Written words have the power to inspire for centuries. This one quote seems to have hit a chord with entrepreneurs, creatives, business, and political leaders alike.
I have seen it quoted in many books, podcasts, interviews, and documentaries.
“The Man in the Arena”
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.
The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly;
who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming;
but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause;
who at the best knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
- Theodore Roosevelt (26th President of the United States)
Why does it resonate with so many in the 21st century?
The man or woman in the arena always had critics pontificating from the sidelines for thousands of years. It resonates deeply in the 21st century because the number of critics has grown exponentially – thanks to social media.
I also believe the quote below by J.K Rowling below will stand the test of time.
"You might never fail on the scale I did, but some failure in life is inevitable. It is impossible to live without failing at something unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all – in which case, you fail by default."
All overnight success takes about 10+ years.
I am sure all of you fought valiantly in your respective arenas. Remember, there is no such thing as success or failure, everything is relative, keep moving forward, running water never goes stale. well done to you all!
It is now the time to rest, reflect and recharge.
Happy holidays and let’s reconnect in 2023, until then take it easy.
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