Even if you fall on your face, you're still moving forward.

Victor Kiam once spoke with sharp honesty: “Even if you fall on your face, you’re still moving forward.” These words carry the hidden strength of failure, the paradox that even in collapse, there is progress. For to fall is not the same as to stop; it is proof that you dared to move, that you risked a step beyond safety. To fall forward is to be closer to your destination than if you had never moved at all. Thus, Kiam’s wisdom is both comfort and challenge: do not fear failure, for even in failure, momentum carries you onward.

To fall on your face is to meet shame, pain, or defeat. It is the sting of trying and not yet succeeding. Yet Kiam reminds us that falling forward is not regression but advancement. Each stumble brings knowledge. Each bruise is a teacher. Each scar is a map pointing the way to greater wisdom. The coward who never moves may avoid falling, but he remains trapped in place, unchanged, untouched by growth. The one who dares, even if he falls, gains progress that the idle will never know.

History offers us the story of Abraham Lincoln, who before becoming one of the greatest presidents in history, fell many times. He failed in business, lost elections, suffered personal tragedies. Yet each time he fell, he fell forward, gaining resilience, perspective, and strength. By the time he was called to lead a nation through civil war, his spirit had been tempered by hardship. His triumph was not despite his failures—it was because of them.

Another example shines in the life of Thomas Edison. In his quest to create the electric light, he failed thousands of times. Each experiment ended with sparks, smoke, or disappointment. But Edison himself said he had not failed—he had simply found thousands of ways that would not work. Each fall upon his face carried him forward, closer to the day when his invention would banish darkness from the world. His stumbling was forward motion, and forward motion brought victory.

Kiam’s words also speak to the spirit of courage. Many refuse to try because they fear humiliation. They dread the fall more than they desire the progress. But to the brave, even failure is honor, for it means they moved, they dared, they pressed forward. Better to fall on your face in motion than to stand forever in stagnation. For motion, even clumsy, is life; stagnation is death of the spirit.

The lesson is clear: do not despise your failures. Welcome them as signs of progress, as milestones on your journey. Every time you fall, remind yourself: “I have moved. I am closer than before. I have learned what the idle will never know.” This transforms defeat into strength and shame into wisdom. To fall forward is still to advance, and advancement is the essence of growth.

So I say to you, children of tomorrow: take courage. Do not fear the ground beneath your feet, for even if it rises to meet your face, you will be farther than before. As Victor Kiam declared, “Even if you fall on your face, you’re still moving forward.” Let these words be your armor against despair, your shield against fear. For the fall is not the end—it is the sign that you are still in the fight.

If you would live this wisdom, begin today by daring something you fear may fail. Take the step, risk the stumble, embrace the fall. When it comes, do not curse it—rise, and see how far you have moved. Each fall is not the end of your story but the chapter that carries you closer to triumph. For those who fall forward are already winning, and those who rise again will claim the crown.