical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- business ventures
- personal setbacks
- public discourse
- historical analysis
Key Concepts
American history
lexical semantics
social psychology
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we shift language to separate identity from failure?
- What cultural factors influence our view of setbacks?
A Different Perspective
Modern contexts often label people by failures, which can hinder resilience.
