Proverb / Kotowaza
失敗は成功のもと
Failure is not just a setback but a necessary step that leads to success if you learn from it and improve.
Failure is the foundation of success
Quick Answer
Failure is not just a setback but a necessary step that leads to success if you learn from it and improve.
- Literal Image
- Failure is the foundation of success
- Closest Equivalent
- Failure is the mother of success
- How to Use It
- Used to encourage someone who has experienced a setback or to describe how a past failure contributed to a current success.
Meaning
Even if you fail, identifying and correcting the causes of that failure will eventually lead to success. It teaches that mistakes should be viewed as valuable experiences rather than reasons to give up. By using failures as lessons, one can build the path toward achieving their goals.
Literal Image
Failure is the foundation of success
Equivalent Proverbs
Failure is the mother of success
A direct English equivalent listed in the source.
How to Use It
Used to encourage someone who has experienced a setback or to describe how a past failure contributed to a current success.
Tone
Positive and encouraging.
Examples
あの発明家は何度も失敗を重ねたが、ついに世界的な発明を成し遂げた。まさに「失敗は成功のもと」だ。
That inventor failed many times, but finally achieved a world-class invention. It truly is a case of 'failure is the foundation of success'.
彼は起業に失敗したが、その経験を活かして次の事業で成功を収めた。「失敗は成功のもと」とはこのことだ。
He failed in his first business venture, but he used that experience to succeed in his next one. This is exactly what 'failure is the foundation of success' means.
何度実験が失敗しても諦めなかった。「失敗は成功の基」という言葉を胸に研究を続けた結果、画期的な発見につながった。
No matter how many times the experiments failed, they did not give up. By continuing research with the words 'failure is the foundation of success' in their heart, it led to a breakthrough discovery.
Learning Notes
Key Vocabulary
The vocabulary for failure and success is standard intermediate, and the grammatical structure is straightforward.
失敗
しっぱい / shippai
failure
成功
せいこう / seikou
success
もと
もと / moto
foundation; basis; origin
Usage Profile
Usage note: While encouraging, it should not be used to trivialize a very serious or traumatic loss.
Misread Risk
Do not assume failure automatically leads to success; the proverb implies that success comes only if one improves based on the failure.
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Related Proverbs
Origin
It is thought to have become established as a translation of the English proverb 'Failure is the mother of success.' It represents a positive way of thinking where failure is viewed as nourishment for success rather than a mere setback.
Index
Topics, Situations, and Tags
Topics
Situations
Tags
Source Note
Where did this entry get its data from? The reference links are listed below. To understand how to read this section, see Data Sources.