He said: “Ah… A mother does not have a business plan but a non-negotiable commitment to the success of her ‘venture.’ The mother will never give up on her children, regardless of how difficult things get. The business man, on the other hand, gives up all too quickly. His commitment is negotiable and contingent on certain parameters. So, when picking your next venture, make sure you treat it as a mother would, not a business man would.”
Reflections from Singularity University
Soushiant Zanganehpour
275

I like the core message in this anecdote. But surely there comes a time when a business man should accept failure? If a startup hasn’t gotten a product to market in 10 years of its existence for example..