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“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.”

Rejection and failure are a part and parcel of life. They are also very good teachers in themselves. Although the news all over is peppered with success stories of achievers, nobody pays attention to the person who could not make it.

These people, rejected and failed lurk among the shadows unnoticed, always improving.

And the day they get their big break, their story is one among the many too.

Here are some of the most famous and brilliant, who did not get disheartened by a NO.

1. Amitabh Bachchan

Arguably the most recognizable voice in the country, he was once rejected by All India Radio after an audition.

He didn’t give up and became one of the most popular and respected movie stars of the century.

2. Madonna

Remember the song “Material Girl” by her?

She was once rejected by a recording label for lacking material in the album she had submitted.

She signed her first album by 1982 and there was no looking back since then.

3. Stieg Larsson

His Millenium series sold more than 55 million copies. But sadly, all the three books were published after he passed away. He had seen rejection letters by more than 15 publishers, but still kept on writing.

The rich irony is that one of these letters was auctioned off for a whopping 12000 pounds.

4. Anna Wintour

Remember Miranda from The Devil Wears Prada?

And Edna Mode, the designer who makes superhero costumes in the movie The Incredibles?

Ana Wintour is one of the most powerful figures in the fashion industry. No one can even imagine that she was fired from her first job at Harper Bazaar for being too edgy.

5. Steve Jobs

Rejected by other companies is routine, but what happens when you are evicted from a company that you built using your blood and sweat? Steve Jobs was asked to leave his own company when he was developing his envisioned product – the Macintosh.

He was 30 at the time. The rest is history.

6. Soichiro Honda

The man behind the company that is one of the largest manufacturers of motorbikes was once rejected by Toyota. He didn’t give up. He made motorbikes from scratch in his garage and then founded the company we all know so well today.

7. Walt Disney

Walt Disney was fired by a news editor for not being imaginative.

The creator of Mickey Mouse and founder of Walt Disney Studios was rejected for not being imaginative.

8. Tim Burton

While still in school, Tim Burton submitted a manuscript to Walt Disney publications. They rejected it saying that it was a derivative of Dr. Seuss’ work and hence not sell-worthy.

Today he has carved a niche for himself among the movie goers.

9. JK Rowling

While most authors are used to seeing rejection slips from publishers, Rowling saw loads of rejection slips from agents. Then she was rejected by scores of publishers before Bloomsbury agreed to publish her first Harry Potter book.

10. Stephen King

The man who gave us Shawshank Redemption and The Shining was rejected 30 times for his first novel – Carrie. Undaunted, he wrote and read every day and became one of the most prolific writers to have ever lived.

11. Harland David Sanders

Col. Sanders as he is lovingly known, was rejected a whopping 1009 times before someone agreed to share and sell the fried chicken he loved making.

KFC is one of the most widespread eateries around the world today.

12. Stephen Spielberg

Was rejected by University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts thrice. He went on to do an internship at Universal Studios – unpaid.

The sweet irony – USC honored him by giving him an honorary degree.

13. Oprah Winfrey

She was an evening news reporter at a local TV network and was rejected for being too emotionally attached with the stories she reported.

The Oprah Winfrey Show is one of the most successful television shows ever.

14. Brian Acton, co-founder of WhatsApp

Brian Acton, a Yahoo employee was offered a whopping $19 billion in cash by Facebook to buy his messaging platform WhatsAspp. The rich irony here is that Facebook had rejected Acton after he had interviewed for a job.

He was rejected by Twitter too just before he was rejected by Facebook. He surely took the rejection in his stride and made one of the best messaging tools ever build.

15. Andy Warhol

The artist who basically invented pop art was rejected by the Museum of Modern Art. Now, why would a museum buy a painting? Turns out Warhol was giving it away. Giving his paintings away for FREE, and they still didn’t want it.

The Museum Of Modern art owns 168 of his paintings now.

These people prove that rejection and failure are not an issue as long as there is fire in your belly to perform and succeed!

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