English Explanatory Dictionary

success has many fathers, failure is an orphan

English dictionary entry

Meanings

proverb
  1. Many people will seek credit for success, but few will accept responsibility for failure.

Word forms

success has many fathers, failure is an orphan victory has many fathers, defeat is an orphan success has a hundred fathers, failure is an orphan success has a thousand fathers, failure is an orphan

Etymology

Popularized by John F. Kennedy in the context of the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion (1961).

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