Contributed by Info Guru Aurora LaJambre

Quips and words of wisdom from humorists, authors and other clever people follow us everywhere we go.

You see them on tee shirts, mugs, and motivational posters and cited repeatedly in films and literature. These words resonate because they have a universal quality to them.

Whether you’re searching for inspiration on a project or a few words of comfort to help you pick yourself back up again, these quotes about success and failure will lend some perspective.

10. Waiting

“I couldn’t wait for success, so I went ahead without it.”

Comedian Jonathan Winters knows the only way to make a life doing what you love is to do it every single day. Don’t wait until the phone is ringing off the hook to start you business. When you want to try something totally new, like yoga or pilates https://www.yogadirect.com/?utm_campaign=catalogs&utm_source=CatalogsDotCom&utm_medium=click, don’t wait until you can stand on you head to try a downward dog.

9. Do it again

“Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, start all over again.”

This is a verse from the song “Pick Yourself Up” by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields. Sang by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in the 1936 film Swing Time, the spirit of the song is don’t ever give up. “Nothing’s impossible” so “Don’t lose your confidence if you slip”.

8. Fame vs Success

“Don’t confuse fame with success. Madonna is one; Helen Keller is the other.”

Erma Bombeck was a popular humorist and columnist with wise advice. Most successful people aren’t famous. If you’re feeling lost, re-consider what success is to you. Do you want to be a famous artist or great on artist? Do you want to cook amazing food https://www.gourmetstation.com/cgi-bin/gourmet/index.html?source=catalogs&utm_campaign=catalogs&utm_source=CatalogsDotCom&utm_medium=click, or compete on a reality food show?

7. Failure is okay

“Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.”

Dale Carnegie’s https://www.dale-carnegie.com/ quotes about success and failure remind you that failure isn’t the end of the road. It’s a natural part of every process or journey. While it’s human to feel discouraged by it, the worst thing you can do is let it stop you. And don’t try to pretend it didn’t happen. Learn from it and use it to motivate your next step.

6. Redefining failure

“I didn’t fail the test, I just found 100 ways to do it wrong.”

Try to imagine a situation to would’ve inspired this kind of response from founding father Benjamin Franklin. Failing is a part of living and it happens to the very best of us. Whatever Franklin failed at, he still managed to accomplish a few things. Adapt this positive thinking!

5. What you need for success

“To succeed in life, you need two things: ignorance and confidence.”

If only Mark Twain https://www.marktwainhouse.org/ could whisper his words into the ear of anyone standing on the precipice, worrying they don’t have it in them to go all the way. There’s much to be said for learning on your feet so don’t let inexperience keep you from getting into the ring. You can only observe for so long before the fire in you to do something burns out.

4. It’s not personal

“Remember that failure is an event, not a person.”

Zig Ziglar is a well known author, corporate salesman and motivational speaker. His point in this line is clear: don’t take failure personally. If you let it affect your confidence and sense of self worth, it’ll lead to more failures. Shake it off.

3. Don’t settle

“My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure.”

This is one of Abraham Lincoln’s many quotes about success and failure. It applies to just about any situation where you feel completely defeated. Trying to lose weight, or live a healthier lifestyle? Respond to rejection with action. Put on your running clothes and hit the pavement again. Set the goal of going further than you did yesterday. If you don’t get there, do it again tomorrow.

2. Keep trying

“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.”

The above is from the prose piece Worstward Ho by Irish novelist, playwright and poet Samuel Beckett. Out of context, this is open to interpretation, but the sentiment is encouraging. Setting out with a willingness to fail better than ever before makes you more open to the kinds of risks it takes to succeed in education and go after our dreams.

1. What failure really is

”Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor.”

Truman Capote couldn’t have come up with a more perfect line. Success and failure go hand in hand. Life has its highs and lows, and while we aspire to the highs, it’s the lows that keep life interesting because it’s when we’re most challenged.