Every man’s got to figure to get beat sometime.
—Joe Louis (1914–81) 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
The loss which is unknown is no loss at all.
—Publilius Syrus (fl.85–43 BCE) Syrian-born Roman Latin Writer
As always, victory finds a hundred fathers but defeat is an orphan.
—Galeazzo Ciano (1903–44) Italian Diplomat, Politician
Shoulda, coulda, and woulda won’t get it done. In attacking adversity, only a positive attitude, alertness, and regrouping to basics can launch a comeback.
—Pat Riley (b.1945) American Basketball Player, Coach
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
The acknowledgment of our weakness is the first step toward repairing our loss.
—Thomas a Kempis (1379–1471) German Religious Priest, Writer
Empty your mind of all thoughts.
—Laozi (fl.6th Century BCE) Chinese Philosopher, Sage
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
Losing a game is heartbreaking. Losing your sense of excellence or worth is a tragedy.
—Joe Paterno (1926–2012) American College Football Coach
The fear of losing is what makes competitors so great. Show me a gracious loser and I’ll show you a permanent loser.
—O. J. Simpson (1947–2024) American NFL Player, Broadcaster, Actor
Wise men ne’er sit and wail their loss, but cheerily seek how to redress their harms.
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616) British Playwright
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
What’s gone and what’s past help should be past grief.
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616) British Playwright
The cheerful loser is the winner.
—Elbert Hubbard (1856–1915) American Writer, Publisher, Artist, Philosopher
Take care to sell your horse before he dies. The art of life is passing losses on.
—Robert Frost (1874–1963) American Poet
Never contend with a man who has nothing to lose.
—Baltasar Gracian (1601–58) Spanish Scholar, Prose Writer
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
Nobody ever chooses the already unfortunate as objects of his loyal friendship.
—F. L. Lucas (1894–1967) English Literary Critic, Poet, Novelist, Playwright
I hate to lose more than I love to win.
—Jimmy Connors (b.1952) American Tennis Player
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
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 (1835–1902) British Victorian Novelist, Essayist, Critic
Tears are the silent language of grief.
—Voltaire (1694–1778) French Philosopher, Author
You’re never a loser until you quit trying.
—Mike Ditka (b.1939) American Football Player, Coach
Show me a good loser and I will show you a loser.
—Paul Newman (1925–2008) American Actor, 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
No one knows what to say in the loser’s locker room.
—Muhammad Ali (1942–2016) American Sportsperson
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
Giving yourself permission to lose guarantees a loss.
—Pat Riley (b.1945) American Basketball Player, Coach
A wise man loses nothing, if he but save himself.
—Michel de Montaigne (1533–92) French Essayist
Leave a Reply