Triumph In Adversity Quotes Are Life Saviors

These triumph in adversity quotes can influence you to be wiser and stronger when you need to face life’s challenges each day.

Their powerful messages can save your life.

As we know adversity is inevitable.

Each of us faces a rich assortment of adversities every day, ranging from minor hassles to major setbacks and challenges, even tragedies.

But for those who know how to harness adversity, they see it as a gift, instead of a curse.

Adversity can be a potent force in life. In fact, it can make you stronger, wiser and better.

It is all about how we deal with adversity, setbacks, sufferings, disappointment, injustice and heartache.

Triumph In Adversity Quotes

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You should read this one of “the ten most influential books in the United States.”

It is about his experiences as a concentration camp inmate and shares with us his psycho-therapeutic method of finding a reason to live.

Another remarkable book is “The Adversity Advantage: Turning Everyday Struggles Into Everyday Greatness“.

It teaches you how to take life’s challenges and uncertainties and use them to fuel a purposeful life; how to react and respond to adversity.

Or maybe you would like to check out “The Power of Adversity: Tough Times Can Make You Stronger, Wiser, and Better.”

To overcome adversity is not easy, but this book, it shows you that you can turn it into a catalyst for powerful and meaningful personal transformation.

Instead of giving it up to adversity, you should see it as a blessed enemy and leveraged it to achieve personal and professional success just like what the author Al Weatherhead did.

Triumph In Adversity Quotes

These remarkable triumph in the face of adversity quotes aka life saviors can guide you to be wiser and stronger to deal life’s problems.


“Who best can suffer, best can do…” – John Milton

(The Poetical Works Of John Milton, With A Memoir And Critical Remarks On His Genius And Writings By James Montgomery, In Two Volumes, Vol. II, Paradise Regained And Other Poems, London: Henry G. Bohn, 1861, Paradise Regained, Book III, Line 194 & 195, P. 47) source


“Adversity’s sweet milk, philosophy…” – William Shakespeare

(The Plays Of William Shakespeare, Volume The Twelve, Romeo and Juliet, London: J. Nichols And Son, 1813, Act III, Sc. III, P. 160) source

(The quote is also found in: The Tragedy Of Romeo And Juliet By William Shakespeare, New York: Gin And Company, 1916, Act. III Sc. III, P. 88) source

(Another source of the quote is found here.)

Note: Adversity ‘s sweet milk philosophy meaning clearly explained.


“…there is no education like adversity.” – Benjamin Disraeli

(Endymion By Benjamin Disraeli (The Earl Of Beaconsfield, K. G.), New York: D. Appleton & Co., 1880, Ch. LXI, P. 276) source

(The quote is also found in: Endymion By Benjamin Disraeli, Redditch, UK: Read Books Ltd, 2013, Ch. LXI) source

(Other sources of the quote are found here and here.)


“The good are better made by ill, As odours crush’d are sweeter still.” – Samuel Rogers

(The Poems Of Samuel Rogers: With A Memoir, New York: Leavitt & Company,  1851, Jacqueline, P. 260) source

(The quote is also found in: Poems By Samuel Rogers, London: Edward Moxen, 1838, Jacqueline, III, P. 154) source


“Health and patience are among the best friends of adversity.” – Edward Counsel

(Maxims: Political, Philosophical, And Moral By Edward Counsel, Second Edition, Melbourne: A. H. Massina & Co., 1892, 1047, P. 33) source

(The quote is also found here.)


“Adversity is sometimes hard upon a man; but for one man who can stand prosperity, there are a hundred that will stand adversity.” – Thomas Carlyle

(On Heroes, Hero-worship, & The Heroic In History: Six Lectures, Reported, With Emendations And Additions By Thomas Carlyle, London: James Fraser, Lecture V (Tuesday, 19th May, 1840), The Hero As Man Of Letters, Johnson, Rousseau, Burns, P. 314) source

(The quote is also found in: Heroes And Hero Worship By Thomas Carlyle, Philadelphia: Henry Altemus, 1899, On Heroes, Hero-worship, & The Heroic In History, Lecture V, The Hero As Man Of Letters, Johnson, Rousseau, Burns, P. 259) source

(Another source of the quote is found in: The Athenaeum Press Series, Carlyle, On Heroes, Hero-Worship, And The Heroic in History, Edited By Archibald MacMechan, Boston: Ginn & Company, 1901, Lecture V The Hero As Man Of Letters, Johnson, Rousseau, Burns, The Hero As Man Of Letters, P. 223) source


“Without an adversary, prowess shrivels. We see how great and how efficient it really is, only when it shows by endurance what it is capable of.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca (Seneca The Younger)

“Marcet sine adversario virtus; tunc apparet quanta sit quantumque polleat, cum quid possit patientia ostendit.” (Latin)

(Seneca Moral Essays With English Translation By John W. Basore, In Three Volumes, I, London: William Heinemann Ltd, New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1932, The Dialogues Of Lucilius Annaeus Seneca, Book 1, On Providence, P. 9) source

(The quote is also found in: Seneca: Moral Essays Volume I, With An English Translation by Thomas H. Corcoran, Harvard University Press, 1994, Book I, P. 9) source

(The quote in Latin is found in: Seneca Moral Essays With English Translation By John W. Basore, In Three Volumes, I, London: William Heinemann Ltd, New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1932, Liber 1, Ad Lvcilivm, De Providentia, P. 8) source

(The quote in Latin is also found here.)


“Adversity is a living test of experience.” – Edward Counsel

(Maxims: Political, Philosophical, And Moral By Edward Counsel, Second Edition, Melbourne: A. H. Massina & Co., 1892, 2333, P. 64) source

(The quote is also found here.)


“Adversity is meant to act like a grain of sand inside an oyster; it is the irritant in our lives that can stimulate us to create pearls.” – Al Weatherhead

(The Power Of Adversity: Tough Times Can Make You Stronger, Wiser, And Better By Al Weatherhead With Fred Feldman, Hampton Roads Publishing Inc., 2008, Ch. One, We’re Not Meant To Be Happy…We’re Mean To Grow, In My Life… ) source


“We acquire the strength we have overcome.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

(The Conduct Of Life : Nature, & Other Essays By Emerson, Ralph Waldo, London: J. M. Dent; New York: E. P. Dutton, 1908, The Conduct Of Life, VII., Considerations By The Way, P. 274) source

(The quote is also found in: Essays And Lectures By Ralph Waldo Emerson, Compiled And Edited By Joel Porte, New York: The Library of America, 1983, The Conduct Of Life,  VII., Considerations By The Way, P. 1084)


“Most people can bear adversity. But if you wish to know what a man really is give him power. This is the supreme test.” – Robert G. Ingersoll

(The Works Of Robert G. Ingersoll , Volume III (In 12 Volumes), Lectures, New York: Cosimo, Inc., 2009, Abraham Lincoln (1894), XIII, P. 172)

(The quote is also found in: The Works Of Robert G. Ingersoll, Edited And Compiled by David Widger, In Twelve Volumes, Vol. III, Lectures, New York: The Dresden Publishing Co., 1900, Abraham Lincoln, XIII) source


“By trying we can easily learn to endure adversity. Another man’s, I mean.” – Mark Twain

(The Jumping Frog And 18 Other Stories By Mark Twain, Escondido, CA: The Book Tree, 2000, More Maxims Of Pudd’nhead Wilson, From Following The Equator, P. 104)

(The quote is also found in: Following The Equator; A Journey Around The World By Mark Twain, New York: Doubleday & McClure, 1897, Ch. XXXIX, P. 357)


“…adversity is wont to disclose, prosperity to conceal…” – Horace

“…ingenium res adversae nudare solent, celare secundae (Latin)

(The Works Of Horace, Translated Literally Into English Prose By C. Smart, New York: Harper Brothers, 1894, The Second Book Of The Satires Of Horace, Satire VIII, P. 225) source

(The quote is also found in: The Works Of Horace, Literally Translated Into English Prose By Christopher Smart, A New Edition Carefully Corrected With A Life Of The Translator By Robert Anderson, In Two Volumes, Vol. II, Edinburgh: Stirling & Kenney, 1827, The Satires Of Horace, Book II, Satire VIII, P. 143) source

(The quote in Latin is found in: The Works Of Horace, Literally Translated Into English Prose By Christopher Smart, A New Edition Carefully Corrected With A Life Of The Translated By Robert Anderson, In Two Volumes, Vol. II, Edinburgh: Stirling & Kenney, 1827, The Satires Of Horace, Book II, Satire VIII, P. 142) source

(The quote in Latin is also found in: The Works Of Horace Translated Into English Prose, Vol. II, London: Printed For The Assigns Of Joseph Davidson, 1753, Book II, Satire VIII, P. 200) source


“Good fortune hides, adversity calls forth.” – Horace (Quintus Horatius Flaccus)

“Adversae nudare solent, celare secundae.” (Latin)

(Horace Translated By Philip Francis, Containing Translations Of Various Odes, &c By Ben Johnson, Cowley, Milton, Dryden, Pope, Addison, Swift Bentley, Chatterton, G Wakefield, Porson, Byron, &c And By Some Of The Most Eminent Poets Of The Present Day, In Two Volumes, Vol. I, New York: Harper & Brothers, 1860, The Satires, Book II, Satire VIII, Line 93, P. 287) source

(The quote is also found in: Horace Translated By Philip Francis, With Notes By H. L. Pye, London: W. Suttaby,B. Crosby, Etc, 1809, Book II, Line 93, P. 342) source

(The quote in Latin is found in: The Works Of Horace: Translated Into English Prose, As Near The Original As The Different Idioms Of The Latin And English Language Will Allow, Vol. II, London: D. Browne, 1753, Horace’s Satires, Book II, Satire VIII, Line 74, P. 200) source

(The quote in Latin is also found in: Quinti Horatii Flacci Opera. Edited By Dr. William Freund And John Carmichael, London: T. Nelson And Sons, 1857, Satirarum, Liber Secundus, Satira VIII, Line 74, P. 300) source

Note: The quotes in both Latin and English language together are found in: Satires And Epistles: In Latin And English, The English Version By Philip Francis, London And New York: Unit Library, 1902, PP. 158 & 159 source


“For friendship, of itself a holy tie, is made more sacred by adversity” – John Dryden

(The Poetical Works Of John Dryden, Volume 2, London: William Pickering, 1843, The Hind And The Panther, The Third Part, P. 166)

(The quote is also found in: The Hind The Panther By John Dryden, With Introduction and Notes By W. H. Williams, London: Macmillan And Co., Limited, 1900, The Third Part, Line 46 & 47, P. 46) source


“Love is maintained by wealth; when all is spent, Adversity then breeds the discontent.” – Robert Herrick

(The Poetical Works Of Robert Herrick: Containing His ‘Hesperides’ And ‘Noble Numbers’, With A Biographical Memoir By E. Walford, London: Reeves & Turner, 1859, Hesperides, Adversity, P. 333) source

(The quote is also found in: The Poetical Works Of Robert Herrick, Vol. II, London: William Pickering, 1846, Hesperides, Adversity, P. 50) source


“Turn your wounds into wisdom.” – Oprah Winfrey

(Oprah Spoke To Graduates Of Wellesley College, Commencement Speech, May 30, 1997)

Note: You can watch the full commencement speech on YouTube)


“…you have gained nothing by so many misfortunes, if you have not learned how to suffer.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca (Seneca The Younger)

“…perdidisti enim tot mala, si nondum misera esse didicisti.” (Latin)

(L. Annaneus Seneca: Minor Dialogues, Together With The Dialogue On clemency, Translated By Aubrey Stewart, London: George Bell And Sons, 1889, The Eleventh Book Of The Dialogues Of L. Annaeus Seneca, Addressed To His Mother, Helvia Of Consolation, II, P. 323) source

(The quote is also found in: Consolations From A Stoic By Seneca, Los Angeles, CA: Enhanced Media, 2016, Of Consolation To Helvia, II, P. 39) source

(The quote in Latin is found in: Seneca: Moral Essays, Vol. 2, Translated By John W. Basore, Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press, 1979, De Consolatione Ad Helvium, III, P. 422) source

(The quote in Latin is also found in: L. Annaei Senecae: Dialogorvm, Libri X, XI, XII, Three Dialogues Of Seneca, Edited By J. D. Duff, Cambridge University Press, 1915, Dialogorvm Liber XII, Ad Helviam Matrem, De Consolatione, 3, P. 63) source

(Other two sources of the quote in Latin are found here and here.)


“…yield not to adversity; trust not to prosperity; keep before your eyes the full scope of Fortune’s power, as if she would surely do whatever is in her power to do.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca (Seneca The Younger)

“…adversis non succumbere, laetis non credere, omnem fortunae licentiam in oculis habere, tamquam quicquid potest facere, factura sit.” (Latin)

(Seneca Ad Lucilium Epistulae Morales, With An English Translation By Richard M. Gummere, In Three Volumes, Vol. II, London: William Heinemann, New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1925, The Epistles Of Seneca, Epistle LXXVIII, On The Healing Of The Mind, P. 199) source

(The quote is also found in: Letters From A Stoic: Volume II By Lucius Annaeus Seneca,Translated By Richard Mott Gummere, Enhanced Media, 2016, Letter LXXXVIII-On The Healing Power Of The Mind, P. 59) source

(The quote in Latin is found in: Seneca Ad Lucilium Epistulae Morales, With An English Translation By Richard M. Gummere, In Three Volumes, Vol. II, London: William Heinemann, New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1925, The Epistles Of Seneca, Epistle LXXVIII, Seneca Lvcilio Svo Salvtem, P. 198) source

(The quote in Latin is also found in: L. Annaei Senecae Ad Lucilium Epistolae Selectae, In Gymnasiorum Usum, Stuttgartiae, Typis Et Impensis J. B. Meztleri, 1825, Epistola [LXXVIII] XL, P. 88) source


“…no prizefighter can go with high spirits into the strife if he has never been beaten black and blue.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca (Seneca The Younger)

“…non potest athleta magnos spiritus ad certamen adferre, qui numquam suggillatus est.” (Latin)

(Seneca In Ten Volumes, IV Ad Lucilium Epsitulae Morales, With English Translation By Richard M. Gummere, In Three Volumes, I, Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, London: W. Heinemann, 1967, Ch. XIII, On Groundless Fear, P. 73) source

(The quote is also found .)

(The quote in Latin is found in: Seneca In Ten Volumes, IV Ad Lucilium Epsitulae Morales, With English Translation By Richard M. Gummere, In Three Volumes, I, Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, London: W. Heinemann, 1979, Ch. XIII, Seneca Lvcilio Svo Salvtem, P. 72) source

(The quote in Latin is also found .)


“For of all suffering from fortune, the unhappiest misfortune is to have known a happy fortune.” – Anicius Manlius Severinus Boetius

“Nam in omni aduersitate fortunae infelicissimum est genus infortunii fuisse felicem.” (Latin)

(The Consolation Of Philosophy By Boethius, Translated By W. V. Cooper, London, UK: Aeterna Press, 1964, Book II) source

(The quote is also found in: The Consolation Of Philosophy By Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius, Translated By W. V. Cooper, Edited By Anthony Uyl, Woodstock Ontario: Devoted Publishing, 2016, Book II, P. 12) source

(Another source of the quote is found: The Consolation Of Philosophy By Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius, Translated From The Latin By W. V. Cooper, X-Classics Project, 2009, Book II, Prose IV, Boethius Pleads That ‘Sorrow’s Crown Of Sorrow Is Remembering Happier Things,’ And Philosophy Answers Him, P. 20)

Note: Another two English translations of the quote are:

“…for in every kind of adversity, the bitterest part of a man’s affliction is to remember that he once was happy” – Anicius Manlius Severinus Boetius

(The Comfort Of Philosophy In Five Books, From The Latin Of An. Man. Torq. Sev. Boetius By william Causton & Mr. Bellamy, London: W. Faden, 1768, The Comfort Of Philosophy Book II, Argument, P. 43) source

“For in all adversity of fortune it is the most unhappy kind of misfortune to have been happy.” – Anicius Manlius Severinus Boetius

(Boethius: The Theological Tractates With An English Translation By H. F. Stewart, And E. K. Rand, The Consolation Of Philosophy, With The English Translation Of “I.T.” (1609), Revised By H. F. Stewart, London: William Heinemann Ltd, 1918, The Consolation Of Philosophy, The Second Book Of Boethius, IV, P. 189) source

(The quote is also found in: The Theological Tractates And The Consolation Of Philosophy By Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius, Frankfurt: Outlook Verlag GmbH, 2019, The Second Book Of Boethius, IV) source

(The quote in Latin is found in: Anici Manli Severini Boethi De Consolatione Philosophiae, Libri Quinque, London: B. Oates & Washbourne, 1925, Liber Secundus, Prosa IV, P. 37) source

(The quote in Latin is also found in: Anicii Manlii Severini Boethii Philosophiae Consolationis , Libri Quinque, Guilelmus Weinberger, Vindobonae: Hoelder Pichler Tempsky A. G., 1934, Liber II, 4, P. 28) source

(Another source of the quote in Latin is found in: Boethius: The Theological Tractates With An English Translation By H. F. Stewart, And E. K. Rand, The Consolation Of Philosophy, With The English Translation Of “I.T.” (1609), Revised By H. F. Stewart, London: William Heinemann Ltd, 1918, Philosophiae Consolationis, Liber Primvs Explicit, Incipit Liber II, IV, P. 188) source


“…things ’twas hard to bear ’tis pleasant to recall.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca (Seneca The Younger)

“quae fuit durum pati, meminisse dulce est.” (Latin)

(Seneca’s Tragedies, With An English Translation By Frank Justus Miller, In Two Volumes, I, London: William Hinemann Ltd., 1917, Hercules Furens, Amphitryon, 654, P. 61) source

(The quote is also found here.)

(The quote in Latin is found in: Seneca’s Tragedies, With An English Translation By Frank Justus Miller, In Two Volumes, I, London: William Hinemann Ltd., 1917, Hercules Furens, Amphitryon, 654, P. 60) source


“Misfortunes often sharpen the genius…” – Ovid (Publius Ovidius Naso)

“Ingenium mala saepe movent…” (Latin)

(Ars Amatoria; Or The Art Of Love By Ovid, Literally Translated Into English Prose, With Copious Notes By Henry Thomas Riley, Russia: LitRes, 2018, Book The Second) source

(The quote is also found here.)

Note: Another English translation of the quote is:

“Ills often stir the wits..” – Ovid (Publius Ovidius Naso)

(Ovid: The Art Of Love And Other Poems, with An English Translation By J. H. Mozley, London: William Heinemann Ltd, 1957, The Art Of Love, Book II, P. 69) source

(The quote in Latin is found in: P. Ovidii Nasonis Opera, E Textu Burmanni; Cum Notis Bentleii, Hactenus Ineditis, Necnon, Harlesii, Gierigii, Burmanni, Lemairii, Et Alitorum Selectissimis, Volumen Secundum, OXonii, Impensis Talboys Et Wheeler; Gulielmi Pickering, London, 1825, Artis Amatorie, Liber Secundus, P. 3) source


“Certainly virtue is like precious odours, most fragrant when they are incensed or crushed; for Prosperity doth best discover vice, but adversity doth best discover virtue.” – Francis Bacon

(The Essays, Or Councils, Civil And Moral By Francis Bacon, Lord Verulam, Viscount St. Alban, With A Table Of The Color Of Good And Evil, And A Discourse Of The Wisdom Of The Ancients, To Which Is Added, The Character Of Queen Elizabeth,  London: Printed For J. Walthoe, Tim Childe, G. Sawbridge, Benj. Took, Dan. Mudwinter, Jacob Tonson, R. Wellington, W. Innys, Benj. Cowse, 1718, Essay V. Of Adversity, P.12) source

(The quote is also found here.)


“…the virtue of Prosperity is temperance; the virtue of Adversity is fortitude; which in morals is the more heroical virtue.” – Francis Bacon

(The Essays Of Francis Bacon, Edited With Introduction By Mary Augusta Scott, Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1908, Essays Of Counsels And Moral, V Of Adversity, P. 23) source

(The quote is also found in: The Essays, Or Councils, Civil And Moral By Francis Bacon, Lord Verulam, Viscount St. Alban, With A Table Of The Color Of Good And Evil, And A Discourse Of The Wisdom Of The Ancients, To Which Is Added, The Character Of Queen Elizabeth,  London: Printed For J. Walthoe, Tim Childe, G. Sawbridge, Benj. Took, Dan. Mudwinter, Jacob Tonson, R. Wellington, W. Innys, Benj. Cowse, 1718, Essay V. Of Adversity, P. 11) source

(Another source of the quote is found in: Bacon’s Essays And Wisdom Of The Ancients Boston: Little Brown And Company, 1884, Essays, Or Counsels Civil And Moral, 5. Of Adversity 1625, P. 76) source


“The eternal stars shine out again, so soon as it is dark enough.” – Thomas Carlyle

(Past And Present By Thomas Carlyle, London: Chapman And Hall, 1870, Book IV, Horoscope, Ch. VIII, The Didactic, P. 361) source

(The quote is also found in: Past and Present By Thomas Carlyle, London: Chapman & Hall, 1843, Book IV, Horoscope, Ch. VIII, The Didactic, P. 251)


“The rays of happiness, like those of light, are colorless when unbroken.” – Henry W. Longfellow

(Kavanagh (Annotated Edition) By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Forlag: Jazzybee Verlag, 2012, Chapter XIII) source

(The quote is also found in: Kavanagh: A Tale By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, London: W. Kent And Co.(Late D. Bogue), Chapter XIII; P. 47) source


“If we have our own why in life, we shall get along with almost any how.” – Friedrich Nietzsche

“Hat man sein warum? des Lebens, so verträgt man sich fast mit jedem wie?” (German)

(Twilight Of The Idols By Friedrich Nietzsche, 1895, Translated By Walter Kaufmann And R.J. Hollingdale, Maxims And Arrows, 12) source

Note: Another English translation of the quote is:

“One has to be why? of life, compatible with almost any how you look?” – Friedrich Nietzsche

(Twilight Of The Idols Or How To Philosophize With A Hammer By Friedrich Nietzsche, Translation By Daniel Fidel Ferrer, Maxims And Arrows, 12, P. 6)

(The quote in German is found in: Götzen-Dämmerung Oder Wie Man Mit Dem Hammer Philosophiert Von Friedrich Nietzsche, Altenmünster: Jazzybee Verlag, 2012, Sprüche Und Pfeile, 12) source


“There are defeats more triumphant than victories.” – Michel De Montaigne

“Aussi y a il des pertes triomphantes à l’envi des victoires.” (French)

(The Essays Of Michel De Montaigne, Translated By Charles Cotton, Edited By William Carew Hazlitt, In Three Volumes, Vol. I, London: Reeves And Turner, 1877, Book The First, Ch. XXX, Of Cannibals, P. 262) source

Note: Another two English translations of the quote are:

“His defeats are to him more glorious than his victories.” – Michel De Montaigne

(The Essays Of Michael De Montaigne, Translated By Charles Cotton, Edited By William Carew Hazlitt, London, Reeves and Turner, 1877, Book III, Ch. X) source

“There are actually some defeats which may compare even with victories for triumph.” – Michel De Montaigne

(The Essays Of Michael De Montaigne, Translated Into English With Very Considerable Amendments And Improvements From the Most Accurate French Edition Of Peter Coste, In Three Volumes, Vol. I,  London: Printed For W. Miller, White And Cochrane, And Lackington, Allen And Co., 1811, Of Cannibals, Ch. XXX, P. 255) source

(The quote in French is found in: Essais De Montaigne, Édition Nouvelle, Ou Se Trouvent Ses Lettres Et Le Discours De La Boetie Sur La Servitude Volontaire, Ou Le Contr’un, Avec Les Notes De Coste, Tome Quatriéme, A Paris: Chez Louis, Libraire, 1801, Livre I, Ch. XXX, Des Cannibales, P. 61) source

(The quote in French is also found here.)


Adversity introduces a man to himself.” – Unknown


“…adversity is the only furnace of friendship…” – Joseph Hall

(The Works Of The Right Reverend Joseph Hall, A New Edition, Corrected, With Some Additions By Philip Wynter,  Vol. I, Oxford: At The University Press, 1863, Book XI, Naomi And Ruth, Ruth I, P. 302) source

(The quote is also found in: The Works Of Joseph Hall: Successively Bishop Of Exeter And Norwich: With Some Account Of His Life And Sufferings, In Twelve Volumes, Vol. I, Oxford: D. A. Talboys, 1837, Book XI, Contemplation III – Naomi And Ruth, Ruth I, P. 271) source


“Adversity is the first path to truth.” – Lord Byron

(Lord Byron’s Don Juan With Life And Notes By A. Cunningham, Philadelphia: Jas B. Smith & Co., 1859, Canto The Twelfth, L, P. 314) source

(The quote is also found in: The Complete Works Of Lord Byron From the Last London Edition Now First Collected And Arranged, and Illustrated with Note By Sir Walter Scott, Francis Jeffrey, Thomas Moore , Etc, Paris: Baudry’s European Library, 1835, Don Juan, Canto The Twelfth, L, P. 874) source


“Adversity stripped him only to discover him.” – Orison Swett Marden

(Pushing To The Front By Orison Swett Marden, Petersburg, NY:The Success company’s Branch Offices, 1911, Ch. XXVII, Uses Of Obstacles, P. 353) source

(The quote is also found in: Rising In The World: Or, Architects Of Fate; A Book Designed To Inspire Youth To Character-Building, Self-culture And Noble Achievement By Orison Swett Marden, Cooper Union, New York: The Success Company, 1897, Ch. V, Uses Of Obstacles, P. 99) source


“Adversity exasperates fools, dejects cowards, but draws out the faculties of the wise and industrious, puts the modest to the necessity of trying their skill, awes the opulent, and makes the idle industrious.” – Orison Swett Marden

(Pushing To The Front By Orison Swett Marden, Petersburg, New York:The Success Company’s Branch Offices, 1911, Ch. XXVII, Uses Of Obstacles, P. 354) source

(The quote is also found in: Wisdom & Empowerment: The Orison Swett Marden Edition (18 Books In One Volume By Orison Swett Marden, e-artnow, 2017, Ch. XXVII, Uses Of Obstacles) source


“Many a man has never found himself until he has lost his all. Adversity stripped him only to discover him.” – Orison Swett Marden

(Pushing To The Front By Orison Swett Marden, Petersburg, New York:The Success Company’s Branch Offices, 1911, Ch. XXVII, Uses Of Obstacles, P. 353) source

(The quote is also found in: Rising In The World, Or Architects Of Fate By Orison Swett Marden, New York: Cosmico Inc, 2005, Ch. V. Uses Of Obstacles, P. 99) source


“Men of mettle turn disappointments into helps as the oyster turns into pearl the sand which annoys it.” – Orison Swett Marden

(Pushing To The Front By Orison Swett Marden, Petersburg, New York:The Success Company’s Branch Offices, 1911, Ch. XXVII, Uses Of Obstacles, P. 344) source

(The quote is also found in: Rising In The World, Or Architects Of Fate By Orison Swett Marden, New York: Cosmico Inc, 2005, Ch. V. Uses Of Obstacles, P. 87) source


“Difficulties call out great qualities, and make greatness possible.” – Orison Swett Marden

(Pushing To The Front By Orison Swett Marden, Petersburg, New York:The Success Company’s Branch Offices, 1911, Ch. XXVII, Uses Of Obstacles, P. 346) source

(The quote is also found in: Rising In The World, Or Architects Of Fate By Orison Swett Marden, New York: Cosmico Inc, 2005, Ch. V. Uses Of Obstacles, P. 90) source


“The best tools receive their temper from fire, their edge from grinding; the noblest characters are developed in a similar way.” – Orison Swett Marden

(Pushing To The Front By Orison Swett Marden, Petersburg, New York:The Success Company’s Branch Offices, 1911, Ch. XXVII, Uses Of Obstacles, P. 347) source

(The quote is also found in: Rising In The World, Or Architects Of Fate By Orison Swett Marden, New York: Cosmico Inc, 2005, Ch. V. Uses Of Obstacles, P. 91) source


“…life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating.” – O. Henry

(The Gift Of The Magi  By O. Henry, Auckland:The Floating Press, 2009, P. 3) source

Note: You can read the short story free online here.) 


“A certain amount of opposition is a great help to man. Kites rise against not with the wind…” – John Neal

(The Western Literary Messenger: A Family Magazine Of Literature, Science, Art, Morality, And General Intelligence, Vol. VI, Buffalo: Clement & Paxon, 1846, Saturday, February 21, 1846, Number III, Enterprise And Perseverance By John Neal, P. 38) source

Note: The quote from which the essay is taken from, is titled “Enterprise And Perseverance” by John Neal. It was first published in “Weekly Mirror” of New York City on 31 January, 1846. (see image below)

The image below is taken from Old Fulton.

Kites rise against not with the wind john neal

You can also read the full essay entitled “Enterprise And Perseverance” by John Neal in Rome Sentinel, March 20, 1846 over here.


“…perhaps all the dragons of our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us once beautiful and brave.” – Rainer Maria Rilke

“…vielleicht sind alle Drachen unseres Lebens Prinzessinnen, die nur darauf warten, uns einmal schön und mutig zu sehen.” (German)

(Rilke On Love And Other Difficulties: Translations And Considerations By Rainer Maria Rilke, John J. L. Mood, New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1994, Ch. VI, The Dragon-Princess, P. 119)

(The quote is also found in: Letters To A Young Poet By Rainer Maria Rilke, Franz Xaver Kappus, New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1954, The Letters: Eight, Borge-gard, Fladie, Sweden, August 12, 1904, P. 69) source

Note: You can read the full letter here.)

(The quote in German is found in: Rainer Maria Rilke – Gesammelte Werke, Cologne: Anaconda Verlag, 2013, Briefe An Einen Jungen Dichter, Brief 8, Borge-gard, Fladie, Schweden, Am 12 August 1904) source

(The quote in German is also found in: Rainer Maria Rilke: Gesammelte Werke: Gedichte + Erzählungen + Roman + Dramen + Schriften Zu Kunst Und Literatur, e-artnow, 2014, Briefe An Einen Jungen Dichter, Brief 8 Inhaltsverzeichnis, Borge-gard, Fladie, Schweden, am 12 August 1904) source


“…to have become a deeper man is the privilege of those who have suffered.” – Oscar Wilde

(De Profundis By Oscar Wilde, New York And London: G. P. Putnam & Sons, 1905, P. 100) source

(The quote is also found in: De Profundis By Oscar Wilde, Preface By Richard Ellmann, Notes By Jason Tougaw, New York: The Modern Library, 2000, P. 88) source


“Life is bristling with thorns, and I know no other remedy than to cultivate one’s garden.” – Voltaire

La vie est hérissée de ces épines, et je n’y sais d’autre remède que de cultiver son jardin.” (French)

(Voltaire’s Correspondence, Volume 73, Edited By Theodore Besterman, Institut et musée Voltaire, 1962, Letter 14981, Pierre Joseph Francois Luneau De Boisjermain,  October 21, 1769, P. 133) source

(The quote in French is found in: Oeuvres Completes De Voltaire, Avec Des Notes Et Une Notice Historique Sur La Vie De Voltaire, Volume 12, Correspondance, A M. Luneau De Boisjermain, Château De Ferney, 21 Octobre 1769, P. 4020)

(The quote in French is also found in: Oeuvres De Voltaire, Tome LXVI, A Paris: Chez Lefévre, Libraire, Firmin Didot Fréres, Libraires, 1833, Correspondance, 5694, A M. Luneau De Boisjermain, Château De Ferney, 21 Octobre 1769, P. 61) source


“…man is ignorant of the value of delightful life before adversity.” – Abū-Muhammad Muslih al-Dīn bin Abdullāh Shīrāzī (Saadi)

(The Gulistan of Sa’di By Sa’di, Ch. V, On Love And Youth, Story 10, P. 84) source

(The quote is also found in: The Gulistan By Seikh Muslih-uddin  Sa’di Shirazi, Library of Alexandria, Ch. V, On Love And Youth, Story 10) source

(Another source of the quote is found here.)

Another English translation of the quote is:

“…no one appreciates the pleasures of life before calamities strike.” – Saadi

(The Gulistan (Rose Garden) Of Sa’di, Bilingual English And Persian Edition With Vocabulary By Shaykh Mushrifuddin Sa’di Of Shiraz, New English Translation By Wheeler M. Thackston, Bethesda, Maryland: Ibex Publishers, 2008, Ch. Five, Love And Youth, P. 110) source

(The quote in Persian is found on the left side, page 109)

Note: The book in complete Persian is found here.


“Great men, I say rejoice oft-times in adversity, as do brave soldiers in warfare.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca (Seneca The Younger)

“Gaudent, inquam, magni uiri aliquando rebusaduersis, non aliter quam fortes milites bello.” (Latin)

(Seneca Moral Essays With An English Translation By John W. Basore, In Three Volumes, London: William Heinemann Ltd, New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons,  1932, Voume I, On Providence, PP. 25 &27) source

(The quote is also found in here.)

(The quote in Latin is found in: De Providentia By Lucio Anneo Seneca Translated By Luigi Chiosi, Chapter IV, 4, P. 11) source

(The quote in Latin is also found in: L. Annaei Senecae Dialogorvm Liber I Ad Lvcilivm Qvare Aliqva Incommoda Bonis Viris Accidant, Cvm Providentia Sit De Providentia, IV) source


“Troubles are often the tools by which God fashions us for better things.” – Henry Ward Beecher

(Proverbs From Plymouth Pulpit, Selected From Writings And Sayings Of Henry Ward Beecher By William Drysdale, New York: D. Appleton And Company, 1887, Trouble, P. 213) source

(The quote is also found in: Life Thoughts Gathered From The Extemporaneous Discourses Of Henry Ward Beecher By Edna Dean Procter, London: Hamilton, Adams & Co., 1858, P. 62) source


“He that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves, and sharpens our skill.  Our antagonist is our helper.” – Edmund Burke

(Reflections On The Revolution In France And On The Proceedings In Certain Societies In London Relative To That Event By Edmund Burke, London: Seeley, Jackson, And Halliday, 1872, The Revolution In France, P. 158) source

(The quote is also found here.)


“Difficulty is a severe instructor, set over us by the supreme ordinance of a parental guardian and legislator, who knows us better than we know ourselves, as He loves us better too.” – Edmund Burke

(Selections From The Speeches And Writings Of Edmund Burke, Germany: Outlook Verlag GmbH, 2019, Difficulty As An Instructor, P. 412) source

(The quote is also found in: The Works Of The Right Hon. Edmund Burke: With A Biographical And Critical Introduction, By Henry Rogers, Vol. I, London: Samuel Holdsworth, 1837, Reflections On The Revolution In France And On The Proceedings In Certain Societies In London Relative To That Event In A Letter Intended To Have Been Sent To A Gentleman In Paris 1790, P. 444) source


“…the course of true nature, like that of true love, never does run smooth…”  – Samuel Butler

(The Note-Books Of Samuel Butler, New York: E. P. Dutton & Co, 1917, Ch. IX, A Painter’s Views On Painting, P. 143) source

(The quote is also found in: The Notebooks of Samuel Butler, Edited By Henry Festing Jones, Auckland: The Floating Press, 2014, Ch. IX,  A Painter’s Views On Painting, Color, P. 185) source

(Another source of the quote is found here.)


“It is not every calamity that is a curse, and early adversity especially is often a blessing.” – Richard Sharp

(Letters And Essays In Prose And Verse By Richard Sharp, London: Edward Moxon, Dover Street, 1834, To A Young Friend At College, P. 26)


“Prosperity is a great teacher; adversity is a greater. Possession pampers the mind; privation trains and strengthens it.” – William Hazlitt

(The Works Of William Hazlitt II: Sketches And Essays London: Grant Richards, 1902, On The Conversation Of Lords, P. 201) source

(The quote is also found in: Men And Manners: Sketches And Essays By Hazlitt, William, Publisher London, Ward Lock, 1852, Conversation Of Lords, P. 250) source

(Another source of the quote is found in: Sketches And Essays By William Hazlitt,  London: J. Templeman, 1839, On The Conversation Of Lords, P. 298) source


“Never to suffer would have been never to have been blessed.” – Edgar Allan Poe

(The Works Of Edgar Allan Poe, With An Introduction And A Memoir By Richard Henry Stoddard, Vol. II, New York, A. C. Armstrong & Son, 1884, Tales, Mesmeric Revelation, P. 176) source

(The quote is also found in: Mesmeric Revelation By Edgar Allan Poe, Redditch, UK: Read Books Ltd, 2015) source

(Other sources of the quote are found here and here.)


“In the blackest soils grow the richest flowers, and the loftiest and strongest trees spring heavenward among the rocks.” – Josiah Gilbert Holland

(Gold-Foil, Hammered From Popular Proverbs By Josiah Gilbert Holland, New York: Charles Scribner, 1859, Ch. XXVIII, The Great Mystery, P. 358) source

(Another source of the quote is found here.)

Note: Josiah Gilbert Holland used the pseudonym “Timothy Titcomb“.


“To have failed means to have striven, and to have striven means to have grown stronger.” – Maltbie Davenport Babcock

(The Success Of Defeat By Maltbie Davenport Babcock, New York: C. Scribner’s Sons, 1905, Strength, P. 15) source

(The quote is also found here.)

(Another source of the quote is found here.)


“Some people never come to themselves until baffled, rebuffed, thwarted, defeated, crushed, in the opinion of those around them.” – Orison Swett Marden

(Pushing To The Front By Orison Swett Marden, Petersburg, NY:The Success company’s Branch Offices, 1911, Ch. XXVII, Uses Of Obstacles, P. 346) source

(The quote is also found in: How To Succeed: Or, Stepping Stones To Fame And Fortune By Orison Swett Marden, New York: Christian Herald, 1896, Ch. VIII, The Conquest Of Obstacles, P. 105) source


“Prosperity is not without many fears and distastes, and adversity is not without comforts and hopes.” – Francis Bacon

(The Essays; Or, Counsels Civil And Moral Of Francis Bacon, Including Also His Apophthegms, Elegant Sentences And Widom Of The Ancients, With An Introduction By Henry Morley, Chicago: Donohue, Henneberry & Co., 1883, Essay V. Of Adversity, P. 36) source

(The quote is also found in: The Works Of Francis Bacon, Baron of Verulam, Viscount St. Alban, And Lord High Chancellor of England, Volume 1, Printed for A. Millar in the Strand, 1765, Essays Civil And Moral, V. Of Adversity, P. 452) source

(Another source of the quote is found here.)


“Difficulties call out great qualities, and make greatness possible.” – Orison Swett Marden

(Pushing To The Front By Orison Swett Marden, Petersburg, NY:The Success Company’s Branch Offices, 1911, Ch. XXVII, Uses Of Obstacles, P. 346) source

(The quote is also found in: Rising In The World, Or Architects of Fate By Orison Swett Marden, Uses Of Obstacles, New York: Cosimo, Inc., 2006, Ch. V, P. 90) source


“Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers,
but to be fearless in facing them.

Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain,
but for the heart to conquer it.” – Rabindranath Tagore

(The English Writings Of Rabindranath Tagore, Vol. One, Poems, Edited By Sisir Kumar Das, Sahitya  Akademi, 1994, Sect. I, Fruit-Gathering, 79, P. 188) source

(The quote is also found in: The English Writings Of Rabindranath Tagore, Vol. One, Poems, Atlantic Publishers & Dist, 2007, Sect. I, Fruit-Gathering, 79, P. 174) source


“Should you shield the canyons from the windstorms you would never see the true beauty of their carvings.” – Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

(The Wheel Of Life By Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, New York: Simon And Schuster, 2012, There Are No Accidents, P. 18) source


“A wounded deer leaps highest.” – Emily Dickinson

(The Complete Poems Of Emily Dickinson, Edited By Thomas H. Johnson, Little, Brown And Company, 1890, 165, P. 77) source

(The quote is also found in: Poems By Emily Dickinson, Boston: Robert Brothers, 1893,  VIII,  P. 20) source


“There is something beautiful about all scars of whatever nature.  A scar means the hurt is over, the wound is closed and healed, done with.” – Harry Crews

(Scar Lover By Harry Crews, New York: Simon And Schuster, 1993, Section 8, P. 142) source


“The brook would lose its song if you removed the rocks.” – Proverb

(A Dictionary Of American Proverbs Edited By Wolfgang Mieder, Stewart A. Kingsbury, Kelsie B. Harder, New York: Oxford University Press, 1992; P. 52) source


“Many men owe the grandeur of their lives to their tremendous difficulties.” – Charles Haddon Spurgeon

(The Complete Works Of Charles Spurgeon, Volume 86: The Sword And The Trowel, Harrington Delaware: Delmarva Publications, Inc., 2014, The Sword And The Trowel Vol. 7, May 1884, Anywhere For Jesus, P. 420) source


“Nature, when she adds difficulty, adds brain.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

(Letters And Social Aims By Ralph Waldo Emerson, Boston & New York: Houghton, Mifflin And Company, 1904, Greatness, P. 312) source

(The quote is also found in: Works Of Ralph Waldo Emerson In Five Volumes, Volume IV, Letters And Social Aims By Ralph Waldo Emerson, Boston: Houghton, Osgood And Company, 1880, Greatness, P. 253) source


Happiness is salutary for the body but sorrow develops the powers of the spirit.” – Marcel Proust

“Le bonheur est salutaire pour le corps, mais c’est le chagrin qui développe les forces de l’esprit.” (French)

(In Search Of Lost Time, Volumes 1-7 By Marcel Proust, Translated By Sydney Schiff, New York: Centaur Editions, 2016, Time Regained (volume 7), Ch. 3, An Afternoon Party At The House Of The Princesse De Guermantes) source

(The quote is also found in: Time Regained By Marcel Proust, Translated By Stephen Hudson, London: Chatto & Windus, 1949, Time Regained, Ch. 3, An Afternoon Party At The House Of The Princesse De Guermantes, P. 259) source

(Another source of the quote is found here.)

(The quote in French is found in: Le Temps Retrouvé By Proust Marcel, Moscow, Russia: Рипол Классик, 1927, Ch. III, Matinee Chez La Princesse De Guermantes, P. 264) source

(The quote in French is also found in: The Maxims Of Marcel Proust, Edited And Translated By Justin O’Brien, New York: Columbia University Press, 1948, 116, P. 56) source


“Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” – Bill Gates

(Business At The Speed Of Thought: Succeeding In The Digital Economy By Bill Gates, With Collins Hemingway, Penguin UK, 2000, Business Lessons)


Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor.” – Truman Capote

(Truman Capote: Conversations By Truman Capote, Edited By M. Thomas Inge, University Press Of Mississippi, 1987, Self-Portrait Truman Capote, 1972,  P. 189) source


“…adversity is the prosperity of the great.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

(The Conduct Of Life By Ralph Waldo Emerson, Boston: Ticknor And Fields, 1860, Ch. VI, Worship, P. 203) source

(The quote is also found in: The Conduct Of Life By Ralph Waldo Emerson, Harvard University Press, 2003, Worship, P. 124) source


“…every evil to which we do not succumb is a benefactor.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

(Essays By R. W. Emerson, First Series, Boston: Philips, Sampson & Co., 1854, Esssay III, Compensation, P. 106) source

(The quote is also found in: Essays, First And Second Series By Ralph Waldo Emerson, Germany: Jazzybee Verlag, 1908, Essays First Series, III, Compensation, P. 38) source


“The way to bliss lies not on beds of down, And He that had no cross deserves no crown.” – Francis Quarles

(Poems Of Faith, Edited By Bob Blaisdell, New York: Dover Publications Inc, 2002, Francis Quarles, Trial Before Reward, P. 29) source

(The quote is also found in: Songs, Sacred And Devotional Compiled By H. O. Foster, New York: John W. Lovell, 1880, Gleaning From The Poets, Francis Quarles, Trial Before Reward, P. 267) source

Note: This quote is NOT from “Hadassa: Or The history Of Queene Ester With Meditations Thereupon, Diuine And Morall” By Francis Quarles, as cited by many books and websites, including Wikiquote.

You can the complete book of “Hadassa: Or The history Of Queene Ester With Meditations Thereupon, Diuine And Morall” here. You cannot find the quote here.


“Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortune; but great minds rise above it.” – Washington Irving

(Washington Irving’s Sketch-Book With Introduction By Brander Matthews, New York: Longmans, Green, And Co., 1905, Philip Of Pokanoket, P. 321) source

(The quote is also found in: The Works Of Washington Irving, Volume II, London: Henry G. Bohn, 1859, Sketch-Book, Philip Of Pokanoket, P. 228) source


Note: All the above triump in adversity quotes are fully verified authentic and linked to original credible sources.

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