“Take chances, make mistakes. That’s how you grow. Pain nourishes your courage. You have to fail in order to practice being brave.”
— Mary Tyler Moore · 1936 – 2017Source: McCall's interview, 1980 · Check the source
Disputed attributionWhat we know
- What is documented
- A 1980 McCall's interview quotes Moore saying lines like “Pain nourishes my courage. You have to fail in order to practice being brave,” and later collections expand the wording.
- What remains uncertain
- Evidence supports the quote’s substance from the interview, but the exact phrasing widely circulated comes mainly from secondary compilations rather than a verifiable primary transcript.
Understanding the quote
The line frames growth as something earned by taking risks and learning from mistakes: courage deepens through hardship rather than comfort. It reflects Mary Tyler Moore’s public message about resilience and is traced to a 1980 McCall's interview, though exact wording is partly disputed.
The story behind it
Mary Tyler Moore was an American actress, producer and advocate, born Dec 29, 1936 in Brooklyn and died Jan 25, 2017 in Greenburgh. Her interviews often emphasized self-reliance and steady work ethic.
Going further
- The era
- In 1980, magazine interviews frequently shaped public self-help phrases; Moore discussed courage in that context.
- The thinking
- Practical idea: bravery is a skill you build by doing hard things and failing sometimes, not a trait you must already have.
- Key word
- Resilience: bouncing back and learning after setbacks.
- Who quoted it
- The sentence appears widely in modern quote collections and websites, which helped popularize the fuller wording.
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 one-page letter to your future self describing a recent risk, the mistake made, and the lesson you learned today.
Putting mistakes into words turns pain into insight. Writing about a recent failure helps you claim the courage gained from it.
Do 20 minutes of movement that pushes your limits slightly (light intervals or stair repeats) and note one discomfort you faced.
Physical strain models how temporary pain builds courage. Pushing a bodily limit practices tolerating discomfort and growing braver.
Call or meet someone and tell them about a recent mistake; ask for ten minutes of honest feedback.
Voicing a mistake practices vulnerability and converts pain into learning. Social feedback helps transform shame into usable courage.
How has a recent mistake helped you grow?
Report an error
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