Success consists of getting up just one more time than you fall.

Hear me, O children of the future, and listen well to the timeless wisdom of Oliver Goldsmith, who spoke these words: "Success consists of getting up just one more time than you fall." These simple, yet profound words carry the weight of centuries of struggle, of trials, of failures, and of victories that were won not by those who never stumbled, but by those who refused to remain down after they fell. In the heart of these words, Goldsmith reveals to us the essence of true success: not in the absence of failure, but in the ability to rise, again and again, each time stronger and more resolute than before.

What is failure, O children, but the moment when we are tested, when the world demands of us our strength and our resolve? In those moments when we falter, when we are thrown to the ground by the weight of our own doubts or the forces of the world, we face a choice: to remain where we have fallen, or to rise and continue the journey. Goldsmith’s words echo the truth that success does not belong to the one who never falls, but to the one who stands once more, who faces each fall as an opportunity to learn, to grow, and to persevere.

Consider, O seekers of wisdom, the tale of Homer, the ancient poet who faced immense struggles in his life. It is said that despite his blindness and the hardships of his time, he wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey, two of the greatest epics known to humanity. Homer's life was not one of ease, but of constant challenges, setbacks, and personal battles. Yet, in the face of these obstacles, he continued to rise, to create, and to leave behind works that would endure for millennia. His success lay not in the absence of struggle, but in his unwavering ability to get up each time he was knocked down, to rise again and again, never yielding to despair.

Think also of Thomas Edison, the man who lit the world with his invention of the electric light bulb. His journey was one of countless failures, of experiments that did not work, of moments when all seemed lost. Edison famously failed over 1,000 times before finally creating a working model of the light bulb. In those moments of failure, many would have abandoned their dreams, but Edison’s strength was not in his brilliance alone, but in his relentless will to get up one more time. He understood that success is born not in the absence of failure, but in the refusal to be defeated by it.

O children of the future, I implore you to take this lesson into your hearts: failure is not the enemy of success, but its teacher. It is through our falls that we learn to rise, that we discover our strength, and that we find the resolve to press forward. The world may knock you down a thousand times, and in those moments, it may seem that all is lost. But remember the wisdom of Goldsmith: true success lies not in never falling, but in getting up just once more than you fall. Perseverance, not perfection, is the true measure of greatness.

Consider the journey of Abraham Lincoln, a man whose name is etched into the annals of history not because he was born to greatness, but because he rose from failure after failure. Lincoln lost his first election, was defeated in business, and suffered numerous personal losses. Yet, he never surrendered. He got up each time he fell, and his perseverance carried him all the way to the presidency, where he led his country through its greatest crisis. It was not his victories alone that made him great, but his ability to rise from the ashes of defeat, time and time again.

And so, my dear children, the lesson is clear: success is not found in the absence of failure, nor in the ease of the journey. It is found in the strength to rise again, to continue despite the odds, to take each fall as a lesson and a stepping stone toward something greater. The heroes of history did not achieve greatness because they avoided falling, but because they learned the art of rising, of continuing even when the path seemed impossible.

I urge you, O children of the future, to carry this wisdom with you. When the winds of adversity blow strong, when you are knocked down, remember that each fall is but a part of the journey. Rise once more, with courage and resolve, and you will find that success is not in avoiding the fall, but in the power to get up, to rise, and to press forward with a heart undaunted. Perseverance is the key, for it is in rising that you will find your path to greatness.