100 Adversity Quotes To Improve Your Willpower

By Maxime Lagacé

Maxime is the founder of WisdomQuotes. He has been collecting quotes since 2004. His goal? To help you develop a calm and peaceful mind. Learn more about him on his about page.

Here are 100 of the best adversity quotes I could find. The goal? To inspire you and remind you that adversity is something you should accept and embrace. In fact, it’s often the exact thing we need to learn and grow. Enjoy!

adversity quotes prosperity tries fortunate great rose kennedy wisdom

Prosperity tries the fortunate, adversity the great. Rose Kennedy

adversity quotes meaning follows courage maxime lagace wisdom

Meaning follows courage. Maxime Lagacé

adversity quotes stop seeking gratification wont bother anymore maxime lagace wisdom

Stop seeking gratification and adversity won’t bother you anymore. Maxime Lagacé

adversity quotes reveals strength comfort weakness james clear wisdom

Adversity reveals strength. Comfort reveals weakness. James Clear

adversity quotes everyone goes through life what matters learn from lou holtz wisdom

Everyone goes through adversity in life, but what matters is how you learn from it. Lou Holtz

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adversity quotes when have strong enough why becomes irrelevant gal shapira wisdom

When you have a strong enough why, every type of adversity becomes irrelevant. Gal Shapira

adversity quotes amount growth experience life depends uncertainty handle thibaut wisdom

The amount of growth you will experience in your life depends on how much uncertainty you can handle. Thibaut

adversity quotes comes blessing shock acts reminder oneself stale routine bruce lee wisdom

With every adversity comes a blessing because a shock acts as a reminder to oneself that we must not get stale in routine. Bruce Lee

adversity quotes easy path leads downhill jocko willink wisdom

The easy path leads downhill. Jocko Willink

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If you’re struggling, you’re learning. Jack Butcher

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adversity quotes highest level wisdom when accept love adversity maxime lagace

The highest level of wisdom is when you not only accept but love adversity. Maxime Lagacé

adversity quotes heroes because heroic behavior nassim nicholas taleb wisdom

Heroes are heroes because they are heroic in behavior, not because they won or lost. Nassim Nicholas Taleb

adversity quotes every failure heartaches carries seed equal greater benefit napoleon hill wisdom

Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit. Napoleon Hill

adversity quotes ask why undearable cant endure embarassed answer marcus aurelius wisdom

Ask, ‘Why is this so unbearable? Why can’t I endure it?’ You’ll be embarrassed to answer. Marcus Aurelius

adversity quotes only fools think they grow feeling comfortable maxime lagace wisdom

Only fools think they can grow feeling comfortable. Maxime Lagacé

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Enjoying the quotes so far?

Keep reading and you’ll discover even more great quotes by Bruce Lee, Einstein, Paulo Coelho, etc.

After all, the greatest minds in history have all been through adversity too.

How did they succeed?

By pushing hard even when it seems absurd and without hope.

In fact, once you have found something truly important to you, you’ll learn to be indifferent to discomfort. That’s the key to your success.

And please keep in mind: the adversity you’re facing is natural.

Life will throw adversity FOR you, not TO you.

Use it.

The Best Adversity Quotes

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adversity quotes audacity augments courage hesitation fear publilius syrus wisdom

Audacity augments courage; hesitation, fear. Publilius Syrus

We find comfort among those who agree with us – growth among those who don’t. Frank A. Clark

Adversity introduces a man to himself. Albert Einstein

Don’t run towards failure but don’t run from it. John Cena

It’s easy to be mentally strong when things go well. But true mental strength becomes apparent in the midst of adversity. Amy Morin

It is your reaction to adversity, not the adversity itself, that determines how your life’s story will develop. Dieter F. Uchtdorf

adversity quotes joy comes suffering name something matters tom bilyeu wisdom

So much joy comes from suffering in the name of something that matters to you. ⁣Tom Bilyeu

In the meantime, cling tooth and nail to the following rule: not to give in to adversity, not to trust prosperity, and always take full note of fortune’s habit of behaving just as she pleases. Marcus Aurelius

Adversity draws men together and produces beauty and harmony in life’s relationships, just as the cold of winter produces ice-flowers on the window-panes, which vanish with the warmth. Søren Kierkegaard

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It turns out that adversity and failure are actually useful and even necessary for developing strong-minded and successful adults. Mark Manson (The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, Amazon book)

To not give a fuck about adversity, you must first give a fuck about something more important than adversity. Mark Manson

Adversity and failure are necessary for developing strong-minded and successful humans. Mark Manson

adversity quotes opportunity show great character things disguise gal shapira wisdom

Adversity is an opportunity to show great character. Bad things are good things in disguise. Gal Shapira

Sometimes we are blessed with being able to choose the time, and the arena, and the manner of our revolution, but more usually we must do battle where we are standing. Audre Lorde

Adversity is always opportunity. @TheStoicEmperor

If you have a strong belief in yourself, in what you are doing and what you want to do, no adversity is too difficult to overcome. Napoleon Hill

Life gets better when you do things when you don’t “feel” like it because it’s good for future you. Greg Isenberg

adversity quotes plants grow weak without wind maxime lagace wisdom

Plants grow weak without wind. Maxime Lagacé

Do what is easy and your life will be hard. Do what is hard and your life will become easy. Les Brown

Every search begins with beginner’s luck. And every search ends with our will being severely tested. Paulo Coelho

Adversity is the foundation of success. Gary Vaynerchuk

No resistance, no growth. Jack Butcher

Part 2. Adversity Quotes That Are…

The Most Famous Adversity Quotes

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adversity quotes makes men prosperity monsters victor hugo wisdom

Adversity makes men, and prosperity makes monsters. Victor Hugo

One needs adversaries to exist. Charles de Gaulle

Kites rise highest against the wind – not with it. Winston Churchill

Sometimes adversity is what you need to face in order to become successful. Zig Ziglar

There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time. Malcolm X

Adversity often produces an unexpected opportunity. Look for it! Appreciate and utilize it! This is difficult to do if you’re feeling sorry for yourself because you’re faced with adversity. John Wooden

adversity quotes causes some men break others records william arthur ward wisdom

Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records. William Arthur Ward

Someone who is able to be happy even when confronted with difficulties, has the capacity to offer a sense of joy to herself and to others. Thich Nhat Hanh

Wanting something is not enough. You must hunger for it. Your motivation must be absolutely compelling in order to overcome the obstacles that will invariably come your way. Les Brown

The only thing in your control is your effort. That’s all and that’s everything. Mark Cuban

In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present. Francis Bacon

Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power. Abraham Lincoln

One who gains strength by overcoming obstacles possesses the only strength which can overcome adversity. Albert Schweitzer

adversity quotes diamonds dust heaven polishes jewels thomas carlyle wisdom

Adversity is the diamond dust Heaven polishes its jewels with. Thomas Carlyle

Adversity has the same effect on a man that severe training has on the pugilist: it reduces him to his fighting weight. Josh Billings

In prosperity it is very easy to find a friend; but in adversity it is most difficult of all things. Epictetus

I can bounce back from adversity and reinvent my life – it’s possible. Les Brown

Adversity always presents opportunities for introspection. Abdul Kalam

Fire is the test of gold; adversity, of strong men. Seneca

Inspirational Adversity Quotes

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adversity quotes amateur avoids discomfort pro leans maxime lagace wisdom

The amateur avoids discomfort. The pro leans in. Maxime Lagacé

It’s often in crises that the biggest leaps in progress are made. Mark Manson

The more something scares you, the more you should do it. Mark Manson

The more you execute, the quieter the haters become. Anthony Pompliano

When facing a particular challenge, never dwell upon the difficulty of the circumstance you find yourself in. Instead, focus on the opportunities that this situation presents. Rhonda Byrne

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

You always show up. When it rains, when it’s cold, when you feel bad, when something happens that gets in the way… You respect yourself enough to do what’s right regardless of adversity. Gal Shapira

adversity quotes best performers consistenly great steve magness wisdom

The best performers are not consistently great, but they are great at being consistent. Steve Magness

Adversity can feed virtue like rain nourishes earth. @TheStoicEmperor

Adversity sharpens the blade of will. @TheStoicEmperor

The moment you realize that you can be energized by adversity just by laughing at it and moving forward is the day you are reborn. Adrian Iliapoulos

It’s a simple fact of life: if you want to do something incredible, something that makes you stand out above the rest, then you have to become comfortable being different – that means being misunderstood, criticized, even hated. Mark Manson

It’s often in crises that the biggest leaps in progress are made. Mark Manson

adversity quotes are big level conquer gal shapira wisdom

You are as big as the level of adversity you conquer. Gal Shapira

It is easy to do anything in victory. It is in defeat that a man reveals himself. Floyd Patterson

The challenge in front of you is an indication of the power within you. Steven Furtick

Trust yourself, ignore the doubters. Gal Shapira

Be so relentless that the haters have to respect the hustle. Anthony Pompliano

Any finish line is merely the start of the next race. John Cena

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Related: 10 Ways Successful People Push Through Adversity (entrepreneur.com)

Wise Adversity Quotes

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adversity quotes will win who knows when fight sun tzu wisdom

He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight. Sun Tzu

Fools resist. The wise embrace. Maxime Lagacé

Learn to lose. This is arguably much more important than learning to win. Yvan Byeajee

If you watch how nature deals with adversity, continually renewing itself, you can’t help but learn. Bernie Siegel

Nothing will change unless you’ll get uncomfortable. Through discomfort solutions are found faster. Gal Shapira

Pain and adversity are powerful vehicles to promote personal growth. Nothing helps you learn, grow, and evolve more quickly. Nothing offers you as big an opportunity to reclaim more of your authentic power as a person. Richard Bach

Bravery is not the absence of fear. Bravery is feeling the fear, the doubt, the insecurity, and deciding that something else is more important. Mark Manson

adversity quotes experience good bad value unlocking choices mark manson wisdom

Any experience — good or bad — can have value. Unlocking that value is determined by our choices. Mark Manson

To be happy we need something to solve. Happiness requires problems. Happiness is therefore a form of action; it’s an activity, not something that is passively bestowed upon you. Mark Manson

There is tremendous power in acceptance. To fully accept suffering and misfortune frees you from fear. @TheStoicEmperor

When this is all over, the middle path – the one we grew impatient of and bored with – is going to seem so deeply appealing. Alain de Botton

We don’t really learn anything properly until there is a problem, until we are in pain, until something fails to go as we had hoped … We suffer, therefore we think. Alain de Botton (How Proust Can Change Your Life, Amazon book)

The secret to winning is learning how to lose. That is, learning to bounce back from failure and disappointment — undeterred — and continuing to steadily march toward your potential. Your response to failure determines your capacity for success. James Clear

adversity quotes complaining increases weight burden james clear wisdom

Complaining increases the weight of the burden. James Clear

I used to resent obstacles along the path, thinking, ‘If only that hadn’t happened life would be so good.’ Then I suddenly realized, life is the obstacles. There is no underlying path. Janna Levin

We should always be asking ourselves: “Is this something that is, or is not, in my control?” Epictetus

If adversity cannot bring the best in you, prosperity can never will. @Thenakedpoet2

In prosperity our friends know us; in adversity we know our friends. John Churton Collins

No exponential upside without volatility. Jack Butcher

Related: How to Be Patient (and Why It Matters) (healthline.com)

Part 3. Conclusion

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adversity quotes times privation mishap mind function think properly bruce lee wisdom

In a time when everything goes well, my mind is pampered with enjoyment, possessiveness, etc. Only in times of adversity, privation, or mishap, does my mind function and think properly of my state. This close examination of self strengthens my mind and leads me to understand and be understood. Bruce Lee

Further Readings

Hope you enjoyed these inspiring adversity quotes.

Sometimes just a few simple words are all you need to find motivation and inspiration.

If you did like the quotes, please share them with a friend today!

What’s your favorite adversity quote? And remember: words can transform your life, if you find the right ones.

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Author Bio

maxime lagace

Maxime Lagacé started collecting quotes in 2004 after he lost his girlfriend in a car accident.

In search of meaning, he dived in the self-improvement world, psychology and trail running.

Books, blogs, quotes and nature became his guide.

He started journaling, reflecting, writing his thoughts, feelings and quotes.

His goal was to understand his pain, his depression, his fears, his lack of motivation and inspiration.

He finished his software engineering degree in 2007 at the École de Technologie Supérieure de Montréal.

A few years later, he started his first website to share his love of quotes.

Maxime is a father of two, husband, and INFJ.

Other notable interests of Maxime are health (mental and physical), meditation, bananas, SEO, human potential, and education.

You can find him on X, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube.

Last update

March 10, 2022

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