[scootklein]

"Failures are the stepping stones to success. Without failure, we’ll never learn how to succeed. So try to fail, instead of trying to avoid failure through fear."

I don't know how this one has hung around for so long (seems like a cultural cornerstone of valiance), but I find it just plain wrong. The first part of it (stepping stones) is reasonable, but the second part is doing a great disservice for those struggling every day to try and achieve their form of success.

Suggesting and encouraging failure is not the same as embracing and supporting it when it happens, and the author seems to be conflating the two.

[dedward]

I didn't interpret it that way when I read it - perhaps it could be worded better.

I read it to mean that you should not avoid trying to do something because you might fail - you should accept that you might fail and go for it anyway - not an encouragement to actively sabotage yourself and fail. Doing something you KNOW will fail is just stupid.