Failure, to me, is not having the desire to try. Having the desire to try is in it own way success.
Interpretation
Failure is not attempting something; success comes from the desire to try.
This quote by Bobby Knight emphasizes that true failure lies in lacking the motivation to attempt challenges and that the mere desire to try constitutes a form of success. It encourages a mindset where the effort and willingness to take risks are valued more highly than the final outcome, framing the journey of trying as an achievement in itself.
In practice
This quote could be shared at a motivational seminar to inspire the audience.
My dad was a very quiet person, and unbelievably tough. But my grandmother gave me my first look at negative thinking to bring about positive results. When I was just a little guy, anytime I came to my grandmother and said I wish for this or that, Grandma would say, 'If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.'
Your biggest opponent isn't the other guy. It's human nature.
People want national championship banners. People want to talk about Indiana being competitive. How do we get there? We don't get there with milk and cookies.
When we're playing a good scoring center, we tell our team that it is not our defensive man's job to stop the center. It's the responsibility of our perimeter people to stop the ball from going inside.
I'm not sure that an athlete is prepared to be a role model. He has a lot of attention paid to him that he shouldn't have, and then the athletes tend to think of themselves as better than they are.
A coach should never be afraid to ask questions of anyone he could learn from.
Pressure is a word that is misused in our vocabulary. When you start thinking of pressure, it's because you've started to think of failure.
We all have the tendency to believe self-doubt and self-criticism, but listening to this voice never gets us closer to our goals. Instead, try on the point of view of a mentor or good friend who believes in you, wants the best for your, and will encourage you when you feel discouraged.
Once I've decided to do something, I do usually try to carry it through to fruition.
People say, 'What advice do you have for people who want to be writers?' I say, they don't really need advice, they know they want to be writers, and they're gonna do it. Those people who know that they really want to do this and are cut out for it, they know it.
For us, there is only the trying. The rest is not our business.
For three things I thank God every day of my life: thanks that he has vouchsafed me knowledge of his works; deep thanks that he has set in my darkness the lamp of faith; deep, deepest thanks that I have another life to look forward to--a life joyous with light and flowers and heavenly song.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.