---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Entertainments nearly always end with…"
description: "\"“Entertainments nearly always end with triumph or disaster—happiness achieved, or total, tragic defeat precluding any hope of it. But there is always m..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/869/ann-leckie-8760_defeat_entertainments-nearly-always-end-with-tr_765878.jpg"
---

#  Entertainments nearly always end with triumph or…

![“Entertainments nearly always end with triumph or disaster—happiness achieved, or total, tragic defeat precluding any hope of it. But there is always more after the ending—always the next morning and the next, always changes, losses and gains. Always one step after the other. Until the one true…” quote by Ann Leckie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/869/ann-leckie-8760_defeat_entertainments-nearly-always-end-with-tr_765878.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/869/ann-leckie-8760_defeat_entertainments-nearly-always-end-with-tr_765878.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/869/ann-leckie-8760_defeat_entertainments-nearly-always-end-with-tr_765878.jpg)

> ““Entertainments nearly always end with triumph or disaster—happiness achieved, or total, tragic defeat precluding any hope of it. But there is always more after the ending—always the next morning and the next, always changes, losses and gains. Always one step after the other. Until the one true ending that none of us can escape.””

[Ann Leckie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-leckie/)

## About This Quote

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

Life is a series of cycles of triumph and loss, each followed by new beginnings and inevitable endings that we cannot avoid.

**In simple terms:** Life repeats success and failure, then continues onward.

Key Takeaway

Embrace each moment, knowing it leads to the next.

Themes

cycle resilience inevitability growth change

Mood

reflective hopeful determined

Type

philosophical inspirational literary

When to use this quote

- Personal setbacks
- career transitions
- relationship endings
- creative projects
- health recoveries

Key Concepts

Existentialism Narrative structure Temporal continuity

Questions to Reflect On

- What does “true ending” mean to you?
- How can you find hope after loss?

A Different Perspective

Even after endings, uncertainty can stall progress.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Defeat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defeat/) [End Triumph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-triumph-1489028/) [Ending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ending/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Hope Ending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope-ending-5930148/) [True Ending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-ending-2948063/)

## Related quotes

> [“Entertainments nearly always end with triumph or disaster - happiness achieved, or total, tragic defeat precluding any hope of it. But there is always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-leckie/entertainments-nearly-always-end-with-triumph-or-disaster-happiness-2/)

[Ann Leckie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-leckie/)

> [“Every story has four parts - the beginning, the middle, the almost ending, and the true ending.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-garber/every-story-has-four-parts-the-beginning-the-middle-the-almost-ending/)

[Stephanie Garber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-garber/)

> [In the end, one or the other will triumph - a funeral dirge will be sung over the Soviet republic or over world capitalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-lenin/in-the-end-one-or-the-other-will-triumph-a-funeral-dirge-will-be-sung/)

[Vladimir Lenin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-lenin/)

> [“Farslayer howls across the world For thy heart! For thy heart! who hast wronged me, Vengeance is his who casts the Blade, Yet he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-saberhagen/farslayer-howls-across-the-world-for-thy-heart-for-thy-heart-who-hast/)

[Fred Saberhagen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-saberhagen/)

> [Our worst fears, like our greatest hopes, are not outside our powers, and we can come in the end to triumph over the former…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/our-worst-fears-like-our-greatest-hopes-are-not-outside-our-powers/)

[Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/)

> [“Surely with all its greatness it could not be lost; surely in the end it must triumph over evil.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zane-grey/surely-with-all-its-greatness-it-could-not-be-lost-surely-in-the-end/)

[Zane Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zane-grey/)

> [Self-deceit is a sure defeat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tasneem-hameed/self-deceit-is-a-sure-defeat/)

[Tasneem Hameed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tasneem-hameed/)

> [“Oh ... why not?' he smiled. "This valley is a pleasant spot for meditation. I like New England... it is here that I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/oh-why-not-he-smiled-this-valley-is-a-pleasant-spot-for-meditation-i/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“There’s a victory that looks like defeat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamerlan-kuzgov/there-s-a-victory-that-looks-like-defeat/)

[Tamerlan Kuzgov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamerlan-kuzgov/)

> [The ultimate aim of Karate lies not in victory or defeat, but in the perfection of the character of its participants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gichin-funakoshi/the-ultimate-aim-of-karate-lies-not-in-victory-or-defeat-but-in-the/)

[Gichin Funakoshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gichin-funakoshi/)

> [After a big defeat, any player feels affected - it is about how long he needs to recover.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerardo-martino/after-a-big-defeat-any-player-feels-affected-it-is-about-how-long-he/)

[Gerardo Martino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerardo-martino/)

> [“The glow of victory and the harsh chill of defeat are two sides of the same coin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-lenartowicz/the-glow-of-victory-and-the-harsh-chill-of-defeat-are-two-sides-of/)

[Maria Lenartowicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-lenartowicz/)

> [“We don't have to defeat any individual but our own self.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avijeet-das/we-don-t-have-to-defeat-any-individual-but-our-own-self/)

[Avijeet Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avijeet-das/)

> [Defeat furnishes good material to the poets and the artists, but none of us care to have the glory of the conquered apply to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-glaspell/defeat-furnishes-good-material-to-the-poets-and-the-artists-but-none/)

[Susan Glaspell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-glaspell/)

> [A poor self-image is the magnifying glass that can transform a trivial mistake or an imperfection into an overwhelming symbol of personal defeat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-d-burns/a-poor-self-image-is-the-magnifying-glass-that-can-transform-a/)

[David D. Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-d-burns/)

## More by Ann Leckie

> [The Romans have provided a lot of writers with a model for various interstellar empires, of course, and no wonder. The Roman Empire is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-leckie/the-romans-have-provided-a-lot-of-writers-with-a-model-for-various/)

[Ann Leckie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-leckie/)

> [“The gender thing is a giveaway, though. Only a Radchaai would misgender people the way you do." I'd guessed wrong. "I can't see under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-leckie/the-gender-thing-is-a-giveaway-though-only-a-radchaai-would-misgender/)

[Ann Leckie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-leckie/)

> [“If you’d refused, nothing would have changed, except you’d be dead too. You did what you had to do,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-leckie/if-you-d-refused-nothing-would-have-changed-except-you-d-be-dead-too/)

[Ann Leckie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-leckie/)

> [Unity, I thought, implies the possibility of disunity. Beginnings imply and require endings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-leckie/unity-i-thought-implies-the-possibility-of-disunity-beginnings-imply/)

[Ann Leckie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-leckie/)

> [“Good necessitates evil.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-leckie/good-necessitates-evil/)

[Ann Leckie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-leckie/)

> [“The single word that directs a person’s fate and ultimately the fates of those she comes in contact with is of course a common…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-leckie/the-single-word-that-directs-a-person-s-fate-and-ultimately-the-fates/)

[Ann Leckie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-leckie/)

> [“I find forgiveness overrated. There are times and places when it’s appropriate. But not when the demand that you forgive is used to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-leckie/i-find-forgiveness-overrated-there-are-times-and-places-when-it-s/)

[Ann Leckie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-leckie/)

> [“Ridiculous!" scoffed Anaander. "Translator, ships and stations are not Significant beings, they are my property. I caused them to be built." "I'm given to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-leckie/ridiculous-scoffed-anaander-translator-ships-and-stations-are-not/)

[Ann Leckie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-leckie/)

> [Good necessitates evil and the two sides of that disk are not always clearly marked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-leckie/good-necessitates-evil-and-the-two-sides-of-that-disk-are-not-always/)

[Ann Leckie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-leckie/)

> [“I saw them all, suddenly, for just a moment, through non-Radchaai eyes, an eddying crowd of unnervingly ambiguously gendered people. I saw all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-leckie/i-saw-them-all-suddenly-for-just-a-moment-through-non-radchaai-eyes/)

[Ann Leckie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-leckie/)

> [Without feelings insignificant decisions become excruciating attempts to compare endless arrays of inconsequential things. It's just easier to handle those with emotions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-leckie/without-feelings-insignificant-decisions-become-excruciating-attempts/)

[Ann Leckie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-leckie/)

> [“The smallest, most seemingly insignificant event is part of an intricate whole and to understand why one particular mote of dust falls in one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-leckie/the-smallest-most-seemingly-insignificant-event-is-part-of-an/)

[Ann Leckie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-leckie/)

> [“When you’re doing something like this,” I said, “the odds are irrelevant. You don’t need to know the odds. You need to know how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-leckie/when-you-re-doing-something-like-this-i-said-the-odds-are-irrelevant/)

[Ann Leckie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-leckie/)

> [Surely it isn't illegal here to complain about young people these days? How cruel. I had thought it a basic part of human nature,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-leckie/surely-it-isn-t-illegal-here-to-complain-about-young-people-these/)

[Ann Leckie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-leckie/)

> [“My life always seems hopeless when it’s been too long since I’ve eaten.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-leckie/my-life-always-seems-hopeless-when-it-s-been-too-long-since-i-ve-eaten/)

[Ann Leckie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-leckie/)

[Explore all 78 Ann Leckie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-leckie/)

## More Defeat quotes

> [A poor self-image is the magnifying glass that can transform a trivial mistake or an imperfection into an overwhelming symbol of personal defeat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-d-burns/a-poor-self-image-is-the-magnifying-glass-that-can-transform-a/)

[David D. Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-d-burns/)

> [Even though you can't expect to defeat the absurdity of the world, you must make that attempt. That's morality, that's religion. That's art. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-ochs/even-though-you-can-t-expect-to-defeat-the-absurdity-of-the-world-you/)

[Phil Ochs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-ochs/)

> [The devil has been defeated, stop trying to defeat him. What we have left is the fight of faith, and it's a good fight!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-oyakhilome/the-devil-has-been-defeated-stop-trying-to-defeat-him-what-we-have/)

[Chris Oyakhilome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-oyakhilome/)

> [If Pete’s (Sampras) child is a girl, my son will like her; if he’s a boy, my son will defeat him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-agassi/if-pete-s-sampras-child-is-a-girl-my-son-will-like-her-if-he-s-a-boy/)

[Andre Agassi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-agassi/)

> [All our efforts to defeat poverty and pursue sustainable development will be in vain if environmental degradation and natural resource depletion continue unabated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/all-our-efforts-to-defeat-poverty-and-pursue-sustainable-development/)

[Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/)

> [Defeat furnishes good material to the poets and the artists, but none of us care to have the glory of the conquered apply to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-glaspell/defeat-furnishes-good-material-to-the-poets-and-the-artists-but-none/)

[Susan Glaspell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-glaspell/)

> [“We don't have to defeat any individual but our own self.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avijeet-das/we-don-t-have-to-defeat-any-individual-but-our-own-self/)

[Avijeet Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avijeet-das/)

> [“Defeat is a disease, and victory is the cure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/defeat-is-a-disease-and-victory-is-the-cure/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“The glow of victory and the harsh chill of defeat are two sides of the same coin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-lenartowicz/the-glow-of-victory-and-the-harsh-chill-of-defeat-are-two-sides-of/)

[Maria Lenartowicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-lenartowicz/)

> [After a big defeat, any player feels affected - it is about how long he needs to recover.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerardo-martino/after-a-big-defeat-any-player-feels-affected-it-is-about-how-long-he/)

[Gerardo Martino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerardo-martino/)

> [I have clearly said we faced terrorist enemies who use Islam to justify slaughtering innocent people and we have to stop them and we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-have-clearly-said-we-faced-terrorist-enemies-who-use-islam-to/)

[Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/)

> [We know from this book entitled... What is it? Surrendered? Succumbed? I can never remember the title perform. And we learn from this book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/we-know-from-this-book-entitled-what-is-it-surrendered-succumbed-i/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [The ultimate aim of Karate lies not in victory or defeat, but in the perfection of the character of its participants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gichin-funakoshi/the-ultimate-aim-of-karate-lies-not-in-victory-or-defeat-but-in-the/)

[Gichin Funakoshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gichin-funakoshi/)

> [It has never been more critical that a leader step forward to accelerate our understanding of cancer - and champion the effort to finally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-j-dzau/it-has-never-been-more-critical-that-a-leader-step-forward-to/)

[Victor J. Dzau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-j-dzau/)

> [“It would seem no matter how progressive we get there are always those few who are backwards in their ways.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solange-nicole/it-would-seem-no-matter-how-progressive-we-get-there-are-always-those/)

[Solange nicole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solange-nicole/)

[Browse all 2,603 Defeat quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defeat/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Entertainments nearly always end with triumph or disaster—happiness achieved, or total, tragic defeat precluding any hope of it. But there is always more after the ending—always the next morning and the next, always changes, losses and gains. Always one step after the other. Until the one true ending that none of us can escape.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ann Leckie"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-leckie/entertainments-nearly-always-end-with-triumph-or-disaster-happiness/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Defeat"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-leckie/entertainments-nearly-always-end-with-triumph-or-disaster-happiness/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/869/ann-leckie-8760_defeat_entertainments-nearly-always-end-with-tr_765878.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/869/ann-leckie-8760_defeat_entertainments-nearly-always-end-with-tr_765878.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/869/ann-leckie-8760_defeat_entertainments-nearly-always-end-with-tr_765878.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Entertainments nearly always end with triumph or disaster—happiness achieved, or total, tragic defeat…” — Ann Leckie",
                "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": "Ann Leckie",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-leckie/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Entertainments nearly always end with triumph...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-leckie/entertainments-nearly-always-end-with-triumph-or-disaster-happiness/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-leckie/entertainments-nearly-always-end-with-triumph-or-disaster-happiness/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
