--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I never see failure as failure, but only…" description: "\"I never see failure as failure, but only as the game I must play and win.\" — Tom Hopkins" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acc/tom-hopkins-24431_failure_i-never-see-failure-as-failure-but-only_471285.jpg" --- # I never see failure as failure, but only as the game I… ![“I never see failure as failure, but only as the game I must play and win.” quote by Tom Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acc/tom-hopkins-24431_failure_i-never-see-failure-as-failure-but-only_471285.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acc/tom-hopkins-24431_failure_i-never-see-failure-as-failure-but-only_471285.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acc/tom-hopkins-24431_failure_i-never-see-failure-as-failure-but-only_471285.jpg) > “I never see failure as failure, but only as the game I must play and win.” [Tom Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hopkins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Failure is reframed as a challenge to overcome rather than a defeat, encouraging persistence and strategic learning. **In simple terms:** Failure is a game to win. Key Takeaway Treat setbacks as practice. Themes resilience mindset growth strategy Mood determined optimistic Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - sales - entrepreneurship - personal development - sports - education Key Concepts psychology learning competition Questions to Reflect On - What game are you playing when you fail? - How can you turn a loss into a win? A Different Perspective Winning requires adapting tactics after each loss. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) [Game](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/game/) [Game Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/game-play/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Win](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/win/) ## Related quotes > [We go there with confidence, but we know there is a very fine line between success and failure in this game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-shearer/we-go-there-with-confidence-but-we-know-there-is-a-very-fine-line/) [Alan Shearer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-shearer/) > [The response to 'Kadamban' was strictly average; all of us know about it. The result didn't match our efforts and it was a let-down.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-tresa/the-response-to-kadamban-was-strictly-average-all-of-us-know-about-it/) [Catherine Tresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-tresa/) > [I've always felt that 'game over' is a state of failure more for the game designer than from the player,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cage/i-ve-always-felt-that-game-over-is-a-state-of-failure-more-for-the/) [David Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cage/) > [To a certain extent, I enjoy failure. It's part of the game. There's always room to grow; there's room to improve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-judge/to-a-certain-extent-i-enjoy-failure-it-s-part-of-the-game-there-s/) [Aaron Judge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-judge/) > [When I play the game, I play to win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lonzo-ball/when-i-play-the-game-i-play-to-win/) [Lonzo Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lonzo-ball/) > [LOVE, The only game that two can play and both win;](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/love-the-only-game-that-two-can-play-and-both-win/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [Love is a game that two can play and both win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-a-game-that-two-can-play-and-both-win/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Love is a game where two can play and both win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wakif/love-is-a-game-where-two-can-play-and-both-win/) [Wakif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wakif/) > [Work hard...have fun...be nice...play fair...dream big. We only get one chance at this life. If you're going to play this game, play it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-herjavec/work-hard-have-fun-be-nice-play-fair-dream-big-we-only-get-one-chance/) [Robert Herjavec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-herjavec/) > [In every game I Play, I Mostly Win. But in Relationships, I Just Lose. You know why…? Because I Never Play With them…!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/in-every-game-i-play-i-mostly-win-but-in-relationships-i-just-lose/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [When Brazil take part in any competition they must always play to win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zico/when-brazil-take-part-in-any-competition-they-must-always-play-to-win/) [Zico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zico/) > [To play here and win here in Uruguay is a very difficult thing. Here you have a really strong atmosphere, energy. You have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tite/to-play-here-and-win-here-in-uruguay-is-a-very-difficult-thing-here/) [Tite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tite/) > [Remaining vigilant toward this ever-present threat means constantly learning how better to protect ourselves. But primarily it reminds us that we must fight and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kennedy/remaining-vigilant-toward-this-ever-present-threat-means-constantly/) [Mark Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kennedy/) > [Muslim moderates, wherever they are, must be given every tool necessary to win a war of ideas with their co-religionists. Otherwise, we will have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/muslim-moderates-wherever-they-are-must-be-given-every-tool-necessary/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [I get paid to play, to win, to give the city pride, so maybe everybody can forget for a little while how hard life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-cunningham/i-get-paid-to-play-to-win-to-give-the-city-pride-so-maybe-everybody/) [Randall Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-cunningham/) ## More by Tom Hopkins > [“Keep your eyes open and try to catch people in your company doing something right, then praise them for it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hopkins/keep-your-eyes-open-and-try-to-catch-people-in-your-company-doing/) [Tom Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hopkins/) > [“Every evening, write down the six most important things that you must do the next day. Then while you sleep your subconscious will work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hopkins/every-evening-write-down-the-six-most-important-things-that-you-must/) [Tom Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hopkins/) > [We have already done so much that people call dynamics. Look at the bumblebee being unaware of scientific truths, goes ahead and flies anyway.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hopkins/we-have-already-done-so-much-that-people-call-dynamics-look-at-the/) [Tom Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hopkins/) > [“The number of times I succeed is directly proportional to the number of times I can fail, and keep trying !”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hopkins/the-number-of-times-i-succeed-is-directly-proportional-to-the-number/) [Tom Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hopkins/) > [“No one limits your growth but you. If you want to earn more, learn more. That means you´ll work harder for a while; that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hopkins/no-one-limits-your-growth-but-you-if-you-want-to-earn-more-learn-more/) [Tom Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hopkins/) > [“I am not judged by the number of times I fail, but by the number of times I succeed and the number of times…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hopkins/i-am-not-judged-by-the-number-of-times-i-fail-but-by-the-number-of/) [Tom Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hopkins/) > [Yesterday brought the beginning, tomorrow brings the end but somewhere in the middle we've become the best of friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hopkins/yesterday-brought-the-beginning-tomorrow-brings-the-end-but-somewhere/) [Tom Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hopkins/) > [“you must do what you fear most if you want to overcome the fear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hopkins/you-must-do-what-you-fear-most-if-you-want-to-overcome-the-fear/) [Tom Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hopkins/) > [An expert is someone who knows a lot about the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hopkins/an-expert-is-someone-who-knows-a-lot-about-the-past/) [Tom Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hopkins/) > [Tough times are there so you can have a good time later on-- and really appreciate it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hopkins/tough-times-are-there-so-you-can-have-a-good-time-later-on-and-really/) [Tom Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hopkins/) > [I am not judged by the number of times I fail, but by the number of times I succeed; and the number of times…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hopkins/i-am-not-judged-by-the-number-of-times-i-fail-but-by-the-number-of-2/) [Tom Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hopkins/) > [“The number of times I succeed is in direct proportion to the number of times I can fail and keep on trying.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hopkins/the-number-of-times-i-succeed-is-in-direct-proportion-to-the-number/) [Tom Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hopkins/) > [Do what you fear most and you control fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hopkins/do-what-you-fear-most-and-you-control-fear/) [Tom Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hopkins/) > [You begin by always expecting good things to happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hopkins/you-begin-by-always-expecting-good-things-to-happen/) [Tom Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hopkins/) > [Repeat anything often enough and it will start to become you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hopkins/repeat-anything-often-enough-and-it-will-start-to-become-you/) [Tom Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hopkins/) [Explore all 24 Tom Hopkins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hopkins/) ## 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": "I never see failure as failure, but only as the game I must play and win.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tom Hopkins" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hopkins/i-never-see-failure-as-failure-but-only-as-the-game-i-must-play-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Failure" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hopkins/i-never-see-failure-as-failure-but-only-as-the-game-i-must-play-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acc/tom-hopkins-24431_failure_i-never-see-failure-as-failure-but-only_471285.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acc/tom-hopkins-24431_failure_i-never-see-failure-as-failure-but-only_471285.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acc/tom-hopkins-24431_failure_i-never-see-failure-as-failure-but-only_471285.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I never see failure as failure, but only as the game I must play and win.” — Tom Hopkins", "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": "Tom Hopkins", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hopkins/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I never see failure as failure,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hopkins/i-never-see-failure-as-failure-but-only-as-the-game-i-must-play-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hopkins/i-never-see-failure-as-failure-but-only-as-the-game-i-must-play-and/#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 } } ] } ```