A dialectic about learning character

When my kids were very young I (vaguely) remember some discussions about the health benefits for them of putting things in their mouth, particularly dirt. Attempts at over-sanitizing were counter productive, because the right sort of antibodies wouldn't be built up that way.  This piece from the NY Times Magazine is on the same sort of idea, but with regard to kids' characters.  This quote is from the very end of the piece.

What if the Secret to Success Is Failure? - NYTimes.com via kwout