Theodore Roosevelt? Albert Einstein? Benjamin Franklin? Samuel Smiles? Josh Billings? Mr. Phelps? G. K. Chesterton? Robert Smith Surtees? Joseph Conrad? Will Rogers? Anonymous?
Dear Quote Investigator: Mistakes are unavoidable in the life of an active and vital person. Several adages highlight this important theme:
1) A man who never makes a mistake will never make anything.
2) The person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.
3) A fellow who never makes a mistake must get tired of doing nothing.
Many famous names have been linked to sayings of this type including Benjamin Franklin, Theodore Roosevelt, and Albert Einstein. Would you please examine this topic?
Quote Investigator: This is a large and complex topic. Below is a summary that presents a list of expressions that fit into this family together with dates and attributions:
1832: He who never makes an effort, never risks a failure. (Anonymous)
1859: He who never made a mistake, never made a discovery. (Samuel Smiles)
1874: The man who never makes enny blunders seldum makes enny good hits. (Josh Billings)
1889: A man who never makes a mistake will never make anything. (Attributed: Mr. Phelps)
1896: It’s only those who do nothing that make no mistakes. (Joseph Conrad)
1900: The only man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything. (Solid Attribution: Theodore Roosevelt)
1901: Show me a man who has never made a mistake, and I will show you one who has never tried anything. (Anonymous)
1903: The man who does things makes many mistakes, but he never makes the biggest mistake of all—doing nothing. (Poor Richard Junior’s Philosophy)
1911: The fellow who never makes any failures, never makes any successes either. (Anonymous)
1927: Every man makes mistakes; they say a man who never makes mistakes never makes anything else. (G. K. Chesterton)
1936: The man who does things makes many mistakes, but he never makes the biggest mistake of all—doing nothing. (Flawed Attribution: Benjamin Franklin)
1969: The man who never makes a mistake must get plenty tired of doing nothing. (Anonymous)
1993: The man who never makes a mistake must get tired of doing nothing. (Weak Attribution: Will Rogers)
1995: A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new. (Weak Attribution: Albert Einstein.)
Here are selected citations in chronological order.
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