Treat failure as a lesson on how not to approach achieving a goal, and then use that learning to improve your chances of success when you try again. Failure is only the end if you decide to stop.
Richard BransonRead
Well, the odds must be against anybody being able to fly around the world in a balloon on the first attempt. All of us who are attempting to go around the world in balloons are effectively flying in experimental craft because these craft cannot be tested.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Taking risks is essential when trying something unprecedented, like flying around the world in a balloon.
Richard Branson highlights the inherent challenges and risks involved in undertaking groundbreaking adventures, such as ballooning around the world. He emphasizes that these endeavors require not only courage but also a spirit of experimentation, as they often involve untested, innovative craft that push the boundaries of what is possible.
Themes
RiskAdventureInnovationCourageExplorationExperiment
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about entrepreneurship, one could quote Branson to inspire innovation and risk-taking.
More from Richard Branson
All quotes →It's a common misconception that money is every entrepreneur's metric for success. It's not, and nor should it be.
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Values cannot be speedily forgotten if it is inconvenient or commercially expedient. Values have to have meaning and longevity; otherwise they are valueless. You cannot embrace innovation up to a point or only sometimes. Branding demands commitment; commitment to continual re-invention; striking cords with people to stir their emotions; and commitment to imagination. It is easy to be cynical about such things, much harder to be successful.
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Please don’t get hung up on this question of whether you need to have experience in an industry before you launch your startup.
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What's the most critical factor in any business decision you'll ever have to make? Basically, it boils down to this question: If this all crashes, will it bring the whole house tumbling down like a pack of cards? One business matra remains embedded in my brain - protect the downside.
Richard BransonRead
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