100 Quotes About Defeat

Defeat is one of life’s greatest gifts. It teaches lessons that can never be forgotten or ignored. While it may seem like it’s hard to take the bad with the good, it’s important not to live in regret. Instead, learn from your mistakes and use your experiences to help you move forward Read more

Read the defeat quotes below and see how they can change your outlook.

Life is to be lived, not controlled; and humanity is...
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Life is to be lived, not controlled; and humanity is won by continuing to play in face of certain defeat. Ralph Ellison
When defeat comes, accept it as a signal that your...
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When defeat comes, accept it as a signal that your plans are not sound, rebuild those plans, and set sail once more toward your coveted goal. Napoleon Hill
Never stop just because you feel defeated. The journey to...
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Never stop just because you feel defeated. The journey to the other side is attainable only after great suffering. Santosh Kalwar
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Defeat is for the valiant. Only they will know the honour of losing and the joy of winning I am not here to tell you that defeat is a part of life: we all know that. Only the defeated know Love. Because it is in the realm of love that we fight our first battles — and generally lose. I am here to tell you that there are people who have never been defeated. They are the ones who never fought. They managed to avoid scars, humiliations, feelings of helplessness, as well as those moments when even warriors doubt the existence of God.’’Manuscript Found In Accra — Paulo Coelho. Paulo Coelho
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Success and failure are relative categories. Therefore, do not exult in victory and do not despair after defeat. Accept the changes in life placidly, knowing that autumn and winter come after summer. Eraldo Banovac
Too scared to fight Too afraid to open my eyes...
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Too scared to fight Too afraid to open my eyes Too small to stand up for myself Too awake to fight for my dreams God please teach me to be brave So that I can brave defeat Evy Michaels
When we choose to stay down, we are in reality...
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When we choose to stay down, we are in reality confusing wisdom with cowardice. When we choose to stand back up, we are using wisdom to overcome cowardice. Craig D. Lounsbrough
Was it happiness I'd found in my long marriage? Or...
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Was it happiness I'd found in my long marriage? Or capitulation? Or is that all happiness is, capitulation? Maria Semple
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He’d thought it would be the right thing to say, but she scoffed a little… and that, more than anything–more than the prospect of having his ribs crushed in or his face pulled off or his neck stretched on a rope–scared him out of his wits. V.S. Carnes
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They want us to be afraid. They want us to be afraid of leaving our homes. They want us to barricade our doors and hide our children. Their aim is to make us fear life itself! They want us to hate. They want us to hate 'the other'. They want us to practice aggression and perfect antagonism. Their aim is to divide us all! They want us to be inhuman. They want us to throw out our kindness. They want us to bury our love and burn our hope. Their aim is to take all our light! They think their bricked walls will separate us. They think their damned bombs will defeat us. They are so ignorant they don’t understand that my soul and your soul are old friends. They are so ignorant they don’t understand that when they cut you I bleed. They are so ignorant they don’t understand that we will never be afraid, we will never hate and we will never be silent for life is ours! . Kamand Kojouri
You're not defeated when you lose a battle. You are...
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You're not defeated when you lose a battle. You are defeated when you give up the struggle Mouloud Benzadi
If you can defeat your own calamity, you will be...
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If you can defeat your own calamity, you will be a hope for others and thus you can defeat the calamity of others too! Mehmet Murat Ildan
Playing is more than the act of judging the possibility...
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Playing is more than the act of judging the possibility of defeat or victory, playing is the probability of hope we will have victory. Pushpa Rana
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When a country is defeated, there remain only mountains and rivers, and on a ruined castle in spring only grasses thrive. I sat down on my hat and wept bitterly till I almost forgot time. A thicket of summer grass Is all that remains Of the dreams and ambitions Of ancient warriors. Unknown
Fight on, brave knights! Man dies, but glory lives! Fight...
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Fight on, brave knights! Man dies, but glory lives! Fight on; death is better than defeat! Fight on brave knights! for bright eyes behold your deeds! Walter Scott
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There's a gentle sigh which descends like billowing silk upon the soul that accepts its coming death. It's a gentle pocket of air in the turbulence of everyday life.. the silk settles around you as if it has been drifting towards the earth forever and has finally found it's target. The flag of defeat has been mercifully dropped and, in this action, the loss is not so bad. Defeat itself is defeated by the embrace of defeat, and death is swallowed up in victory. Andrew Davidson
The only walls that exist are those you have placed...
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The only walls that exist are those you have placed in your mind. And whatever obstacles you conceive, exist only because you have forgotten what you have already achieved. Suzy Kassem
Their heart grew coldthey let their wings down
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Their heart grew coldthey let their wings down Sappho
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Always carry champagne! In victory You deserve it & in defeat You need it! Unknown
With God, the fear of failure is slain cold by...
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With God, the fear of failure is slain cold by success that is already hot on the way. Craig D. Lounsbrough
A sincere decision to make is to refuse to give...
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A sincere decision to make is to refuse to give up until the society experiences the defeat of every form of injustice and ungodliness. Sunday Adelaja
â€â€¹It's Hard, Not to Fail, but, there is Always a...
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â€â€¹It's Hard, Not to Fail, but, there is Always a Chance of Success. Of course, there is No Chance of Success, if You didn't Try. Vineet Raj Kapoor
Wherever you are – it’s too early to draw a...
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Wherever you are – it’s too early to draw a conclusion. You may be down, but you’re not done. Today’s defeat could be tomorrow’s gold. Joe Jordan
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Far too often the ‘things’ that men define as success do little more than successfully destroy the lives of the very men who achieve those ‘things.’ And while I must admit that there is an authentic element of success in all of that, it’s the kind of success that I would much prefer to successfully avoid. Craig D. Lounsbrough
You may encounter many disappointments. Be strong. Tell yourself, “I...
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You may encounter many disappointments. Be strong. Tell yourself, “I am good enough, I will try again. Lailah Gifty Akita
I might live a life of struggle but I will...
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I might live a life of struggle but I will not live a life of defeat! Jonathan Anthony Burkett
The restless adventurer within me stands eye-to-eye with the fear...
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The restless adventurer within me stands eye-to-eye with the fear that has stepped directly in my path. And the thing I absolutely must not do is to blink first. Craig D. Lounsbrough
Sadly, in too many cases surrender is having been ‘outrun’...
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Sadly, in too many cases surrender is having been ‘outrun’ by fear rather than having ‘run out’ of heart. Craig D. Lounsbrough
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Defeat begins with the fear that one had lost. Unknown
If I am brave enough to stand against those who...
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If I am brave enough to stand against those who have been groomed by fear, I will recognize that where I get knocked down is all about where life begins, and has nothing to do with where it ends. Craig D. Lounsbrough
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I cannot be afraid of being afraid. Rather, I need to realize that it is my fear that gives me the energy to wrestle that which I fear into the dirt that is soon to become the road underneath my feet. Craig D. Lounsbrough
Bravery is not found in getting knocked down. Rather, bravery...
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Bravery is not found in getting knocked down. Rather, bravery is found is getting back up knowing that you’re going to get knocked down again. Craig D. Lounsbrough
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Surrendering is intentionally laying down the power I possess. And have I considered that the power I lay down is often more powerful than that which I’m laying it down in front of? Therefore, I would be wise to recognize that surrender is less the absence of power and more the presence of fear. Craig D. Lounsbrough
When you accept employment, you are admitting that you cannot...
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When you accept employment, you are admitting that you cannot think or develop yourself Sunday Adelaja
Dear 2016, If I has any defeats in your term,...
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Dear 2016, If I has any defeats in your term, I am glad they were on my terms! Best, The Defeated Winner Jasleen Kaur Gumber
In the art of war, if you know the enemy...
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In the art of war, if you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the approaching battles. But if you know only yourself and not the enemy, for every victory, there will also be defeat. Emily Thorne
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A battle is won by the side that is absolutely determined to win. Why did we lose the battle of Austerlitz? Our casualties were about the same as those of the French, but we had told ourselves early in the day that the battle was lost, so it was lost. Leo Tolstoy
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It is not the dead rather the ones who lives through war have seen the dreadful end of the war, you might have been victorious, unwounded but deep within you, you carry the mark of the war, you carry the memories of war, the time you have spend with your comrades, the times when you had to dug in to foxholes to avoid shelling, the times when you hate to see your comrade down on the ground, feeling of despair, atrocities of the war, missing families, home. They live through hell and often the most wounded, they live with the guilt, despair, of being in the war, they may be happy but deep down they are a different person. Not everyone is a hero. You live with the moments, time when you were unsuccessful, when your actions would have helped your comrades, when your actions get your comrades killed, you live with regret, joyous in the victory can never help you forget the time you have spent. You are victorious for the people you have lost, the decisions you have made, the courage you have shown but being victorious in the war has a price to pay, irrevocable. You can't take a memory back from a person, even if you lose your memory your imagination haunts you as deep down your sub conscious mind you know who you are, who you were. Close you eyes and you can very well see your past, you cant change your past, time you have spent, you live through all and hence you are a hero not for the glorious war for the times you have faced. Decoration with medals is not going to give your life back. the more you know, more experiences doesn't make it easy rather make its worse. Arms and ammunition kills you once and free you from the misery but the experiences of war kills you everyday, makes you cherish the times everyday through the life. You may forgot that you cant walk anymore, you may forget you cant use your right hand, you may forgot the scars on your face but you can never forgot war. Life without war is never easy and only the ones how survived through it can understand. Soldiers are taught to fight but the actual combat starts after war which you are not even trained for. You rely on your weapon, leaders, comrades, god, luck in the war but here you rely on your self to beat the horrors, they have seen hell, heaven, they have felt the mixed emotions of hope, despair, courage, victory, defeat, scared. Pushpa Rana
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Those soldiers belonging to the victorious side whose blood has oozed into the ground and whose hearts have ceased beating, have they partaken in the triumph as well as those who are unscarred and busy draining cups of sake to each other's glorious deeds? I rather think they belong instead to the defeated.".." You mean that those who are killed all belong to the defeated, regardless of which side they were on? . Erik Christian Haugaard
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War cannot eliminate differing ideas and viewpoints, and partisans of the defeated side do not disappear. Though subjugated, they become a sizable political constituency in the postwar period. A dictator may be able to repress them, and in democracies a numerical majority may outvote them, but neither can change their thoughts. Since civil wars are, by nature, deep and fundamental conflicts, the competition between the views that led to war is likely to resurface. The defeated side may be chastened or subdued, but its values and ways of seeing the world reappear, in some form, in politics [107]. Paul D. Escott
Love conquers all. Let Love then smile at our defeat.
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Love conquers all. Let Love then smile at our defeat. Virgil
In battle, it is not the strongest or the bravest...
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In battle, it is not the strongest or the bravest or those with the greater numbers who win. Victory belongs to the side that best understands the price of defeat. Shatrujeet Nath
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Peace with non-fundamentalists terrifies the fundamentalist because to them, being Christian doesn't mean just being 'good' - it means being 'better' than others. Being better that others means having to see them as enemies - and making war on them. The fundamentalist views not being allowed to make war on their enemies as oppression of their faith, or defeat. Christina Engela
Some victories are merely defeat wearing the wrong clothing
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Some victories are merely defeat wearing the wrong clothing Kiersten White
I am the greatest obstacle to my greatest dreams.
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I am the greatest obstacle to my greatest dreams. Craig D. Lounsbrough
The chains that break you, are the chains that make...
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The chains that break you, are the chains that make you. And the chains that make you, are the chains you break. Anthony Liccione
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Of course, if one does not fully trust the promise of God's Kingdom, he will have a hard time taking risks and making sacrifices in this life. A gospel centered around the temporal self - fleeting happiness, earthly success, vain prosperity, things such as these - is the primary ambition of the half-hearted Christian; the one who somewhat believes he is subject to an eternal death; the one who just might believe in men before God, who morbidly fears seeming less than anyone else. The man of this school feels deeply that he has but one life to live, that this must be his only chance, and therefore must have it all in his favor - from glory to comfort to riches - and have it right this instant. He is but hinting that he is overcome because he insists always that he must overcome, that his judgment comes now and by the persons around him. The point is, however, in this sense, that by grace the Christian is indeed free, but only for as long as he wants to be free - the practicality of true freedom: that of God which offers not so much freedom to be like the world as it does freedom from the pressures of having to be like the world. For Divine Law is based solely on love and freedom; whereas secular law, pressure and imitation. Criss Jami
It is what it is because you let it be...
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It is what it is because you let it be so. Suzy Kassem
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Many Christians.. find themselves defeated by the most psychological weapon that Satan uses against them. This weapon has the effectiveness of a deadly missile. Its name? Low self-esteem. Satan's greatest psychological weapon is a gut level feeling of inferiority, inadequacy, and low self-worth This feeling shackles many Christians, in spite of wonderful spiritual experiences and knowledge of God's Word. Although they understand their position as sons and daughters of God, they are tied up in knots, bound by a terrible feeling inferiority, and chained to a deep sense of worthlessness. David A. Seamands
Jesus won the war, and the rest of history is...
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Jesus won the war, and the rest of history is simply mopping up. Carolyn Custis James
God invites. We decline. And because of that single foolhardy...
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God invites. We decline. And because of that single foolhardy decision we spend the rest of our lives ‘declining’. Craig D. Lounsbrough
The worst defeat of all is to surrender without having...
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The worst defeat of all is to surrender without having been defeated. And it is Christmas that obliterates both. Craig D. Lounsbrough
We are quick to surrender that which we deem as...
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We are quick to surrender that which we deem as long dead, when God is quick to restore that which He deems as never really having lived. Craig D. Lounsbrough
Let me not fear defeat or death, Let me not...
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Let me not fear defeat or death, Let me not fear being forgotten, Let my defiance sustain my soul, Let it remain with me ever after. Poem: Prayer to the God of Rebellion, in ‘Chameleon Lights Ayushman Jamwal
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I PAINT MY FACE.By Omrane Khuder.Mirror, distorted; I sit, paint my Face, Toxic white Make-up buries my Scars, My Eyes tell lies; Dumbfounded Confidence hides the Disgrace.Place the tragic Vehicle called My Life in to Drive, Sad pathetic Clown; Late for the suppression show, Despair another time; Let the chuckles and defeat derive. I paint my Heart; I hide my True.I paint my Soul; I keep it from You.I paint, I cannot accept; To ignore you the way you ignore Me?I paint my scarred and pitiful Face; No Will left to restore Me.I paint my Face; it’s all I know to do. My painted Face shatters the Mirror, yet still all I see is You. Omrane Khuder
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Be bold in life. Seize the moment. There is no surrender, no retreat. There is only conquer or be conquered, victory or defeat. Anything less is to be forgotten to history. Jeffrey Fry
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Many think that the mark of a great champion is the nature and margin of their victories and the peaks they scale and reach. That’s only part of it. The mark of the greatest of champions is how they react and respond to defeat. That is when they become enshrined in our hearts and minds — as they rise again and into the immortal pages of history. Rasheed Ogunlaru
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To fall down is to face the weakness of my humanity, test the mettle of my character, and push the limits of my strength. Therefore, falling down will tell me who I am far more clearly than most things I might learn when I’m standing up. Craig D. Lounsbrough
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More commonly suffering breaks people, crushes them, and is simply unilluminating. You see how gruesomely human beings are destroyed by pain, when they have the added torment of losing their humanity first, so that their death is a total defeat... Saul Bellow
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God’s favor in its fullness is that which allows strength to overcome with weakness, love to overcome hatred, God’s goodness to defeat Satan’s evil nature. Sunday Adelaja
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Create new avenues in your life by removing toxic people who defeat your purpose. Amaka Imani Nkosazana
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You think I don’t know pain?” Puck shook his head at me. “Or loss? I’ve been around a lot longer than you, prince! I know what love is, and I’ve lostmy fair share, too. Just because we have a different way of handling it, doesn’t mean I don’t have scars of my own.”“ Name one, ” I scoffed. “Give me one instance where you haven’t–”“ Meghan Chase! ” Puck roared, startling me into silence. I blinked, and he sneered at me. “Yeah, your highness. I know what loss is. I’ve loved thatgirl since before she knew me. But I waited. I waited because I didn’t want to lie about who I was. I wanted her to know the truth before anything else. So I waited, and I did my job. For years, I protected her, biding my time, until the day she went into the Nevernever after her brother. And then youcame along. And I saw how she looked at you. And for the first time, I wanted to kill you as much as you wanted to kill me. . Julie Kagawa
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Winning cannot become your habit unless defeats have torn you apartand you sit in the battle field stitching back yourselfone piece at a timelaughing in the faces of all defeats. Chetan M. Kumbhar
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Without being push to the wall, we will have remained in our comfortable zone. But this circumstance challenges us to find the courage to move on. Lailah Gifty Akita
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Don’t allow the challenges to overpower you. Choose a positive attitude and persistent endurance over defeat. Lailah Gifty Akita
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You can perhaps, in a number of circumstances, tell yourself that you can't have more than you have until you do better than you're doing, but by all means steer clear of its reverse, the creed of defeat, in saying that you can't do better than you're doing until you can have more than you have. Criss Jami
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Life as a defeated warrior with dignity is lot better than the king ruling without it. Vikrmn
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Part time christian cannot defeat a full time devil Steven Chuks Nwaokeke
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I know that you are a mere flea! I know that you need only be squashed to be done away with! I know that I have fought this same battle a thousand thousand times before...but, perhaps this time I can crush you like the insect you are! Marv Wolfman
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The power of positive thinking begins when you refuse to accept defeat, and start preparing yourself for future possibilities. The only thing standing in the way of your breakthrough, is you! Unknown
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One day the world will be so badly wounded that those who try to repair it will only be called "close-minded. Danielle Valenilla
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Remember no man is really defeated unless he is discouraged. Bruce Lee
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Courage is more important than to be deceived by shallow victory waiting for a delayed defeat. Dejan Stojanovic
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If the amount of times we get up is just one less than the amount of times that we've been knocked down, then we're spending our lives lying down. Craig D. Lounsbrough
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There is nothing that can defeat you if it does not first capture your mind. Kierra C.T. Banks
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Failure is not defeat. It is the start of lifelong learning adventure. Lailah Gifty Akita
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How Did You Die?Did you tackle that trouble that came your way With a resolute heart and cheerful? Or hide your face from the light of day With a craven soul and fearful? Oh, a trouble's a ton, or a trouble's an ounce, Or a trouble is what you make it. And it isn't the fact that you're hurt that counts, But only how did you take it? You are beaten to earth? Well, well what's that? Come up with a smiling face. It's nothing against you to fall down flat, But to lie there - that's disgrace. The harder you're thrown, why the higher you bounce; Be proud of your blackened eye! It isn't the fact that you're licked that counts; It's how did you fight and why? And though you be done to death, what then? If you battled the best you could; If you played your part in the world of men, Why the critic will call it good. Death comes with a crawl, or comes with a pounce, And whether he's slow or spry, It isn't the fact that you're dead that counts, But only, how did you die? . Edmund Vance Cooke
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Inferiority intentions are sample chapters of defeated stories... Courageous beginnings are examples of true leadership values! Israelmore Ayivor
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Impossibilitarians are defeated before the battle even begins. The best attitude that accommodates failure is disbelief. You can't do it because you believe you can't! You can do it because you believe you can! Israelmore Ayivor
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Keep running; keep dreaming, keep alive the flame of hope; defeat and despair will not catch up with you Bangambiki Habyarimana
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How a man handles himself in defeat is more important than how he handles himself in victory. T.A. Uner
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Dread was always with her, an alarm system in her head, alertto her next disaster. Despite being resigned to a life of misfortune, she becameresourceful. She grudgingly noticed that things always worked out, evenwhen she claimed defeat. An inconvenient truth, yet it was right there, in her face, betraying her self-punishments and assumptions. She kept overcoming things, dammit, aggravating herself. She still felt so much joy, despite her efforts to be miserable. Her life was full of miracles and spectacles that she was afraidto rely on so she didn’t know how to enjoy, how to be thankful, without guilt. She didn’t want to win and she didn’t want to lose. Ambiguity intrigued her and she found passion in the gapsbetween hope and despair. G.G. Renee Hill
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I don’t necessarily sit around inviting life to knock me down, but when it does I don’t wait around for an invitation to stand back up either. Craig D. Lounsbrough
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Our actions in the present build the staircase to the future. The question is whether that staircase is going up or down. Craig D. Lounsbrough
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You are a failure not the time when you are defeated.. but when you give up fighting. Vikrmn
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Depression, is like trying to find a light switch in pitch darkness. Defeating it takes much assistance and resource. First, it's letting in loved ones that are reaching out, when light will begin to shine. Anthony Liccione
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Defeated? Learn from it. Move forward. You're stronger now. Reach out for help. No shame, only learning. Seek out those you can learn from. Waylon H. Lewis
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On athleticism, God knows no favor. It seems rather he is in the business of teaching winners how to lose and losers how to win. Criss Jami
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Too often the spotlight that highlights our successes burns out quickly, while the spotlight that scrutinizes our failures is a long-life bulb. Craig D. Lounsbrough
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Suddenly this defeat. This rain. The blues gone gray And the browns gone gray And yellow A terrible amber. In the cold streets Your warm body. In whatever room Your warm body. Among all the people Your absence The people who are always Not you. I have been easy with trees Too long. Too familiar with mountains. Joy has been a habit. Now Suddenly This rain. Jack Gilbert
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I finally gave in today. Admitting that I haven't been able to do it alone, that's defeat right? But do a couple pills change why I'm here? Will my spirit be altered? Do my passions change? Will I lose hope either way? My madness is what makes me. It’s my most unique beauty. Crystal Woods
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Nightmare completed, another humiliating defeat. 10 goals in 2 game. It will take time to come out from such humiliating defeat for Brazilian fans. But I think when you like something, when you fall to someone, when you are in love, you like them whatever happens, even they give tears to you time to time because you liked it from your heart. Nutan Bajracharya
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Regardless of gender, one has to be willing to take what belongs and what has been promised, by not backing down and by not giving up. Never be willing to throw in the towel and accept defeat! Ellen J. Barrier
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The strongest people are people who faced the toughest situations in life. People who are defeated by the toughest battles are stronger than those who have won by using the escape route! Israelmore Ayivor
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Take care of your soul; it will never lose its tournament if Jesus is the coach of your life. He will substitute your sins for righteousness and you will not be tempted to suffer a penalty for defeat! You are a winner, not a loser! Israelmore Ayivor
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People with inferiority intentions do not go after their dreams not because they can't go; but because their passion is not strong enough to turn the wheels of success...and there they go, becoming losers, defeated by their obstacles! Israelmore Ayivor
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When surrounded by the ashes of all that I once cherished, despite my best efforts I can find no room to be thankful. But standing there amidst endless ash I must remember that although the ashes surround me, God surrounds the ashes. And once that realization settles upon me, I am what I thought I could never be ... I am thankful for ashes. Craig D. Lounsbrough
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If you encounter defeat, you must persist to be a winner. Debasish Mridha
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True devotion and humility is when you carelessly allow yourself to fall in love with things you consider will make you look inferior, which in essence, makes you superior. Michael Bassey Johnson
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Failure generates its own majesty. Defeat becomes a panoptic stain on the soul; it creates its own all-embracing pathos. Reverses engulf us in fleshy feelings of self-pity, sorrow, and apathy. Resounding setbacks might even be subtlety attractive because it means we can give up trying. It is tempting to accept defeat, surrender to our insecurities, and admit that because of failing to accomplish one particular goal that the best part of our life was wasted. Cynically writing ourselves off as a failure, we are free to capitulate to the emptiness of our lives. Kilroy J. Oldster