I'm quite interested in my own mental processes, simply because I'm a failed scientist, and because I'm interested in how the brain and the mind works, and I like to avoid easy descriptions.
When Obama was first proposed as a presidential candidate in 2007, the nation failed to have a meaningful debate concerning the serious constitutional issue of electing someone whose father was not a U.S. citizen.
We never had planned to hijack a ship. We never thought of any war plans outside the Palestinian lands. We wished that the program had not failed and then the warriors could have achieved their goals.
If I don't direct a movie at some point, I've failed personally.
A startup is literally just a series of unfortunate events where you failed, failed, failed, and failed until you succeed.
WeWork is my fifth venture. I failed in my first, second and third, had mediocre success in the fourth.
In the spirit of science, there really is no such thing as a 'failed experiment.' Any test that yields valid data is a valid test.
I am a failed visual artist.
I don't believe in the so-called Olympic spirit. I speak from personal experience. When China hosted the Games, it failed to include the people. The event was constructed without regard for their joy.
I think teaching keeps me honest because if I'm up in front of a class talking about what I think is important about fiction while knowing I myself have just failed to do that hours earlier at my computer - it's a good and humbling reminder.
