Neil Simon on the importance of failure

The brilliant is born out of a writer’s pain, some divine inspiration, and a slight bit of madness. You can aspire to it but you can’t plan on it, especially if you know your limitations. Your horizons can expand, however, if you allow yourself the possibility of failure. You must, in fact, court failure.  Let her be your temptress. There must be danger in the attempt and no net strung across the abyss to break your fall.

—Neil Simon, Rewrites