Adversity famous quotes
04-27-2025
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We fail to see the purifying and refining effect wrought by the flames of adversity. These flames are not meant to consume but only to purify us. Disguised as adversity, blessings are showered upon us.
-- A. Theodore Tuttle -
I tend to not discriminate when it comes to people I can learn from. Basically, if someone has built a meaningful business in software, technology or media, faced disruption and adversity, and overcame underdog status, I want to know how they did it.
-- Aaron Levie -
Was it possible I'd labeled him incorrectly? Shallow jocksdidn't overcome adversity and accomplish the things Leif had. I'd labeled him, not even knowing him. Just because girls went gaga over him andevery boy wanted to be him didn't make him a jerk. The only jerk in the room happened to be the judgmental, elitist female. Me.
-- Abbi Glines -
When a sailor overcomes crushing adversity, there's a massive sense of accomplishment.
-- Abby Sunderland -
Thinking is progress. Non-thinking is stagnation of the individual, organisation and the country. Thinking leads to action. Knowledge without action is useless and irrelevant. Knowledge with action, converts adversity into prosperity.
-- Abdul Kalam -
Without the assistance of that Divine Being...I cannot succeed. With that assistance I cannot fail.
-- Abraham Lincoln -
The money power preys on the nation in times of peace, and conspires against it in times of adversity. It is more despotic than monarchy, more insolent than autocracy, more selfish than bureaucracy. It denounces, as public enemies, all who question its methods or throw light upon its crimes.
-- Abraham Lincoln -
Good actions are a guard against the blows of adversity.
-- Abu Bakr -
Adversity makes me hungrier. I thrive on being able to make a way out of No Way.
-- Adrian Peterson -
Men often bear little grievances with less courage than they do large misfortunes.
-- Aesop -
Adversity is just change that we haven't adapted ourselves to yet.
-- Aimee Mullins -
Our responsibility is not simply shielding those we care for from adversity but preparing them to meet it well.
-- Aimee Mullins -
Adversity isn't an obstacle that we need to get around in order to resume living our life. It's part of our life.
-- Aimee Mullins -
If you see Allah, Mighty and Magnificent, holding back this world from you, frequently trying you with adversity and tribulation, know that you hold a great status with Him. Know that He is dealing with you as He does with His Awliya’ and chosen elite, and is watching over you.
-- Al-Ghazali -
By sticking it out through tough times, people emerge from adversity with a stronger sense of efficacy.
-- Albert Bandura -
The willow which bends to the tempest, often escapes better than the oak which resists it; and so in great calamities, it sometimes happens that light and frivolous spirits recover their elasticity and presence of mind sooner than those of a loftier character.
-- Albert Schweitzer -
Adversity is the touchstone of character: it is not in success but in misfortune that hidden powers bear fruit.
-- Alec-Tweedie -
Sometimes we stare so long at a door that is closing that we see too late the one that is open.
-- Alexander Graham Bell -
I never knew any man in my life who could not bear another's misfortunes perfectly like a Christian.
-- Alexander Pope -
But hey, what's life without a little adversity?" That had to have been the fakest attempt at optimism since my fourth grade teacher tried reasoning that we were better off without the dead kids in our class because it'd mean more turns on the playground swings for the rest of us.
-- Alexandra Bracken -
We should not seek to confirm God's will by the absence of adversity.
-- Alistair Begg -
I contend that not only can you laugh at adversity, but it is essential to do so if you are to deal with setbacks without defeat.
-- Allen Klein -
I have come to know that adversity really means the things in life that challenge us and cause us to work with devotion and courage to overcome. I once stood on a street in Trondheim, Norway, looking up at a statue of a Viking. There came to my mind at that time a fable of the Norsemen that when a man won a victory over another, the strength of the conquered went over into his veins. Therefore, in this sense adversity is good, for it produces in us a source of strength as we learn to conquer our weaknesses.
-- Alvin R. Dyer -
The prosecution responsible for the many discrepancies in their work must be made to answer for them, for Raffaele's sake, my sake and most especially for the sake of Meredith's family. Our hearts go out to them. No matter what happens, my family and I will face this continuing legal battle as we always have, confident in the truth and with our heads held high in the face of wrongful accusations and unreasonable adversity.
-- Amanda Knox -
Do not desert a friend in time of need, nor forsake him nor fail him, for friendship is the support of life. Let us then bear our burdens as the Apostle has taught (cf. Gal. 6:2): for he spoke to those whom the charity of the same one body had embraced together. If friends in prosperity help friends, why do they not also in times of adversity offer their support? Let us aid by giving counsel, let us offer our best endeavors, let us sympathize with them with all our heart.
-- Ambrose -
optimism, n. The doctrine, or belief, that everything is beautiful, including what is ugly, everything good, especially the bad, and everything right that is wrong. It is held with greatest tenacity by those most accustomed to the mischance of falling into adversity, and is most acceptably expounded with disproof - an intellectual disorder, yielding to no treatment but death. It is hereditary, but fortunately not contagious.
-- Ambrose Bierce -
When prosperous the fool trembles for the evil that is to come; in adversity the philosopher smiles for the good that he has had.
-- Ambrose Bierce -
That part of your friend which it is your privilege to contemplate in your adversity
-- Ambrose Bierce -
A champion is defined by the adversity he overcomes
-- Anderson Silva -
Nothing prevents happiness like the memory of happiness.
-- Andre Gide -
I work best when there is adversity: I seem to get calmer the more the fur is flying.
-- Andrea Arnold -
Dancing allows me to explore myself in so many ways, to learn about my limitations and strengths, my ability to cope with adversity and to go farther than I thought I could. You find out what you're made of.
-- Andrew Asnes -
Self-discipline is the ability to make yourself do something you don't necessarily want to do, to get a result you would really like to have.
-- Andy Andrews -
Adversity builds muscle. Adversity creates strength. Adversity, it turns out, is preparation for success.
-- Andy Andrews -
Everything now will prepare you for the next step. Don't run from adversity; lean into it with all your heart and God will make you a leader worth following.
-- Andy Stanley -
Character develops in stream of struggle and adversity. Character is foundation of your inner beauty which reflects in your personality.
-- Anil Sinha -
God has given me the bread of adversity and the water of trouble ...
-- Anne Askew -
If we had not winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.
-- Anne Bradstreet -
A prosperous state makes a secure Christian, but adversity makes him Consider.
-- Anne Bradstreet -
I had been seasoned by adversity, and tutored by experience, and I longed to redeem my lost honour in the eyes of those whose opinion was more than that of all the world to me.
-- Anne Bronte -
And I think that's important, to know how the water's gone over the dam before you start to describe it. It helps to have been over the dam yourself.
-- Annie Proulx -
It is always in the midst, in the epicenter, of your troubles that you find serenity.
-- Antoine de Saint-Exupery -
Let us learn to appreciate there will be times when the trees will be bare, and look forward to the time when we may pick the fruit.
-- Anton Chekhov -
In the face of adversity, you find out if you're a fighter or a quitter. It's all about getting up after you've been knocked down.
-- Archie Griffin -
Difficulties are just God's errands. If we are sent upon them, it is an evidence of His confidence. Therefore, let us be glad, be happy, for it is a way of being wise.
-- Ardeth Kapp -
In my practice as a psychiatrist, I have found that helping people to develop personal goals has proven to be the most effective way to help them cope with problems. Observing that lives of people who have mastered adversity, I have noticed that they have established goals and sought with all their effort to achieve them. From the moment they decided to concentrate all their energies on a specific objective, they begun to surmount the most difficult odds.
-- Ari Kiev -
One must not try to trick misfortune, but resign oneself to it with good grace.
-- Aristophanes -
Prosperity makes friends and adversity tries them. A true friend is one soul in two bodies
-- Aristotle -
Adversity in the things of this world opens the door for spiritual salvation.
-- Arnold J. Toynbee -
Always make a total effort, even when the odds are against you.
-- Arnold Palmer -
Adversity is the source of our deepest growth and greatest blessings; embrace it, dare to seek it.
-- Aron Ralston -
When working on a project, if you put away a tool that you're certain you're finished with, you will need it instantly.
-- Arthur Bloch -
If there is a possibility of several things going wrong, the one that will cause the most damage will be the one to go wrong.
-- Arthur Bloch -
Rightly conceived, time is the friend of all who are in any way in adversity, for its mazy road winds in and out of the shadows sooner or later into sunshine, and when one is at its darkest point one can be certain that presently it will grow brighte.
-- Arthur Bryant -
Sometimes we get through adversity only by imagining what the world might be like if our dreams should ever come true.
-- Arthur Golden -
I walked slowly out on the beach. A few yards below high-water mark I stopped and read the words again: WRITE YOUR WORRIES ON THE SAND. I let the paper blow away, reached down and picked up a fragment of shell. Kneeling there under the vault of the sky, I wrote several words, one above the other. Then I walked away, and I did not look back. I had written my troubles on the sand. The tide was coming in.
-- Arthur Gordon Webster -
Then I walked away, and I did not look back. I had written my troubles on the sand. The tide was coming in.
-- Arthur Gordon Webster -
If the lives of men were relieved of all need, hardship and adversity; if everything they took in hand were successful, they would be so swollen with arrogance that, though they might not burst, they would present the spectacle of unbridled folly-nay, they would go mad. And I may say, further, that a certain amount of care or pain or trouble is necessary for every man at all times. A ship without ballast is unstable and will not go straight.
-- Arthur Schopenhauer -
For a Christian to defy adversities is to "despise" chastisement. Instead of hardening himself to endure stoically, there should be a melting of the heart.
-- Arthur W. Pink -
When you observe that the fire in your room is getting dull, you do not always put on more coal, but simply stir with the poker; so God often uses the black poker of adversity in order that the flames of devotion may burn more brightly.
-- Arthur W. Pink -
It's not easy taking my problems one at a time when they refuse to get in line.
-- Ashleigh Brilliant -
Overall the theme is about never giving in... not letting anyone tell you what to do or take anything away from you. Always being yourself, whatever that may be. The content obviously takes a darker and romantic approach to relationships about love and loss, as well as overcoming adversity in everyday life. Generally, just being tough and standing up for what you believe.
-- Ashley Purdy -
I studied in Britain and spent great moments of my life there as a student living in Belsize Park. I admire the British trait of the stiff upper lip in the face of adversity. My wife studied in Britain, too, and both of us have many friends there.
-- Asif Ali Zardari -
Difficulties should act as a tonic. They should spur us to greater exertion.
-- B. C. Forbes -
There is no wilderness like a life without friends; friendship multiplies blessings and minimizes misfortunes; it is a unique remedy against adversity, and it soothes the soul.
-- Baltasar Gracian -
If things are tough, remember that every flower had to go through a whole lot of dirt to get there. So do not grieve about a bitter experience. The present is slipping by while you are regretting the past and worrying about the future. Regret will not prevent tomorrow's sorrows; it will only rob today of its strength.
-- Barbara Johnson -
There is no obstacle in the path of young people who are poor or members of minority groups that hard work and preparation cannot cure.
-- Barbara Jordan -
Even the most daring and accomplished people have undergone tremendous difficulty. In fact, the more successful they became, the more they attributed their success to the lessons learned during their most difficult times. Adversity is our teacher. When we view adversity as a guide towards greater inner growth, we will then learn to accept the wisdom our soul came into this life to learn.
-- Barbara Rose -
You never know how a horse will pull until you hook him to a heavy load.
-- Bear Bryant -
One of the greatest gifts my father gave me - unintentionally - was witnessing the courage with which he bore adversity. We had a bit of a rollercoaster life with some really challenging financial periods. He was always unshaken, completely tranquil, the same ebullient, laughing, jovial man.
-- Ben Okri -
People are defeated by easy, victorious and cheap successes more than by adversity.
-- Benjamin Disraeli -
The English nation is never so great as in adversity.
-- Benjamin Disraeli -
That thorny path, those stormy skies, have drawn our spirits nearer; and rendered us, by sorrow's ties, each to the other dearer.
-- Bernard Barton -
Many appear full of mildness and sweetness as long as everything goes their own way; but the moment any contradiction or adversity arises, they are in a flame, and begin to rage like a burning mountain. Such people as these are like red-hot coals hidden under ashes. This is not the mildness which Our Lord undertook to teach us in order to make us like unto Himself.
-- Bernard of Clairvaux -
Diseases can be our spiritual flat tires - disruptions in our lives that seem to be disasters at the time but end by redirecting our lives in a meaningful way.
-- Bernie Siegel -
If you watch how nature deals with adversity, continually renewing itself, you can't help but learn.
-- Bernie Siegel -
Trust reverses the detours of adversity into highways of destiny.
-- Beth Moore -
Even the severed branch grows again, and the sunken moon returns: wise men who ponder this are not troubled in adversity.
-- Bhartrhari -
Neither limits nor adversity are what ruin men. Under pressure, they handle themselves pretty well. It’s the lack of limits they can’t handle. That’s when they run amok. So, if you really want to see what a man is made of let him think he can get away with something.
-- Bill Bonner -
A team divided against itself can break down at any moment. The least bit of pressure or adversity will crack it apart
-- Bill Parcells -
Winter does adversely affect [the roads] and our roads have been let go, so they're more and more porous. We're going to have to put more and more emphasis on permanent patch and maintenance, so I expect a great deal of roads breaking up in the spring.
-- Bill Vaughan -
Books are delightful when prosperity happily smiles; when adversity threatens, they are inseparable comforters. They give strength to human compacts, nor are grave opinions brought forward without books. Arts and sciences, the benefits of which no mind can calculate. depend upon books.
-- Bill Vaughan -
Sometimes it's worse to win a fight than to lose.
-- Billie Holiday -
Comfort and prosperity have never enriched the world as much as adversity has.
-- Billy Graham -
The saloon is a liar. It promises good cheer and sends sorrow. It promises prosperity and sends adversity. It promises happiness and sends misery.... It is God's worst enemy and the devil's best friend.
-- Billy Sunday -
In every kind of adversity, the bitterest part of a man's affliction is to remember that he once was happy.
-- Boethius -
In omni adversitate fortunæ, infelicissimum genus est infortunii fuisse felicem In every adversity of fortune, to have been happy is the most unhappy kind of misfortune.
-- Boethius -
For in all adversity of fortune the worst sort of misery is to have been happy.
-- Boethius -
The kind of gratitude that receives even tribulations with thanksgiving requires a broken heart and a contrite spirit, humility to accept that which we cannot change, willingness to turn everything over to the Lord -even when we do not understand, thankfulness for hidden opportunities yet to be revealed. Then comes a sense of peace. “When was the last time you thanked the Lord for a trial or tribulation? Adversity compels us to go to our knees; does gratitude for adversity do that as well?
-- Bonnie D. Parkin -
When was the last fast time you thanked the Lord for a trial or tribulation? Adversity compels us to go to our knees; does gratitude for adversity do that as well?
-- Bonnie D. Parkin -
I don't like people who have never fallen or stumbled. Their virtue is lifeless and it isn't of much value. Life hasn't revealed its beauty to them.
-- Boris Pasternak -
Something called 'the Oklahoma Standard' became known throughout the world. It means resilience in the face of adversity. It means a strength and compassion that will not be defeated.
-- Brad Henry -
Problems are the price you pay for progress.
-- Branch Rickey -
I consider adversity being good sometimes you know.
-- Brett Favre -
Initially, I know that I handled it worse than she did and I think partly because I've always been... every bit of adversity I've faced up until the last year and a half is adversity I brought upon myself - or the opposing teams have given me.
-- Brett Favre -
The thrill of achievement comes from overcoming adversity in the accomplishment of an important goal.
-- Brian Tracy -
Your persistence is, in fact, the true measure of your belief in yourself and your ability to succeed. Each time that you persist in the face of adversity and disappointment, you build the habit of persistence.
-- Brian Tracy
