Failure is not Failing

“Failure is a word unknow to me.”

There are few successes and many failures in life.

Life begins with failure.
When we first try to sit as children, we fall. Then we toddle. Then we walk.

We start by failing, and we don’t give up until we succeed.

Good parenting allows a child to fail and rise early in life. When parents fear that a child might fail or get hurt, the process only gets prolonged—but it cannot be avoided.

The more we fail, the more fear we can develop.
But when we see failure as an opportunity to learn, grow, and avoid repeating past mistakes, our chances of success increase.

“Failure is a word unknown to me” is attributed to Quaid‑e‑Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

I believe this does not mean he never failed.
It means he never accepted defeat or failure until he succeeded.

If failure is punished—whether in education, life, or professional settings—it kills confidence.
I am not saying there should be no consequences for wilful failure; otherwise, there would be no reward for performance. But punishment should never discourage another attempt.

Life does not teach us in cozy classrooms or friendly environments.
It teaches through experience. And we learn the most in difficult times and challenging situations.

Failure is not the end of life.
It is just another opportunity.

Simon Sinek says you cannot have innovation without failure. If you are not failing while trying to innovate, you are probably not pushing hard enough—you haven’t broken anything, and you’re making very safe choices.

Jeff Bezos once said:
“I believe we are the best place in the world to fail (we have plenty of practice!), and failure and invention are inseparable twins.”

So try—and allow yourself to fail.
But never accept failure.

That is perseverance: continuing despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.

This is the true meaning of
“Failure is a word unknown to me.”

— Muhammad Rizwan