Adam Peaty
British swimmer; Olympic champion 2016 and 2021
When I lost that 100m final I spiralled. I went quite aggressive. It is an Adam I don't really recognise.
How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? Do you have a favourite failure?
We have failed seven times up at bat, and we strike out, and I think, "How can I learn from that failure? What went wrong? What could I have done differently?" You have to take it apart to understand your failures. Failures teach you much more than your successes. Sometimes it is better just to pause on a setback, on a failure, on a screw-up, and say, "What did I learn from this?" You learn how to do it better and you recommit yourself.
Academy of Achievement interviewer, Academy of Achievement interview, New York, New York, 1 April 2005 source ↗
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Amy Tan
Novelist; author of The Joy Luck Club
I didn’t fear failure. I expected failure. I think I’ve always been somebody, since the deaths of my father and brother, who was afraid to hope. So, I was more prepared for failure and for rejection than success. The success took me by surprise and it frightened me.
Susan Butcher
Dog musher; four-time winner of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race
I feel that because I challenge myself so often, sometimes I will fail. This is, to me, the essence of competition — that there will be both winners and losers. But I have great faith in myself that I will turn this loss into something positive.
Li Na
Chinese professional tennis player, 1999–2014
As hard as it's been to come to this decision, I am at peace with it. I have no regrets. I was not supposed to be here in the first place, remember? Not many people believed in my talent and my abilities, yet I found a way to persevere, to prove them (and sometimes myself!) wrong.
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