Phrase guide

success has many fathers, failure is an orphan

proverb · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

proverb

Meaning 1

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

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

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

Across languages

Translations

7 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: onnistumisella on monta isää, epäonnistuminen on orpo — many will seek credit for success, few for failure
  • Hebrew: להצלחה אבות רבים, הכשלון הולך יתום — many will seek credit for success, few for failure
  • Malayalam: വിജയത്തിന് പല പിതാക്കന്മാർ, തോൽവി ഒരു അനാഥനും (vijayattinŭ pala pitākkanmāṟ, tōlvi oru anāthanuṁ) — many will seek credit for success, few for failure
  • Polish: sukces ma wielu ojców, a porażka jest sierotą — many will seek credit for success, few for failure
  • Polish: sukces ma wielu ojców — many will seek credit for success, few for failure
  • Polish: sukces ma wielu ojców, a klęska jest sierotą — many will seek credit for success, few for failure
  • Romanian: succesul are mulți tați, insuccesul e orfan. — many will seek credit for success, few for failure