David McConnell sold books door-to-door. Housewives were not interested in the books and frequently slammed¹ the door（关门，拒绝） in McConnell's face before he had a chance to make his sale. Instead of giving up, McConnell decided² to give away a free gift, a small vial（小瓶） of perfume³, which he made himself. He soon discovered that the women preferred the perfume to the books. He stopped selling books and created his own company Avon, which is a great success. 

 

When you do nothing, you learn nothing. But when you try and fail, you learn what doesn't work. That puts you one step closer to what will work. It doesn't matter how many times you fail. It does matter that you will succeed sometime. 

 

Van Gogh had failed in several careers before he began to paint. And he did succeed. 

 

Success once is enough for Van Gogh. And the same for you—success once is enough.

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