Overcoming adversity can be a challenge. After experiencing an adverse event, you can either view it as a blessing which will eventually make you stronger and wiser, or allow your past to control the rest of your life. Inspirational adversity quotes will encourage growth in life, make you wiser and broaden your perspective.
If you’re searching for famous encouraging quotes and greatest insecurity quotes that perfectly capture what you’d like to say or just want to feel inspired yourself, browse through an amazing collection of famous ambition quotes, inspiring purpose quotes and powerful persistence quotes.
Most Famous Adversity Quotes
The journey is never ending. There’s always gonna be growth, improvement, adversity; you just gotta take it all in and do what’s right, continue to grow, continue to live in the moment. Antonio Brown
Show me someone who has done something worthwhile, and I’ll show you someone who has overcome adversity. Lou Holtz
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
Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit. Napoleon Hill
Brave men rejoice in adversity, just as brave soldiers triumph in war. Lucius Annaeus Seneca
Prosperity is no just scale; adversity is the only balance to weigh friends. Plutarch
You should never view your challenges as a disadvantage. Instead, it’s important for you to understand that your experience facing and overcoming adversity is actually one of your biggest advantages. Michelle Obama
Rock bottom became the solid foundation in which I built my life. J.K. Rowling
We don’t develop courage by being happy every day. We develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity. Barbara De Angelis
Fresh activity is the only means of overcoming adversity. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
The friend in my adversity I shall always cherish most. I can better trust those who helped to relieve the gloom of my dark hours than those who are so ready to enjoy with me the sunshine of my prosperity. Ulysses S. Grant
Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records. William Arthur Ward
All the adversity I’ve had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me. You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you. Walt Disney
Adversity has ever been considered the state in which a man most easily becomes acquainted with himself. Samuel Jackson
No difficulty can discourage, no obstacle dismay, no trouble dishearten the man who has acquired the art of being alive. Difficulties are but dares of fate, obstacles but hurdles to try his skill, troubles but bitter tonics to give him strength; and he rises higher and looms greater after each encounter with adversity. Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Prosperity is not without many fears and distates; adversity not without many comforts and hopes. Francis Bacon
Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records. William Arthur Ward
There are uses to adversity, and they don’t reveal themselves until tested. Whether it’s serious illness, financial hardship, or the simple constraint of parents who speak limited English, difficulty can tap unexpected strengths. Sonia Sotomayor
As with the butterfly, adversity is necessary to build character in people. Joseph B. Wirthlin
Hard times don’t create heroes. It is during the hard times when the hero within us is revealed. Bob Riley
The eagle has no fear of adversity. We need to be like the eagle and have a fearless spirit of a conqueror. Joyce Meyer
Adversity is the first path to truth. Lord Byron
Fire is the test of gold; adversity, of strong men. Martha Graham
The most successful people see adversity not as a stumbling block, but as a stepping stone to greatness. Shawn Anchor
If you live long enough, you’ll make mistakes. But if you learn from them, you’ll be a better person. It’s how you handle adversity, not how it affects you. The main thing is never quit, never quit, never quit. William J. Clinton
Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune. William James
Sometimes adversity is what you need to face in order to become successful. Zig Ziglar
Fire is the test of gold. Adversity, of strong men. Martha Graham
Always seek out the seed of triumph in every adversity. Og Mandino
Sometimes good comes through adversity. I would not be who I am today had it not been for the internment, and I like who I am. Ruth Asawa
In times of great stress or adversity, it’s always best to keep busy, to plow your anger and your energy into something positive. Lee Iacocca
One thing about championship teams is they’re resilient. No matter what is thrown at them, no matter how deep the hole, find a way to bounce back and overcome adversity. Nick Saban
One thing about championship teams is that they’re resilient. No matter what is thrown at them, no matter how deep the hole, they find a way to bounce back and overcome adversity. Nick Saban
We don’t develop courage by being happy every day. We develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity. Barbara De Angelis
I’ve learned that everything happens for a reason, the yogi Krishnan told him. Every event has a why and all adversity teaches us a lesson. Never regret your past. Accept it as the teacher that it is. Robin Sharma
Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit. Napoleon Hill
Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved. Hellen Keller
Show me someone who has done something worthwhile, and I’ll show you someone who has overcome adversity. Lou Holtz
In spite of discouragement and adversity, those who are happiest seem to have a way of learning from difficult times, becoming stronger, wiser and happier as a result. Joseph B. Wirthlin
I haven’t always acted or reacted in a way that made me proud, but I didn’t make that same mistake twice, and I think that’s what I love about adversity is that it always reminds me of what’s really valuable in life. Sandra Bullock
In our personal and professional lives, we are constantly hit with one adversity after the other, most of which we have no control over. But the four things we have total control over is how we react, how we adapt, how we breathe, and how we take action. Diamond Dallas Page
It is your reaction to adversity, not the adversity itself, that determines how your life story will develop. Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Let me embrace thee, sour adversity, for wise men say it is the wisest course. William Shakespeare
You can’t be brave if you’ve only had wonderful things happen to you. Mary Tyler Moore
There is in every true woman’s heart, a spark of heavenly fire, which lies dormant in the broad daylight of prosperity, but which kindles up and beams and blazes in the dark hour of adversity. Washington Irving
Sometimes adversity is what you need to face in order to become successful. Zig Ziglar
When adversity strikes, that’s when you have to be the most calm. Take a step back, stay strong, stay grounded and press on. LL Cool J
Adversity is preparation for greatness. Andy Andrews
What defines someone as a man should not be the clothes they wear or how deep their voice is. It should be the content of his character, his strength in the face of overwhelming adversity, and his ability to still love and help others when the world has turned its back on him. Karamo Brown
You can’t calm the storm, so stop trying. What you can do is calm yourself. The storm will pass. Timber Hawkeye
Sometimes good comes through adversity. I would not be who I am today had it not been for the internment, and I like who I am. Ruth Asawa
In times of adversity and change, we really discover who we are and what we’re made of. Howard Schultz
Everyone is handed adversity in life. No one’s journey is easy. It’s how they handle it that makes people unique. Kevin Conroy
The knowledge that you have emerged wiser and stronger from setbacks means that you are, ever after, secure in your ability to survive. J.K. Rowling
There are uses to adversity, and they don’t reveal themselves until tested. Whether it’s serious illness, financial hardship, or the simple constraint of parents who speak limited English, difficulty can tap unexpected strengths. Sonia Sotomayor
I can be changed by what happens to me, but I refuse to be reduced by it. Maya Angelou
Just as we develop our physical muscles through overcoming opposition such as lifting weights we develop our character muscles by overcoming challenges and adversity. Stephen Covey
And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about. Haruki Murakami
Good things are often birthed from adversity. Robert A. Schuller
Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly. Robert F. Kennedy
Adversity, and perseverance and all these things can shape you. They can give you a value and a self esteem that is priceless. Scott Hamilton
We must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey. Kenji Miyazawa
The bravest sight in the world is to see a great man struggling against adversity. Lucius Annaeus Seneca
Challenges are gifts that force us to search for a new center of gravity. Don’t fight them. Just find a new way to stand. Oprah Winfrey
I learned to take those experiences that were difficult in my life and in the adversity that I had overcome to use it for a positive change. Dominique Moceanu
Life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they’re supposed to help you discover who you are. Bernice Johnson Reagon
Goals give you a mark to shoot for and keep you motivated when you face adversity. Benjamin Watson
When we least expect it, life sets up a challenge to test our courage and willingness to change; at such a moment, there is no point in pretending that nothing has happened or in saying that we are not yet ready. The challenge will not wait. Life does not look back. Paulo Coelho
Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny. C.S. Lewis
The key to life is accepting challenges. Once someone stops doing this, he’s dead. Bette Davis
The beauty of the soul shines out when a man bears with composure one heavy mischance after another, not because he does not feel them, but because he is a man of high and heroic temper. Aristotle
Our very survival depends on our ability to stay awake, to adjust to new ideas, to remain vigilant and to face the challenge of change. Martin Luther King Jr.
And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about. Haruki Murakami
If you aren’t in over your head, how do you know how tall you are? T.S. Eliot
It is your reaction to adversity, not the adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop. Dieter F. Uchtdorf
He who doesn’t want to face his challenges shall always face challenges! Ernest Agyemang Yeboah
Any man can win when things go his way, it’s the man who overcomes adversity that is the true champion. Jock Ewing
Because some people see a wall, and assume that’s the end of their journey. Others see it, and decide it’s just the beginning. Angeline Trevena
You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it. Maya Angelou
A challenge only becomes an obstacle when you bow to it. Ray Davis
Do you agree with these powerful quotes about adversity? I would love to know. Please let me know your favorite motivating adversity quotes in the comment section below.