You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over.

Branson’s line frames learning as an embodied, experimental process rather than a purely theoretical one. The image of a child learning to walk suggests that competence emerges through repeated attempts, missteps, and correction—failure is not a verdict but a mechanism of progress. The quote also critiques overreliance on “rules” (formal instruction, rigid procedures, fear-driven caution) when confronting new skills or ventures. In entrepreneurial and creative contexts, it implies that iteration, feedback, and resilience matter more than perfect planning, and that early stumbles are a normal, even necessary, cost of mastery.