proverb · Words worth keeping
Failure is only the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.
Failure is only the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying treats failure as an opening for a better-informed new beginning. It emphasises reflection before another attempt.
What the words are saying
More intelligently shifts the focus from mere repetition to changed understanding or approach. Only understates the losses that failure may involve, and learning is not automatic. A useful application asks what evidence the setback provides, whether a new attempt is feasible and what would actually change.
Everyday example
A team reviews why its first proposal fell short before deciding what a revised proposal should address.
When to use it
Use it to discuss a considered restart rather than demand repeated attempts.
What it does not mean
Failure may have lasting costs, and a new attempt does not guarantee insight or success.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 788; PDF page 112
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.