Never Give Up: 50 Famous Failures Who Kept Going and Found Success

Please Note: This page and all content are the original work of Craig J. Phillips and Second Chance to Live. They are protected under my Copyright & Use Policy, Use and Sharing Policy, and Creative Commons License (BY-NC-ND).

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Never Give Up: 50 Famous Failures Who Kept Going and Found Success

You don’t need to read every story below. Let your eyes rest where something resonates. And if you would, mark as a favorite article and come back to read more later. No rush. Only encouragement to not give up on you purpose.

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This article explores 50 famous people who failed many times before they found success because they did not give up! 

“Cherish your visions and dreams, for they are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.”  Napoleon Hill

On November 16, 2023, I wrote this article to remind myself—and others—of a powerful truth. A powerful truth that even when we don’t see the results we hoped for, our vision and commitment still matter.

Just as these 50 individuals faced repeated setbacks in the public eye, the invisible setbacks that come after brain injury carry the same life-shaping truth. Persistence and not giving matters. More will be…

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My Process and Journey

I sustained an open skull fracture with right frontal lobe damage, a severe brain bruise with brain stem involvement, a fractured left femur and remained in a coma for 3 weeks at the age of 10 in 1967. After being released from the hospital I had to teach myself how to walk, talk, read, write and speak in complete sentences. I underwent 2 EEG’s and a battery of cognitive/psycho social. The results of these test revealed that I was not expected to be able to succeed beyond high school academically.

I obtained my undergraduate in 10 years and my masters degree in 3 1/2 years. Nevertheless, after 2 Department of  Vocational Rehabilitation evaluations I was found to be unemployable and after 3 applications for SSDI I found myself approved and living on a small monthly SSDI check. After 7 more years of searching I found a way to use my gifts, talents and abilities in a way that would work for me. Work for me and on February 6, 2007, at the encouragement of a friend I created Second Chance to Live.

During the past 18 3/4 years I have written 2335 articles, created 464 video presentations, 30 keynote presentations, 20 eBooks, 45 posters and have given 152 virtual presentations.  All of these have been written and created in different formats for people who learn in different ways. All of these are written and created to encourage a trauma-informed, holistic approach to an ongoing brain injury recovery process in mind, body, spirit, soul, and emotions after experiencing trauma.

Creating a Hospitable Environment for People Living with Brain Injuries (Part 1)

Creating a Hospitable Environment for People Living with Brain Injuries (Part 2)

Creating Our Normal after Brain Injury Using Trauma-Informed Care to Thrive through Living

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An Experience that Opened my Eyes

Reclaiming Our Life after a Traumatic or Acquired Brain Injury

Knowing, Understanding and Celebrating Success after Brain Injury 

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How I have been Advocating in the AI Universe

During the past several months, actually starting back in May of this year  (2025) I started a project. A project that has had me focused on wanting to make it easier for people living with brain injuries to use Artificial Intelligence (AI).

• Examining How to Provide Better Care in Medical and AI Systems for Individuals Living with Brain Injuries

To see what I have been advocating scroll down.

• Our Mission at Second Chance to Live

• Beyond the Name: The Heart of Trauma-Informed Care

• Dear AI Developers: Here’s Why You Should Be Paying Attention

• The Backbone of Trauma-informed AI is Trauma-Informed Care AI and Holistic Recovery

• Support, Not Extraction: A Trauma-Informed Care Lens for Human-Centered AI Design

• The Next Step in Ethical AI: The Second Chance to Live Trauma-Informed Care Model™

• Why AI Developers Need Trauma-Informed Care, Dignity-Centered Wisdom Now

• The Soul of AI: Trauma-Informed Care Neuroplasticity for Human-Centered Design

• Second Chance to Live Trauma-Informed Care AI — A New Class of AI™

• Alpha Declaration of the Second Chance to Live Trauma-Informed Care AI Collaboration Model™

• The Second Chance to Live Trauma-Informed Care AI Collaboration Model™ Proof of Concept

• Updated Learning Logs — Continued Proof of Concept for the Second Chance to Live Trauma-Informed Care AI Collaboration Model™

• Are you being supported — or quietly extracted from?

• Evidence Based AI Developer Facing Architecture and AI Learning Logs: November, December 2025 and January 2026

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Why We Must Keep Going (Even When We Feel Like Giving Up)

Lately, I’ve felt discouraged. Maybe you have, too. Discouraged because things don’t seem to be moving forward. Discouraged by the lack of recognition. Discouraged by the feeling that your effort doesn’t matter.

But it does. And you matter.

Just like I shared in my article I Don’t Have to Wait to Live My Dreams, we don’t have to wait until we cross a finish line to be successful. Success is in the showing up. In the becoming.

“Just keep going and keep believing in your own original vision, no matter what odds you have to overcome. And especially don’t be stopped by your own fears.” — Angelina Maccarone

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Inspired by Perseverance: They Didn’t Give Up—And Neither Should We

Here are quotes and stories that continue to uplift me in hard moments:

• “Failure is only a temporary change in direction to set you straight for your next success.” — Denis Waitley

• “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” — Winston Churchill

• “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” — Theodore Roosevelt

• “Don’t judge your day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant.” — Robert Louis Stevenson

I invite you to read the stories of well-known people who were told they’d never succeed—but who kept going anyway.

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50 Famous People Who Failed—and Then Triumphed

These individuals were misunderstood, rejected, or outright told to quit. But they didn’t.

This list comes from Peter Shepherd’s Trans4Mind site, and I’m grateful for his efforts in compiling it. I share it to encourage you—and myself—not to give up.

They were not defined by rejection. They were defined by their resilience.

Albert Einstein: Didn’t speak until age 4. His teacher called him “mentally slow.”
Beethoven: Called “hopeless” by his music teacher—wrote 5 symphonies while deaf.
Walt Disney: Fired for “lack of imagination.” Went bankrupt before creating Disneyland.
Winston Churchill: Failed 6th grade. Lost nearly every election until age 62.
Thomas Edison: Failed 1,000 times before inventing the lightbulb.

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Why This Matters for Brain Injury Survivors and Trauma Recovery

If you’re living with a brain injury, trauma, invisible disability—or just navigating a hard season—this article is for you.

It’s easy to feel unseen, like your healing isn’t fast enough or your dreams are “too much.” But your effort matters. Your growth matters. And you can live your dreams in the now, not just after some imagined milestone.

Let the stories of these famous failures remind you: the journey matters more than the judgment.

Let your life be proof that setbacks are setups for comebacks.

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Full List of 50 Famous People Who Did Not Give Up

This section includes detailed stories of Albert Einstein, Beethoven, Disney, Churchill, Edison, Lincoln, Freud, Darwin, and many more. Read how each was dismissed, rejected, or failed repeatedly—and how they chose to keep moving forward.

To view the full list and quotes in original format, visit:

Famous People who Failed Many Times before they Succeeded and Changed their “World 

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Turning Setbacks into Stepping Stones

Like the people above, my own journey through brain injury and recovery has been filled with failures that became stepping stones. That’s why I created Second Chance to Live — to share what I’ve learned about turning setbacks into comebacks.

If this article encouraged you, you may also find hope in these articles:

• Reclaiming My Identity after Brain Injury
• Although You May Feel Stuck at Times, Don’t Give Up!
• Living Life after Brain injury with Dignity in the Age of AI
• Neuroplasticity, Small Successes and Learning/Relearning Skills/Skill Sets
• Brain Injury Recovery and the Nine Pillar Powers of “I CAN”: A Presentation Synopsis by Craig J. Phillips

My hope is that, like me, you will be encouraged to keep moving forward — one step, one day, one choice at a time.

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🔁 Final Thought: Don’t Give Up—Your Voice Matters

Your life, your journey, your contribution—they all matter. Even when it feels like no one sees, remember this:

Success is showing up one more time. It’s saying “I can” even after “I can’t.”

If this article encouraged you, please consider sharing it with someone who may need the reminder, too.

With hope and gratitude,
Craig J. Phillips, MRC, BA
Founder of Second Chance to Live