---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If he was not exactly a Spartan, he was…"
description: "\"“If he was not exactly a Spartan, he was, you might say, spartanatical. Things happened to you; they were good,or they were bad - and that was the trut..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f0/a-e-coppard-30090_philosophy_if-he-was-not-exactly-a-spartan-he-was-y_917550.jpg"
---

#  If he was not exactly a Spartan, he was, you might say…

![“If he was not exactly a Spartan, he was, you might say, spartanatical. Things happened to you; they were good,or they were bad - and that was the truth about everything.” quote by A.E. Coppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f0/a-e-coppard-30090_philosophy_if-he-was-not-exactly-a-spartan-he-was-y_917550.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f0/a-e-coppard-30090_philosophy_if-he-was-not-exactly-a-spartan-he-was-y_917550.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f0/a-e-coppard-30090_philosophy_if-he-was-not-exactly-a-spartan-he-was-y_917550.jpg)

> ““If he was not exactly a Spartan, he was, you might say, spartanatical. Things happened to you; they were good,or they were bad - and that was the truth about everything.””

[A.E. Coppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-coppard/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Life presents both good and bad events; accepting this duality reveals an honest view of existence.

**In simple terms:** Life has good and bad moments.

Key Takeaway

Embrace both positive and negative experiences.

Themes

philosophy acceptance duality

Mood

contemplative balanced

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- personal setbacks
- celebrations
- decision making
- risk assessment

Key Concepts

stoicism realism

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you tend to label events as purely good or bad?
- How can you find balance in mixed outcomes?

A Different Perspective

Focusing only on extremes can ignore nuanced experiences.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Philosophy of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-life/) [Spartan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spartan/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/)

## Related quotes

> [Everything that happens is always for good And that happened to me is for very good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashank-rayal/everything-that-happens-is-always-for-good-and-that-happened-to-me-is/)

[Shashank Rayal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashank-rayal/)

> [My Finnish, it never really happened, but I'm good in Swedish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floor-jansen/my-finnish-it-never-really-happened-but-i-m-good-in-swedish/)

[Floor Jansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floor-jansen/)

> [Many things have been said about what happened, but I don't know either. Maybe someday. One thing I'm sure of is that all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-best/many-things-have-been-said-about-what-happened-but-i-don-t-know/)

[Pete Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-best/)

> [That was the thing about being alone, in theory or in principle. Whatever happened-good, bad, or anywhere in between-it was always, if nothing else,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/that-was-the-thing-about-being-alone-in-theory-or-in-principle/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [I simply wanted to state that during this little slice of history, this is what happened and these were the good sides of it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-joffe/i-simply-wanted-to-state-that-during-this-little-slice-of-history/)

[Roland Joffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-joffe/)

> [Whatever happened to a good pie-in-the-face joke?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-elliott/whatever-happened-to-a-good-pie-in-the-face-joke/)

[Brooke Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-elliott/)

> [No one has a life where everything that happened was good. I think the thing that made life good for me is that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilma-rudolph/no-one-has-a-life-where-everything-that-happened-was-good-i-think-the/)

[Wilma Rudolph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilma-rudolph/)

> [When I was playing with the Truckers, a lot of really good things happened. And we had a good trajectory for a long time.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/when-i-was-playing-with-the-truckers-a-lot-of-really-good-things/)

[Jason Isbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/)

> [If a song's about something I've experienced or that could've happened to me it's good. But if it's alien to me, I couldn't lend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aretha-franklin/if-a-song-s-about-something-i-ve-experienced-or-that-could-ve/)

[Aretha Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aretha-franklin/)

> [I think everything happens for a reason and all the things that happened to me - good, bad - I'm glad they did. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddy-adu/i-think-everything-happens-for-a-reason-and-all-the-things-that/)

[Freddy Adu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddy-adu/)

> [Everything that has happened to me in a good way, I never thought in a million years those things would happen. Now that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-colton/everything-that-has-happened-to-me-in-a-good-way-i-never-thought-in-a/)

[Graham Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-colton/)

> [When we were young, they always teach you that you can never give up. It doesn't matter what has happened: you cannot give up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dusan-tadic/when-we-were-young-they-always-teach-you-that-you-can-never-give-up/)

[Dusan Tadic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dusan-tadic/)

> [I'm better for all the things that have happened to me, the good and the bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-roberts/i-m-better-for-all-the-things-that-have-happened-to-me-the-good-and/)

[Julia Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-roberts/)

> [“Whatever happened next, good or bad, it would be wonderful finding out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-griffin/whatever-happened-next-good-or-bad-it-would-be-wonderful-finding-out/)

[Kate Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-griffin/)

> [I never liked being photographed. I just happened to be good at it,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-shrimpton/i-never-liked-being-photographed-i-just-happened-to-be-good-at-it/)

Jean Shrimpton

## More by A.E. Coppard

> [“Mothers are inscrutable beings to their sons, always. ("The Higgler")”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-coppard/mothers-are-inscrutable-beings-to-their-sons-always-the-higgler/)

[A.E. Coppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-coppard/)

> [“The poor wretch, she had given up so much and could yet smile at her trouble. He himself had never surrendered to anything in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-coppard/the-poor-wretch-she-had-given-up-so-much-and-could-yet-smile-at-her/)

[A.E. Coppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-coppard/)

> [“He asked with a stiff smile 'What is love?' For me,' said Orianda, fumbling for a definition, 'for me it is a compound of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-coppard/he-asked-with-a-stiff-smile-what-is-love-for-me-said-orianda-fumbling/)

[A.E. Coppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-coppard/)

> [“Folly? O, it was indeed! But Folly is a prison where no charter of deliverence ever comes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-coppard/folly-o-it-was-indeed-but-folly-is-a-prison-where-no-charter-of/)

[A.E. Coppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-coppard/)

> [“Humph,' he said, with a disagreeable air, 'the universe does its work very quietly.' (“The Bogey Man”)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-coppard/humph-he-said-with-a-disagreeable-air-the-universe-does-its-work-very/)

[A.E. Coppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-coppard/)

> [“A high upland common was this moor, two miles from end to end, and full of furze and bracken. There were no trees and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-coppard/a-high-upland-common-was-this-moor-two-miles-from-end-to-end-and-full/)

[A.E. Coppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-coppard/)

> [“Blood is thicker than water, I know, but it's unnatural stuff to drink so much of. (“The Wife Of Ted Wickham”)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-coppard/blood-is-thicker-than-water-i-know-but-it-s-unnatural-stuff-to-drink/)

[A.E. Coppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-coppard/)

> [“To be far from the madding crowd is to be mad indeed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-coppard/to-be-far-from-the-madding-crowd-is-to-be-mad-indeed/)

[A.E. Coppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-coppard/)

> [“To analyze or assess a person's failings or deficiencies,' he declared to himself, 'is useless, not because such blemishes are immovable, but because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-coppard/to-analyze-or-assess-a-person-s-failings-or-deficiencies-he-declared/)

[A.E. Coppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-coppard/)

> [“O, sir,' murmured Sheila, still on her knees, 'please forgive me.' 'Forgive you! 0, la, la, la!' cunningly cried the droll, and strutting like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-coppard/o-sir-murmured-sheila-still-on-her-knees-please-forgive-me-forgive/)

[A.E. Coppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-coppard/)

> [“Holiness was always something richly dim.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-coppard/holiness-was-always-something-richly-dim/)

[A.E. Coppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-coppard/)

> [“Pedersen was always wooing her. Sometimes he was gracious and kind, but at other times when his failure wearied him he would be cruel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-coppard/pedersen-was-always-wooing-her-sometimes-he-was-gracious-and-kind-but/)

[A.E. Coppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-coppard/)

> [“I am Shiloh, whose box you stole. Your godmother's sickness lies in your own keeping, you can heal her in a moment. Make me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-coppard/i-am-shiloh-whose-box-you-stole-your-godmother-s-sickness-lies-in/)

[A.E. Coppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-coppard/)

> [“There are men who love to gaze with the mind at things that can never be seen, feel at least the throb of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-coppard/there-are-men-who-love-to-gaze-with-the-mind-at-things-that-can-never/)

[A.E. Coppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-coppard/)

> [“No countryman ever speaks to an animal without blaspheming it, although if he be engaged in some solitary work and inspired to music, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-coppard/no-countryman-ever-speaks-to-an-animal-without-blaspheming-it/)

[A.E. Coppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-coppard/)

[Explore all 17 A.E. Coppard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-coppard/)

## More Philosophy quotes

> [“MIND &amp; GRIND Self-belief and hard work can propel you past more talented peers”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamil-ali/mind-grind-self-belief-and-hard-work-can-propel-you-past-more/)

[Kamil Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamil-ali/)

> [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/)

Taf Teh

> [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/)

[Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/)

> [“It takes tremendous courage, persistence, and perseverance to pursue your ultimate purpose.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debasish-mridha/it-takes-tremendous-courage-persistence-and-perseverance-to-pursue/)

[Debasish Mridha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debasish-mridha/)

> [No philosophy, no religion, has ever brought so glad a message to the world as this good news of Atheism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-besant/no-philosophy-no-religion-has-ever-brought-so-glad-a-message-to-the/)

[Annie Besant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-besant/)

> [“This is what is called "honor among thieves," for the really dangerous people are those who do not recognize that they are thieves— the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-watts/this-is-what-is-called-honor-among-thieves-for-the-really-dangerous/)

[Alan W. Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-w-watts/)

> [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/)

[Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/)

> [“If you start and persist you will succeed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debasish-mridha/if-you-start-and-persist-you-will-succeed/)

[Debasish Mridha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debasish-mridha/)

> [“The spirit of our accurate and exact philosophy is outraged by conclusions that contradict each other so glaringly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/the-spirit-of-our-accurate-and-exact-philosophy-is-outraged-by/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [“I never knew any man who had once tasted the sweetness of experimental knowledge, that ever afterward fasted after ye Vapour garlick and onions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-zimmer/i-never-knew-any-man-who-had-once-tasted-the-sweetness-of/)

[Carl Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-zimmer/)

> [“I fight with love and kindness as my weapons and compassion as my defense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debasish-mridha/i-fight-with-love-and-kindness-as-my-weapons-and-compassion-as-my/)

[Debasish Mridha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debasish-mridha/)

> [Television's perfect. You turn a few knobs, a few of those mechanical adjustments at which the higher apes are so proficient, and lean back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/television-s-perfect-you-turn-a-few-knobs-a-few-of-those-mechanical/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [The world's history is a divine poem, of which the history of every nation is a canto, and every man a word. Its strains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/the-world-s-history-is-a-divine-poem-of-which-the-history-of-every/)

[James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/)

> [“He who is mindless is defenceless” RjS”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rassool-jibraeel-snyman/he-who-is-mindless-is-defenceless-rjs/)

[rassool jibraeel snyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rassool-jibraeel-snyman/)

> [Liberalism is the philosophy for our time, because it does not try to conserve every tradition of the past, because it does not apply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/liberalism-is-the-philosophy-for-our-time-because-it-does-not-try-to/)

[Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/)

[Browse all 17,414 Philosophy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“If he was not exactly a Spartan, he was, you might say, spartanatical. Things happened to you; they were good,or they were bad - and that was the truth about everything.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "A.E. Coppard"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-coppard/if-he-was-not-exactly-a-spartan-he-was-you-might-say-spartanatical/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Philosophy"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-coppard/if-he-was-not-exactly-a-spartan-he-was-you-might-say-spartanatical/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f0/a-e-coppard-30090_philosophy_if-he-was-not-exactly-a-spartan-he-was-y_917550.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f0/a-e-coppard-30090_philosophy_if-he-was-not-exactly-a-spartan-he-was-y_917550.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f0/a-e-coppard-30090_philosophy_if-he-was-not-exactly-a-spartan-he-was-y_917550.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If he was not exactly a Spartan, he was, you might say, spartanatical. Things happened to you; they were…” — A.E. Coppard",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "A.E. Coppard",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-coppard/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“If he was not exactly a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-coppard/if-he-was-not-exactly-a-spartan-he-was-you-might-say-spartanatical/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-coppard/if-he-was-not-exactly-a-spartan-he-was-you-might-say-spartanatical/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
