Of all of the posts about fear I’ve written, this fear of failure quotes list hits me hardest.
This is probably the most toxic form of fear, because it stems from a place where we view failure as a negative thing and don’t feel comfortable exploring.
There are certain fears, like fear of the unknown, that help “protect” us a little more.
For instance, if you don’t know what’s in that dark cave, maybe check it out gently first before you just rush in.
But fear of failure?
It’s not serving anyone, anywhere, at all.
To get over your fear of failure, you’ve got to start by reframing failure and also working on your own self-esteem (also check out this book, “Fear is a Choice,” which is a great way to work on your demons and make breakthroughs).
By reframing failure and understanding that it’s a natural part of life, and necessary in so many instances in order to figure out what does work, we make it something that we don’t even need to fear.
If we accept that we’re going to go through failure in our life and read carefully through these afraid of failure quotes, then we don’t need to protect ourselves from it because it’s just a neutral, natural part of life.
There are so many stories about “failure” leading to some of the world’s greatest inventions.
Did you know that the invention of penicillin was a complete accident stemming from a bunch of dirty dishes?
One of the most famous antibiotics that has saved so many lives was created because of a failure to clean up and certainly not any purposeful invention!
Enjoy these scared to fail quotes for more inspiration.
1.”It is not failure itself that holds you back: it is the fear of failure that paralyzes you.”
2. “Fear being in the exact same place next year as you are today.”
3. “It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.”
4. “Your dream doesn’t have an expiration date. Take a deep breath and try again.”
5. “There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.”
6. “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
7. “Don’t fear failure. Fear the absence of progress.”
8. “Fear of failure must never be a reason not to try something.”
9. “Fear regret more than failure.”
10. “Don’t fear failure. Not failure but low aim, is the crime. In great attempts it is glorious even to fail.”
11. “90% of those who fail are not actually defeated. They simply quit.”
12. “Don’t be afraid to fail. Be afraid not to try.”
13. “There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.”
14. “Is your fear of failure greater than your desire to succeed?
15. “The need for approval and the fear of failure are just two sides to the same coin.”
16. “Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough.”
17. “You can’t be paralyzed by fear of failure or you will never push yourself.”
18. “Don’t fear failure. The saddest summary of a life contains three descriptions: could have, might have, and should have.”
19. “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work”
20. “To be ready to fail is to be prepared for success.”
21. “There is no failure except in no longer trying.”
22. “Most people have attained their greatest success just one step beyond their greatest failure.”
23. “One who fears failure limits his activities. Failure is only the opportunity more intelligently to begin again.”
24. “Fear stops a lot of people. Fear of failure, of the unknown, of risk. And it masks itself as procrastination.”
25. “Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm”
26. The one who falls and gets up is stronger than the one who never tried.”
27. “Don’t fear failure. Let failure fear you.”
28. “Mistakes are proof that you’re trying.”
29. “Failure is only a temporary change in direction to set you straight for your next success.”
30. “Don’t let your fear of what could happen make nothing happen.”
31. “I didn’t fear failure. I expected failure.”
32. “Fear is a detour, not a dead-end street.”
33. “Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness.”
34. “I don’t want the fear of failure to stop me from doing what I really care about.”
35. “Do not fear mistakes. You will know failure. Continue to reach out.”
36. “What is the point of being alive if you don’t at least try to do something remarkable?”
37. “The biggest threat to creativity is fear, especially the fear of failure.”
The second thing you need to do after reading these fear of failure quotes is to make sure that you’re working daily on improving your self-esteem.
It sounds basic (well, and also difficult), but people who fear failure fear the feelings that they’ll have when they fail.
If you believe in yourself and are a confident person who knows they are worthy, failure won’t phase you.
You’ll be able to just view it as something necessary and not a personal affront to you.
But if you’re struggling with self-esteem issues, failure can make you feel worse about yourself and lead to anxiety or depression and cycles of low self-worth.
So you don’t try because you’re afraid you’ll fail, but then you also get down on yourself for not trying or not going after what you want, and it becomes a horrible way to live your life.
Banish the self-esteem issues, and suddenly the fear of failure won’t be such a huge player in your life.
Another type of people who can fear failure are also perfectionists, and have I got news for them: if you’re searching for perfection, you’ll always fail.
Seriously. You don’t even need to have read these overcoming fear of failure quotes to tell you that.
Even if you’re striving to hit 100 out of 100 basketball shots and you do it, perfectionists will always find that voice in their head where they could have had better form, they could have done it faster – even perfection will never be enough.
Life is messy, and dirty, and full of failure, and the important thing is that we learn to love this and adapt to this rather than fighting against it.
If you’re interested in more quotes about fear, check out my no fear quotes and quotes about being fearless.
Let me know in the comments your favorite quotes about the fear of failure so we can inspire each other!
