Quote and Thoughts

Thoughts on a quote by our bro, the good man Teddy R. :

Teddy Roosevelt at Glacier Point, Yosemite Ntl. Park (Image Courtesy)

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

There is so much in this speech to be appreciated, but I wanted to focus on the last few lines. I think there are many quotes to be considered on the merit of trying and putting forth effort, but this one in particular spoke to me! 

I really appreciate that Teddy recognized that there is something to be said about a person who endeavors for great things, even in the face of failure. I know that personally I am impressed when someone achieves something great, but I am not impressed when someone gives something a shot and doesn't make it. For some reason, I had looked at that failure as a negative thing. However, this speech shows great wisdom by illustrating the value of effort. 

These words demonstrate a counter intuitive concept--failure itself can be a great thing. And although that may be hard to wrap my head around, this is a practical thing in many ways! Trying for something great sets you apart from the many people that never gave it a shot. And when I talked about this quote with Ashley, she also pointed out that trying is useful because there is so much you learn when you try!

So the moral of this post is that trying for something and failing is not bad. Repeat: trying for something and failing is not bad. Because if you get it, you have achieved. And if you don't, you were one of the people brave enough to try and that is an achievement in itself, and you have also learned! Thanks Teddy for your wisdom <3

Tiffany