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A man begins to deteriorate, to go toward failure, not when he loses all of his material possessions, not when he fails in his undertakings, but when he loses faith in himself, in his ability to make his dreams come true.
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“A man begins to deteriorate, to go toward failure, not when he loses all of his material possessions, not when he fails in his undertakings, but when he loses faith in himself, in his ability to make his dreams come true.”

Orison Swett Marden

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Source
The Victorious Attitude
Date
1916
Meaning

Meaning of “A man begins to deteriorate, to go toward…”

Material loss and failed attempts are separated from the deeper danger of abandoning personal agency; the sentence treats continued self-belief as a resource for beginning again.

Source context

Where does it come from?

The Victorious Attitude; this sentence appears in Marden’s sustained argument that loss of self-faith is more damaging than the loss of possessions or an individual undertaking.

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Themes

Ideas connected with this quotation

Confidence Quotes About Ability & Self-TrustCourage Quotes About Acting Despite FearFailureHard TimesHope Quotes About Possibility in Uncertain TimesIdentityInspirational Quotes About Hope, Courage & PossibilityLoveMoneyMotivation For LifeMotivational Quotes for Action, Effort & PersistenceNever Give UpPatiencePerseverance Quotes About Sustained EffortResilience Quotes About Recovery & AdaptationSelf LoveSelf TrustSelf-WorthStrengthDreams
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Meaning & context

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Source details

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“If I am a princess in rags and tatters, I can be a princess inside.”

Frances Hodgson Burnett · A Little Princess · 1905
Voice: Fictional character · Sara Crewe
Meaning & context

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Source details

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I came to see that, along with his disadvantages, the Negro in America had some advantages, and I made up my mind that opportunities that had been denied him from without could be more than made up by greater concentration and power within.
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Meaning & context

Washington argues for concentrating on agency that remains available under unequal conditions, without pretending those external disadvantages are unreal or morally acceptable.

Source details

My Larger Education, Chapter I, “Learning from Men and Things”; Project Gutenberg #73923. Washington reflects on how he came to emphasize internal discipline and concentrated effort while explicitly acknowledging externally imposed disadvantage.

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A certain kind of self-respect or native pride is necessary to a good life.
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“A certain kind of self-respect or native pride is necessary to a good life.”

Bertrand Russell · Political Ideals · 1917
Meaning & context

Russell treats a durable sense of inward worth as necessary for living without surrendering completely to defeat, pressure or external judgment.

Source details

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It is not a lost year, but one that may prove the most helpful of any you ever know.
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“It is not a lost year, but one that may prove the most helpful of any you ever know.”

Louisa May Alcott · Jo's Boys · 1886
Voice: Fictional character · Jo Bhaer
Meaning & context

A painful or disappointing period can still become useful experience when it changes judgment, humility, resolve, and the way a person begins again.

Source details

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