--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: it is well known that a vital ingredient…" description: "\"“it is well known that a vital ingredient of success is not knowing that what you’re attempting can’t be done. A person ignorant of the possibility of ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d98/terry-pratchett-19_failure_it-is-well-known-that-a-vital-ingredient_971697.jpg" --- # it is well known that a vital ingredient of success is not… ![“it is well known that a vital ingredient of success is not knowing that what you’re attempting can’t be done. A person ignorant of the possibility of failure can be a halfbrick in the path of the bicycle of history.” quote by Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d98/terry-pratchett-19_failure_it-is-well-known-that-a-vital-ingredient_971697.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d98/terry-pratchett-19_failure_it-is-well-known-that-a-vital-ingredient_971697.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d98/terry-pratchett-19_failure_it-is-well-known-that-a-vital-ingredient_971697.jpg) > ““it is well known that a vital ingredient of success is not knowing that what you’re attempting can’t be done. A person ignorant of the possibility of failure can be a halfbrick in the path of the bicycle of history.”” [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Success often stems from daring to try the impossible; ignorance of failure can be a catalyst for progress. **In simple terms:** Not fearing failure fuels achievement. Key Takeaway Embrace daring, ignore doubt. Themes innovation risk history Mood encouraging optimistic Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - entrepreneurship - scientific research - artistic creation Key Concepts optimism creative confidence Questions to Reflect On - What risks are worth taking? - How do you balance optimism with realism? A Different Perspective Blind optimism can lead to reckless actions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) ## Related quotes > [“It is well known that a vital ingredient of success is not knowing that what you're attempting can't be done. A person ignorant of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/it-is-well-known-that-a-vital-ingredient-of-success-is-not-knowing-3/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Esk, of course, had not been trained, and it is well known that a vital ingredient of success is not knowing that what you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/esk-of-course-had-not-been-trained-and-it-is-well-known-that-a-vital/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [...it is well known that a vital ingredient of success is not knowing that what you're attempting can't be done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/it-is-well-known-that-a-vital-ingredient-of-success-is-not-knowing-2/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [The person who is ignorant enough to believe that his nourishment depends on meat is in a horrible dilemma.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-person-who-is-ignorant-enough-to-believe-that-his-nourishment/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [It is absolutely safe to say that if you meet somebody who claims not to believe in evolution, that person is ignorant, stupid or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/it-is-absolutely-safe-to-say-that-if-you-meet-somebody-who-claims-not/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [A learned person among ignorant people, is like a live person among the dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-jafar/a-learned-person-among-ignorant-people-is-like-a-live-person-among/) Muhammad Jafar > [Only a few years ago there was no person too ignorant to successfully answer Charles Darwin; and the more ignorant he was the more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/only-a-few-years-ago-there-was-no-person-too-ignorant-to-successfully/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [“Muad’Dib: “If a child, an untrained person, an ignorant person, or an insane person incites trouble, it is the fault of authority for not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/muad-dib-if-a-child-an-untrained-person-an-ignorant-person-or-an/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [“If education makes a person ignorant towards others, then I'd rather be illiterate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nonankie/if-education-makes-a-person-ignorant-towards-others-then-i-d-rather/) Nonankie > [The illiterate of the future will be the person ignorant of the use of the camera as well as the pen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laszlo-moholy-nagy/the-illiterate-of-the-future-will-be-the-person-ignorant-of-the-use/) [Laszlo Moholy-Nagy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laszlo-moholy-nagy/) > [To keep a person ignorant is to place them in a cage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/to-keep-a-person-ignorant-is-to-place-them-in-a-cage/) [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) > [It's not about knowing the key to success, but knowing how to use it and which doors to open](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arsi-nami/it-s-not-about-knowing-the-key-to-success-but-knowing-how-to-use-it/) [Arsi Nami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arsi-nami/) > [Success is reciprocated by the things we put out into the world my friends and if we put out light, we will receive light…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jsv/success-is-reciprocated-by-the-things-we-put-out-into-the-world-my/) [JSV](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jsv/) > [“You will success by knowing what is your heart really want.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miraeniuzz-sanaf/you-will-success-by-knowing-what-is-your-heart-really-want/) [Miraeniuzz Sanaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miraeniuzz-sanaf/) > [The secret to success is knowing who to blame for your failures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-de-leon/the-secret-to-success-is-knowing-who-to-blame-for-your-failures/) Michael De Leon ## More by Terry Pratchett > [“This one’s mental.’ ‘Eccentric.’ ‘What’s the difference?’ ‘A bag of cash.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/this-one-s-mental-eccentric-what-s-the-difference-a-bag-of-cash/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“But I did not return until half past four this morning and I distinctly remember stubbing my toe on the stairs. I am as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/but-i-did-not-return-until-half-past-four-this-morning-and-i/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Someone broke from the scrum and, punching and kicking, staggered towards the Klatchian goal. "Isn't that man your butler?" said Ahmed. "Yes." "One of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/someone-broke-from-the-scrum-and-punching-and-kicking-staggered/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [It's an interesting fact that fewer than 17 % of Real cats end their lives with the same name they started with. Much family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/it-s-an-interesting-fact-that-fewer-than-17-of-real-cats-end-their/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [You can't trust folk songs. They always sneak up on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-can-t-trust-folk-songs-they-always-sneak-up-on-you/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Either dragons should exist completely or fail to exist at all, he felt. A dragon only half-existing was worse than the extremes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/either-dragons-should-exist-completely-or-fail-to-exist-at-all-he/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Magrat wondered what it was like, spending your whole life doing something you didn’t want to do. Like being dead, she considered, only worse,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/magrat-wondered-what-it-was-like-spending-your-whole-life-doing/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [A hardback's harder at Christmas time because that's a good hardback buying time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/a-hardback-s-harder-at-christmas-time-because-that-s-a-good-hardback/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“There were more old people. The world was full of them,' said the wizard. 'Yes, I know. And now it's full of young people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/there-were-more-old-people-the-world-was-full-of-them-said-the-wizard/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Hobson was big and heavyset, but not exactly fat; he was probably what you’d get if you shaved a bear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/hobson-was-big-and-heavyset-but-not-exactly-fat-he-was-probably-what/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“There is a night that never comes to an end… The clock of the world turns under its own shadow. Midnight is a moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/there-is-a-night-that-never-comes-to-an-end-the-clock-of-the-world/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“You'd like Freedom, Truth, and Justice, wouldn't you, Comrade Sergeant?' said Reg encouragingly. 'I'd like a hard-boiled egg,' said Vimes, shaking the match out.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-d-like-freedom-truth-and-justice-wouldn-t-you-comrade-sergeant/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“You are not apprehensive, are you? I can't detect no trace of fear none whatsoever Roomy cranium all possible videos of all possible outcomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-are-not-apprehensive-are-you-i-can-t-detect-no-trace-of-fear-none/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Imagination, not intelligence, made us human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/imagination-not-intelligence-made-us-human/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) [Explore all 3,328 Terry Pratchett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) ## 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": "“it is well known that a vital ingredient of success is not knowing that what you’re attempting can’t be done. A person ignorant of the possibility of failure can be a halfbrick in the path of the bicycle of history.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Terry Pratchett" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/it-is-well-known-that-a-vital-ingredient-of-success-is-not-knowing/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Failure" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/it-is-well-known-that-a-vital-ingredient-of-success-is-not-knowing/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d98/terry-pratchett-19_failure_it-is-well-known-that-a-vital-ingredient_971697.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d98/terry-pratchett-19_failure_it-is-well-known-that-a-vital-ingredient_971697.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d98/terry-pratchett-19_failure_it-is-well-known-that-a-vital-ingredient_971697.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“it is well known that a vital ingredient of success is not knowing that what you’re attempting can’t be…” — Terry Pratchett", "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": "Terry Pratchett", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“it is well known that a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/it-is-well-known-that-a-vital-ingredient-of-success-is-not-knowing/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/it-is-well-known-that-a-vital-ingredient-of-success-is-not-knowing/#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 } } ] } ```