Beckett

Samuel Beckett is an author that I never really got into. Despite the efforts of various well-intentioned teachers, his writing style never really spoke to me. In fact, my greatest hope while reading Waiting for Godot was that Godot would come up and double tap both of those morons in the head and put us all out of our misery.
 
That said, he did know how to turn a phrase. My mind seems more suited for trivia than actual useful information, and his quotes, taken completely out of context, serve as a pretty good guidebook for my life.

"Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better."
This one pretty much explains my bike racing career. Each time I fail, I try to fail a little better. Sometimes my failures are successes, which is always a nice bonus.
 
 "Dance first. Think later. It's the natural order."
That quote sums up my life philosophy, for better or (mostly) worse. It led me to my Novara hybrid, which led me to my Mercier Serpens, which led me to... near financial ruin. Still, it's been a lot of fun and I'm a better person because of it. I just need to fail better at dancing.

"I must go on. I can't go on. I'll go on."
Every. Single. Race.
At one point or another, when the pace or slope tips up another notch, I go through the battle in my head. The majority of the time pig-headedness wins out and I close down the gap, moving further down the long, dark tunnel. Sometimes there's a light at the end of the tunnel. Sometimes it's a train...
 "No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better."
 

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