Inspiration
Steve Harvey on Failure: The Best Teacher I Ever Had
There’s a lot of talk out about success. Folks love to celebrate the wins, post the highlight reels, and show off the trophies. And don’t get me wrong—I love to win. But let’s be clear: the reason I know how to win today is because I’ve lost so many times.
See, failure? That’s the best teacher I ever had.
I’ve had businesses flop, shows get canceled, auditions where I bombed so hard the silence was louder than the applause ever was. I’ve been broke, homeless, heartbroken, overlooked, and flat-out rejected. And I’m grateful for every single moment of that, because each one taught me something no book, no classroom, no mentor could ever give me.
Here’s the truth: when you fail, it strips away your ego. It humbles you. And in that humility is a powerful kind of wisdom. When I failed, I had to dig deep. I had to ask myself hard questions: What did I do wrong? What can I do better next time? Am I willing to try again, even if I get knocked down once more?
Let me give y’all a real example.
Years ago, before I made it big, I was living out of my car. I didn’t know where my next meal was coming from. I’d park at gas stations, wash up in the sink, and pray for just one shot. I wasn’t failing in theory—I was failing in real life. But that season of my life taught me about grit. It taught me how to survive on nothing but faith and determination. It taught me that as long as I could open my eyes each morning, I still had purpose.
Fast forward to now—I’m standing on stages all over the world, hosting shows, building businesses, and living a life I once only dreamed about in the front seat of that beat-up car. But if you ask me what made me, it wasn’t the applause or the accolades. It was the failure. The disappointment. The comebacks.
So here’s my message to you: Don’t be afraid to mess up. Don’t be afraid to fall short. That mistake you’re ashamed of? That business idea that didn’t take off? That relationship that ended? Those aren’t just bumps in the road—they’re part of the training. Learn from them. Grow from them. And most importantly, keep going.
Because the folks who make it in this life ain’t the ones who never fall. It’s the ones who get back up every time they do.
So go ahead—fail big. Then rise bigger.
You got this.
– Steve Harvey
Thank you so much for sharing your story. It’s a little like the journey we overcame and still getting through hurdles in a flood zone at this moment . The thing about your story is, because of the similarity of it I know there is so much in between the “bullets” or the “highlights” that you so kindly shared. Although I laugh through things and love to make people laugh, being a comedian is not the entrepreneurship I have been working on. After I was hit by another vehicle trying to get my son to the Doctor I became angry and depressed because it was like I just crawled to the finish line and thought , God why are you allowing this. As my husband is incarcerated I was stuck in bed a single mom and because I was not released to work I was terminated. God forced me to be still and get closer to him because that was not even the storm yet. Now that the sun ☀️ is shining a little more and I’m still trying to grow, me and God are so close, I had to use the time in bed to think and actually create what I envisioned . It was missing God and the reason was because I lost my site on him during the hurdles. As long as we keep our eyes on him he will fight our battles. I’m so glad you share your story because God loves to turn a nobody into somebody in front of everybody! Much love to you my brother. To God be the glory.