We may encounter many defeats, but we must not be defeated.

In an interview about Letter to My Daughter, Schnall asks how someone discovers who they are despite stereotypes and outside influences, after quoting Wangari Maathai on self-knowledge. Angelou answers that people learn their strength through being knocked down and rising in the same place. She describes recognizing one’s own courage rather than pretending a defeat never occurred.

Experiencing a setback is different from surrendering to it; recovering from setbacks can reveal one’s strength.

Not a promise that determination prevents losses. Angelou explicitly allows that people will be knocked down and argues for rising after that happens.

Life, Courage, Wisdom

• It does not matter what you bear, but how you bear it. Seneca the Younger
• It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not. André Gide
• The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one. Elbert Hubbard
• It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog. (misattributed) Mark Twain
• Fire tries gold, misfortune tries brave men. Seneca the Younger

Maya Angelou, Marianne Schnall, “Conversation with Maya Angelou,” Feminist.com, interview dated 12/10/08. Checked at Quotogeny, https://quotogeny.com/q/we-may-encounter-many-defeats-but-we-must-not-be-defeated/ (26 October 2026).

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