Who said “Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure.”?

Verified

George E. Woodberry. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourceWendell Phillips: The Faith of an American (1912), p. 44

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Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: Wendell Phillips: The Faith of an American (1912), p. 44.

APA

Woodberry, G. E. (n.d.). Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/12506-defeat-is-not-the-worst-of-failures-not/

MLA

Woodberry, George E. “Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/12506-defeat-is-not-the-worst-of-failures-not/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Woodberry, George E. “Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/12506-defeat-is-not-the-worst-of-failures-not/.

Related quotes

“Those who are prepared to die for any cause are seldom defeated.”
— Jawaharlal Nehru
VerifiedOn the defeat of the forces of Darius the Great of Persia at the Battle of Marathon, in Glimpses of World History; Being Further Letters to His Daughter, Written In Prison, And Containing A Rambling Account of History For Young People (1942); also in Nehru on World History (1960} edited by Saul K. · evidenceDetails & citeDefeat

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