As I said there is nothing wrong with failing. Pick yourself up and try it again. You never are going to know how good you really are until you go out and face failure.

The quote — “As I said there is nothing wrong with failing. Pick yourself up and try it again. You never are going to know how good you really are until you go out and face failure” — by Henry Kravis emphasizes the critical role of resilience, self-discovery, and perseverance in the journey toward success. Kravis, a renowned American investor and co-founder of KKR & Co., uses this statement to advocate for embracing failure not as a defeat, but as a powerful learning opportunity.

At its core, the quote underscores the belief that failure is not a mark of inadequacy but a necessary step in achieving excellence. By encouraging people to “pick yourself up and try it again,” Kravis highlights the importance of tenacity and the mindset that setbacks should not derail ambition. Instead, each failure offers a chance to test limits, refine skills, and build character.

The line “you never are going to know how good you really are until you go out and face failure” suggests that true potential is revealed not in moments of comfort or success, but in how one confronts and overcomes adversity. Kravis implies that self-worth and capability are discovered through challenge, making failure an essential mirror for personal growth and inner strength.

This perspective is shaped by Kravis’s own experiences in the high-stakes world of private equity and finance, where risk-taking and navigating uncertainty are constants. His quote serves not only as motivation for entrepreneurs and professionals, but also as a universal reminder that courage in the face of failure is often the key to unlocking one’s fullest abilities.