It is hard to fail. It is worse never to have tried.

What it means

Failure stings, but regret for never trying lasts longer. Roosevelt asks you to weigh those two pains honestly. Try.

The source

"It is hard to fail. It is worse never to have tried." Theodore Roosevelt said it in The Strenuous Life, Hamilton Club, Chicago, 10 April 1899. Written in English: The Strenuous Life, 1900.

"It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed."

Original English (The Strenuous Life, 1900), The Strenuous Life, Hamilton Club, Chicago, 10 April 1899. Text read at gutenberg.org.

Who said it

Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919). Twenty-sixth president of the United States. His speeches The Strenuous Life (1899) and Citizenship in a Republic (1910), the man in the arena, praised effort over comfort.

Questions

What does "It is hard to fail. It is worse never to have tried." mean?

Failure stings, but regret for never trying lasts longer. Roosevelt asks you to weigh those two pains honestly. Try.

Who said "It is hard to fail. It is worse never to have tried."?

Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919). Source: The Strenuous Life, Hamilton Club, Chicago, 10 April 1899.

What is the original wording?

It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed (Original English (The Strenuous Life, 1900)). Written in English: The Strenuous Life, 1900.

Is "It is hard to fail. It is worse never to have tried." on a shirt?

Yes. We print it to order on our tees in 7 illustrated looks, from $44, with free US shipping.

"It is hard to fail. It is worse never to have tried." (Theodore Roosevelt, The Strenuous Life, Hamilton Club, Chicago, 10 April 1899, trans. Original English (The Strenuous Life, 1900)). https://spartansurfers.com/quotes/it-is-hard-to-fail-it-is-worse