It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat. – Theodore Roosevelt, in a speech at the Sorbonne, 1920
Gary Weller’s recent guest post reminded me of this quote. If I have any regrets in life, they stem from not thinking bigger and not putting myself out there more. Too much self-doubt, too much caving to peer pressure, too much acceptance of “conventional wisdom”. I try to not succumb to that stuff any more, and if people think I’m nuts as a result, so be it. We live in a society that lauds people who take chances and succeed, but mocks and ridicules people who try and fail. This seems to keep many people from taking chances and going for their goals.
Yoda was wrong. It’s not “do or do not”. It’s not “if you aren’t assured of success, don’t try”. No. Sorry, venerable and honored Jedi master. It is absolutely all about trying.
Before I defend “The Quote”, you are totally right about trying. It is absolutely all about trying. You will never succeed at anything if you don’t first accept the risk of failure and attempt it. As your title suggests, the action takes place in the arena, if you’re just in the stands you’re just a spectator.
In support of that, I think, while the “Do or Do Not” quote has been internalized by many to be “don’t try unless you’re guaranteed success”, the real meaning behind it (yes, I realize it’s just a movie quote, but we can still find wisdom in movies. After all, they are, in some ways and cases, simply more modern allegories and Star Wars, as awesome as it is, is simply an epic re-envisioning of “the hero’s tale”). As I was saying, the real meaning behind the quote is an Intent to succeed, rather than merely making a halfhearted attempt at something. If you’re going to do something, put your whole heart and mind into it, be mindful of the task as Takuan would say.
Good point, Jason. It’s more the idea of not accepting failure as an option.
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