Thought of the Day: “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Then quit…There’s no use being a damn fool about it.” — W.C. Fields

November 21, 2025

“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Then quit…There’s no use being a damn fool about it.” — W.C. Fields

Some Thoughts of the Day arrive gently.

This one kicks the door in, grabs me by the hoodie, and asks:

“Buddy… how many times are you going to try this before you realize you’re the problem?”

W.C. Fields was not only funny, he was honest in a way most of us avoid being with ourselves. We love to think of persistence as a virtue. We put motivational posters on walls and talk about grit as though it’s the cure for all human struggle.

But sometimes, being stubborn isn’t strength.

Sometimes, it’s the reason we haven’t had lunch yet.

There’s a point when perseverance turns into self-inflicted chaos. A point where “try, try again” morphs into “I’m going to wrestle this thing into submission even if it takes me down with it.” And the wild part? We usually know when that point hits… we just pretend we don’t.

This quote makes me think about the difference between quitting and stepping away. They aren’t the same. Quitting is surrender. Stepping away is strategy. It’s taking a breath before you accidentally make things worse. It’s saving Future You from Present You’s pride.

There’s also a strange relief in admitting defeat. The moment you go, “Okay, enough,” something shifts. Your shoulders unclench. Your brain stops whirring. You remember that problems don’t get solved faster when you hammer them with increasingly chaotic attempts.

Sometimes the smartest move is simply pausing.

The truth is, not everything requires heroic persistence. Some problems need patience. Some need distance. Some need a snack. And some, as Fields pointed out, aren’t worth becoming a fool over. Not because we can’t figure them out, but because the cost of forcing them isn’t worth the payoff.

At the end of the day, stepping away isn’t weakness. It’s wisdom disguised as surrender. And maybe the best version of strength is the one that knows when to try again tomorrow instead of breaking yourself today.

🧠 Read the full blog post where I explore this Thought of the Day and the Question of the Day

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