It Is Not the Critic Who Counts

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat. Theodore Roosevelt

Last night, I was in attendance for the Techpoint Mira Awards. This is a regional awards for the technology community in Indiana. The awards were fantastic and it was great to see three businesses that I’ve worked with – ExactTarget, Imavex and Bluelock – get recognized for the great work they’ve been doing. There’s no coincidence that the three CEO’s for these companies are some of the greatest people I’ve ever met.

Bob Compton capped off the evening, earning a Lifetime Achievement Award, and providing the fantastic quote above. It’s a quote that he keeps in his wallet and distributes to every entrepreneur he meets.