It is better to know defeat than to know nothing at all.

For a long time it has seemed to me that life was about to begin; Real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be got through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life.

Even with advance knowledge and awareness, and active participation in the process, there is no denying the sense of pain or loss in a parish or school community.

In formal logic, a contradiction is the signal of defeat, but in the evolution of real knowledge it marks the first step in progress toward a victory

Don't let life defeat you.

He had an idea that even when beaten he could steal a little victory by laughing at defeat.