“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”
— Samuel Beckett · 1906 – 1989Source: Worstward Ho (1983) · Check the source
Verified attributionWhat we know
- What is documented
- The line appears in Samuel Beckett's late prose piece Worstward Ho, published in 1983.
Understanding the quote
Beckett’s line condenses a late-career aesthetic: persistence within limits. In Worstward Ho (1983) the phrase operates as an artistic rule — failure is not a mistake to erase but the material out of which work continues.
The story behind it
Samuel Beckett was born in Dublin in 1906 and died in Paris in 1989. He wrote in both English and French and is central to modernist and absurdist literature.
Going further
- The era
- In 1983, near the end of his career, Beckett was stripping language to its essentials and testing its limits.
- The thinking
- This reflects absurdist minimalism: keep acting even when outcomes are bleak. Practically, it means revising, repeating, and accepting imperfect results as part of the work.
- Key word
- Failure as process: treating failure as the ongoing condition of trying, not a single mistake.
Three challenges to live it
In the app, you pick the one that fits your day, and in the evening you say how it went.
Write a 250-word micro-essay about one attempt that failed, what you'd try again today, and one concrete tweak you'll apply next time.
Beckett treats failure as material; reflecting in writing makes repetition intentional and helps you identify the small change that will let you 'fail better.'
Do 10 minutes of movement improvisation: repeat one simple gesture six times, changing a single parameter each repetition (speed, size, direction).
Beckett's insistence on iteration fits physical practice; altering one variable per try makes failure a visible, usable step toward improvement.
Create a 20-minute visual diptych: two images or sketches — first showing an attempt, second showing the retry with one clear alteration.
Beckett treats failure as aesthetic material; a visual diptych makes visible how a single change in repetition creates new meaning from the same failed act.
How have recent failures changed the way you try again?
Report an error
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