---
title: "Learning from rejection"
date: 2026-11-12T14:00:00-05:00
categories: ["opinion"]
url: https://tacticsjournal.com/2026/11/12/learning-from-rejection/
---

# Learning from rejection

[Seth Godin](https://seths.blog/2026/11/learning-from-rejection/):

> "Years ago, I self-published a booklet for political activists. My timing was good, and I had a chance to sell the books from an organizer’s booth at a march on the very topic my book was about. It was a beautiful April day, and I stood on the side of route as the march went by. More than 400,000 passed my table, and I sold four books.
> That’s 399,996 rejections. Maybe more.
> Was it the price? Halfway through the march, I lowered it from $10 to $1, just to have a good story to blog a few decades later.
> Sales did not increase. Perhaps it was the color of the jacket, the page count or the typo on page 32? None of those things.
> What did I learn? That people at a march are at the march to march, not to shop.
> Watch what people do, not what they say. And if you really want to learn something, change the situation and see what happens the next time.
> Learning from rejection begins with understanding the lesson that’s being offered."

Seth’s book *[The Dip](https://www.amazon.com/Dip-When-Quit-Stick/dp/0979433703)* has stuck with me throughout my life to spot, ‘am I in a dip, or am I in a dead end?’ I would highly recommend anyone read it because it is timeless and it will save you a lot of time.

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