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We pay a heavy price for our fear of failure.
John W. Gardner
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Fear of failure can prevent us from pursuing our goals and lead to missed opportunities.

John W. Gardner's quote emphasizes that the fear of failure often costs us more than failure itself. This fear can hold us back from taking risks, trying new things, and ultimately achieving our potential. By allowing fear to dictate our choices, we may be sacrificing growth and success in pursuit of comfort and safety.

Themes

FearFailureMotivationSuccessRisk

In practice

Example use cases

In a motivational speech to encourage young entrepreneurs to take risks.

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We pay a heavy price for our fear of failure. It is a powerful obstacle to growth. It assures the progressive narrowing of the personality and prevents exploration and experimentation. There is no learning without some difficulty and fumbling. If you want to keep on learning, you must keep on risking failure-all your life.
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Quote by John W. Gardner | QuoteProject