5 extremely successful people who started out as failures

(Getty Images)

When we fail at something very important to us, it makes us feel as though there is little point in pursuing the projects that are closest to us.

With the help of Quora users, we’ve compiled a list of people who failed and didn’t give up – who eventually became extremely successful.

What if these people had given up after their first try?

Van Gogh


 
 (JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images)

“Van Gogh sold only one painting in his lifetime to a friend and it was for a tiny amount of money. While he never was a huge financial success during his lifetime, he continued to paint despite starving at times. He finished over 800 pieces of art and today they are worth hundred of millions of dollars”.

JK Rowling


 
 (Getty)

“Rowling was rejected by 12 publishers. The only reason her book got published is because the CEO's daughter begged him to. Her Harry Potter series went on to sell over 100 million copies and her net worth is over $1 billion dollars today.”

Henry Ford


 
 (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

“Failed twice in business before he finally went on to build the Ford Motor Company; and became one of the richest men in the world.”

Walt Disney

((Credit: DISNEY PARKS))

The original releases of Disney feature films such as Pinocchio, Sleeping Beauty and Bambi lost combined millions of dollars for Walt Disney.

The films did not become successful until years after their release.

Thomas Edison


 
 (Getty)

“Thomas Edison was consistently told by his teachers that he was ‘too stupid to learn anything.’

“He didn’t fare any better in work, as he was fired from his first two jobs for not being productive. As an inventor, he failed 1,000 times in his quest of inventing the light bulb. However, after all those tries, he finally discovered a design that worked.

“Now he’s considered the one of the most prolific inventors of our time.”