No wise person should make known the loss of fortune, any malpractice in their house, his being cheated, or having been disgraced.
—The Hitopadesha Indian Collection of Fables
Show me a good loser and I will show you a loser.
—Paul Newman (1925–2008) American Actor, Philanthropist
Knute Rockne liked bad loser. He said good losers lose too often.
—George E. Allen (1896–1973) American Sportsperson
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
The loss which is unknown is no loss at all.
—Publilius Syrus (fl.85–43 BCE) Syrian-born Roman Latin Writer
Grief is the price we pay for love
—Queen Elizabeth II (b.1926) Queen of United Kingdom
Nobody ever chooses the already unfortunate as objects of his loyal friendship.
—F. L. Lucas (1894–1967) English Literary Critic, Poet, Novelist, Playwright
You’re never a loser until you quit trying.
—Mike Ditka (b.1939) American Sportsperson
Never contend with a man who has nothing to lose.
—Baltasar Gracian (1601–58) Spanish Scholar, Prose Writer
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
Empty your mind of all thoughts.
—Laozi (fl.6th Century BCE) Chinese Philosopher, Sage
I never thought that heav’n would lose its blue
And sullen storm-clouds mask the gentle sky;
I never thought the rose’s velvet hue
Would pale and sicken, though we said good-by.
I never dreamed the lark would hush its note
As day succeeded ever-drearier day,
Nor knew the song that swelled the robin’s throat
Would fade to silence, when you went away.
I never knew the sun’s irradiant beams
Upon the brooding earth no more would shine,
Nor thought that only in my mocking dreams
Would happiness that once I knew be mine.
I never thought the slim moon, mournfully,
Would shroud her pallid self in murky night.
Dear heart, I never thought these things would be-
I never thought they would, and I was right.
—Dorothy Parker (1893–1967) American Humorist, Journalist
The cheerful loser is the winner.
—Elbert Hubbard (1856–1915) American Writer, Publisher, Artist, Philosopher
There are occasions when it is undoubtedly better to incur loss than to make gain.
—Plautus (Titus Maccius Plautus) (c.250–184 BCE) Roman Comic Playwright
If a man falls once, all will tread upon him.
—Thomas Fuller (1608–61) English Cleric, Historian
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
The first proof of a person’s incapacity to achieve, is their endeavoring to fix the stigma of failure on others.
—Benjamin Haydon (1786–1846) English Painter, Writer
Hope of ill gain is the beginning of loss.
—Democritus (c.460–c.370 BCE) Ancient Greek Philosopher
What makes us so bitter against people who outwit us is that they think themselves cleverer than we are.
—Francois de La Rochefoucauld (1613–80) French Writer
That loss is common would not make My own less bitter, rather more: Too common! Never morning wore To evening, but some heart did break.
—Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809–92) British Poet
The only world in which “defeat” exists as a reality is the one darkened by the false idea that what may have happened to us a moment ago is the same as what’s possible for us to achieve now.
—Guy Finley
No one knows what to say in the loser’s locker room.
—Muhammad Ali (1942–2016) American Sportsperson
Whoever said, “It’s not whether you win or lose that counts,” probably lost.
—Martina Navratilova (b.1956) Czech-born American Sportsperson
Losing a game is heartbreaking. Losing your sense of excellence or worth is a tragedy.
—Joe Paterno (1926–2012) American Sportsperson
When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost.
—German Proverb
Loss is nothing else but change, and change is Nature’s delight.
—Marcus Aurelius (121–180) Emperor of Rome, Stoic Philosopher
When by the Ruins oft I past
My sorrowing eyes aside did cast
And here and there the places spy
Where oft I sate and long did lie.
Here stood that Trunk, and there that chest,
There lay that store I counted best,
My pleasant things in ashes lie
And them behold no more shall I.
Under the roof no guest shall sit,
Nor at thy Table eat a bit.
No pleasant talk shall ‘ere be told
Nor things recounted done of old.
No Candle ‘ere shall shine in Thee,
Nor bridegroom’s voice ere heard shall bee.
In silence ever shalt thou lie.
—Anne Bradstreet (1612–72) American Poet
Suppressed grief suffocates, it rages within the breast, and is forced to multiply its strength.
—Ovid (Publius Ovidius Naso) (c.43 BCE–c.18 CE) Roman Poet
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
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
What’s gone and what’s past help should be past grief.
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616) British Playwright
Loss leaves us empty – but learn not to close your heart and mind in grief. Allow life to replenish you. When sorrow comes it seems impossible – but new joys wait to fill the void.
—Pam Brown (b.1948) Australian Poet
There may be as much nobility in being last as in being first, because the two positions are equally necessary in the world, the one to complement the other.
—Jose Ortega y. Gasset (1883–1955) Spanish Critic, Journalist, Philosopher
A wise man loses nothing, if he but save himself.
—Michel de Montaigne (1533–92) French Essayist
Lose an hour in the morning, and you will spend all day looking for it.
—Richard Whately (1787–1863) English Philosopher, Theologian
We are not interested in the possibilities of defeat; they do not exist.
—Queen Victoria (1819–1901) British Royal
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
Praising what is lost makes the remembrance dear.
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616) British Playwright
Wise men ne’er sit and wail their loss, but cheerily seek how to redress their harms.
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616) British Playwright
I hate to lose more than I love to win.
—Jimmy Connors (b.1952) American Sportsperson
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
Never in any case say I have lost such a thing, but I have returned it. Is your child dead? It is a return. Is your wife dead? It is a return. Are you deprived of your estate? is not this also a return?
—Epictetus (55–135) Ancient Greek Philosopher
Take care to sell your horse before he dies. The art of life is passing losses on.
—Robert Frost (1874–1963) American Poet
It is defeat that turns bone to flint, and gristle to muscle, and makes men invincible, and formed those heroic natures that are now in ascendency in the world.—Do not then be afraid of defeat.—You are never so near to victory as when defeated in a good cause.
—Henry Ward Beecher (1813–87) American Clergyman, Writer
Every man is afraid of something. That’s how you know he’s in love with you; when he is afraid of losing you.
—Unknown
The acknowledgment of our weakness is the first step toward repairing our loss.
—Thomas a Kempis (1379–1471) German Religious Priest, Writer
Tears are the silent language of grief.
—Voltaire (1694–1778) French Philosopher, Author