Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 2: The Path of Understanding

Bhagavad Gita 2.37

hato vā prāpsyasi svargaṃ jitvā vā bhokṣyase mahīm | tasmāduttiṣṭha kaunteya yuddhāya kṛtaniścayaḥ ||

If you are killed, you will gain heaven; if you win, you will enjoy the earth. So stand up, Arjuna, resolved to fight.

Modern context

Arjuna had said he did not know whether winning or losing was better. Krishna answers that when you are doing what is right, both outcomes are acceptable. Fear of failure loosens once we see that an honest effort is worthwhile whichever way it ends. What paralyses us is the belief that only one result can be borne.