Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Facing the Mistakes of Life ... One of Our Great Privileges

Life is simply time given to man to learn how to live. Mistakes are always part of learning. The real dignity of life consists in cultivating a fine attitude towards our own mistakes and those of others. It is the fine tolerance of a fine soul. Man becomes great, not through never making mistakes, but by profiting by those he does make; by being satisfied with a single rendition of a mistake, not encoring it into a continuous performance; by getting from it the honey of new, regenerating inspiration with no irritating sting of morbid regret; by building better to-day because of his poor yesterday; and by rising with renewed strength, finer purpose and freshened courage every time he falls.
A simply wonderful piece written in 1909 and featured at The Art of Manliness.

Mistakes sting, no doubt about it. But if I can face them with this attitude, I will be better for it.

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