--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People will listen a great deal more…" description: "\"People will listen a great deal more patiently while you explain your mistakes than when you explain your successes.\" — Wilbur N Nesbit" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/263/wilbur-n-nesbit-286677_failure_people-will-listen-a-great-deal-more-pat_729199.jpg" --- # People will listen a great deal more patiently while you… ![“People will listen a great deal more patiently while you explain your mistakes than when you explain your successes.” quote by Wilbur N Nesbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/263/wilbur-n-nesbit-286677_failure_people-will-listen-a-great-deal-more-pat_729199.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/263/wilbur-n-nesbit-286677_failure_people-will-listen-a-great-deal-more-pat_729199.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/263/wilbur-n-nesbit-286677_failure_people-will-listen-a-great-deal-more-pat_729199.jpg) > “People will listen a great deal more patiently while you explain your mistakes than when you explain your successes.” [Wilbur N Nesbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilbur-n-nesbit/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People are more receptive to learning from failures than successes. **In simple terms:** Mistakes teach more than wins. Key Takeaway Explain errors to teach others. Themes learning humility communication mistakes success Mood educational humble Type Failure:1 People:0 Success:0 People Listen:0 Explain Mistakes:1 Patiently Explain:0 Mistakes Explain:0 Explain Successes:0 When to use this quote - classroom teaching - team debriefs - coaching - public speaking Key Concepts educational storytelling feedback loops humble leadership Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance sharing failures and successes? - What tone encourages attentive listening? A Different Perspective Success stories can also inspire. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Explain Mistakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/explain-mistakes-1609709/) [Explain Successes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/explain-successes-5715855/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Mistakes Explain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistakes-explain-5715854/) [Patiently Explain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patiently-explain-5715853/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Listen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-listen/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) ## Related quotes > [Only a fool does not look to explain his mistakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/only-a-fool-does-not-look-to-explain-his-mistakes/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [“Fate” is how we explain our mistakes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/fate-is-how-we-explain-our-mistakes/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [The man who takes time to explain his mistakes has little time left for anything else](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/the-man-who-takes-time-to-explain-his-mistakes-has-little-time-left/) [Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) > [I want to be able to explain my mistakes. This means I do only the things I completely understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/i-want-to-be-able-to-explain-my-mistakes-this-means-i-do-only-the/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [“I spoke very quietly because the more quietly you speak, the more people listen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-taylor/i-spoke-very-quietly-because-the-more-quietly-you-speak-the-more/) [Jodi Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-taylor/) > [That's the whole point of anyone's standup career. It's to get people to listen to their point of view.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deon-cole/that-s-the-whole-point-of-anyone-s-standup-career-it-s-to-get-people/) [Deon Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deon-cole/) > [What is important to me is that when I write something, people listen to me. I provide my wisdom to people, whether they agree…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nouriel-roubini/what-is-important-to-me-is-that-when-i-write-something-people-listen/) [Nouriel Roubini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nouriel-roubini/) > [I try to use my voice. I know that celebrity is valuable, and people do listen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-simmons/i-try-to-use-my-voice-i-know-that-celebrity-is-valuable-and-people-do/) [Russell Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-simmons/) > [If you want people to listen, you have to have a platform to speak from, and that is excellence in what you do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-pollard/if-you-want-people-to-listen-you-have-to-have-a-platform-to-speak/) [William Pollard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-pollard/) > [Block out the negative people and listen to the ones you feel truly understand you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pokimane/block-out-the-negative-people-and-listen-to-the-ones-you-feel-truly/) [Pokimane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pokimane/) > [Listening well is an exercise of attention and by necessity hard work. It is because they do not realize this or because they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-scott-peck/listening-well-is-an-exercise-of-attention-and-by-necessity-hard-work/) [M. Scott Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-scott-peck/) > [Healing happens when people listen to us and when we listen to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-rosenthal/healing-happens-when-people-listen-to-us-and-when-we-listen-to-them/) [Joshua Rosenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-rosenthal/) > [Young people can listen to music at any moment in the day or night. Which is great, but I think it kind of devalues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-weller/young-people-can-listen-to-music-at-any-moment-in-the-day-or-night/) [Paul Weller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-weller/) > [When you have a stroke, you must talk slowly to be understood, and I've discovered that when I talk slowly, people listen. They think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-douglas/when-you-have-a-stroke-you-must-talk-slowly-to-be-understood-and-i-ve/) [Kirk Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirk-douglas/) > [I can walk into meetings now and ask for equal pay, and the people will listen to me. They may not give it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-riseborough/i-can-walk-into-meetings-now-and-ask-for-equal-pay-and-the-people/) [Andrea Riseborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-riseborough/) ## 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": "People will listen a great deal more patiently while you explain your mistakes than when you explain your successes.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Wilbur N Nesbit" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilbur-n-nesbit/people-will-listen-a-great-deal-more-patiently-while-you-explain-your/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Failure" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilbur-n-nesbit/people-will-listen-a-great-deal-more-patiently-while-you-explain-your/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/263/wilbur-n-nesbit-286677_failure_people-will-listen-a-great-deal-more-pat_729199.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/263/wilbur-n-nesbit-286677_failure_people-will-listen-a-great-deal-more-pat_729199.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/263/wilbur-n-nesbit-286677_failure_people-will-listen-a-great-deal-more-pat_729199.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“People will listen a great deal more patiently while you explain your mistakes than when you explain your…” — Wilbur N Nesbit", "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": "Wilbur N Nesbit", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilbur-n-nesbit/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "People will listen a great deal...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilbur-n-nesbit/people-will-listen-a-great-deal-more-patiently-while-you-explain-your/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilbur-n-nesbit/people-will-listen-a-great-deal-more-patiently-while-you-explain-your/#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 } } ] } ```