1101：J.K Rowling 's 2008 Harvard Commencement Address

You might never fail on the scale i did , but some failure in life is inevitable . it is impossible to live without failing at something ,unless at all -in which case ,you fail by default .

Failure gave me an inner security /that i had never attained by passing examinations .Failure taught me things about myself that i could have learned no other way. i discovered that i had a strong will ,and more discipline than i had suspected; i also found out that i had friends whose value was truly above rubies .

The knowledge that you have emerged wiser and stronger from setbacks means that you are , ever after, secure in your ability to survive .you will never truly know yourself ,or the strength of your relationships ,untill both have been tested by adversity .such knowledge is a true gift , for all that it is painfully won ,and it has been worth more to me than any qualification i ever earned .

Given a time machine or a time turner ,i would tell my 21-year -old self that personal happiness lies in knowing that...fe is not a check-list of acquisition or achievement . your qualifications ,your CV,are not your life , though you will meet many people of my age and older who confuse the two . life is difficult ,and complicated ,and beyond anyone's two , life is difficult ,and complicated ,and beyond anyone's total control ,and thehumility to know that will enable you to survive its vicissitudes.