--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Failure, then, failure! so the world…" description: "\"Failure, then, failure! so the world stamps us at every turn. We strew it with our blunders, our misdeeds, our lost opportunities, with all the memoria..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f66/william-james-228_apology_failure-then-failure-so-the-world-stamps_3014809.jpg" --- # Failure, then, failure! so the world stamps us at every… ![“Failure, then, failure! so the world stamps us at every turn. We strew it with our blunders, our misdeeds, our lost opportunities, with all the memorials of our inadequacy to our vocation. And with what a damning emphasis does it then blot us out! No easy fine, no mere apology or formal expiation…” quote by William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f66/william-james-228_apology_failure-then-failure-so-the-world-stamps_3014809.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f66/william-james-228_apology_failure-then-failure-so-the-world-stamps_3014809.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f66/william-james-228_apology_failure-then-failure-so-the-world-stamps_3014809.jpg) > “Failure, then, failure! so the world stamps us at every turn. We strew it with our blunders, our misdeeds, our lost opportunities, with all the memorials of our inadequacy to our vocation. And with what a damning emphasis does it then blot us out! No easy fine, no mere apology or formal expiation, will satisfy the world's demands, but every pound of flesh exacted is soaked with all its blood. The subtlest forms of suffering known to man are connected with the poisonous humiliations incidental to these results.” [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human failure is repeatedly highlighted by society, demanding harsh judgment and relentless scrutiny, which deepens suffering and humiliation. **In simple terms:** Society judges our mistakes harshly, causing pain. Key Takeaway Accept imperfection and seek growth. Themes failure societal judgment humiliation growth resilience Mood reflective determined hopeful Type aphilosophical motivational When to use this quote - personal setbacks - public criticism - career errors - relationship conflicts - creative endeavors Key Concepts existentialism psychology self‑compassion Questions to Reflect On - How do you respond when society condemns your mistakes? - What steps can you take to reduce self‑shaming? A Different Perspective Societal pressure can stifle recovery and discourage risk‑taking. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Apology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apology/) [Blunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blunders/) [Demand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demand/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Humiliation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humiliation/) [Inadequacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inadequacy/) [Lost opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost-opportunity/) [Memorial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memorial/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Misdeeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/misdeeds/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/) [Stamps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stamps/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Vocation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vocation/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Existential depression has always annoyed me; it is one of the world's most pointless forms of suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/existential-depression-has-always-annoyed-me-it-is-one-of-the-world-s/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) > [Few people have definitely articulated philosophies of their own. But almost everyone has his own peculiar sense of a certain total character in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/few-people-have-definitely-articulated-philosophies-of-their-own-but/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [To sit home, read one's favorite paper, and scoff at the misdeeds of the men who do things is easy, but it is markedly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/to-sit-home-read-one-s-favorite-paper-and-scoff-at-the-misdeeds-of/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [It is found by experience that admirable laws and right precedents among the good have their origin in the misdeeds of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/it-is-found-by-experience-that-admirable-laws-and-right-precedents/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [By virtue of depression, we recall those misdeeds we buried in the depths of our memory. 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They may have seen them, may have said them, done them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/most-people-probably-are-in-doubt-about-certain-matters-ascribed-to/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [“How soon, indeed, are human things forgotten! 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Why do we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-tambascio/why-do-we-apologize-for-advocating-for-ourselves-why-do-we-apologize/) Elizabeth Tambascio > [It's hard to say sorry when It's really your fault.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakii-retondo/it-s-hard-to-say-sorry-when-it-s-really-your-fault/) [Rakii Retondo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakii-retondo/) > [“A lady need never apologize. ~ Joseph de Bonaparte (Brother of Napoleon)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-pataki/a-lady-need-never-apologize-joseph-de-bonaparte-brother-of-napoleon/) Allison Pataki > [And apologies, once postponed, become harder and harder to make, and finally impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/and-apologies-once-postponed-become-harder-and-harder-to-make-and/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) > [In the formation of such a government, it is not only the right, but the indispensable duty of every citizen to examine the principles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-webster/in-the-formation-of-such-a-government-it-is-not-only-the-right-but/) [Noah Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-webster/) > [Apologizing does not always mean you are wrong, it just means that value your relationships more than your ego.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinier-bennett/apologizing-does-not-always-mean-you-are-wrong-it-just-means-that/) [Chinier Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinier-bennett/) > [If I can get enough signatures, to present an apology to slavery, I will present it to the President. 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