You’re never a loser until you quit trying.
—Mike Ditka (b.1939) American Sportsperson
One of the first businesses of a sensible man is to know when he is beaten, and to leave off fighting at once.
—Samuel Butler
Never contend with a man who has nothing to lose.
—Baltasar Gracian (1601–58) Spanish Scholar, Prose Writer
Never give up, never give in, and when the upper hand is ours, may we have the ability to handle the win with the dignity that we absorbed the loss.
—Doug Williams qqq
Tears are the silent language of grief.
—Voltaire (1694–1778) French Philosopher, Author
Nothing that grieves us can be called little: by the eternal laws of proportion, a child’s loss of a doll and a king’s loss of a crown are events of the same size.
—Mark Twain (1835–1910) American Humorist
When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost.
—German Proverb
We have fought this fight as long, and as well as we know how. We have been defeated. For us as a Christian people, there is now but one course to pursue. We must accept the situation.
—Robert E. Lee (1807–70) Confederate General during American Civil War
I hate to lose more than I love to win.
—Jimmy Connors (b.1952) American Sportsperson
Lose an hour in the morning, and you will spend all day looking for it.
—Richard Whately (1787–1863) English Philosopher, Theologian
When you lose a couple of times, it makes you realize how difficult it is to win.
—Steffi Graf (b.1969) German Tennis Player, Philanthropist
One of the great penalties those of us who live our lives in full view of the public must pay is the loss of that most cherished birthright of man’s privacy.
—Mary Pickford (1893–1979) American-Canadian Actor, Producer
A real gentleman, even if he loses everything he owns, must show no emotion. Money must be so far beneath a gentleman that it is hardly worth troubling about.
—Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1821–81) Russian Novelist, Essayist, Writer
The cheerful loser is the winner.
—Elbert Hubbard (1856–1915) American Writer, Publisher, Artist, Philosopher
Show me a good loser and I will show you a loser.
—Paul Newman (1925–2008) American Actor, Philanthropist
We are not interested in the possibilities of defeat; they do not exist.
—Queen Victoria (1819–1901) British Royal
Whoever said, “It’s not whether you win or lose that counts,” probably lost.
—Martina Navratilova (b.1956) Czech-born American Sportsperson
Take care to sell your horse before he dies. The art of life is passing losses on.
—Robert Frost (1874–1963) American Poet