I'd rather be a failure at something I enjoy than a success at something I hate.

The line contrasts external measures of achievement (“success”) with internal measures of fulfillment (doing what one enjoys). It argues that a life oriented around personal interest and pleasure is preferable to one that wins status or money at the cost of daily misery. The aphorism also reframes “failure” as tolerable—even honorable—if it occurs in pursuit of authentic desire, while “success” can be hollow if it requires self-betrayal. Often circulated as career advice, it reflects a modern, individualist ethic: meaning is not guaranteed by conventional accomplishment, and satisfaction may be a more reliable compass than prestige.