Stumbling and Bumbling... and Then Rising Again

“In God’s kingdom, failure does not make you a failure; it makes you experienced and prepares you for success.” – Os Hillman

Yesterday, we quoted a selection of Bible passages that various presidents have used while taking their oath of office. Today, I’d like to feature some quotes by some famous – and very successful – people from different walks of life, all of them dealing with the subject of failure.

Hopefully, their words will inspire and encourage you to keep on keeping on…

"Failure isn't fatal, but failure to change might be" – John Wooden, legendary basketball coach

“Success is most often achieved by those who don't know that failure is inevitable.” – Coco Chanel, businesswoman

“Giving up is the only sure way to fail.” – Gena Showalter, bestselling author

“Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. Failure is delay, not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead end. Failure is something we can avoid only by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.” – Denis Waitley, motivational speaker

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” – Sir Winston Churchill, British prime minister, who also said, “Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”

“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.” – Paulo Coelho, lyricist and novelist

“Failures are finger posts on the road to achievement.” – C.S. Lewis, Christian author and theologian

“Winners are not afraid of losing. But losers are. Failure is part of the process of success. People who avoid failure also avoid success.” – Robert T. Kiyosaki, businessman and entrepreneur

“Failure is so important. We speak about success all the time. It is the ability to resist failure or use failure that often leads to greater success. I've met people who don't want to try for fear of failing.” – J.K. Rowling, British novelist

“When we give ourselves permission to fail, we, at the same time, give ourselves permission to excel.” – Eloise Ristad, musician and children’s book author

“For the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.” Proverbs 24:16 (ESV)

- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President