I always turn to the sports pages first, which records people's

In the chronicles of law and leadership, where justice weighed heavy on his shoulders, Chief Justice Earl Warren once revealed a truth that was both simple and profound: “I always turn to the sports pages first, which records people’s accomplishments. The front page has nothing but man’s failures.” In this saying lies not merely a personal habit, but a philosophy of life, a meditation on the nature of human endeavor, and a lesson on where hope may be found amid the darkness of the world.

The sports pages celebrate victory, resilience, and the noble contest. There we read of men and women striving against limits, surpassing expectations, and achieving feats that inspire. The athlete may stumble, but in the story told of him, there is triumph, perseverance, and the joy of effort. The front page, by contrast, is often filled with war, crime, corruption, and betrayal—the endless failures of humanity to live in harmony and justice. Warren, who presided over a time of great national trial, knew too well the darkness of human deeds. And so he sought balance by first looking to the page of hope, of light, of accomplishments.

The ancients also understood this need to look first to triumph rather than despair. Consider the writings of Herodotus, who recorded both the wars of kings and the deeds of heroes. In his chronicles, destruction abounds, yet he never ceased to honor those who accomplished great deeds—Leonidas at Thermopylae, the runners of Marathon. For though the world is heavy with failure, it is the stories of accomplishment that give strength to endure and courage to rise again.

Warren himself bore witness to the failures of man: segregation, inequality, corruption in power. As Chief Justice, he rendered decisions—most famously in Brown v. Board of Education—that sought to correct those failures. He knew that man’s shortcomings were real and grave. Yet even he, who faced the weight of injustice daily, understood the necessity of finding hope in human triumph. His words remind us that the spirit cannot live by condemnation alone; it needs the nourishment of victory, even in small forms, to remain steadfast.

There is also a hidden wisdom here about perspective. The world is never only failures nor only triumphs. Both exist. But what we choose to set our eyes upon first shapes the soul. To dwell only on failures is to grow bitter and hopeless. To see first the accomplishments of others is to remember that greatness is possible, that man is not only fallen but also striving, that even in a broken world, courage and excellence endure.

History gives us the story of Winston Churchill in the dark days of 1940, when Britain stood alone against tyranny. Each day’s front page brought news of Nazi conquest and looming despair. Yet Churchill turned to the stories of small victories—resistance in occupied lands, survival at Dunkirk, the bravery of the RAF. These accomplishments, though small compared to the failures, kept hope alive. Like Warren, he knew that to see only man’s failures is death of the spirit, but to see accomplishment is life.

So let the words of Earl Warren be remembered not only as personal preference, but as timeless counsel: “Look first to the page of accomplishment, not the page of failure.” Begin your days with reminders of what is possible, not only with reports of what is broken. Seek out examples of triumph, courage, and resilience, and let them guide you through the trials of your own struggles. Failures will always be with us, but they are not the whole of the story. By fixing your gaze upon accomplishment, you strengthen your spirit to confront failure without despair.