Not getting that promotion can feel like the end of the world, but the people on this list show that devastating failures are just another stop on the road to success.
We’ve put together some of the world’s greatest success stories, from movie stars to scientists, who just happen to have experienced massive failure that could have easily made them give-up.
But they didn’t and now they’re the monumental successes that they are remembered for, a good source of encouragement when it feels like you will never make it to the top.
Failed the sixth grade. He was defeated in every public office role he ran for. Then he became the British prime minister at the age of 62.
Teachers told him he was “too stupid to learn anything.” Edison also famously invented 1,000 light bulbs before creating one that worked.
Her first contract with Columbia Pictures expired because they told her she wasn’t pretty or talented enough to be an actress.
His act was rejected by executives because they thought it was too obscure for people to understand. But then they took a chance on Chaplin, who went on to become America’s first bona fide movie star.
The famous director was rejected from his dream school, the University of Southern California, three times. He sought out an education somewhere else and dropped out to be a director.
See all 26 Successful Failures Here >>
