THE LAW OF SUCCESS Lesson Fourteen – FAILURE
Napoleon Hill
Translator David De Angelis
Publisher: David De Angelis
Summary
In this lesson, Napoleon Hill overturns the common meaning of the word failure: what the world calls “failure” is almost always a temporary setback, often a blessing in disguise that interrupts a wrong path and forces us to redirect our energy, ambitions, and character toward a better path.Through the narration of seven “turning points” in his own life—job losses, economic collapses, betrayals, professional setbacks, and periods of poverty—Hill shows how each setback left a useful mark: humility instead of vanity, resilience instead of complacency, discipline instead of inertia, and above all, the ability to see the good in every situation. — Hill shows how each setback left a useful mark: humility instead of vanity, resilience instead of complacency, discipline instead of inertia, and above all, the ability to read the “silent language” of defeat, that is, the messages that life sends when we continue to repeat the same mistakes.The heart of the lesson is a practical invitation: never accept defeat as a final verdict, because it only becomes destructive when it is internalized as failure. If, on the other hand, it is interpreted as a teacher, it becomes an accelerator of growth and destiny. Hill concludes by elevating the dignity of the “failures” who have served humanity (from Socrates to Columbus to Christ), reminding us that true defeat is giving up — while glory, often invisible, lies in continuing to try until the wheel of life turns in your favor again.
