I was never afraid of failure; for I would sooner fail than not be… — John Keats · Smartyfair

I was never afraid of failure; for I would sooner fail than not be among the greatest.

John Keats1795–1821 · poet · 1800s EnglandJohn Keats was an English Romantic poet who wrote beautifully about beauty, nature, and the shortness of life, after training as a surgeon and qualifying as an apothecary before turning fully to poetry.5 quotes

Source foundCourage1800s

In plain words

He would rather try and fail than never be among the great.

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Where these words come from

How sure this is: 88% sureThese words were traced back to where they first appeared. That source is listed below.
What turned up: Letter to James Hessey, 9 October 1818. Keats wrote in English — no translation involved.
Work: Letter to James Hessey
Sources checked: en.wikiquote.orgChecked using claude-sonnet-5, 21 August 2026raw wikitext fetch, exact letter text + recipient/date citation

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John Keats Nothing is finer for the purposes of great productions than a very gradual ripening of the intellectual powers.

More on courage

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Marcus Aurelius