The passage is documented in Beckett’s English prose work Worstward Ho (1983), including QI’s scan-verified citation to page 7. This check read the specialist transcription and corroborating sources rather than inspecting that original edition directly.
“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better” Samuel Beckett, Worstward Ho (1983), p. 7, as documented by Quote Investigator; this check used the specialist transcription, not an independently inspected original edition.
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In context
Evoking the world of Samuel Beckett — Irish novelist and playwright. Theme: "Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better". Atmospheric and restrained, cinematic directional light, a muted period-appropriate palette, fine grain and texture. Compose with generous empty space for the quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.
Minimalist
Minimalist editorial slide for the quote "Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better". Clean background, a single muted accent color, generous negative space, subtle paper or linen texture, no literal illustration — let the words carry it. Reserve clear space for a serif quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.
Provenance
The source
Work
Worstward Ho (1983)
Language
Written in English
Location
Page 7 of the 1983 Grove edition, as checked by QI
Worstward Ho is a 1983 English prose work, not an old translation or public-domain text. This brief passage is reproduced for source identification and criticism; a later musical setting does not change the underlying literary rights.
Rights status is our research, not legal advice — and copyright varies by country and edition. For commercial or published use, confirm with the rightsholder. See terms.
Context
Why it mattered
The fragments belong to Beckett’s late prose, where a voice keeps trying to make words and images cohere. Their clipped energy makes them easy to borrow as encouragement, but the work’s title and persistent return to failure keep the passage more unsettled than a promise of eventual success.
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Filed under
More provenance-checked quotes on the same theme, each with its reuse status.
Samuel Beckett wrote fiction and drama in both English and French, often translating and revising his own work between the two languages. His sparse settings and restless voices examine what remains when ordinary explanations and consolations stop working.
For writers & researchers
Cite this
The primary source (Chicago)
Beckett, Samuel. Worstward Ho. New York: Grove Press, 1983, 7. Edition and excerpt documented by Quote Investigator, March 23, 2017; original edition not independently inspected.
This verification page
Quotle.info. “Who really said ‘Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better’?” Last verified 9 Nov 2026. https://quotle.info/who-said/ever-tried-ever-failed-no-matter-try-again-fail-again-fail/