--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I would rather live a life with a hundred…" description: "\"“I would rather live a life with a hundred failed dreams created on my own terms, than one successful reality, created on the terms of another.”\" — Thu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/999/thurman-p-banks-jr-33182_dreams_i-would-rather-live-a-life-with-a-hundre_692224.jpg" --- # I would rather live a life with a hundred failed dreams… ![“I would rather live a life with a hundred failed dreams created on my own terms, than one successful reality, created on the terms of another.” quote by Thurman P. Banks Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/999/thurman-p-banks-jr-33182_dreams_i-would-rather-live-a-life-with-a-hundre_692224.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/999/thurman-p-banks-jr-33182_dreams_i-would-rather-live-a-life-with-a-hundre_692224.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/999/thurman-p-banks-jr-33182_dreams_i-would-rather-live-a-life-with-a-hundre_692224.jpg) > ““I would rather live a life with a hundred failed dreams created on my own terms, than one successful reality, created on the terms of another.”” [Thurman P. Banks Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurman-p-banks-jr/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Choosing personal freedom and risk of failure is preferable to living a life defined by others’ standards. **In simple terms:** Better to fail on your own terms than succeed under someone else’s. Key Takeaway Prioritize your own vision over external expectations. Themes freedom creativity individualism Mood determined inspirational Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - career choices - artistic projects - personal goals Key Concepts self-determination risk authenticity Questions to Reflect On - What would you attempt if fear of judgment vanished? - How do you define success for yourself? A Different Perspective Failure can damage confidence and resources. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Dreams Created](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams-created-3192993/) [Failed Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failed-dreams-2186019/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Failed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-failed-707910/) [Reality Created](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality-created-663363/) [Successful Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful-reality-413300/) ## Related quotes > [“If you don't create a good message about your dreams, those who were created to pay for it can't find it. Speak them out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/if-you-don-t-create-a-good-message-about-your-dreams-those-who-were/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [“Broken dreams can be mended and failed dreams can be successfully revived.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euginia-herlihy/broken-dreams-can-be-mended-and-failed-dreams-can-be-successfully/) [Euginia Herlihy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euginia-herlihy/) > [“Holding onto failed dreams only makes you bitter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-c-sciarillo/holding-onto-failed-dreams-only-makes-you-bitter/) [Joseph C. Sciarillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-c-sciarillo/) > [Strictly' is the most successful reality format in the world - it's in the 'Guinness Book of Records' - going to 38 countries. 'X…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-revel-horwood/strictly-is-the-most-successful-reality-format-in-the-world-it-s-in/) [Craig Revel Horwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-revel-horwood/) > [I had a TV show called 'The Apprentice' and it's one of the most successful reality shows in the history of television. And now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-had-a-tv-show-called-the-apprentice-and-it-s-one-of-the-most/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [To be successful in reality, you must first be successful in your mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renee-veldman/to-be-successful-in-reality-you-must-first-be-successful-in-your-mind/) [Renee Veldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renee-veldman/) > [My life failed on the very day I was born.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bly/my-life-failed-on-the-very-day-i-was-born/) [Robert Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bly/) > [She thinks, I failed twice. If I failed twice I'm going to fail forever. No! That is not the law of life. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-millan/she-thinks-i-failed-twice-if-i-failed-twice-i-m-going-to-fail-forever/) [Cesar Millan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-millan/) > [“An old man, Elias Caldwell, death already smothering his breast, tries to tell a child something of all he has learned, something of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tillie-olsen/an-old-man-elias-caldwell-death-already-smothering-his-breast-tries/) [Tillie Olsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tillie-olsen/) > [I think once I had lived life, once I had failed enough in this lifetime and got back up a thousand times from failing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fantastic-negrito/i-think-once-i-had-lived-life-once-i-had-failed-enough-in-this/) [Fantastic Negrito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fantastic-negrito/) > [I failed at the biggest things there are in life. I failed in my health, I failed in my marriage, I failed in everything,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-stone/i-failed-at-the-biggest-things-there-are-in-life-i-failed-in-my/) [Sharon Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-stone/) > [Our normal expectations about reality are created by a social consensus. We are taught how to see and understand the world. The trick of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-castaneda/our-normal-expectations-about-reality-are-created-by-a-social/) [Carlos Castaneda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-castaneda/) > [Thank God for the reality for which we were created, a moment-by-moment communication with God himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-schaeffer/thank-god-for-the-reality-for-which-we-were-created-a-moment-by/) [Francis Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-schaeffer/) > [Artists erase reality to a greater or lesser extent, and substitute their own reality - created by their brains, instead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/artists-erase-reality-to-a-greater-or-lesser-extent-and-substitute/) [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) > [“We can make our own plans and judge them by our narrow expectations, or we can experience life as the boundless reality of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-sprink/we-can-make-our-own-plans-and-judge-them-by-our-narrow-expectations/) [Holly Sprink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-sprink/) ## More by Thurman P. Banks Jr > [“Spending all your energy on one opinion is like confining yourself to living in a box, and most people in a box aren't living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurman-p-banks-jr/spending-all-your-energy-on-one-opinion-is-like-confining-yourself-to/) [Thurman P. Banks Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurman-p-banks-jr/) > [“I fear we have become a society more interested in writing the quote of another, than living the lesson, and creating a quote of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurman-p-banks-jr/i-fear-we-have-become-a-society-more-interested-in-writing-the-quote/) [Thurman P. Banks Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurman-p-banks-jr/) > [“I have done good things in life. I have done bad things in life. But the beer has tasted great during both.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurman-p-banks-jr/i-have-done-good-things-in-life-i-have-done-bad-things-in-life-but/) [Thurman P. Banks Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurman-p-banks-jr/) > [“In the end, age in numbers is no more than an empty bag. The only way to truly tell a person's years is by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurman-p-banks-jr/in-the-end-age-in-numbers-is-no-more-than-an-empty-bag-the-only-way/) [Thurman P. Banks Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurman-p-banks-jr/) > [“If you are not in some way living your life like a Dr. Suess rhyme, than you may in fact be living it wrong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurman-p-banks-jr/if-you-are-not-in-some-way-living-your-life-like-a-dr-suess-rhyme/) [Thurman P. Banks Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurman-p-banks-jr/) > [“There is only one person I wake up every morning striving to be better than, and that is myself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurman-p-banks-jr/there-is-only-one-person-i-wake-up-every-morning-striving-to-be/) [Thurman P. Banks Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurman-p-banks-jr/) > [“I don't write so that people will understand me, I write because I know they don't. And, I can't help feeling like I should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurman-p-banks-jr/i-don-t-write-so-that-people-will-understand-me-i-write-because-i/) [Thurman P. Banks Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurman-p-banks-jr/) > [“I am more of a doer than a writer. I do not live to write. I write because I have lived.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurman-p-banks-jr/i-am-more-of-a-doer-than-a-writer-i-do-not-live-to-write-i-write/) [Thurman P. Banks Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurman-p-banks-jr/) > [“You can have the finest pen, typewriter, or computer, but without a set of eyes that truly see the world, you might as well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurman-p-banks-jr/you-can-have-the-finest-pen-typewriter-or-computer-but-without-a-set/) [Thurman P. Banks Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurman-p-banks-jr/) > [“Never underestimate the distance that one simple act of kindness can carry you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurman-p-banks-jr/never-underestimate-the-distance-that-one-simple-act-of-kindness-can/) [Thurman P. Banks Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurman-p-banks-jr/) > [“While the choices we make matter, it's what we make of our choices that matters the most.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurman-p-banks-jr/while-the-choices-we-make-matter-it-s-what-we-make-of-our-choices/) [Thurman P. Banks Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurman-p-banks-jr/) > [“Of all the regrets I've had in life, and there are plenty, having loved too much will never be one of them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurman-p-banks-jr/of-all-the-regrets-i-ve-had-in-life-and-there-are-plenty-having-loved/) [Thurman P. Banks Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurman-p-banks-jr/) > [“Every time life gives you a million reasons why you should quit, give it a million and one reasons why you never will.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurman-p-banks-jr/every-time-life-gives-you-a-million-reasons-why-you-should-quit-give/) [Thurman P. Banks Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurman-p-banks-jr/) > [“We so often spend our time searching for answers that we allow the questions to linger on, even when faced with the greatest truth--that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurman-p-banks-jr/we-so-often-spend-our-time-searching-for-answers-that-we-allow-the/) [Thurman P. Banks Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurman-p-banks-jr/) [Explore all 15 Thurman P. Banks Jr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurman-p-banks-jr/) ## More Dreams quotes > [“Cine a ucis stelele? Cine a surpat drumul spre viitor al celor din morminte?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ionel-teodoreanu/cine-a-ucis-stelele-cine-a-surpat-drumul-spre-viitor-al-celor-din/) [Ionel Teodoreanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ionel-teodoreanu/) > [“Once we become sensitive to dreams, we discover that every dynamic in a dream is manifesting itself in some way in our practical lives”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-johnson/once-we-become-sensitive-to-dreams-we-discover-that-every-dynamic-in/) [Robert A. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-johnson/) > [“Now you’re wet. You’re so wet you’re leaking down your ass. You’re soaking my pillow. I don’t think I’m ever washing it. I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-stoker/now-you-re-wet-you-re-so-wet-you-re-leaking-down-your-ass-you-re/) [Susan Stoker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-stoker/) > [“Not that it matters, when you dream, there's no outside or in. Your mind is an unimaginable bloom. A willow catkin as big as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-shapero/not-that-it-matters-when-you-dream-there-s-no-outside-or-in-your-mind/) [Rich Shapero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-shapero/) > [Sometimes we wish for the feel but we never understand that we have to give a lot to get the feel !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reynolds/sometimes-we-wish-for-the-feel-but-we-never-understand-that-we-have/) [Robert Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reynolds/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [It’s so important to create in your own voice, to hold onto what makes you unique, and have faith in your vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/it-s-so-important-to-create-in-your-own-voice-to-hold-onto-what-makes/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [“As dreams are the healing songs from the wilderness of our unconscious - So wild animals, wild plants, wild landscapes are the healing dreams…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-pendell/as-dreams-are-the-healing-songs-from-the-wilderness-of-our/) [Dale Pendell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-pendell/) > [Alone in a world, With millions of souls Walking in circles Trapped in their dreams unhealthy, unclean walking in circles, now do not disturb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chester-bennington/alone-in-a-world-with-millions-of-souls-walking-in-circles-trapped-in/) [Chester Bennington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chester-bennington/) > [“Doing the work to transform your dreams into reality is like walking across the earth. It can be that hard, and it can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dragos-bratasanu/doing-the-work-to-transform-your-dreams-into-reality-is-like-walking/) [Dragos Bratasanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dragos-bratasanu/) > [As far as Im concerned, I didnt dream - ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/as-far-as-im-concerned-i-didnt-dream-ever/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) > [I guess, it's a father's dream for his daughter to be known around the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liza-soberano/i-guess-it-s-a-father-s-dream-for-his-daughter-to-be-known-around-the/) [Liza Soberano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liza-soberano/) > [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [Sometimes life seems like a dream, especially when I look down and see that I forgot to put on my pants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/sometimes-life-seems-like-a-dream-especially-when-i-look-down-and-see/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [“I had a dream. I had an awesome dream.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-had-a-dream-i-had-an-awesome-dream/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 40,599 Dreams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I would rather live a life with a hundred failed dreams created on my own terms, than one successful reality, created on the terms of another.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thurman P. 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