JK Rowling's Speech

I read about JK Rowling's Harvard Commencement Address a while back, but never got around to watching it until now. It was better than I had thought. Entitled, "The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination", it was actually quite inspirational, sincere, and quote-worthy. [watch/read it]

I like what she said here, about failure:

You might never fail on the scale I did, but some failure in life is inevitable. 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 fail by default.

Failure gave me an inner security that I had never attained by passing examinations. Failure taught me things about myself that I could have learned no other way. I discovered that I had a strong will, and more discipline than I had suspected; I also found out that I had friends whose value was truly above rubies.

"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 fail by default." If we try at life, we will occasionally screw up. Maybe regret is inevitable, but we still need to try. But sometimes I think I have come to be so afraid of failing, I tread too cautiously.