Quote of the day by Michael Jordan: ‘I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.’
Even in 2026, Michael Jordan's impact resonates with athletes and entrepreneurs. His career demonstrates that failures are pivotal for growth, encouraging a mindset that embraces setbacks as necessary steps toward achieving success and overcoming challenges.
‘I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.’ Michael Jordan
In our modern ‘highlight reel’ culture, we are constantly bombarded with images of the finish line—the gold medals, the championship trophies, and the multi-million dollar deals. However, basketball icon Michael Jordan suggests that we are looking at success through the wrong end of the telescope. This quote is a profound meditation on the necessity of failure as a source of fuel. Jordan isn't just saying he succeeded despite his failures; he is asserting that his success is a direct product of them.
When you break down the numbers, Jordan’s career is a mountain of "misses." He famously missed more than 9,000 shots and lost nearly 300 games. Most tellingly, he was trusted to take the game-winning shot 26 times, and he failed each time.
For most people, 26 public failures in high-stakes moments would be enough to induce performance paralysis. For Jordan, each miss was a data point. It provided him with the intellectual and emotional scaffolding required to build a sturdier version of himself.
In today’s high-pressure professional world, this mindset is the ultimate antidote to the fear of making mistakes. It teaches us that "failing forward" is the only way to expand our limits.
About Michael Jordan: The Spirit of the Chicago Bulls
Michael Jeffrey Jordan, often referred to by his initials MJ, is widely considered the greatest basketball player of all time. But his journey to the top was anything but a straight line. One of the most famous stories in sports history is Jordan being cut from his varsity basketball team as a sophomore at Laney High School. Instead of giving up, he used that rejection as a foundational motivator, famously saying he would visualize that "cut list" whenever he felt like quitting during a workout.
Jordan’s professional career with the Chicago Bulls redefined the NBA, leading the team to six championships and earning himself five MVP awards. His influence reached far beyond the court; he became a global cultural icon, a pioneer in the sneaker industry with the ‘Air Jordan’ brand, and eventually a successful billionaire businessman.
Even now, in 2026, his legacy is trending among new generations of athletes and entrepreneurs. His career is a reminder that setbacks are not roadblocks but stepping stones — proof that resilience and persistence can turn failure into lasting success.
(Disclaimer: The first draft of this story was generated by AI)
- Failures can be powerful learning experiences that contribute to future success.
- Resilience and persistence are essential traits for overcoming obstacles.
- Viewing failure as a stepping stone rather than a setback can shift one’s mindset positively.
About the Author
For about a decade, Livemint—News Desk has been a credible source for authentic and timely news, and well-researched analysis on national news, business, personal finance, corporates, politics and geopolitics. We bring the latest updates on all the listed companies on BSE and NSE, startups, mutual funds, Union ministries, geopolitics, and untapped human interest stories from around the world, helping our readers to stay informed on the latest developments around the globe. Our Coverage Areas 1. Companies: Comprehensive news and analysis on listed and unlisted companies, corporate announcements, corporate chatter, C-suite, business trends, hiring alerts, layoffs, work-life balance, world's top billionaires and richest and more. 2. Personal finance: Insights into mutual funds, small savings schemes like - PPF, SSY, post office savings scheme, stock to watch, personal loans, credit cards, top bank FDs, real estate, income tax and more. 3. Politics: Comprehensive coverage of general elections, state elections and bypolls, Lok Sabha, Vidhan Sabha, Parliament, PMO, PIB, finance ministry, home ministry, among other union ministries and government departments. 4. National News: From metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and e to untapped stories from rural India, we cover human interest, health, education, crime and courts, and law and order, among other areas of public interest. 5. Economy: In-depth analysis of India's macro and micro-economic indicators like- GDP, inflation, forex, fiscal deficit, current account deficit, interest rate cycle, economic recovery, RBI circulars, indirect taxes, GST, Insolvency and Bankruptcy imports, exports and everything that impacts Indian economy. 6. Geopolitics: Well-rounded and deeply researched coverage on US News, Oval Office European Union, Ukraine Russia War, middle-east crisis, royal families and global leaders like - Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, Xi Jinping and premiers of other leading economies in the world. Meet the Team 1. Gulam Jeelani, Political Affairs Editor 2. Sugam Singhal, Senior Assistant Editor 3. Chanchal, Assistant Editor 4. Sanchari Ghosh, Chief Content Producer 5. Pratik Prashant Mukane, Chief Content Producer 6. Sayantani Biswas, Chief Content Producer 7. Ravi Hari, Deputy Chief Content Producer 8. Garvit Bhirani, Deputy Chief Content Producer 9. Akriti Anand, Senior Content Producer 10. Jocelyn Felix Fernandes, Senior Content Producer 11. Swastika Das Sharma, Content Producer 12. Mausam Jha, Content Producer 13. Riya R Alex, Trainee Content Producer