If you have dreams that feel just out of reach because fear keeps you from chasing after them, you’re not alone. As motivational speaker Les Brown warns with this quote, too many of us allow caution to limit our aspirations and potential. Instead of going after what we truly want, we let the fearful whispers of failure hold us back. But that nagging question — “What happens if I don’t make it?” — isn’t as scary as another question: “What happens if I don’t try?”

In many ways, the creation of Mickey Mouse and Disneyland — "the happiest place on Earth” — is the embodiment of dreams coming true. Almost everything Walt Disney introduced to the world first began as a dream. A pioneer of feature-length cartoons, he had to develop innovative advancements in cinema sound, technicolor, and cameras to make his ideas a reality. But to bring a vision to life also requires courage, and lots of it. We all have dreams, and like Disney, we may face obstacles on our way to pursuing them — but we should never let fear be one of them.

A Scottish-born American inventor, Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922) is famous for introducing the world to the telephone. In 1876, after placing his first phone call to his assistant in the next room, Bell filed what is widely thought to be the most valuable patent in history. With this quote, the inventor extols the virtue of action, reminding us that no failure remains such, if we keep working to turn it into a success.