It takes as much courage to have tried and failed as it does to

The words of Anne Morrow Lindbergh — “It takes as much courage to have tried and failed as it does to have tried and succeeded” — shimmer like a lantern held aloft in the night of human striving. In this simple utterance, there lies a profound truth known to all who have walked the path of endeavor: that courage is not measured by the crown of success, but by the willingness to step forward despite the shadow of failure. These words, spoken by a woman who knew both triumph and tragedy, remind us that the true victory lies not in the outcome, but in the act of daring itself.

Anne Morrow Lindbergh was not merely a writer or the wife of a famed aviator — she was a soul who knew the thin line between glory and grief. She had soared the skies with her husband, Charles Lindbergh, in the early days of aviation, when every flight was a gamble between life and death. Yet she also endured the unimaginable pain of losing her child, and the public scrutiny that followed. From this crucible of joy and sorrow, she learned that the spirit that tries, fails, and rises again is made of the same divine essence as the one that triumphs. Her words are not a consolation for the defeated; they are a hymn for the brave.

In the ancient world, the Greeks spoke of arete — excellence of the soul — which could not be achieved without risk. To strive for greatness was to stand on the edge of uncertainty, knowing that fate might bless or break you. When Odysseus set sail for Ithaca, he did not know whether the gods would favor him or doom him. Yet he went, not because he foresaw success, but because he could not live without trying. So it is with all who possess courage — their strength is not in the assurance of victory, but in the refusal to be still.

To try and fail is an act of quiet heroism. It is the labor of the farmer who plants seeds in barren soil, hoping for rain. It is the artist who paints though the world may never look. It is the mother who loves though her heart may be broken. Every attempt, however humble, is a defiance of despair — a declaration that the human spirit will not yield to fear. Lindbergh’s words tell us that those who fail have not lost their worth; they have proven their valor. The battlefield of life is littered not only with the fallen, but with the fearless.

Consider the story of Thomas Edison, who failed more than a thousand times before the light bulb was born. When asked about his failures, he replied, “I have not failed — I’ve just found a thousand ways that won’t work.” His persistence was not blind ambition, but faith — faith that each failure was a step toward truth. His life is living proof that courage in failure is the same fire that kindles success. The difference between the two is not the strength of will, but the turning of fortune’s wheel.

Lindbergh’s wisdom also reveals a deeper law of the soul: that failure refines courage, while success merely crowns it. When we fail, we meet our true selves — stripped of applause, unguarded, and raw. It is there that we learn humility, patience, and the sacred art of beginning again. The ancients knew that the gods favored not the untested, but the tried — those who could fall into the dust and rise with gratitude. The heart that fails and endures becomes unbreakable, for it has found its strength within, not in the world’s approval.

The lesson, therefore, is clear: do not measure your worth by your victories, nor your shame by your defeats. Measure it by your courage to try. If you dream, act. If you fall, rise. Let each failure be a teacher, each success a humble gift. The world remembers the conquerors, but eternity remembers the courageous — those who dared to begin when doubt was loudest.

So, to those who stand trembling at the edge of their own unknowns, hear this ancient counsel: step forward anyway. For whether you fail or succeed, you will have joined the sacred lineage of those who lived bravely. And in the quiet reckoning of your soul, you will know that you, too, possessed the same courage that shapes the destiny of heroes.