What This Quote Means
This quote from Thomas Edison is basically saying that quitting is your biggest enemy. Your real failure isn’t messing up; it’s stopping. He says the surest way to finally win is to always be willing to try “one more time” after you feel like giving up. That next try is where the magic usually happens.
Examples
You see this in almost everything:
- Giving Up: Missing a shot in basketball and then stopping for the day because you’re frustrated.
- Trying One More Time: Shooting 10 more baskets after you miss, until you finally make one and get your confidence back.
- Giving Up: Getting a bad grade on a math quiz and deciding you’re just “bad at math.”
- Trying One More Time: Going to the teacher for help, re-doing the problems you got wrong, and taking the next quiz.
- Giving Up: Your first few TikToks or YouTube videos get no views, so you delete the app.
- Trying One More Time: You make one more video, try a new idea, and maybe that’s the one that starts to get some attention.
Why This Is A Big Deal In Middle School
This is a massive deal for us because things start to get hard, and it’s easy to feel defeated fast.
- It Redefines Failure: It teaches you that failure isn’t a full stop—it’s just a comma. The story isn’t over until you decide to stop writing. One more try can change the whole ending.
- It Builds Grit: Grit is that mix of passion and perseverance. This quote is the definition of grit. The kids who succeed aren’t always the smartest or most talented; they’re the ones who don’t quit.
- It’s the Secret to Getting Good: No one is amazing at something on their first try. Being good is the result of a thousand “one more times.” Learning this now sets you up to master anything later in life.
A Real-Life Middle School Example:
The Situation: You’re trying to learn a kickflip on your skateboard. You’ve tried 20 times and slammed hard on the last few attempts. You’re bruised, your board hurtles away, and you just want to go inside.
Giving Up (The Weakness): You say “forget this,” pick up your board, and quit. The kickflip remains a mystery you never solved.
Trying One More Time (The Quote in Action): Even though you’re mad and sore, you think, “Okay, ONE. MORE. TIME.” You set up, focus, and try it again.
The Change: On that 21st try, you don’t land it perfectly, but you get the board all the way around. That small success gives you the hope to try 10 more times, and eventually, you land it. If you had given up at try #20, you would have missed the breakthrough that happened on #21.
The Bottom Line
Success is often hiding right on the other side of your last attempt. Your greatest power isn’t avoiding failure—it’s refusing to be finished. When you want to quit the most, that’s your signal to try just once more. That’s the try that changes everything.