Success and Failure

You're a genius if you fly a kite during a thunderstorm, and discover that lightning is electricity -- but you're an idiot if you fly a kite during a thunderstorm, and discover that lightning can kill you.

Unknown, (from Mad Magazine), in Success and Failure

Murphy's Law: If anything can go wrong, it will.

Edward A. Murphy, Jr., in Success and Failure

If there is a wrong way to do something, then someone will do it.

Edward A. Murphy, Jr., in Success and Failure

We can do anything we want to if we stick to it long enough.

Helen Keller, in Success and Failure

We are confronted with insurmountable opportunities.

Walt Kelly, in Success and Failure

Large increases in cost with questionable increases in performance can be tolerated only in race horses and women.

Lord Kelvin, in Men and Women and Success and Failure

Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.

Robert F. Kennedy, in Success and Failure

Take a chance and you may lose. Take not a chance and you have lost already.

Søren Kierkegaard, in Success and Failure

We have had an Imperial lesson; it may make us an Empire yet!

Rudyard Kipling, in Success and Failure

There cannot be a crisis next week. My schedule is already full.

Henry Kissinger, in Success and Failure and Work and Recreation

If you optimize everything, you will always be unhappy.

Don Knuth, in Success and Failure

Pick battles big enough to matter, but small enough to win.

Jonathan Kozol, in Success and Failure

Nothing succeeds like the appearance of success.

Christopher Lasch, in Success and Failure

After spending many years in Wall Street and after making and losing millions of dollars I want to tell you this: It never was my thinking that made the big money for me. It always was my sitting.

Edwin Lefèvre, Reminiscences of a Stock Operator, in Success and Failure

If the odds are a million to one against something occurring, chances are 50-50 it will.

Unknown, in Success and Failure

If there is a possibility of several things going wrong, the one that will cause the most damage will be the one to go wrong.

Unknown, in Success and Failure

If you can't learn to do it well, learn to enjoy doing it badly.

Unknown, in Success and Failure and Wisdom and Ignorance

I wish I were what I was when I wanted to be what I am now.

Unknown, in Success and Failure

I'd rather be rich than stupid.

Unknown, in Success and Failure and Wealth and Poverty

If I can be of any help, you're in worse trouble than I thought.

Unknown, in Success and Failure