--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Screw-ups are the mark of excellence." description: "\"Screw-ups are the mark of excellence.\" — Tom Peters" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/988/tom-peters-967_excellence_screw-ups-are-the-mark-of-excellence-143_1438292.png" --- # Screw-ups are the mark of excellence. ![“Screw-ups are the mark of excellence.” quote by Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/988/tom-peters-967_excellence_screw-ups-are-the-mark-of-excellence-143_1438292.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/988/tom-peters-967_excellence_screw-ups-are-the-mark-of-excellence-143_1438292.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/988/tom-peters-967_excellence_screw-ups-are-the-mark-of-excellence-143_1438292.png) > “Screw-ups are the mark of excellence.” [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Mistakes indicate striving for high standards and learning from failure. **In simple terms:** Errors show you aim high. Key Takeaway Embrace errors as growth. Themes excellence mistakes learning Mood reflective optimistic Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - career development - creative projects - leadership challenges Key Concepts growth mindset risk taking Questions to Reflect On - How can you turn a mistake into a learning opportunity? - What safeguards prevent repeated errors? A Different Perspective Mistakes can damage reputation if not managed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Excellence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excellence/) [Screw ups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/screw-ups/) ## Related quotes > [There is only so much I can understand and not screw up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krumholtz/there-is-only-so-much-i-can-understand-and-not-screw-up/) [David Krumholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krumholtz/) > [There are so many opportunities to make a bad decision in building a robot company on top of all the normal ways that entrepreneurs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-angle/there-are-so-many-opportunities-to-make-a-bad-decision-in-building-a/) [Colin Angle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-angle/) > [You might say what if I screw up? Then screw up big! Go for it! Do a big screw-up!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/you-might-say-what-if-i-screw-up-then-screw-up-big-go-for-it-do-a-big/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [But when we find that one person who completes us, we don't give up. No matter how bad we screw up. We make it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbi-glines/but-when-we-find-that-one-person-who-completes-us-we-don-t-give-up-no/) [Abbi Glines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abbi-glines/) > [I can charm my way out of a situation when I screw up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-arcangel/i-can-charm-my-way-out-of-a-situation-when-i-screw-up/) [Cory Arcangel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-arcangel/) > [When people screw up, give them a second chance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/when-people-screw-up-give-them-a-second-chance/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [It's okay to screw up. It's what we do afterward that defines us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-mallery/it-s-okay-to-screw-up-it-s-what-we-do-afterward-that-defines-us/) [Susan Mallery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-mallery/) > [No matter how much you screw up your life, you can fix it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-ferrell/no-matter-how-much-you-screw-up-your-life-you-can-fix-it/) [Will Ferrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-ferrell/) > [Whenever you come across a screw-up this big, you know the government is behind it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/whenever-you-come-across-a-screw-up-this-big-you-know-the-government/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [In today's economy there are no experts, no 'best and brightest' with all the answers. It's up to each one of us. The only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/in-today-s-economy-there-are-no-experts-no-best-and-brightest-with/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [If you screw up and do something, don't lie about it; come clean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-rose/if-you-screw-up-and-do-something-don-t-lie-about-it-come-clean/) [Pete Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-rose/) > [Assumption is the mother of the screw-up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelo-donghia/assumption-is-the-mother-of-the-screw-up/) Angelo Donghia > [It's a movie depiction you don't want to screw up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laszlo-nemes/it-s-a-movie-depiction-you-don-t-want-to-screw-up/) [Laszlo Nemes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laszlo-nemes/) > [Of course, screwed up families are not the exclusive province of the famous. Still, most families get to screw up in private.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-amos/of-course-screwed-up-families-are-not-the-exclusive-province-of-the/) [Shawn Amos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-amos/) > [Anyone who's not interested in model airplanes must have a screw loose somewhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-maccready/anyone-who-s-not-interested-in-model-airplanes-must-have-a-screw/) [Paul MacCready](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-maccready/) ## More by Tom Peters > [The market may never coalesce around one basic design, or even around two or three dominant devices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/the-market-may-never-coalesce-around-one-basic-design-or-even-around/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [If, as I anticipate, a wide array of personal, portable information/communication devices becomes increasingly important and widespread for information-intensive users, it will be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/if-as-i-anticipate-a-wide-array-of-personal-portable-information/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [Anybody who is an entrepreneur is a person who essentially has impaired judgment. The odds of success are zilch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/anybody-who-is-an-entrepreneur-is-a-person-who-essentially-has/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [Remember my mantra: distinct... or extinct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/remember-my-mantra-distinct-or-extinct/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [A good collection is more than just the sum of its parts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/a-good-collection-is-more-than-just-the-sum-of-its-parts/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [Leaders' careers will usually be determined by their handling of one or two critical events that no one could possibly anticipate or plan for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/leaders-careers-will-usually-be-determined-by-their-handling-of-one/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [I don't know what it means to manage the human imagination, but I do know that imagination is the main source of value in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/i-don-t-know-what-it-means-to-manage-the-human-imagination-but-i-do/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [Hire disrespectful people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/hire-disrespectful-people/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [Hire for attitude. Train for skill... More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/hire-for-attitude-train-for-skill-more/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [If there is a single tragic flaw that mars our biggest enterprises, it is conservatism - the failure to fail, and fail big, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/if-there-is-a-single-tragic-flaw-that-mars-our-biggest-enterprises-it/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [Think about the market, think about the design, and think about who is going to design for that market. Hit the mark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/think-about-the-market-think-about-the-design-and-think-about-who-is/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [“The “Excellence Standard” is not about Grand Outcomes. In Zenlike terms, all we have is today. 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The pursuit of excellence is commendable and worthwhile.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-kulwicki/the-pursuit-of-perfection-is-frustrating-and-a-waste-of-time-because/) [Alan Kulwicki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-kulwicki/) > [“But young men have not only this frivolous ambition of being thought masters of execution, inciting them on the one hand, but also their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-young-men-have-not-only-this-frivolous-ambition-of-being-thought/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Many humanists have argued that happiness involves a combination of hedonism and creative moral development; that an exuberant life fuses excellence and enjoyment, meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kurtz/many-humanists-have-argued-that-happiness-involves-a-combination-of/) [Paul Kurtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kurtz/) > [You learn a lot from quality players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marouane-fellaini/you-learn-a-lot-from-quality-players/) [Marouane Fellaini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marouane-fellaini/) > [Our civilization, bequeathed to us by fierce adventurers, eaters of meat and hunters, is so full of hurry and combat, so busy about many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/our-civilization-bequeathed-to-us-by-fierce-adventurers-eaters-of/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [“In your goals to go the extra mile, prepare to pay an extra cost. Excellence is to be exceptional, surpassing, more competent and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/in-your-goals-to-go-the-extra-mile-prepare-to-pay-an-extra-cost/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [We want to promote the great quality of athletics - and maintain it's integrity - all over the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-juantorena/we-want-to-promote-the-great-quality-of-athletics-and-maintain-it-s/) [Alberto Juantorena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-juantorena/) > [“Anytime I see a rainbow, what comes into my mind is how skillful and talented someone was to create an ark that didn't leak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/anytime-i-see-a-rainbow-what-comes-into-my-mind-is-how-skillful-and/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [If you are the master be sometimes blind, if you are the servant be sometimes deaf.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-buckminster-fuller/if-you-are-the-master-be-sometimes-blind-if-you-are-the-servant-be/) [R. Buckminster Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-buckminster-fuller/) > [We may be masters of our every lot By bearing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/we-may-be-masters-of-our-every-lot-by-bearing-it/) [Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/) > [Quality means doing it right when no one is looking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/quality-means-doing-it-right-when-no-one-is-looking/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) > [We cannot all be masters, nor all masters Cannot be truly followed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/we-cannot-all-be-masters-nor-all-masters-cannot-be-truly-followed/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Leadership, pure and simple, is the assumption of responsibility for the pursuit of excellence in group life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-selznick/leadership-pure-and-simple-is-the-assumption-of-responsibility-for/) Philip Selznick > [The basis of all excellence is truth: he that professes love ought to feel its power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-basis-of-all-excellence-is-truth-he-that-professes-love-ought-to/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) [Browse all 4,187 Excellence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excellence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Screw-ups are the mark of excellence.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tom Peters" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/screw-ups-are-the-mark-of-excellence/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Excellence" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/screw-ups-are-the-mark-of-excellence/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/988/tom-peters-967_excellence_screw-ups-are-the-mark-of-excellence-143_1438292.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/988/tom-peters-967_excellence_screw-ups-are-the-mark-of-excellence-143_1438292.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/988/tom-peters-967_excellence_screw-ups-are-the-mark-of-excellence-143_1438292.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Screw-ups are the mark of excellence.” — Tom Peters", "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 Peters", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Screw-ups are the mark of excellence.", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/screw-ups-are-the-mark-of-excellence/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/screw-ups-are-the-mark-of-excellence/#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 } } ] } ```