“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.”
~ Samuel Beckett
也曾尝试过，也曾失败过。没有关系，继续尝试，继续失败，继续让失败变得更加有意义。
~ Samuel Beckett
As a young man, Abraham Lincoln went to war a captain and returned a private. Afterwards, he was a failure as a businessman. As a lawyer in Springfield, he was too impractical and temperamental to be a success. He turned to politics and was defeated in his first try for the legislature, again defeated in his first attempt to be nominated for congress, defeated in his application to be commissioner of the General Land Office, defeated in the senatorial election of 1854, defeated in his efforts for the vice-presidency in 1856, and defeated in the senatorial election of 1858. At about that time, he wrote in a letter to a friend, “I am now the most miserable man living. If what I feel were equally distributed to the whole human family, there would not be one cheerful face on the earth.”
作为一名年轻人，Abraham Lincoln为了当一名军官而去作战，却仍以一名士兵的身份归来。后来，他经商失败，在斯普林菲尔德又因不切实际和脾气暴躁而未能成为一名成功的律师。 之后他转向政坛，第一次尝试到立法机构工作就已宣告失败，第一次努力想被提名为政府议员也未能如愿，在国家土地局委员申请中失败，在1854年参议院的大 选中失败，在1856年竞选副总统时失败，在1858年参议院大选时失败。大约就是在那个时候，他在给一位朋友的一封信中诉说道，”我现在是世界上最惨的 人了。如果将我所经历的事情分给地球上所有人类来经历，那我想在这个地球上应该没有人能笑得出来吧。”
Winston Churchill failed sixth grade. He was subsequently defeated in every election for public office until he became Prime Minister at the age of 62. He later wrote, “Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never – in nothing, great or small, large or petty – never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never, Never, Never, Never give up.” (his capitals, mind you)
Winston Churchill失败的程度也不亚于此。在他62岁当了总理之前，他在每一次政府机关竞选中连续失利。他后来写道：”决不言败，决不言败，决不，决不， 决不，决不–决不因任何事情言败，不管是大事还是小事，重要的还是琐碎的，若不是有了足够的信心和判断力，决不轻易言败。哪怕一次也不，一次也不言败。 “（提醒你，这正是他的财富。）
Socrates was called “an immoral corrupter of youth” and continued to corrupt even after a sentence of death was imposed on him. He drank the hemlock and died corrupting.
Socrates被批评为”毒害青年道德的人”，但是他一直就这么顽强地”毒害”感染着年轻人，即使因此而被强加以死刑。他喝了毒药，真正地被毒害而死。
Sigmund Freud was booed from the podium when he first presented his ideas to the scientific community of Europe. He returned to his office and kept on writing.
当Sigmund Freud第一次向欧洲的科学组织阐明他的观点时，站在台上的他即引来了台下的一片嘘声。但是当他一返回办公室，就低头继续他的事业。
Robert Sternberg received a C in his first college introductory-psychology class. His teacher commented that “there was a famous Sternberg in psychology and it was obvious there would not be another.” Three years later Sternberg graduated with honors from Stanford University with exceptional distinction in psychology, summa cum laude, and Phi Beta Kappa. In 2002, he became President of the American Psychological Association.
Robert Sternberg在他大学第一堂心理学入门的课上只得了个C。他的老师这样评论，”在心理学领域的确是有一个著名的Sternberg，但是很明显，再 不会有第二个了。”三年之后Sternberg因在心理学方面优异的成绩，杰出的毕业论文和在优等生学会的出色表现从斯坦福大学光荣毕业。2002年，他 成为美国心理协会的主席。
Charles Darwin gave up a medical career and was told by his father, “You care for nothing but shooting, dogs and rat catching.” In his autobiography, Darwin wrote, “I was considered by all my masters and my father, a very ordinary boy, rather below the common standard of intellect.” Clearly, he evolved.
Charles Darwin放弃了他的医学生涯，并且被他的父亲告知”你除了打狗和抓老鼠别无所好。”在他的自传中，他这样写道，”我所有的雇主和我的父亲都觉得我是一个非常平庸的孩子，甚至觉得我的智力甚至低于正常力水平。”以后来的成果来看，他显然进步了很多。
Thomas Edison’s teachers said he was “too stupid to learn anything.” He was fired from his first two jobs for being “non-productive.” As an inventor, Edison made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb. When a reporter asked, “How did it feel to fail 1,000 times?” Edison replied, “I didn抰 fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.”
Thomas Edison的老师说他”太笨了，什么事情也不可能学会”。在他的前两份工作中他因”没有生产效率”而被辞退。作为一个发明家，他在发明电灯的过程中经历 了1000次不成功的尝试。当一个记者问他道”当你失败1000次的时候，你是什么感觉？””我并没有失败1000次啊，这只说明电灯的成功是需要 1000个步骤啊。”
“Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall.”
~ Confucius
我们最大的荣耀并非是永远不失败，而是在每一次失败后都能勇敢地站起来。
–孔子
Albert Einstein did not speak until he was 4-years-old and did not read until he was 7. His parents thought he was “sub-normal,” and one of his teachers described him as “mentally slow, unsociable, and adrift forever in foolish dreams.” He was expelled from school and was refused admittance to the Zurich Polytechnic School. He did eventually learn to speak and read. Even to do a little math.
Albert Einstein直到四岁才会说话，七岁才会阅读。他的父母甚至认为他是弱智。他的一名老师这样描述他”智力低下，不善交际，总是在他愚蠢的梦境里飘荡。”他被开除学籍，被苏黎世工世学校拒绝。但他最终学会了言谈和阅读，甚至学会了一点数学。
Louis Pasteur was only a mediocre pupil in undergraduate studies and ranked 15th out of 22 students in chemistry.
Louis Pasteur在大学中只是一个普通的学生，在化学专业的22个人中，他也只能排15名。
Henry Ford failed and went broke five times before he succeeded.
Henry Ford在他成功创业之前失败破产了五次。
R. H. Macy failed seven times before his store in New York City caught on.
R. H. Macy的商店在纽约流行之前失败了七次。
F. W. Woolworth was not allowed to wait on customers when he worked in a dry goods store because, his boss said, “he didn’t have enough sense.”
当F. W. Woolworth在一家干货店工作时，他不被允许去做服务客户的工作，因为他的老板说他”没有足够的常识。”
When Bell telephone was struggling to get started, its owners offered all their rights to Western Union for $100,000. The offer was disdainfully rejected with the pronouncement, “What use could this company make of an electrical toy.”
当贝尔公司艰难创办开业时，它的所有者希望能向西方联盟提供了所有权利，以换取10000的赞助。但是这次申请被一个堂而皇之的理由轻蔑地拒绝了，”这家公司能用一个电子玩具做出些什么名堂？”
John Garcia, who eventually was honored for his fundamental psychological discoveries, was once told by a reviewer of his often-re
jected manuscripts that one is no more likely to find the phenomenon he discovered than to find bird droppings in a cuckoo clock. (sort of a cute critique actually)
因基础心理学方面的巨大成就而闻名的John Garcia，曾被一个多次拒绝他论文的评论家这样讽刺：”你所发现的现象太简单不过了，甚至比在布谷鸟闹钟里发现鸟类粪便还要简单”
Rocket scientist Robert Goddard found his ideas bitterly rejected by his scientific peers on the grounds that rocket propulsion would not work in the rarefied atmosphere of outer space.
研究火箭的科学家Robert Goddard认为火箭喷射不能在外太空稀薄的空气里进行，而他的这一观点被该领域的同伴们无情地拒绝。
Daniel Boone was once asked by a reporter if he had ever been lost in the wilderness. Boone thought for a moment and replied, “No, but I was once bewildered for about three days.”
有一位记者曾经问Daniel Boone他是否曾在荒野中迷过路。他想了一会回答说，”不，我没有，但是我有三天被荒置的经历。”
“Only those who dare to fail greatly can achieve greatly.”
~ Robert F. Kennedy
只有那些敢于大落的人才有能力大起。
肯尼迪
An expert said of Vince Lombardi: “He possesses minimal football knowledge and lacks motivation.” Lombardi would later write, “It’s not whether you get knocked down; it’s whether you get back up.”
一个专家这样评论Vince Lombardi：”他对足球知识掌握甚少，并且缺乏积极性。”
Lombardi后来说”被击垮了并不重要，重要的是你在被击垮后还能站起来。”
Michael Jordan and Bob Cousy were each cut from their high school basketball teams. Jordan once observed, “I’ve failed over and over again in my life. That is why I succeed.”
Michael Jordan和Bob Cousy都被高中的校足球队除过名。乔丹曾经说过”在生活中，我一次又一次地失败，但这也正是我成功的原因。”
Babe Ruth is famous for his past home run record, but for decades he also held the record for strikeouts. He hit 714 home runs and struck out 1,330 times in his career (about which he said, “Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.”). And didn’t Mark McGwire break that strikeout record? (John Wooden once explained that winners make the most errors.)
Babe Ruth以他的本垒打记录之高而闻名，但是曾有几十年他也保持了无人能比的失败记录。在他的棒球生涯中，巴勃成功本垒打714次，同时有1330次的失败记录。关于这点他曾说过”每次的失败都是为了我下一次更加接近成功的本垒打。”
马克不正也是后来打破了他的失败记录吗？约翰解释说恰恰是冠军有着最高的失误率。
Hank Aaron went 0 for 5 his first time at bat with the Milwakee Braves.
Hank Aaron在第一次与Milwakee Braves对决时以0比5失败
Stan Smith was rejected as a ball boy for a Davis Cup tennis match because he was “too awkward and clumsy.” He went on to clumsily win Wimbledon and the U. S. Open. And eight Davis Cups.
Stan Smith曾经在大卫斯杯网球赛区中因为”太笨拙太迟顿”而被拒绝当球童。而他正是这样”笨拙”地在温布莱登网球赛和全美公开赛中获胜，并且在大卫斯网球赛中获胜八次。
Tom Landry, Chuck Noll, Bill Walsh, and Jimmy Johnson accounted for 11 of the 19 Super Bowl victories from 1974 to 1993. They also share the distinction of having the worst records of first-season head coaches in NFL history – they didn’t win a single game.
从1974年到1933年的Super Bowl比赛中，Tom Landry, Chuck Noll, Bill Walsh, 和Jimmy Johnson在19次胜利中的11次都起到了重要的作用。但是他们同时也因为在第一季比赛中未得一球的最糟记录而闻名。
Johnny Unitas’s first pass in the NFL was intercepted and returned for a touchdown. Joe Montana’s first pass was also intercepted. And while we’re on quarterbacks, during his first season Troy Aikman threw twice as many interceptions (18) as touchdowns (9) . . . oh, and he didn’t win a single game. You think there’s a lesson here?
Johnny Unitas 在美足联中的第一次传球就被中途拦截，只能触地得分。Joe Montana 的一次传球也被拦截。再来看我们的四分卫，在第一季赛事中Troy Aikman中途被截的次数比触地得分还要多两倍。。。。。哦天，他居然没有赢过一场比赛。我们是否可以从中学到些什么呢？
After Carl Lewis won the gold medal for the long jump in the 1996 Olympic games, he was asked to what he attributed his longevity, having competed for almost 20 years. He said, “Remembering that you have both wins and losses along the way. I don’t take either one too seriously.”
在Carl Lewis获得1996年奥运会跳远冠军后，有人问他是什么使得他在该领域如此长青，他回答说，”永远记住，一路走来既有成功也有失败，我从来不把它们中的任何看得过于重要。”
“Our achievements speak for themselves. What we have to keep track of are our failures, discouragements, and doubts. We tend to forget the past difficulties, the many false starts, and the painful groping. We see our past achievements as the end result of a clean forward thrust, and our present difficulties as signs of decline and decay.”
~ Eric Hoffer
我们所获得的说明了一切。我们必须努力反省我们的失败，气馁，和疑虑。但是我们却常常容易忘记我们过去路上的的艰辛，忘记许多错误的开始，忘记跌倒的疼痛。我们总是把过去的成就看得过于简单，以为它们只是简单的勤奋的结果，而却把眼前的困难看成失败甚至退化的迹象。
~ Eric Hoffer
Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor because “he lacked imagination and had no good ideas.” He went bankrupt several times before he built Disneyland. In fact, the proposed park was rejected by the city of Anaheim on the grounds that it would only attract riffraff.
Walt Disney曾经被一家报纸解雇，因为他”缺乏想象力和好的创意”。在他创办迪斯尼之前，他曾破产好几次。而事实上，他的公园议案也被阿纳海姆市拒绝，因为他们认为这样的公园只会招致群氓。
Charles Schultz had every cartoon he submitted rejected by his high school yearbook staff. Oh, and Walt Disney wouldn’t hire him.
Charles Schultz所提交的每一份卡通形象都被学校的年鉴职工退回。哦，Walt Disney可不会这么做的。
After Fred Astaire’s first screen test, the memo from the testing director of MGM, dated 1933, read, “Can’t act. Can’t sing. Slightly bald. Can dance a little.” He kept that memo over the fire place in his Beverly Hills home. Astaire once observed that “when you’re experimenting, you have to try so many things before you choose what you want, that you may go days getting nothing but exhaustion.” And here is the reward for perseverance: “The higher up you go, the more mistakes you are allowed. Right at the top, if you make enough of them, it’s considered to be your style
Fred Astaire.第一次试镜后，MGM的测试导演留有这样的记录，时间是1933年，”不会演戏，不会唱歌，轻微秃顶。稍稍会跳舞”他把这份记录放在他在 Beverly山的醒目位置。他曾经说过，”当你在试验，并决定选择你到底想要什么之前，你必须要经过这样的日子：每天做很多很多很多的的尝试，但除了精 疲力竭之外什么也得不到”但如此的坚持是有报酬的：”你向上爬得越高，你就可能犯越多的错误。正是在最高点，如果你已经犯了所有的错误，你就已经形成自己 的模式了。”
After his first audition, Sidney Poitier was told by the casting director, “Why don’t you stop wasting people’s time and go out and become a dishwasher or something?” It was at that moment, recalls Poitier, that he decided to devote his life to acting.
第一次试镜后，Sidney Poitier