A small paper kite caught on a twig with a spool of thread on the ground.

Original artwork, not a still

John F. Kennedy

Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

The speaker links great achievement to a willingness to risk great failure. Ambition involves accepting an uncertain outcome, rather than securing success in advance. The saying treats courage in the face of possible failure as a condition of reaching unusually demanding goals.

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