It is better to fail than succeed eventually. Although many dread failure, only those who know power — won’t see it as the end of the road. While the glittering wheel of human history has turned again and again, some of the greatest minds have shared insight into the value of failing to inspire and console us to this day. In this post, several different angles are taken on failure and success and how these lead to growth and ultimately success.
Failure is the Foundation of Success
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: That is courage though, to continue.” — Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill with his famous quote reminds us that indeed success and failure as things are fleeting. We are neither defined permanently. It’s all about persistence, and resilience. However it may work out in the end, it’s important to keep the courage to move forward either way. Often times, those who make it are those who don’t even stop when they fail.
“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.” — Henry Ford
Henry Ford, an industrialist of indelible memory, knew that failure is not in the end, but the beginning. There were many business failures before Ford became hugely successful with the Ford Motor Company. Failure was seen as a way to learn and to get better. This view makes the case that each failure holds important lessons that guide us toward thinking and decision making that leads to better results.
Inspirational Quotes About Failure and Success
“I have not failed. They’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” — Thomas Edison
The famous quote by Thomas Edison explains the innovators process is iterative. A great example of someone who never gave up in the face of repeated failure was Edison, and his invention of the lightbulb, always after failed experiments. What his journey tells me is that failure is not always a choice. We must learn to look at that failure not as defeat, but as part of the process.
“Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” — Abraham Lincoln
That persistence is embodied in Lincoln’s life. In life, he suffered plenty of personal and professional failures: business bankruptcies, political defeats. However, he never quit, and he just kept on, and he went on to amazing success. This quote exists as a reminder that when things may not be going well at first (or ever), enthusiasm and optimism are going to be key to lasting success.
Failure Motivates Growth
“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” — Robert F. Kennedy
According to Robert F. Kennedy, one must take risks. If we won’t be willing to fail, there’s a chance we won’t reach our fullest potential. Success doesn’t force us to grow — failure does. It forces us to think differently, challenge our own limits and push us to be more resilient. Realising that failure is part of the growth process will help us to process even bigger challenges in the future.
“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” — Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela’s words inspire us to spend less time focusing on the fall, and more time on the recovery. You can’t avoid setbacks in life but that doesn’t matter. It’s the ability to rise after each of them that shows true strength. Building resilience is the key to success, and you build resilience through overcoming adversity.
Failure Leads to Learning
“A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.” — Albert Einstein
One of the greatest scientific minds of all time, Albert Einstein, acknowledged that the ability to fail and make mistakes are part of the journey in discovering innovation. When we don’t ‘fail,’ we don’t limit ourselves to growing and learning. Experimenting, learning and then ultimately coming out on top is not possible without taking risks and mistakes.
“Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor.” — Truman Capote
Capote’s metaphor is very telling and it is truly telling in a sense that it is very sweet when its success is seasoned with failure. Success may not be as sweet, without the feedback of bitter tastes of setbacks and disappointments. Failure gives us the perspective of things, as we will know the effort we actually put in order to reach what we accomplished.
The Path from Failure to Success
“It’s fine to celebrate success, but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.” — Bill Gates
I mean, Bill Gates is responsible for founding Microsoft, he knows a thing or two about success and failure. Gates faced failures early in his career which could have blown off his course. Yet he learned from his mistakes and deployed those lessons to create one of the largest tech companies in the world. The essential point of this quote is that we forget that there is much to be gained from the study of failure. It’s easier said than done to bask in the success, but true growth stems from learning and analyzing from our failures.
“The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.” — John Powell
John Powell’s statement illustrates the importance of mining lessons from our failures. We’re doomed to repeat our mistakes unless we learn from them. There is a lesson in every failure to take us to the next level. Thus, it’s important to look back on what happened wrong, why and how to not let it happen again.
Success is Built on Failure
“Failure is the key to success; each mistake teaches us something.” — Morihei Ueshiba
The martial art Aikido was founded by Ueshiba whose idea that you can only succeed by learning from your mistakes is why over 7 million people have hopped on board. With every failure there’s a key insight or lesson that takes us closer to reach our goals. We can turn something bad into the good that is change and growth by approaching failure this way.
“Do not be embarrassed by your failures, learn from them and start again.” — Richard Branson
Though, Richard Branson, the entrepreneur billionaire known for his adventurous spirit also has had their fair share of business failures. But he sees every failure as a time to learn. It is his success model based on taking risks, forgiving failure, and adapting. It also leads us to stop being afraid of and seeing failure as a stigma.
Embracing Failure as a Stepping Stone to Success
“Failure is not the opposite of success; it’s part of success.” — Arianna Huffington
The co founder of The Huffington Post, Arianna Huffington, dispels the popular belief that success and failure are inter changeable. And the truth is, failure is a massive part of the path to success. We wouldn’t develop the resilience, insight and innovation we need to get to our goals without the setbacks and struggle. What embracing failure as part of the process means is that we can go on with confidence.
“I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” — Michael Jordan
One of the greatest basketball players of all time, the great Michael Jordan, traces his success to his many failures. Whether missing key shots or having too many letdowns early in his career, Jordan’s ability to push through adversity made him what he was. This quote reminds us that failure fully repeated may actually build character and raise the odds for success.
Failure is a Teacher
“Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fail.” — Confucius
An esteemed Chinese philosopher, Confucius, knew that success wasn’t necessarily about not failing. And that’s not about failing, but about recovering and learning and continuing to move. We will fail but only our reaction to failure will make the difference between growth and stagnation.
“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. ‘And if you are lost enough you might not even need it, because it may be good to experience defeats so you know what you are, what you can rise from, and how you can still climb out of that.’ — Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou beautifully explains the ability enlightenment to obtain from failing at something. When we are challenged and defeated, we learn what we really made of ourselves. They shape us, strengthen us for successful oncoming years, make us bigger and capable to overcome obstacles.
From Failure to Success: Real-Life Examples
The truth is that over the course of history, so many great successes have followed an abundance of failures. Their experiences warn us that failure is not in the way, but part of the way.
- Steve Jobs was famously fired from Apple, the company he co-founded. Despite that failure, he went on to create new ventures – which became wildly successful such as Pixar. He eventually returned to Apple where he turned the company into one of the most valuable in the world.
- J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, was rejected by multiple publishers before finally achieving success. Her story of resilience in the face of failure inspires writers and creatives around the world.
- Oprah Winfrey faced numerous personal and professional setbacks, including being fired from her first television job. But they eventually became her motivation, and she became one of the most successful, influential media personalities in history.
Conclusion: Failure is What Leads to Success
Failure and success are not competing with each other; they are interdependent. The road to success is one marked by failure. It helps us learn, it trains us to be resilient, and to grow. The only solution is to see failure as a stepping stone, not a stumbling stone.
We can learn from failure to persist despite the challenges and stay optimistic until we ultimately succeed by turning setback into opportunities of the growth. From the famous quotes we’ve dug up, we know that the only ones that make it are the ones that fail the most—as they never falter.
Ultimately, failure isn’t a thing to be feared, it’s a thing to be embraced. Failure is something that we learn, we grow, and we do succeed from.
Frotpox 