As writers, we face a lot of rejection and criticism.  It can be disheartening.  It is probably true that all writers feel like failures at some point.  I know I have felt that way many times.

So, I want to offer you these wonderful quotes about failure from Ten Poems to Change Your Life by Roger Housden.

"Last night as I was sleeping,
I dreamt - marvelous error! -
that I had a beehive
here inside my heart.
And the golden bees
were making white combs
and sweet honey
From my old failures."
- Antonio Machado
Part of his poem “Last Night As I Was Sleeping”
(version by Robert Bly)

"Imagine the possibility that every single turn of events, however dark or disappointing the outcome, can in some circuitous way be the raw material for something that eventually surfaces with the sweetness of honey."
-Roger Housden

The quotes struck me and have stayed with me, getting me through and giving me hope.

When you get discouraged by your failures and things seem hopeless, remember this:
God is building something beautiful from the mess of your life.

And remember that the only way to never fail is to never attempt anything worthwhile.  Or as I like to say, “If you never fail, it’s because you’re not trying hard enough.”