--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But man is not made for defeat. A man can…" description: "\"But man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeated.\" — Ernest Hemingway" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/021/ernest-hemingway-83_defeat_but-man-is-not-made-for-defeat-a-man-can_1246641.jpg" --- # But man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but… ![“But man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeated.” quote by Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/021/ernest-hemingway-83_defeat_but-man-is-not-made-for-defeat-a-man-can_1246641.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/021/ernest-hemingway-83_defeat_but-man-is-not-made-for-defeat-a-man-can_1246641.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/021/ernest-hemingway-83_defeat_but-man-is-not-made-for-defeat-a-man-can_1246641.jpg) > “But man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeated.” [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A man can be physically broken yet retain an unbreakable spirit. **In simple terms:** Physical defeat doesn’t equal spiritual defeat. Key Takeaway Cultivate resilience despite setbacks. Themes resilience defeat spirit Mood inspirational determined Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - war trauma - personal loss - athletic injury - business failure Key Concepts existentialism human endurance Questions to Reflect On - What fuels an unbreakable spirit? - How do you rebuild after a crushing loss? A Different Perspective Physical destruction can still erode morale if unchecked. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Defeat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defeat/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) ## Related quotes > [A man can be destroyed but not defeated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-man-can-be-destroyed-but-not-defeated/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“But man is not made for defeat," he said. "A man can be destroyed but not defeated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/but-man-is-not-made-for-defeat-he-said-a-man-can-be-destroyed-but-not/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [A man can be destroyed, but he can't be defeated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-harbaugh/a-man-can-be-destroyed-but-he-can-t-be-defeated/) [John Harbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-harbaugh/) > [He who jokes in the executioners face can be destroyed, but never defeated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/he-who-jokes-in-the-executioners-face-can-be-destroyed-but-never/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Man is not made for defeat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/man-is-not-made-for-defeat/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Everything made by man may be destroyed by man; there are no ineffaceable characters except those engraved by nature; and nature makes neither princes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/everything-made-by-man-may-be-destroyed-by-man-there-are-no/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [“One man can defeat a whole army with words alone”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-conway/one-man-can-defeat-a-whole-army-with-words-alone/) Chris Conway > [“The angry man will defeat himself in battle as well as in life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hyams/the-angry-man-will-defeat-himself-in-battle-as-well-as-in-life/) [Joe Hyams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hyams/) > [I respect Demetrious Johnson to the fullest. I wouldn't travel the world and find different training partners and coaches to help me defeat this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-cejudo/i-respect-demetrious-johnson-to-the-fullest-i-wouldn-t-travel-the/) [Henry Cejudo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-cejudo/) > [Nothing is more certain than the defeat of a man who gives up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-a-sheehan/nothing-is-more-certain-than-the-defeat-of-a-man-who-gives-up/) [George A. Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-a-sheehan/) > [There is nothing more certain than the defeat of the man who gives up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-a-sheehan/there-is-nothing-more-certain-than-the-defeat-of-the-man-who-gives-up/) [George A. Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-a-sheehan/) > [I never seek to defeat the man I am fighting, " he explained. "I seek to defeat his confidence. A mind troubled by doubt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/i-never-seek-to-defeat-the-man-i-am-fighting-he-explained-i-seek-to/) [Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/) > [“…and the mousesized mousecolored spinster trembling and aghast at her own temerity, staring across it at the childless bachelor in whom ended that long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/and-the-mousesized-mousecolored-spinster-trembling-and-aghast-at-her/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“You cannot defeat a strong man who believes in himself. He cannot be pushed down, cannot be ridiculed down, talked down, or written down.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/you-cannot-defeat-a-strong-man-who-believes-in-himself-he-cannot-be/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [It's easy to do anything in victory. It's in defeat that a man reveals himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-patterson/it-s-easy-to-do-anything-in-victory-it-s-in-defeat-that-a-man-reveals/) [Floyd Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-patterson/) ## More by Ernest Hemingway > [Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/wine-is-one-of-the-most-civilized-things-in-the-world-and-one-of-the/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“There was no wind, and, outside now of the warm air of the cave, heavy with smoke of both tobacco and charcoal, with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/there-was-no-wind-and-outside-now-of-the-warm-air-of-the-cave-heavy/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“It was not brilliant bull-fighting. It was only perfect bull-fighting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/it-was-not-brilliant-bull-fighting-it-was-only-perfect-bull-fighting/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [One cat just leads to another. The place is so damned big it doesn't really seem as though there were many cats until you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/one-cat-just-leads-to-another-the-place-is-so-damned-big-it-doesn-t/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Creation's probably overrated. After all, God made the world in only six days and rested on the seventh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/creation-s-probably-overrated-after-all-god-made-the-world-in-only/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“Viva my husband who was Mayor of this town”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/viva-my-husband-who-was-mayor-of-this-town/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“The earth gets tired of being exploited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/the-earth-gets-tired-of-being-exploited/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [What is moral is what you feel good after, and what is immoral is what you feel bad after.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/what-is-moral-is-what-you-feel-good-after-and-what-is-immoral-is-what/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“We drove out along the coast road. There was the green of the headlands, the white, red-roofed villas, patches of forest, and the ocean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/we-drove-out-along-the-coast-road-there-was-the-green-of-the/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [As a Nobel Prize winner I cannot but regret that the award was never given to Mark Twain, nor to Henry James, speaking only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/as-a-nobel-prize-winner-i-cannot-but-regret-that-the-award-was-never/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Oh, darling, I've been so miserable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/oh-darling-i-ve-been-so-miserable/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [I read my own books sometimes to cheer me when it is hard to write, and then I remember that it was always difficult,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/i-read-my-own-books-sometimes-to-cheer-me-when-it-is-hard-to-write/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“You find everything on earth at Harry's." "Yes, my Colonel. Except, possibly, happiness." "I'll damn well find happiness, too," the Colonel assured him. "Happiness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/you-find-everything-on-earth-at-harry-s-yes-my-colonel-except/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“No. It's bad for me. Cole Porter wrote the words and the music. This knowledge that you're going mad for me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/no-it-s-bad-for-me-cole-porter-wrote-the-words-and-the-music-this/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“everything kills everything else in some way. Fishing kills me exactly as it keeps me alive. The boy keeps me alive, he thought. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/everything-kills-everything-else-in-some-way-fishing-kills-me-exactly/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) [Explore all 1,464 Ernest Hemingway quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) ## 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 > [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 > [“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": "But man is not made for defeat. 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