He is quite right about not being able to get a fire going. Ray Mears was interviewed by Gentleman's Quarterly (G.Q.) a year or so ago. He mentioned that there was one night when he couldn't get a fire going. He was very clear on how dispiriting it was.
I think that the point being made is that if you cannot get a fire going by the 2nd or 3rd attempt, you should stop and seek other means of keeping yourself warm. Otherwise you will wind up expending all you fire making tools for no result.
It also emphasises the need to carry artificial accelerants like Spark-Lite tinder or the Couglans wax tinder as part of your fire making kit. Being able to apply a sustained flame to your tinder makes a drastic difference to your chances of success.