--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Would you like me to give you a formula…" description: "\"Would you like me to give you a formula for success? Itís quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure. You are thinking of failure as the enemy o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f6/thomas-j-watson-2-95094_failure_would-you-like-me-to-give-you-a-formula_257727.jpg" --- # Would you like me to give you a formula for success? Itís… ![“Would you like me to give you a formula for success? Itís quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure. You are thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isnít at all. You can be discouraged by failure or you can learn from it, So go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can…” quote by Thomas J Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f6/thomas-j-watson-2-95094_failure_would-you-like-me-to-give-you-a-formula_257727.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f6/thomas-j-watson-2-95094_failure_would-you-like-me-to-give-you-a-formula_257727.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f6/thomas-j-watson-2-95094_failure_would-you-like-me-to-give-you-a-formula_257727.jpg) > “Would you like me to give you a formula for success? Itís quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure. You are thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isnít at all. You can be discouraged by failure or you can learn from it, So go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Because remember thatís where you will find success.” Thomas J Watson ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Double your failure rate to achieve success; failure is a teacher, not an enemy. **In simple terms:** Embrace failure for success. Key Takeaway Learn from mistakes to grow. Themes success failure learning growth mindset Mood motivational practical Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - entrepreneurship - product development - personal development Key Concepts risk management resilience continuous improvement Questions to Reflect On - What failures taught you most? - How to balance risk and safety? A Different Perspective Too many failures can demoralize teams. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Formula for success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/formula-for-success/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) ## Related quotes > [Would you like me to give you a formula for success? Its quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure. You are thinking of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-j-watson-2/would-you-like-me-to-give-you-a-formula-for-success-its-quite-simple/) Thomas J Watson > [“You are thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn't at all. You can be discouraged by failure-or you can learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-paul-evans/you-are-thinking-of-failure-as-the-enemy-of-success-but-it-isn-t-at/) [Richard Paul Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-paul-evans/) > [You can be discouraged by failure, or you can learn from it. So go ahead and make mistakes, make all you can. Because, remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-j-watson/you-can-be-discouraged-by-failure-or-you-can-learn-from-it-so-go/) [Thomas J. Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-j-watson/) > [In our culture, we grow up thinking that failure is a terrible thing, that it's a setback, or worse, the end. Often it turns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-schwarzenegger/in-our-culture-we-grow-up-thinking-that-failure-is-a-terrible-thing/) Katherine Schwarzenegger > [All war is a symptom of mans failure as a thinking animal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suman-rai/all-war-is-a-symptom-of-mans-failure-as-a-thinking-animal/) [Suman Rai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suman-rai/) > [“The men who try to do something and fail are infinitely better than those who try to do nothing and succeed. – Lloyd Jones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shiv-khera/the-men-who-try-to-do-something-and-fail-are-infinitely-better-than-2/) [Shiv Khera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shiv-khera/) > [All war is a symptom of man's failure as a thinking animal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/all-war-is-a-symptom-of-man-s-failure-as-a-thinking-animal/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [I will not be discouraged by failure; I will not be elated by success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-barber-lightfoot/i-will-not-be-discouraged-by-failure-i-will-not-be-elated-by-success/) [Joseph Barber Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-barber-lightfoot/) > [Don't be discouraged by a failure. It can be a positive experience. Failure is, in a sense, the highway to success, inasmuch as every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/don-t-be-discouraged-by-a-failure-it-can-be-a-positive-experience-2/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [Don't be discouraged by a failure. It can be a positive experience. Failure is, in a sense, the highway to success, inasmuch as every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/don-t-be-discouraged-by-a-failure-it-can-be-a-positive-experience/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [He who is discouraged after a failure is not a real artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auguste-rodin/he-who-is-discouraged-after-a-failure-is-not-a-real-artist/) [Auguste Rodin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auguste-rodin/) > [Don't be discouraged by a failure. It can be a positive experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/don-t-be-discouraged-by-a-failure-it-can-be-a-positive-experience-3/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [“You’re thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn’t at all. Failure is a teacher – a harsh one, perhaps, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-gordon/you-re-thinking-of-failure-as-the-enemy-of-success-but-it-isn-t-at/) [Arthur Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-gordon/) > [“Advice? Fail constantly. Because the word doesn't mean what you think it means, especially when you're an artist. I use the word artist to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-giannini/advice-fail-constantly-because-the-word-doesn-t-mean-what-you-think/) Victor Giannini > [I always try to balance life by thinking failure of any kind, be it relationship or any project, should not affect me as an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan-patel/i-always-try-to-balance-life-by-thinking-failure-of-any-kind-be-it/) [Karan Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan-patel/) ## More by Thomas J Watson > [Would you like me to give you a formula for success? Its quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure. You are thinking of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-j-watson-2/would-you-like-me-to-give-you-a-formula-for-success-its-quite-simple/) Thomas J Watson Explore all 2 Thomas J Watson quotes ## 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": "Would you like me to give you a formula for success? 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