Failure is a reality; we all fail at times, and it's painful when we do. But it's better to fail while striving for something wonderful, challenging, adventurous, and uncertain than to say, " I don't want to try because I may not succeed completely.
Interpretation
Failure is a natural part of striving for great achievements; it's better to try and fail than to avoid the challenge altogether.
Jimmy Carter emphasizes the importance of embracing failure as a stepping stone towards success. It is a natural and unavoidable aspect of life that everyone experiences. The quote suggests that attempting to pursue ambitious and adventurous goals is far more valuable than remaining stagnant out of fear of failure. In this light, the pain of failing is overshadowed by the courage and fulfillment that comes from striving for something meaningful.
In practice
In a motivational speech to students about the importance of taking risks.
Acknowledging the physical realities of our planet does not mean a dismal future of endless sacrifice. In fact, acknowledging these realities is the first step in dealing with them. We can meet the resource problems of the world - water, food, minerals, farmlands, forests, overpopulation, pollution - if we tackle them with courage and foresight.
The preeminent obstacle to peace is Israel's colonization of Palestine.
I would say the biggest handicap we have right now is some nutcases in our country that don't believe in global warming. I think they are going to change their position because of pressure from individuals, because the evidence of the ravages of global warming is already there.
If I were president, I'd be very glad to see the Palestinians have a nation recognized by the United Nations. There's no downside to it.
My understanding of racial discrimination as a child was highly distorted because the most prominent man in Archery was an African-American bishop. When he came home from up north, where he was in charge of A.M.E. churches in five states, it was front-page news. He was the most successful man in my life.
Our American values are not luxuries but necessities, not the salt in our bread, but the bread itself. Our common vision of a free and just society is our greatest source of cohesion at home and strength abroad, greater than the bounty of our material blessings.
Most dreams die a slow death. They're conceived in a moment of passion, with the prospect of endless possibility, but often languish and are not pursued with the same heartfelt intensity as when first born. Slowly, subtly, a dream becomes elusive and ephemeral. People who've lost their own dreams become pessimists and cynics. They feel like the time and devotion spent on chasing their dreams were wasted. The emotional scars last forever.
You are free to choose, but the choices you make today will determine what you have, be, and do in the tomorrow of your life.
If you hesitate to map out your future, to make a big plan or to set a goal, you've just gone ahead and mapped your future anyway.
Exert your talents, and distinguish yourself, and don't think of retiring from the world, until the world will be sorry that you retire.
As soon as I started to realize that I could make a living playing professional soccer, I went to that place where I could torture myself because I knew it would make me better for the championship game.
Keep working. Don't wait for inspiration. Work inspires inspiration. Keep working.
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