Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records.

— William A. Ward, U.S. writer of essays, maxims, and poems, 1921-1994

Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records.

— Unknown Source

Sweet are the uses of adversity.

— Unknown Source

You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.

— Maya Angelou, U.S. author, poet, dancer, actress, and singer, 1928-2014

Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass but learning to dance in the rain.

— Unknown source

Sweet are the uses of adversity.

— William Shakespeare, English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the pre-eminent dramatist, 1564-1616

When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.

— Henry Ford, U.S. founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production, 1863-1947

In the depth of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.

— Albert Camus, French Nobel prize-winning writer and philosopher, 1913-1960

Man cannot remake himself without suffering, for he is both the marble and the sculptor.

— Alexis Carrel, French surgeon and biologist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in physiology for his work in organ transplantation, 1873-1944

When it is dark enough, you can see the stars.

— Charles A. Beard, U.S. historian, 1874-1948

The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials.

— Confucius, Chinese philosopher and teacher, c. 551-478 BCE

When the going gets tough, the tough get going.

— Frank Leahy, U.S. football coach and professional sports executive who was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach, 1908-1973

All sorts of spiritual gifts come through deprivations, if they are accepted.

— Janice Erskine Stuart, English Roman Catholic nun and educator, 1857-1914

Nothing befalls a man except what is in his nature to endure.

— Marcus Aurelius, Roman philosopher-emperor, known as the last of the so-called Five Good Emperors, 121-180 AD

The thought that we are enduring the unendurable is one of the things that keeps us going.

— Molly Haskell, U.S. feminist film critic and author, Born 1939

Adversity is the state in which a man most easily becomes acquainted with himself, being especially free from admirers than.

— Samuel Johnson, English writer, moralist, literary critic, and lexicographer, 1709-1784

Adversity is the state in which a man most easily becomes acquainted with himself, being especially free from admirers then.

— Samuel Johnson, English writer, moralist, literary critic, and lexicographer, 1709-1784

Pain is the root of knowledge.

— Simone Weil, French philosopher and political activist for the working class, 1909=1943

The keenest sorrow is to recognize ourselves as the sole cause of all our adversities.

— Sophocles, one of three ancient Greek tragedians – along with Aeschylus and Euripides – whose plays have survived, 496-406 BCE

The block of granite which was an obstacle in the path of the weak becomes a steppingstone in the path of the strong.

— Thomas Carlyle, Scottish philosopher, satirical essayist, historian, and mathematician, 1795-1881

Adversity comes with instruction in its hand.

— Unknown source

Adversity introduces a man to himself.

— Unknown source

I thank God for my handicaps for, through them, I have found myself, my work, and my God.

— Helen Adams Keller, U.S. author, political activist, and lecturer who was the first deaf-blind person to earn a bachelor of arts degree, 1880-1968

No gains without pains.

— Adlai Stevenson, U.S. lawyer, politician, and diplomat, 1900-1965

The man who is swimming against the stream knows the strength of it.

— Woodrow Wilson, U.S. politician and academic who served as the 28th President of the United States, 1856-1924
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