There is much to be said for failure. It is more interesting than success.

Beerbohm’s epigram treats “failure” not as mere defeat but as a richer subject for reflection and narrative than triumph. Success tends to close a story—goals are met, tensions resolved—whereas failure leaves loose ends: motives are exposed, character is tested, and the gap between aspiration and reality becomes visible. The remark also carries a satiric edge typical of Beerbohm, puncturing the Edwardian cult of achievement by suggesting that what society prizes most is often aesthetically or psychologically dull. In this view, failure is “interesting” because it generates complexity, irony, and self-knowledge—materials from which comedy, art, and humane understanding are made.