Use these falling short quotes as inspiration to keep going and achieve more of your dreams and goals!
There’s no shame in falling short of your expectations or dreams, but that doesn’t mean you should stop trying to reach them.
You don’t have to let it get you down—you can learn from your mistakes and do better in the future.
Some people make it look easy while others can’t seem to catch a break, but everyone has the potential to improve and succeed if they stick with it through the hardships.
The 67 quotes below, all about falling short and then persevering, will inspire you to keep trying in your own life no matter how hard things might seem right now.
Check out these falling short quotes and remember the important lessons they have to offer!
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Falling short of your goal means you are just a step away from success.
―Nishu
Inspirational Short Falling Short Quotes
Falling short of perfection is a process that just never stops. ―William Shawn
Words fall short sometimes. ―Jeff Bridges
To go beyond is as wrong as to fall short. ―Confucius
We all fall short of each other through judgment. ―Lloyd R Shisler
Quotes About Falling Short and What You Can Do About It
Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. ―Confucius
In some ways, it’s easier to settle for someone else’s version of success than to risk falling short at one’s own. ―Peter Buffett
Face each day with the expectation of achieving good, rather than the dread of falling short. ―Shannon Miller
It is better to fall short of a high mark than to reach a low one. ―Henry Clay Payne
To attempt to write seriously is always, I feel, to fail – the disjunction between my beautifully sonorous, accurate and painfully affecting mental content, and the leaden, halting sentences on the page always seems a dreadful falling short. ―Will Self
One of the darkest, deepest shames so many of us mothers feel nowadays is our fear that we are Bad Mothers, that we are failing our children and falling far short of our own ideals. ―Ayelet Waldman
I fall short of words to praise you, I fall short of words to tell how much I miss you. ―Unknown
It is a foregone opportunity that we could have a trillion dollars more of income for the United States if we were producing at capacity rather than falling so far short of it. ―Peter Orszag
There’s a belief that whatever it is I’m looking for is out there, but I have a really difficult time finding it. Search algorithms alone are falling short in being able to provide real context around information. ―Chris Shipley
The more clearly we see the infinite chasm between God’s glory and our sinful falling short thereof, the greater will be our appreciation of His grace and love in bridging that gulf to redeem us. ―Dave Hunt
Despite its successes, in the end, philosophical thinking always falls short of its real goal. It involves both the wonder of aspiring toward the Truth and the distress of falling short of that Truth. In this way, philosophy can be characterized as wondrous distress. ―John Marmysz
If you want to be happy for a short time, get drunk happy for a long time, fall in love; happy forever, take up gardening. ―Arthur Smith
I can look at my early work and see what a pained struggle it was to draw what I was drawing. I was trying so hard to get this specific look that was in my head, and always falling short. ―Daniel Clowes
Most Inspiring Quotes for When You’re Falling Short
I’d been through so much, falling short again and again, and only recently had found a place where who I was, right now, was enough. ―Sarah Dessen
I often wrangle with myself as an actor, and wrestle with the process. In striving for authenticity I often have the feeling I am falling short. ―Juliet Stevenson
Falling short to deliver responses is one of the most popular blunders that innovators create. ―Dan Anderson
So it is with the drug of praise upon which these children are trained to depend: the praise that is the sign of parental love, for the achievement that is the condition of that love. Every A is a fix that temporarily quells the anxiety of failure, the terror of falling short. ―William Deresiewicz
The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark. ―Michelangelo
How great it is when we come to know that times of disappointment can be followed by joy; that guilt over falling short of our ideals can be replaced by pride in doing all that we can; and that anger can be channeled into creative achievements … and into dreams that we can make come true. ―Fred Rogers
Words fall short whenever I want to tell you how special you are to me. All I can say is that my world is full of smiles because of you. ―Unknown
There’s really no way to be perfect. Perfectionism is a silly trait to have, so in a lot of ways that inspired the world of ‘Divergent,’ in which everyone is striving toward that ideal and falling short of it. ―Veronica Roth
I’m not perfect. And who knows how many times I’ve fallen short. We all fall short. That’s the amazing thing about the grace of God. ―Tim Tebow
Virtues should not be seen as a medium to please others, else, they’ll always fall short. They should, first, be a medium of self-edification. ―Ufuoma Apoki
There is no such thing as observing a mean in excess or deficiency, nor as exceeding or falling short in observance of a mean. ―Aristotle
Quotes About Falling Short and What to Do Next
It’s fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure. ―Bill Gates
Let the fear of failure be the background noise of your success. ―Giovanni Dienstmann
Failure is another stepping stone to greatness. ―Oprah Winfrey
The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. ―Ralph Waldo Emerson
Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fail. ―Confucius
Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly. ―Robert F. Kennedy
Do not fear mistakes. You will know failure. Continue to reach out. ―Benjamin Franklin
Failure is a part of the process. You just learn to pick yourself back up. ―Michelle Obama
It’s fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure. ―Bill Gates
The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one. ―Elbert Hubbard
One who fears failure limits his activities. ―Henry Ford
Best Falling Short Quotes to Keep You Motivated
A fear of weakness only strengthens weakness. ―Criss Jami
I can accept failure. Everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying. ―Michael Jordan
There is no innovation and creativity without failure. Period. ―Brene Brown
Those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly. ―John F. Kennedy
When we give ourselves permission to fail, we, at the same time, give ourselves permission to excel. ―Eloise Ristad
Don’t fear failure — not failure, but low aim is the crime. In great attempts, it is glorious even to fail. ―Bruce Lee
Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. ―Thomas Edison
Don’t fear failure — not failure, but low aim is the crime. In great attempts, it is glorious even to fail. ―Bruce Lee
There are no failures–just experiences and your reactions to them. ―Tom Krause
The secret of life is to fall seven times and to get up eight times. ―Paulo Coelho
Best Falling Short Quotes You’d Love to Tweet
Falling Short Life is short, so fall in love, dear maiden, before your youthful ardor cools off, for there is no tomorrow. ―Atsushi Share on XThe best solution for falling just short of the goal is to focus on the fundamentals but perform them better. ―Tony Dungy Share on XWhen you are falling short in vocabulary to explain the emotion in your story.Than you are writing the right story. ―Tushar Upreti Share on XI feel like there are a lot of people doing a lot of hard work. I think it's too early to judge, and I don't think the gay community is in any way falling short. ―Amy Ray Share on XTo many people fall short of their goals because they mistakenly believe that losing is just another comfortable place to sit. ―Johnnie Dent, Jr. Share on XI wished it too – whatever it was that in that moment Sloane wanted me to be, that I was falling short of. ―Morgan Matson Share on XDownload Best Falling Short Quotes
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FAQs
Why do I feel like a failure?
When you feel like a failure, it’s because you compare yourself to others. Focus on your own progress and the process instead of the results.
How can I keep going when things are really hard?
Asking for help is not an admission of weakness. It takes courage to ask for help, and it also gives other people the opportunity to contribute something positive.
What should I do if my goals seem unreachable?
Sometimes what seems difficult in the moment becomes more manageable as time goes by. Sometimes we just need to redefine our goals so that they’re more achievable in order for us to feel accomplished. The point is not about making huge changes or taking radical steps all at once; sometimes baby steps will get you there faster.
What can I do if I fall short to achieve my goals?
Sometimes it’s just a matter of re-thinking your priorities. Sometimes you need to adjust how much time and energy you put into reaching your goal. If a goal isn’t working, don’t be afraid to change it. There are so many things we might achieve if only we had unlimited time and energy; there is no shame in doing less, or in trying something new, if what we are currently doing is not working for us.
What should I do if I’m feeling down about myself?
We all have negative thoughts from time to time, but remember that these thoughts are distorted. Try to focus on the positives in your life (e.g., family and friends) rather than the negatives (e.g., work difficulties).
Conclusion
Failure can be discouraging, but it’s also an opportunity to learn and grow—if you let it be.
The trick is to look at what went wrong, figure out why, and use it as motivation to do better next time.
Hope these falling short quotes inspire you to keep trying in your own life no matter how hard things might seem right now.
Success is all yours. Just keep trying!
―Nishu
What is your favorite Falling Short Quote? You can leave a comment by visiting the Contact Us page.
You can visit theguardian.com to check the article titled – Falling short: seven writers reflect on failure.
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