Over a 10-year period, 99 out of 100 new entrepreneurs will fail.

Hear the sober words of Robert Kiyosaki, spoken with the weight of experience and the sorrow of truth: “Over a 10-year period, 99 out of 100 new entrepreneurs will fail. Only one will be left standing as others get pushed out of the market or burn out from working so hard. It’s really sad.” These words may sound harsh, but they are not meant to crush the spirit—they are meant to awaken it. For life in the marketplace, like life on the battlefield, is not for the faint of heart. It is a proving ground where only endurance, wisdom, and resilience allow one to survive.

The ancients knew this reality, though their struggles took other forms. Farmers sowed fields knowing that storms, pests, or famine might destroy their crops. Warriors marched into battle knowing that most would not return. Builders raised temples knowing that time and decay would one day topple their works. The path of creation has always been fraught with peril. Kiyosaki’s vision of the entrepreneur is but the modern expression of this timeless truth: that to create is to risk, and to risk is to stand on the edge of failure.

History gives us countless examples. Consider Thomas Edison, who attempted invention after invention, enduring thousands of failures before bringing forth the electric light. His story is the rare one—he was the “one” who remained standing. Yet for every Edison, there were hundreds whose names we do not know, whose efforts consumed their lives but yielded little reward. This is the tragedy Kiyosaki names: that so many labor with fire and passion, yet are broken by exhaustion, competition, or despair. The sadness is not in their effort, but in their silence, for history often forgets them.

Yet there is wisdom even in the failure. The Stoics taught that true measure is not whether we succeed, but whether we endure nobly. The 99 entrepreneurs who fall are not wasted lives, for each carries lessons—lessons for themselves, for their families, and for others who rise after them. Their struggles mark the path, showing where the pitfalls lie, where the hidden dangers wait. Even in ruin, they are teachers. Thus, Kiyosaki’s words, though heavy, may also be read with honor: the road of creation is steep, but each traveler adds to the knowledge of those who follow.

Still, we cannot ignore his sorrow. It is sad that dreams burn out under the weight of toil, that men and women exhaust their spirits chasing visions that the world will not allow to bloom. It is sad that the marketplace is often merciless, rewarding not always the best or most noble, but the strongest, the shrewdest, the luckiest. This recognition calls us not to despair, but to compassion. For every victor who remains standing, there are many who need comfort, remembrance, and respect.

The lesson for us is clear: if you would walk the road of the entrepreneur, do so with eyes wide open. Do not mistake passion for preparation, or vision for resilience. Arm yourself with learning, with strategy, with support, for the road will test every weakness. If you fall, do not call yourself worthless, for even in failure you are part of the great chorus of humanity that strives to create. And if you stand among the rare victors, do not boast, but remember the countless others who walked beside you and fell.

Practical action follows: seek wisdom before you leap; find mentors who can guide you; build strength not only in skill but in spirit. And if you see another who has fallen, offer them respect, for they dared to begin what most only dream. In your own journey, prepare for hardship, embrace humility, and hold fast to resilience. For while the road is perilous, it is also glorious—for in striving to create, you participate in the ancient calling of humanity: to bring forth something where once there was nothing.

Thus Kiyosaki’s words, though spoken of markets and entrepreneurs, are truly ancient teaching. To create is to risk ruin, and most who try will fall. But those who endure, whether in success or in failure, are part of the great story of human striving. Let us then honor both the one who remains standing, and the ninety-nine who fall, for all are bound in the same heroic struggle, and from all of them we learn the meaning of courage.