It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed. In this life we get nothing save by effort.
—Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) American Historian, Political Leader, Explorer
All of us have failed to reach our dream of perfection, so I rate us on the basis of our splendid failure to do the impossible.
—William Faulkner (1897–1962) American Novelist
You haven’t failed until you quite trying.
—Unknown
Those who have failed to work toward the truth have missed the purpose of living.
—Buddhist Teaching
Life is a sheet of paper white, Whereon each one of us may write His word or two, and then comes night. Greatly begin! Though thou have time But for a line, be that sublime—Not failure, but low aim, is crime.
—James Russell Lowell (1819–91) American Poet, Critic
Creative minds have already embraced the symbolic nature of success and failure…failure, they say, is a “step on the road to success.”..
—Unknown
I’m not a failure if I don’t make it… I’m a success because I tried.
—Unknown
Why don’t I see goodness and beauty everywhere? Because you cannot see outside of you what you fail to see inside.
—Anthony de Mello (1931–87) Indian-born American Theologian
Even if you be otherwise perfect, you fail without humility.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
We need to teach the highly educated man that it is not a disgrace to fail and that he must analyze every failure to find its cause. He must learn how to fail intelligently, for failing is one of the greatest arts in the world.
—Charles F. Kettering (1876–1958) American Inventor, Entrepreneur, Businessperson
There was never any fear for me, no fear of failure. If I miss a shot, so what?
—Michael Jordan (b.1963) American Sportsperson, Businessperson
Get rid of your fear of failure, your tensions about succeeding, you will be yourself. Relaxed. You wouldn’t be driving with your brakes on. That’s what would happen.
—Anthony de Mello (1931–87) Indian-born American Theologian
My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure.
—Abraham Lincoln (1809–65) American Head of State
A true friend is one who overlooks your failures and tolerates your successes.
—Doug Larson (1926–2017) American Columnist
The third level of wanting is “I commit to being rich”. The definition of the word commit is to “devote oneself unreservedly”. This means holding absolutely nothing back; giving 100 percent of everything you’ve got to achieving wealth. It means being willing to do whatever it takes for as long as it takes. This is the warrior’s way. No excuses, no ifs, no butts, no maybes—and failure isn’t an option. The warrior’s way is simple: “I will be rich or I will die trying”.
—T. Harv Eker (b.1954) American Motivational Speaker, Lecturer, Author
If a person weren’t failing in some way, shape or form, would he or she need to blame, justify, or complain? The obvious answer is no.
—T. Harv Eker (b.1954) American Motivational Speaker, Lecturer, Author
We more frequently fail to face the right problem than fail to solve the problem we face.
—Unknown
In the long run, avoiding activity that might hurt causes more agony than acting, failing, and dealing with the pain.
—Unknown
Some day, in years to come, you will be wrestling with the great temptation, or trembling under the great sorrow of your life. But the real struggle is here, now, in these quiet weeks. Now it is being decided whether, in the day of your supreme sorrow or temptation, you shall miserably fail or gloriously conquer. Character cannot be made except by a steady, long-continued process.
—Phillips Brooks (1835–93) American Episcopal Clergyman, Author
I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot…And I missed. And I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is precisely…Why I succeed.
—Michael Jordan (b.1963) American Sportsperson, Businessperson
Pursuing success is like chasing the horizon, and failure is an integral part of an interesting life.
—Unknown
Rather than cripple, failure can strengthen. Depending on how we respond to them, blows can shatter us as if we were a cheap clay pot or temper us as they would steel.
—Unknown
There is but one cause of human failure. And that is man’s lack of faith in his true self.
—William James (1842–1910) American Philosopher, Psychologist, Physician
For every failure, there’s an alternative course of action. You just have to find it. When you come to a roadblock, take a detour.
—Mary Kay Ash (1918–2001) American Entrepreneur, Businessperson
Every human being who reaches the age of understanding of the purpose of money wishes for it. Wishing will not bring riches. But desiring riches with a state of mind that becomes an obsessions, then planning definite ways and means to acquire riches, and backing those plans with persistence which does not recognize failure, will bring riches.
—Napoleon Hill (1883–1970) American Author, Journalist, Attorney, Lecturer
A man’s life is interesting primarily when he has failed — I well know. For it’s a sign that he tried to surpass himself.
—Georges Clemenceau (1841–1929) French Statesman, Physician, Journalist
The single biggest difference between financial success and financial failure is how well you manage your money. It’s simple: to master money, you must manage money.
—T. Harv Eker (b.1954) American Motivational Speaker, Lecturer, Author
Failure is not a single, cataclysmic event. You don’t fail overnight. Instead, failure is a few errors in judgment, repeated every day.
—Jim Rohn (1930–2009) American Entrepreneur, Author, Motivational Speaker
Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.
—Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) American Historian, Political Leader, Explorer
The instinct of nearly all societies is to lock up anybody who is truly free. First, society begins by trying to beat you up. If this fails, they try to poison you. If this fails too, the finish by loading honors on your head.
—Jean Cocteau (1889–1963) French Poet, Playwright, Film Director
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