Faith consists in being vitally concerned with that ultimate reality to which I give the symbolical name of God. Whoever reflects earnestly on the meaning of life is on the verge of an act of faith.
He who risks and fails can be forgiven. He who never risks and never fails is a failure in his whole being.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Taking risks is essential for growth and success, and failure is an acceptable part of that process.
This quote emphasizes the importance of taking risks in life. It suggests that encountering failure is not something to be ashamed of, but rather a necessary component of personal growth and achievement. Those who avoid risks altogether not only miss out on potential success but also lead a life devoid of true fulfillment and purpose. In contrast, those who dare to take chances may fail, but they also open themselves up to the possibility of learning and achieving greatness.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech encouraging young entrepreneurs to take bold steps in their careers.
More from Paul Tillich
All quotes βCruelty towards others is always also cruelty towards ourselves.
The courage to be is the courage to accept oneself, in spite of being unacceptable.
The citizens of a city are not guilty of the crimes committed in their city; but they are guilty as participants in the destiny of [humanity] as a whole and in the destiny of their city in particular; for their acts in which freedom was united with destiny have contributed to the destiny in which they participate. They are guilty, not of committing the crimes of which their group is accused, but of contributing to the destiny in which these crimes happened.
Wine is like the incarnation--it is both divine and human
Man is able to decide for or against reason, he is able to create beyond reason or to destroy below reason
Similar quotes
I trained for less than three-quarters of an hour, maybe five days a week - I didn't have time to do more. But it was all about quality, not quantity - so I didn't waste time jogging, ever.
I still get rejections - frequently - and my goal isn't to never fail, to never be turned down, but simply to succeed more often than I don't. And in order to do that, I have to constantly put myself out there, to judgment, critique, and rejection.
I'm hopeful that at the end of my life, someone like Frederick Douglass would look at my life and say, 'Well done: you've proven yourself to be worthy of the legacy we left you.'
Sure I am this day we are masters of our fate, that the task which has been set before us is not above our strength; that its pangs and toils are not beyond our endurance. As long as we have faith in our own cause and an unconquerable will to win, victory will not be denied us.
Doctors and scientists said breaking the four-minute mile was impossible, that one would die in the attempt. Thus, when I got up from the track after collapsing at the finish line, I figured I was dead
I didn't have any money. I had a sense of terrible loss. But what I also had was a fire in my belly. I wasn't going to go back to waiting tables. I felt I had to be better at fronting a band.