best quotations about
Victory & Defeat |
| 75 quotes | Visits: 38,111 |
Quotations
 | History is written by the winners. — Napoleon, 1769-1821, French Emperor 46 likes |
 | The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting. — Sun Tzu, c. 5th cent. BC, Chinese general & military strategist 27 likes |
 | Those who can win a war well can rarely make a good peace, and those who could make a good peace would never have won the war. — Winston Churchill, 1874-1965, British Prime Minister, Nobel 1953 26 likes |
 | Victory has a thousand fathers, but defeat is an orphan. — Galeazzo Ciano, 1903-1944, Italian politician 24 likes |
 | Our enemies have made the mistake that America's enemies always make. They saw liberty and thought they saw weakness. And now, they see defeat. — George W. Bush, 1946-, American President 23 likes |
| Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win. — Sun Tzu, c. 5th cent. BC, Chinese general & military strategist 16 likes |
 | The victor will never be asked if he told the truth. — Adolf Hitler, 1889-1945, German dictator 15 likes |
 | You're never as good as everyone tells you when you win, and you're never as bad as they say when you lose. — Lou Holtz, 1937-, American football coach 13 likes |
 | The quickest way of ending a war is to lose it. — George Orwell, 1903-1950, British writer 13 likes |
| By its sudden collapse, … the proud German army has once again proved the truth of the saying, “The Hun is always either at your throat or at your feet”. — Winston Churchill, 1874-1965, British Prime Minister, Nobel 1953 10 likes |
| What is essential in war is victory, not prolonged operations. — Sun Tzu, c. 5th cent. BC, Chinese general & military strategist 9 likes |
 | I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour, the greatest fulfilment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle – victorious. — Vince Lombardi, 1913-1970, American football coach 9 likes |
 | No one won the last war, and no one will win the next war. — Eleanor Roosevelt, 1884-1962, Wife of the 32nd USA president (last war, then, was WW I) 9 likes |
 | You have won, O Galilean. — Julian the Apostate, 331-363 AD, Roman emperor (his last words dying after the battle in Maranga against Persians) 9 likes |
| No leader, however great, can long continue unless he wins battles. The battle decides all. — Vince Lombardi, 1913-1970, American football coach 8 likes |
 | History shows that there are no invincible armies and that there never have been. — Joseph Stalin, 1879-1953, Soviet leader 8 likes |
 | It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it. — Douglas MacArthur, 1880-1964, American general 8 likes |
 | The only way to win World War III is to prevent it. — Dwight Eisenhower, 1890-1969, American general & President 8 likes |
 | War: first, one hopes to win; then one expects the enemy to lose; then, one is satisfied that the enemy too is suffering; in the end, one is surprised that everyone has lost. — Karl Kraus, 1874-1936, Austrian writer 8 likes |
 | Quintilius Varus, give me back my legions! — Augustus, 63 BC-14 AD, Roman Emperor (Publius Quinctilius Varus was the commander of the 3 legions lost at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest) 8 likes |
| If you win, you need not have to explain...If you lose, you should not be there to explain! — Adolf Hitler, 1889-1945, German dictator 7 likes |
| Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat. — Sun Tzu, c. 5th cent. BC, Chinese general & military strategist 7 likes |
| Winning without problem is just victory, but winning with lots of trouble create History. — Adolf Hitler, 1889-1945, German dictator 7 likes |
 | Conquered Greece took captive her savage conqueror and brought her arts into rustic Latium. 7 likes |
| The greatest danger occurs at the moment of victory. — Napoleon, 1769-1821, French Emperor 6 likes |
 | France has lost a battle, but France has not lost the war. — Charles de Gaulle, 1890-1970, French President 6 likes |
| Before Alamein we never had a victory. After Alamein, we never had a defeat. — Winston Churchill, 1874-1965, British Prime Minister, Nobel 1953 (referring to the victory over the Germans at the Second Battle of El Alamein in Egypt, in 1942) 6 likes |
 | Battles are lost in the same spirit in which they are won. — Walt Whitman, 1819-1892, American poet 6 likes |
 | There are some defeats more triumphant than victories. — Michel de Montaigne, 1533-1592, French thinker 5 likes |
| Anyone can deal with victory. Only the mighty can bear defeat. — Adolf Hitler, 1889-1945, German dictator 5 likes |
 | You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it. — Margaret Thatcher, 1925-2013, British Prime Minister 5 likes |
| We've beaten the Germans twice and now they're back! — Margaret Thatcher, 1925-2013, British Prime Minister (on Germany's reunification, in 1989, according to Chancellor Helmut Kohl) 5 likes |
 | No battle is ever won ... victory is an illusion of philosophers and fools. — William Faulkner, 1897-1962, American writer, Nobel 1949 5 likes |
 | Each victory gained over oneself means new strength to gain more victories. — Sri Aurobindo, 1872-1950, Indian nationalist, yogi & philosopher 5 likes |
 | Victory is gay only back home. Up front it is joyless. — Marlen Dietrich, 1901-1992, German-American actress 5 likes |
| In War: Resolution, In Defeat: Defiance, In Victory: Magnanimity, In Peace: Good Will. — Winston Churchill, 1874-1965, British Prime Minister, Nobel 1953 4 likes |
 | The real and lasting victories are those of peace, and not of war. — Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1803-1884, American philosopher 4 likes |
 | The will to conquer is the first condition of victory. — Ferdinand Foch, 1851-1929, French field marshal 4 likes |
 | A man can be destroyed but not defeated. — Ernest Hemingway, 1899-1961, American writer, Nobel 1954 4 likes |
| When you are winning a war almost everything that happens can be claimed to be right and wise. — Winston Churchill, 1874-1965, British Prime Minister, Nobel 1953 4 likes |
| Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory there is no survival. — Winston Churchill, 1874-1965, British Prime Minister, Nobel 1953 4 likes |
 | Though blood be the best sauce for victory, yet must it not be more than the meat. — Thomas Fuller, 1608-1661, English thinker 4 likes |
| Today the guns are silent. A great tragedy has ended. A great victory has been won. — Douglas MacArthur, 1880-1964, American general (Victory broadcast, 1945) 3 likes |
 | You know how to vanquish, Hannibal, but you do not know how to profit from victory. — Titus Livius, 59 BC-17 AD, Roman historian 3 likes |
 | We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated. — Maya Angelou, 1928-2014, American poet 3 likes |
| The problems of victory are more agreeable than those of defeat, but they are no less difficult. — Winston Churchill, 1874-1965, British Prime Minister, Nobel 1953 2 likes |
| In war there is no substitute for victory. — Douglas MacArthur, 1880-1964, American general 2 likes |
 | Accept the challenges, so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory. — George S. Patton, 1885-1945, American general 1 likes |
 | If there be no enemy there's no fight. If no fight, no victory and if no victory there is no crown. |
 | If the battle for civilization comes down to the wimps versus the barbarians, the barbarians are going to win. |
 | Peace has its victories no less than war, but it doesn't have as many monuments to unveil. |
 | Defeats and victories of people at the top are not always defeats and victories for people at the bottom. |
| Always the victor writes the history of the vanquished. He who beats distorts the faces of the beaten. The weaker depart from this world and the lies remain. |
| War is a dangerous teacher and physical victory leads often to a moral defeat. — Sri Aurobindo, 1872-1950, Indian nationalist, yogi & philosopher |
 | In the process we lost sight of one of the cardinal maxims of guerrilla war: the guerrilla wins if he does not lose. The conventional army loses if it does not win. |
 | Women are never so strong as after a defeat. |
 | It is better to try something and fail than to try nothing and succeed. The result may be the same, but you won't be. We always grow more through defeats than victories. |
 | God has given to man no sharper spur to victory than contempt of death. |
 | I hate defeats. Even the defeats of others. |
 | Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat. |
 | One of the greatest victories you can gain over someone is to beat him at politeness. |
| I am a Soldier, I fight where I am told, and I win where I fight. |
 | The body of a dead enemy always smells sweet. |
Latin Quotes
 | I came, I saw, I won. Veni, vidi, vici. — Julius Caesar, 100-44 BC, Roman general & Consul (message to the Senate after his victory over Pharnaces of Pontus in 47 BC) 107 likes |
 | Where there is unity, there is victory. Ubi concordia, ibi victoria. 100 likes |
| To win is everything. Vincere est totum. 24 likes |
| Woe to the vanquished. Vae victis. — Titus Livius, 59 BC-17 AD, Roman historian (said by Brennus, leader of an army of Gauls who captured Rome in 390 BC) 23 likes |
| To the victor go the spoils. Ad victor spolia. 13 likes |
 | The cause of the victors pleased the gods, but the defeat pleased Cato. Victrix causa diis placuit, sed victa Catoni. — Lucian, 120-180 AD, Ancient Syrian-Greek satirist (refers to the fidelity of Cato to Pompey, when he was defeated by Caesar –used to express support for a cause, though defeated) 7 likes |
Funny Quotes
 | Even Napoleon had his Watergate. — Yogi Berra, 1925-2015, American baseball player & humorist 3 likes |
Ancient Greek
 | The first and greatest victory is to conquer yourself; to be conquered by yourself is of all things most shameful and vile. Το νικάν εαυτόν πασών νικών πρώτη και αρίστη. Το δε ηττάσθαι αυτόν υφ’ εαυτού, αίσχιστον και κάκιστον. — Plato, 427-347 BC, Ancient Greek philosopher 34 likes |
 | I do not steal victory. Ου κλέπτω την νίκην. — Alexander the Great, 356-323 BC, King of Macedon (reply to the suggestion by Parmenion, before the Battle of Gaugamela, that he attack the Persian camp during the night.) 6 likes |
 | Achieve your victories without blood. Τας νίκας άνευ αίματος ποιείσθαι. — Pittacus of Mytilene, 650-570 BC, one of the 7 sages of Ancient Greece 6 likes |
 | If we defeat the Romans in one more battle, we are totally lost. Αν έτι μίαν μάχην Ρωμαίους νικήσωμεν, απολούμεθα παντελώς. — Pyrrhus, 312-272 BC, Ancient Greek king of Epirus (after his “Pyrrhic” victories at Heraclea and Asculum in 279 BC) 5 likes |
Proverbs
 | Make my enemy brave and strong, so that if defeated, I will not be ashamed. — American Indian proverb ‐ Plains 8 likes |
