defeat quotes

“Exile, for no other motive than ease, would be the last defeat, with no seed of future victory in it.”

— Lois McMaster Bujold

“There's a victory, and defeat; the first and best of victories, the lowest and worst of defeats which each man gains or sustains at the hands not of another, but of himself.”

— Plato

“When defeat is inevitable, it is wisest to yield.”

— Quintilian

“Any fact facing us is not as important as our attitude toward it, for that determines our success or failure. The way you think about a fact may defeat you before you ever do anything about it. You are overcome by the fact because you think you are.”

— Norman Vincent Peale

“Obstacles are necessary for success because in selling, as in all careers of importance, victory comes only after many struggles and countless defeats.”

— Og Mandino

“If you have no confidence in self, you are twice defeated in the race of life. With confidence, you have won even before you have started.”

— Marcus Tullius Cicero

“Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him. We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.”

— Maya Angelou

“I never thought of losing, but now that it' s happened, the only thing is to do it right. That's my obligation to all the people who believe in me. We all have to take defeats in life.”

— Muhammad Ali

“Only a man who knows what it is like to be defeated can reach down to the bottom of his soul and come up with the extra ounce of power it takes to win when the match is even.”

— Muhammad Ali

“I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, 'Where's the self-help section?' She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.”

— George Carlin

“A man can be destroyed but not defeated.”

— Ernest Hemingway

“Man is not made for defeat.”

— Ernest Hemingway

“Once we have a war there is only one thing to do. It must be won. For defeat brings worse things than any that can ever happen in war.”

— Ernest Hemingway

“Victory has a thousand fathers, but defeat is an orphan.”

— John Fitzgerald Kennedy

“Domestic policy can only defeat us; foreign policy can kill us.”

— John Fitzgerald Kennedy

“Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid, one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory.”

— Douglas MacArthur

“Life is truly known only to those who suffer, lose, endure adversity and stumble from defeat to defeat.”

— Anais Nin

“Four years ago, I promised to end the war in Iraq. We did. I promised to refocus on the terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11. We have. We've blunted the Taliban's momentum in Afghanistan, and in 2014, our longest war will be over. A new tower rises above the New York skyline, al Qaeda is on the path to defeat, and Osama bin Laden is dead.”

— Barack Obama

“We have real enemies in the world. These enemies must be found. They must be pursued and they must be defeated.”

— Barack Obama

“Art is only a means to life, to the life more abundant. It is not in itself the life more abundant. It merely points the way, something which is overlooked not only by the public, but very often by the artist himself. In becoming an end it defeats itself.”

— Henry Miller

“In the attempt to defeat death man has been inevitably obliged to defeat life, for the two are inextricably related. Life moves on to death, and to deny one is to deny the other.”

— Henry Miller

“When one is trying to do something beyond his known powers it is useless to seek the approval of friends. Friends are at their best in moments of defeat.”

— Henry Miller

“I don't believe we are supposed to go through life defeated and not having enough money to pay our bills or send our kids to college.”

— Joel Osteen

“Some of the generals are saying, 'We're making progress. We are clearing an area.' But you really don't defeat the Taliban by clearing an area. They move.”

— Colin Powell

“It is not a field of a few acres of ground, but a cause, that we are defending, and whether we defeat the enemy in one battle, or by degrees, the consequences will be the same.”

— Thomas Paine

“Love is never defeated, and I could add, the history of Ireland proves it.”

— Pope John Paul II

defeat quotes

“He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat. ”

“The greatest test of courage on earth is to bear defeat without losing heart.”

“Death is nothing, but to live defeated and inglorious is to die daily.”

“If you have no confidence in self, you are twice defeated in the race of life.”

“Exile, for no other motive than ease, would be the last defeat, with no seed of future victory in it.”

“There's a victory, and defeat; the first and best of victories, the lowest and worst of defeats which each man gains or sustains at the hands not of another, but of himself.”

“When defeat is inevitable, it is wisest to yield.”

“Any fact facing us is not as important as our attitude toward it, for that determines our success or failure. The way you think about a fact may defeat you before you ever do anything about it. You are overcome by the fact because you think you are.”

“Obstacles are necessary for success because in selling, as in all careers of importance, victory comes only after many struggles and countless defeats.”

“If you have no confidence in self, you are twice defeated in the race of life. With confidence, you have won even before you have started.”

“Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him. We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.”

“I never thought of losing, but now that it' s happened, the only thing is to do it right. That's my obligation to all the people who believe in me. We all have to take defeats in life.”

“Only a man who knows what it is like to be defeated can reach down to the bottom of his soul and come up with the extra ounce of power it takes to win when the match is even.”

“I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, 'Where's the self-help section?' She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.”

“A man can be destroyed but not defeated.”

“Man is not made for defeat.”

“Once we have a war there is only one thing to do. It must be won. For defeat brings worse things than any that can ever happen in war.”

“Victory has a thousand fathers, but defeat is an orphan.”

“Domestic policy can only defeat us; foreign policy can kill us.”

“Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid, one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory.”

“Life is truly known only to those who suffer, lose, endure adversity and stumble from defeat to defeat.”

“We have real enemies in the world. These enemies must be found. They must be pursued and they must be defeated.”

“Art is only a means to life, to the life more abundant. It is not in itself the life more abundant. It merely points the way, something which is overlooked not only by the public, but very often by the artist himself. In becoming an end it defeats itself.”

“In the attempt to defeat death man has been inevitably obliged to defeat life, for the two are inextricably related. Life moves on to death, and to deny one is to deny the other.”

“When one is trying to do something beyond his known powers it is useless to seek the approval of friends. Friends are at their best in moments of defeat.”

“I don't believe we are supposed to go through life defeated and not having enough money to pay our bills or send our kids to college.”

“Some of the generals are saying, 'We're making progress. We are clearing an area.' But you really don't defeat the Taliban by clearing an area. They move.”

“It is not a field of a few acres of ground, but a cause, that we are defending, and whether we defeat the enemy in one battle, or by degrees, the consequences will be the same.”

“Love is never defeated, and I could add, the history of Ireland proves it.”