You know, I’ve been thinking a lot about that line, “Success is never final; failure is never fatal.” It’s one of those truths that hits harder the more you experience. It basically tells you to stop seeing your career as a series of finish lines and disasters.
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Meaning
The core message is that no single outcome defines your journey. Success is a temporary rest stop, not a destination, and failure is a learning event, not a life sentence.
Explanation
Let me break this down for you. I’ve seen so many people, incredibly talented people, get paralyzed by this idea. They hit a big win and they coast, thinking they’ve “made it.” Or they hit a single setback and it completely shatters their identity. The real work, the real growth, happens in the space between those two extremes. It’s about having the guts to get back up, to keep iterating, to understand that the process itself is the point. That’s the courage she’s talking about.
Quote Summary
| Context | Attributes |
|---|---|
| Original Language | English (3668) |
| Category | Success (341) |
| Topics | courage (145), failure (52), success general (86) |
| Literary Style | aphoristic (181), timeless (7) |
| Emotion / Mood | lively (108), resilient (9) |
| Overall Quote Score | 83 (302) |
Origin & Factcheck
This quote comes directly from Angela Duckworth’s 2016 book, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. It’s often, and understandably, misattributed to Winston Churchill, who said something with a similar spirit. But this specific phrasing is Duckworth’s, used to crystallize her research on what makes high achievers tick.
Attribution Summary
| Context | Attributes |
|---|---|
| Author | Dr Angela Duckworth (58) |
| Source Type | Book (4032) |
| Source/Book Name | Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance (58) |
| Origin Timeperiod | 21st Century (1892) |
| Original Language | English (3668) |
| Authenticity | Verified (4032) |
Author Bio
Angela Duckworth is a University of Pennsylvania psychology professor and MacArthur Fellow whose research focuses on grit, self-control, and achievement. She taught middle school before earning her PhD at Penn and later founded Character Lab to advance the science of character development. Her bestseller Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance has shaped thinking in education and performance science. She co-hosts No Stupid Questions on the Freakonomics network. If you’re browsing the Angela Duckworth book list, you’ll find practical, research-backed guidance for cultivating passion and perseverance.
| Official Website
Where is this quotation located?
| Quotation | Success is never final; failure is never fatal. It’s courage that counts |
| Book Details | Publication Year/Date: 2016; ISBN/Unique Identifier: 978-1501111105; Last edition: Scribner 2016; Number of pages: 352 |
| Where is it? | Chapter 9: Hope, page 179 (2016 Edition) |