4 Quotes to Inspire Any and All Small Business Owners

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By Shannon Farr, writing intern

As you can imagine, as an English major, I read quite a few novels, plays, and even poetry. I spend most of my evenings curled up on my couch, reading one book or another, sipping on my glass of wine.

The other night, I was reading a book for a class writing assignment. The book by Lois P. Frankel, See Jane Lead: 99 Ways for Women to Take Charge at Work, is dedicated to helping women understand that their potential for leadership is already a part of their everyday lives.=

In the third chapter of this book, the author is discussing risk-taking, which is something that I have always struggled with. She begins to discuss what prevents women from taking risks and she brings up a quote by Ellen Shedlarz, “Failure is inevitable for risk takers.” Then Lois poses a question that left me sitting on my couch, smiling at the simplicity:

Why do you think so many successful people are quoted about failure? Because it is inevitable, but it is also necessary to move forward in life.

 

So much like Ellen Shedlarz’s words, here are four quotes to help you understand that failure is a part of life. But more than that, quotes to let you know that what comes after a failure is a reward that no set of words can capture.

“Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another steppingstone to greatness.” – Oprah Winfrey

As one of the most influential people of our day, Oprah has succeeded and failed. What would have happened if one failure had stopped her from pursuing her dreams or speaking her mind?

“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.” – Henry Ford

Henry Ford was a ground-breaking individual. He dared to challenge the status quo and create an industry unlike any other. How would we feel if one failure in his process to achieve greatness had stopped him in his tracks? Where would we be without his perseverance and his ability to overcome failure?

“I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.”– Michael Jordan

Everyone always talks about the fact that Michael Jordon did not make his high school basketball team the first time around. Modern-day basketball players would not have a role model to chase nor would we have those great sneakers! In all seriousness, what if Michael had decided one failure was enough to shape his entire future?

“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 have failed by default.” – J. K. Rowling

One of the most successful authors alive today, J. K. Rowling was not always successful. In fact, early in her life, she was hit by a string of failures in her personal life. What if those 12 rejections from publishing houses pushed Rowling to stop pursuing her dream of publishing her story about a little boy, living underneath a staircase?

Failure is an essential part of living. On top of that, failure is unbelievably scary! But do not let the fear of failing hold you back from pursuing your dreams. In the words of the baseball legend Babe Ruth, “Do not let the fear of striking out, keep you from playing the game.”

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