Churchill is credited with the famous statement that success is going from one failure to another without losing enthusiasm. It is a beautiful and profound phrase; to a certain extent, it is even true, just like that other saying which states that to be successful, one need only not give up. The fact is, however, that failure is a fundamental and enriching experience; dealing with it time and again shapes one’s character and brings maturity. But assimilating this, as with other experiences, is a conscious act: one must allow oneself to be transformed by it and begin to act in accordance with that transformation. Thus, the experience acquires meaning, becomes useful, and each failure is left behind as a step on a staircase. Unfortunately, not everyone incorporates it in this way. There are those who do not learn from their failures, whose lives boil down to a cycle in which the same mistakes are followed by the same consequences, in a degrading repetition that gradually destroys everything around them. Instead of perseverance, there is stubbornness, and the result is very sad to witness…