50+ Short But Powerful Quotes About Overcoming Adversity

Defined as a difficult or hazardous event, adversity is something that we all struggle with at times. Life can be rough sometimes. We all experience adversity from time to time, and we don’t always know how to deal with it.

These difficult times test us, strip us back to our core, force us to stop and focus and they annoyingly thrust our strengths and weaknesses in our faces.

Times of adversity are also times of opportunity though. There are lessons we learn, tests to go through and courage we must show.

What is ‘overcoming’ adversity?

Adversity makes us stronger on so many levels: physically, mentally and emotionally. Adversity builds resilience within us, which allows us to take each new challenge head-on until we achieve our goal or dream.

We get better at overcoming whatever challenges come our way because we know we have done it before, and we are more than capable of doing it again if we must.

Quotes About Adversity

Adversity is an unfortunate part of life that must be dealt with in order to grow and mature; it can also serve as the catalyst for personal growth. These positive and inspiring quotes all focus on the way that overcoming adversity is an opportunity for growth. We hope you find at least a few that truly resonate with you and help you through this difficult time.

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

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

• “Show me someone who has done something worthwhile, and I’ll show you someone who has overcome adversity.” Lou Holtz

• “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” Winston Churchill

• “Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” Francis of Assisi

• “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

• “Adversity makes men, and prosperity makes monsters.” Victor Hugo

• “One’s best success comes after their greatest disappointments.” Henry Ward Beecher

• “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

• “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

• “Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.” Henry Ford

• “You can’t be brave if you’ve only had wonderful things happen to you.” Mary Tyler Moore

• “Fresh activity is the only means of overcoming adversity.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

• “The most successful people see adversity not as a stumbling block, but as a stepping-stone to greatness.” Shawn Anchor

• “Difficulties strengthen the mind, as labor does the body.” Seneca

• “We are continually faced by great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems.” Lee Iacocca

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

• “Keep Going. Your hardest times often lead to the greatest moments of your life. Keep going. Tough situations build strong people in the end.” Roy T. Bennett

• “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

• “Everything negative — pressure, challenges — is all an opportunity for me to rise.” Kobe Bryant

• “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

• “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

• “Adversity is like a strong wind. I don’t mean just that it holds us back from places we might otherwise go. It also tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that afterward we see ourselves as we really are, and not merely as we might like to be.” Arthur Golden

• “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

• “In prosperity, our friends know us; in adversity, we know our friends.” John Churton Collins

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

• “The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can’t find them, make them.” George Bernard Shaw

• “Overcoming adversity not only makes you stronger, it makes you more hopeful.” Valerie Jarrett

• “Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents, which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant.” Horace

• “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” Albert Einstein

• “Everyone is handed adversity in life. No one’s journey is easy. It’s how they handle it that makes people unique.” Kevin Conroy

• “When the going gets tough, put one foot in front of the other and just keep going. Don’t give up.” Roy T. Bennett

• “There is no education like adversity.” Benjamin Disraeli

• “We don’t develop courage by being happy every day. We develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity.” Barbara De Angelis

• “With every challenge you face, there is an opportunity hidden that will lead you towards the path of wealth and abundance.” Stephen Richards

• “Weak minds sink under prosperity as well as adversity; but strong and deep ones have two high tides.” David Hare

• “Prosperity is not without many fears and distates; adversity not without many comforts and hopes.” Francis Bacon

• “Everyone wants to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.” Oprah Winfrey

• “Comfort and prosperity have never enriched the world as much as adversity has.” Billy Graham

• “If the road is easy, you’re likely going the wrong way.” Terry Goodkind

• “When things do not go your way, remember that every challenge — every adversity — contains within it the seeds of opportunity and growth.” Roy T. Bennett

• “Someone said adversity builds character, but someone else said adversity reveals character. I’m pleasantly surprised with my resilience. I persevere, and not just blindly. I take the best, get rid of the rest, and move on, realizing that you can make a choice to take the good.” Brooke Shields

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

• “Sometimes things have to go wrong in order to go right.” Sherrilyn Kenyon

• “The human race has had long experience and a fine tradition in surviving adversity. But we now face a task for which we have little experience, the task of surviving prosperity.” Alan Gregg

• “The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.” Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

• “Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty… I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well.” Theodore Roosevelt

• “I love those who can smile in trouble…” Leonardo da Vinci

• “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.” Helen Keller

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

Tips If You’re Struggling With Adversity

If you’re looking in the face of adversity or experiencing hard times right now, take a look at these nine ways to help overcome it:

• Do something different: try new things or take a break if you need to,
• Build your resilience by taking small steps each day, 
• Find the silver lining in every situation,
• Take care of yourself physically- eat healthy food, exercise, sleep well etc,
• Give back: volunteer or shift your focus to helping others around you,
• Practice gratitude often – notice all that is going right rather than focusing on what’s wrong
• Surround yourself with people who love you and bring out the best in you,
• Share positivity with those around us so they can live more fulfilled lives too.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it, we’ve all been there!