“We do not always succeed in what we undertake, but we rarely succeed in what we do not begin.”Luc de Vauvenargues · Reflecții și maxime · 1746 · Maxima 390
Failure is the privilege of those who began; not starting is the only guaranteed defeat.
The maxim reframes failure: not a shame, but proof that you entered the game. The real risk is not trying and missing, but never trying, for then the outcome is certain: zero. The mechanism is simple — chance exists only where action exists. A manuscript rejected by ten publishers still has a chance; the one left in the drawer has none.
Why it matters An antidote to fear of failure: it reminds us that not starting is the only option with a guaranteed bad outcome.