Just once it might be instructive to pretend you’re accepting an award for failure, just to see who you would thank.
—Robert Brault
Persistence is to the character of man as carbon is to steel.
—Napoleon Hill (1883–1970) American Author, Journalist, Attorney, Lecturer
The men who have done big things are those who were not afraid to attempt big things, who were not afraid to risk failure in order to gain success.
—B. C. Forbes (1880–1954) Scottish-born American Journalist, Publisher
A man may fail many times, but he isn’t a failure until he begins to blame somebody else.
—John Burroughs (1837–1921) American Naturalist, Writer
I have learned throughout my life as a composer chiefly through my mistakes and pursuits of false assumptions, not by my exposure to founts of wisdom and knowledge.
—Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971) Russian-born American Composer, Musician
We must have courage to bet on our ideas, to take the calculated risk, and to act. Everyday living requires courage if life is to be effective and bring happiness.
—Maxwell Maltz (1899–1975) American Surgeon, Motivational Writer
Failure after long perseverance is much grander than never to have a striving good enough to be called a failure.
—George Eliot (Mary Anne Evans) (1819–80) English Novelist
The great question is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with failure.
—Chinese Proverb
They say President Wilson has blundered. Perhaps he has, but I notice he usually blunders forward.
—Thomas Edison (1847–1931) American Inventor, Scientist, Entrepreneur
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
It is inevitable that some defeat will enter even the most victorious life. The human spirit is never finished when it is defeated… it is finished when it surrenders.
—Ben Stein (b.1944) American Lawyer, Writer, Economist, Humorist
Failures are divided into two classes—those who thought and never did, and those who did and never thought.
—John Charles Salak
The faults of a superior man are like the sun and moon. They have their faults, and everyone sees them; they change and everyone looks up to them.
—Confucius (551–479 BCE) Chinese Philosopher
We are all failures—at least, the best of us are.
—J. M. Barrie (1860–1937) Scottish Novelist, Dramatist
If you’ve never failed you’ve never tried.
—Indian Proverb
Men do not fail; they give up trying.
—Elihu Root (1845–1937) American Jurist, Statesman
Fame or integrity: which is more important? Money or happiness: which is more valuable? Success or failure: which is more destructive? If you look to others for fulfillment, you will never truly be fulfilled. If your happiness depends on money, you will never be happy with yourself. Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.
—Laozi (fl.6th Century BCE) Chinese Philosopher, Sage
Failure to prepare is preparing to fail.
—John Wooden (1910–2010) American Sportsperson
A shy failure is nobler than an immodest success.
—Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931) Lebanese-born American Philosopher, Poet, Painter, Theologian, Sculptor
My downfall raises me to infinite heights.
—Napoleon I (1769–1821) Emperor of France
When on the brink of complete discouragement, success is discerning that … the line between failure and success is so fine that often a single extra effort is all that is needed to bring victory out of defeat.
—Elbert Hubbard (1856–1915) American Writer, Publisher, Artist, Philosopher
Clear writers, like clear fountains, do not seem so deep as they are; the turbid seem the most profound.
—Walter Savage Landor (1775–1864) English Writer, Poet
‘Failing forward’ is the ability to get back up after you’ve been knocked down, learn from your mistake, and move forward in a better direction.
—John C. Maxwell (b.1947) American Christian Professional Speaker, Author, Clergyman
We pay a heavy price for our fear of failure. It is a powerful obstacle to growth. It assures the progressive narrowing of the personality and prevents exploration and experimentation. There is no learning without some difficulty and fumbling. If you want to keep on learning, you must keep on risking failure—all your life.
—John W. Gardner (1912–2002) American Activist
Those who take bold chances don’t think failure is the opposite of success. They believe complacency is.
—Unknown
Your failures won’t hurt you until you start blaming them on others.
—Unknown
No one ever won a chess game by betting on each move. Sometimes you have to move backward to get a step forward.
—Amar Bose (1929–2013) American Entrepreneur
I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward.
—Thomas Edison (1847–1931) American Inventor, Scientist, Entrepreneur
There is no such thing as failure. There are only results.
—Tony Robbins (b.1960) American Self-Help Author, Entrepreneur
He’s not the finest character that ever lived. But he’s a human being, and a terrible thing is happening to him. So attention must be paid.
—Arthur Miller (1915–2005) American Playwright, Essayist