From 50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind:

Which is worse, failing or never trying?

This may surprise a few people, but I’m going to say failing.

Trying’s not very hard; you just have to work yourself up mentally and then do it. There have a lot of things I’ve tried after a long, slow breath. I appreciate trying, and in the end, usually conclude that it was worth it.

But failing? That’s worse. The reason why? Because by trying, you learn what you’re likely to gain or experience. That means that when you fail, you know what you’re missing or what you’re going to miss. Sometimes you can learn not to miss it. But sometimes you can’t.

In a lot of ways, this can lead to fear of trying. That’s the struggle I see when it comes to trying vs. failing. You have to keep trying, even though you might end up with only a string of failures in the process. I’ve twice nearly lost everything I had. But I’ve twice managed to keep the word “nearly” in that sentence by trying.

To me, those experiences counterbalance all of the times I’ve failed (and there have been more than I want to count). It’s hard, sometimes, not to see myself as a failure. But because I continue trying — and thus, succeed sometimes — I can stay alive. That’s what makes trying worth it.