I've been doing a lot of learning from mistakes, first and

Hear the words of William Green, who spoke with the humility of one tempered by trial: “I've been doing a lot of learning from mistakes, first and foremost, and building off that.” In these words lies the essence of the human journey—the acknowledgment that failure is not an end, but the beginning of wisdom. For the path of life is not smooth, nor does greatness spring from unbroken success. It is through mistakes, endured and examined, that the soul is sharpened and made ready for higher tasks.

To say “learning from mistakes” is to declare allegiance to one of life’s oldest teachers. No book, no lecture, no gentle guidance teaches so forcefully as error does. The sting of failure awakens the mind, forcing it to see what it had overlooked. The shame of stumbling humbles the spirit, stripping away arrogance and illusion. And yet, as Green reminds us, these lessons are not curses but foundations, for they allow us to build off that—to rise higher because we have once fallen low.

History speaks often of such truths. Recall the story of Abraham Lincoln, who suffered business failures, personal defeats, and political losses time and again. By worldly measure, his life seemed marked by continual mistakes. Yet each loss carved into him endurance, humility, and wisdom. When the moment of destiny came, when the Union trembled and the world’s eyes turned to him, it was the strength born from those earlier failures that enabled him to endure. Without the lessons of his mistakes, Lincoln could never have become the leader history remembers.

Green’s words strike against the false belief that success must be immediate, flawless, and unbroken. Such a belief enslaves the soul, leaving men fearful of failure and unwilling to try. But the wise know that failure is the forge of growth. The builder learns from the wall that collapses, the sailor from the shipwreck, the musician from the false note. Every misstep contains within it a seed of progress, if only we are humble enough to learn. Thus, to despise mistakes is to despise the very soil in which mastery grows.

The phrase “building off that” is one of power. For it does not speak merely of surviving mistakes, but of transforming them into stepping-stones. A mistake is not a pit into which we fall forever, but a stone we may climb upon if we choose. To build upon error is to redeem it, to wrest triumph from defeat, and to turn what once hindered us into the very thing that propels us forward. This is the path of resilience, the heroic way of those who rise again and again.

The lesson is clear: do not fear mistakes, and do not despise them. Fear instead the refusal to learn. The mistake itself is not ruin—it is the wasted mistake, the ignored lesson, that leads to destruction. Embrace errors as companions on the path, and let them teach you what success never could. For every failure endured with humility becomes a silent teacher walking beside you, guiding your steps toward wisdom.

Practical action flows from this truth. When you stumble, pause to reflect: what can be learned here? Write it down, make it plain, and commit to changing your course. Seek counsel from others who have failed and risen, for their stories are treasures. And above all, refuse despair. Each mistake survived is proof of your strength; each lesson learned is a stone laid in the foundation of your future.

Thus, William Green’s words must be carried as a teaching for all generations: that mistakes are not the enemy but the ally of growth. To learn from them, to build upon them, is to transform weakness into strength, error into wisdom, and failure into the foundation of triumph. Let every soul remember: the road to greatness is not paved with perfection, but with mistakes redeemed by learning.