40 Talks About Failure

These talks about failure mostly take the perspective that defeat brings an enormous amount of opportunity and hold resiliency as a key characteristic needed for success, in business and in life.

In a commencement speech given to recent graduates of Dartmouth University, talk show host Conan O'Brien retells his experience with the Tonight Show and how failure leads to reinvention. This advice is not just relevant for people in their careers, but in their personal lives as well. Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg theorizes empowerment in business can come from being honest and admitting defeat. In another of the talks about failure, Larry Smith discusses avoiding passionate careers and lists reasons for failure. More specifically, he explains obstacles that people might encounter in following their dreams and says many people let a fear of failure hold them back from pursuing their heart's desires.